This restaurant might visibly be classified as a 'hole-in-the-wall', which is why I was curious enough to go inside (I had actually been once before). It is immediately apparent that this is authentic Chinese food like the Chinese eat. The menu has many dishes that I had never seen before like Fried Clams with Sauteed Winter Melon. It was a new and delicious experience along with Spicy Cabbage which I may have seen. I ate more than I should have and left carrying a week's worth of leftovers. The wait staff was slammed... don't expect leisurely conversations no matter what language you speak. read more

Kicking off the year with something spicy and red for the good fortune! Only come here if you can handle spicy, mala, peppers, and chilis. I like how they have the option to adjust spices of the dishes: mild, medium, and spicy; that's very thoughtful. But the peppers they use are super fresh and with all the other spices, proceed with caution. Out of everything we ordered, I like the chicken gizzards (not gamy at all, very crispy and spicy sour because of the pickled green beans and bamboo shoots; super yummy with rice) and the beef stew with potato (very mellow spicy and thick saucy). Their food overall is perfect on seasoning and flavor, but portion is a little smaller for the price, and space is kinda small and service can be little rash. Also they said because we want to sit at the big table that's why they charge a 18% gratuity, instead of charging by number of people in the party, this didn't make sense to me. We are party of 5 adults, and planned to order a lot of food because it's new year celebration, that's why we wanted to sit at the big table. And would be nice if they let us know the auto gratuity charge ahead of time, we are fine with paying if that's the rule but would be nice to know first still since they aren't charging by party size. read more

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I've gone here multiple times and the food is delicious. I've had cumin lamb, cabbage and vermicelli (it's really glass noodles), winter melon and egg soup (it's actually fried egg and not egg drop), seafood tofu, salt and pepper ribs, and steamed fish (it was drowning in its sauce). The staff was friendly and great. I will definitely come back here. read more

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I have eaten in hundreds of restaurants in Houston and the food here would be placed near the top of my list. The food is delicious. Delicious food and super authentic. I cant explain how tasty the food is. The actual place might not look too appealing but don't be fooled by that! The food never misses and it's at a very reasonable price. The portions are also hugeeeee! I'm seeing a lot of the reviews are saying the workers aren't super nice but I disagree, as an Asian myself, but really their English is not the greatest and it is in our culture to talk a bit loudly but I can promise that they are trying their best. read more

Great authentic Hunan food at decent prices. Recommend going with a local familiar with chinese food, the menu can be confusing for americans but if you miss true authentic Hunan/Chinese food I highly recommend (also bring cash) Definitely get either the hot and sour noodles or marinated beef noodles (make sure to ask both with Hunan style mei fun) Service is your classic chinese restaurant, they won't bother you too much. You know a restaurant is authentic when the staff eats together while chinese news plays in the background. Nothing fancy inside but gets the job done! read more

It is ok, not top tier hunan restaurant, overall above average in Houston area, nice casual one

Taste good and good service. Very good Chinese restaurant and good prices Special lunch is a very good deal

I was disappointed to find out they don't have mutton soup 羊雑湯 anymore. I used to come here only during wintertime. In fact, John L pointed out in his tips, the owner changed everything after summer of 2016. I really don't like restaurants changed Chinese name but not English name. Before 滋味湖南 took over, they served pretty good northern Chinese cuisine. Not sure how "Central China" come from. I know Hunan cuisine contains lots of hot peppers and it's famous for the bacon 湖南腊肉. I am not seeking out for authentic Hunan dishes. But at Central China Restaurant, they got lots of dishes with pepper symbols on the menu. After studying the menu to decide what jumps out, I found malatang 麻辣烫 - my favorite hot and numbing dish. For first timers, the serving dish and handful of floating peppers could overwhelm you. This pot is loaded with about 84 oz of goodies - lamb 羊肉, chicken 鸡肉, pig intestines 猪大肠, fish 鱼片, bacon 腊肉 and veggies, noodles etc. How did I eat it? I removed all floating peppers first, they don't have any taste and they can be great for photo opps. Then, I dig through a thick layer of hot oil for the goodies. Oh by the way, this oil is the essence of this dish. It's deeply flavored with toasted pepper corn, prickly pepper oil and other seasonings. Ask for a spoon and taste the numbing effect - the medicine to cure your common cold and arthritis. It's best to share it with 2 to 3 people with other hot dishes like sliced beef slices in chili oil 夫妻肺片or something mild like stewed dried bean curd 滷香干 or stinky tofu. read more

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Great atmosphere and helpful service, but the star of the show is the wonderful food. Nice and spicy but balanced- perfection! The great scraps of fat chili king is delicious beyond description. Crispy but tender pork skins with peppers and a light sauce and plenty of fresh peppers. The Mapo tofu had the right amount f chili to make your tongue dance. I look forward to my next visit! read more

I never had a worse meal than this.... Ribs taste funky with little meat, do not go. I am surprised that this place has such a high rating with only minimal reviews. Not sure if the reviews are from real customers. Be aware, read more

From the appearance, this place doesn't seem like much; however the food / value are all 5+ stars. The food is considered very authentic, and quite flavorful. Haven't found too many places in the US that serve some of the dishes they serve. Service is nice too. Please keep an open mind as they try their best to communicate in English with you if that's what you speak. read more

Great food, lots of options and quantities are huge. For vegetarians I recommend the cabbage with noodles, and the wet tofu dish

You know a good Chinese restaurant when you see it is renovated enough to the point that nothing is in excess. There are tables, chairs, napkins, utensils (chopsticks unless otherwise requested) and some basic cultural decorations like offerings and incense. The food, however, packs flavor like you wouldn't believe. Many places boast to have spice, numbing flavor, and that Szechuan kick to it, but this place is the real deal. If you like spicy food, be sure to tell the waitress after you order your dishes. If you say nothing and don't look the part, they will likely prepare the dish to be less spicy. However, the food is from a region of China where spicy food is everywhere. Please note that all dishes are meant to be eaten with rice, and not consumed on its own. Dishes to note: Stinky tofu: don't let the name fool you. It's crispy, fragrant, light, but can be custom ordered as spicy as you would like it. Hunan diced chicken or sautéed frog: two separate meats, but both are fragrant stir fry dishes done in a flavor representative of this restaurant. Frog is more tender but it has a lot of bones. Chicken meat is thigh meat, no bones. Cabbage with vermicelli sheet: this one is a sleeper. Stir fried ribbons of cabbage with vermicelli. Amazing dish that holds up on its own but has a mouth-watering flavor of spices. read more

Plenty of parking spaces available. It can be frustrating because only one lady (the waitress) there speaks and understands English. I have tried to order to go food over the phone, and most of the time the lady (cashier/owner) who picks up the phone can't speak English. The owner lady is not friendly or welcoming to non-Chinese people. Therefore, I am unable to place an order. Some of the dishes I have tried are really good. They are a little too salty, too oily and too salty though. read more

O Omg. Best spicy food ever. Authentic Chinese food that's simply amazing and spicy. No dumb down American Chinese food here. And friendly and great service. ****** Six Stars!!! read more

Very good food! We had the kung pao chicken and pork. It was soooo good. Very authentic. It looks kinda sketchy from the outside but that is always a good sign. Will definitely be coming back and you should check them out too!!! read more

Central China Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

1. Service - wait to be seated, order at the table and pay at the counter. They speak mainly Mandarin here, so if you don't speak it, just point at the pictures on the menu to order. Friendly nice staff. 2. Price - their famous dishes are about $9-$15 a plate. 3. Ambiance - small, hole in the wall restaurant. It feels like a petit restaurant in China. Dress code is casual. 4. Food - I highly recommend their "Dried Pot Potato Fried Sirloin" and the "Steam Pork Rib with Sticky Rice". According to my friend that introduced me to this place, he said that the food is legit to what they have in China. 5. Cleanliness - not bad. This was a great find! Their food is good here, and I will come back to try out other dishes. read more

Another great option for authentic Chinese food in Houston! We accidentally discovered this restaurant after our favorite Chinese place temporarily closed its doors due to the pandemic. It's located in one of the far corners of the Jusgo plaza, so wasn't on our radar until recently. As other reviewers have stated, this is a small family-owned restaurant with super nice owners/workers and very yummy food. Be warned, this place actually does legit spicy (love it!!). We've tried a couple dishes from here including their mapo tofu, clay pot tofu, and eggplant with string beans. I'm a huge fan of tofu, and they do a really great job with the tofu dishes, esp the mapo tofu which actually has the numbing sensation as opposed to just salty/spicy. Portions are also incredibly generous for the price - we usually get 1.5 to 2 meals out of every order. read more

Greasy, salty, greasy again, and just a bit downright dirty -- which is all the elements you need for authentic Hunan cuisine. But seriously, try a bit harder on the cleanliness... don't wait for a customer to come back with uncontrollable diarrhea before making changes. But then again, that might affect the authentic taste. Can you guys spell conundrum? read more

I have tried several Hunan food in Houston and have to say Central China is my favorite. Spicy dishes are real, Hunan style spicy. My friends from NYC and families from China both like it! Definitely my first choice among Hunan foods in Houston! read more

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I'm not gonna lie this place was popping. It's a little pricey at 10-11$ a plate but one plate is enough to fill 2 people really good. The Kong pow was freaking good and mix it with the spicy pork and you got a meal for 4 read more

Central China Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I used to visit the restaurant often but their owner woman is very rude. I ordered a dish of celery with beef and there were only a few pieces of celery inside. Instead, they put a lot of dry tofu. I don't like dry tofu. It was not written on the menu or shown in the picture. The owner initially said it was written on the menu and then kept saying she is very busy and no time for me. Bad attitude. Wouldn't be back read more

Spicy! Be ware. We asked to not so spicy and it was still spicy. Portions was very generous. I liked all the food. Food was fresh. I will be back to try this place again. read more

Central China Restaurant - To go spread. Super spicy - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Very good spicy fish, which is a human specialty. Cumin lamb stir fry was ok and not as good as Sichuan style. Pork belly was pretty good and pretty unique with loads of hot peppers. Meicai pork belly was spot on. Feels like comfort home cooking. read more

Consistent Authentic Spicy and Intense Hunan Flavor Majority of American Chinese restaurants in Houston that bear the word Hunan in their name do not really mean it's regional Hunan Cuisine from China. These restaurants most likely are very Americanized catering mainly to non-Chinese customers. However, recently in Houston's Chinatown, there has been a flourishing of authentic Hunan cuisine restaurants. When I once ask the owner, as a Chinese myself, what are the distinct qualities of Hunan cuisine, I was told that Hunan food is both spicy and salty. Although the name Central China has been well recognized by some Houstonians as the place to get Northern style Chinese Breakfast, like Dou Fu Hua 豆腐花 (sweet or savory soft Tofu Custard), different variety of Bao Zi 包子 (Stuffed Buns), and Shao Bing 燒餅 (Stuffed or Plain Flatbread), the place has been sold to these new owners who specialized in Hunan Cuisine. When I first visited the restaurant, I recognized one of the ladies and asked if she has worked at another fantastic Hunan restaurant called Hunan Bistro . She informed me that she has sold her share at that other popular restaurant, and open this new one, with her father as the Executive Chef. I have been to the place at least 4 times now at the time this review is written. All I can say is I have not ordered a single dish that I don't like, and they are very consistent in delivering good quality Hunan-style Chinese food. There is one special dish I want to recommend that I have not found in any other Chinese restaurant. The name of this dish is amusingly translated from Chinese on their menu into "The Grease Scraps of Fat Chili King). It is basically pieces of crunchy Cracklins, Chicharones, or Pork Fat, stir-fried with diced Bell Peppers and Green Onions. Those little dynamites of deep-fried fat taste surprisingly clean. combined with spicy and savory flavors, it's heavenly to wolf down with Steamed White Rice. You really have to try a Whole Fish in a Chinese restaurant. The fresh Tilapia is prepared by first frying then dressing with Spicy Bean Sauce. As you already probably knew, Chinese prefer to have their fish prepared whole instead of filleted. The Spicy Bean Sauce itself will make you lose count of the amount of White Rice you consume. The fish used here is not frozen according to the waitress. It's bought fresh from the supermarket nearby in the same strip center. You might not want to order this fish if you don't Tilapia though, because it's the only fresh fish they use for preparing Whole Fish dishes. Our Cavemen group also ordered a sizzling iron skillet of Fried Japanese Tofu with Shrimp, Squid, Fillet, and an Omelette layered at the bottom cooked naturally by the intense heat. The dish is a tad salty as expected, the texture of the round-shaped Japanese Tofu is velvety soft, and it's serve piping hot. In addition, we had Sauteed Shredded Beef with Dried Bean Curd and Celery, Eggplant with Brown Sauce, both very good dishes to complement our other dishes. If you are in the mood for something spicy and more intense flavor that go well with Steamed White Rice, give Central China a try. The people aim to please the customers and I believe will do anything they can to accommodate your request (if there is no slight language barrier). They consistently deliver good authentic Hunan food that is good quality, clean, and wonderful flavor that will surely stimulate your palate. read more

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Greasy, greasy, greasy! If you are a health freak, I definitely do not recommend you coming here as this place will literally make your pores larger before you even ask for the check. J and I came here the other day because we were craving some soybean milk (do jang) and some dough oil sticks (yo tiau). Please don't hate on the pronunciations at this point. This place has authentic Taiwanese food like others have stated, and my favorite thing to get here is their green onion pie. It brings me back to my grandmother's kitchen in Hong Kong...it is that much like homemade. The prices are moderately cheap, and if you don't speak English...it is definitely okay as their menu also has English translations next to the food. As we were eating, J commented on how oily his face was feeling. When J comments on that, you KNOW for sure that the food is really greasy! However, it wouldn't be good Taiwanese breakfast food without the grease! The restaurant itself is small, but the service is always ready to put in your order, or get you something else that you need. I have found on several occasions the wait staff to be rude and inattentive, but this time we went...they were pleasant, and definitely ready to serve. The parking lot here is a horror at peak hours, so drive carefully. After all, it IS Chinatown, Bellaire! read more

Central China Restaurant - Interior of the restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

One of the few places in town that serves an authentic Chinese breakfast. Their hot soybean milk is one of the best. For less than $1.50 makes it even better! Lamb skewers, green onion pancake, and dumplings are really good too. Fried dough stick tastes good, but oily as you would expect from a stick of dough thrown in oil and fried. I can't finish an entire order. read more

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I used to come to this place years ago, but completely forgot about it with all the influx of new restaurants in Chinatown. I had a hankering for some Chinese style breakfast this morning, so I dropped in...and am glad I did! The 'oil stick'/Chinese churro/donut or whatever you call it was the best I've had in Houston! It's much more dough-y than other places which I loved - it acts like a sponge and absorbs so much more soy bean milk when you dip it :) The scallion pancakes were above average, and I also ordered some soup dumplings (xiao long bao)...unfortunately the xiao long bao didn't measure up to other places, such as FuFu...but overall I left extremely satisfied, and know I will be back again! read more

I came here for breakfast and I was really surprised by how good everything was! It was as if I was on the streets of china, eating food from carts! We had the soy milk, the tofu soup, fried bread, noodles as well as my favorite, the boa zi with a meat filling. Everything tasted extremely authentic and the flavors were spot on! I loved the broth that was in the bao zi, which was nice and sweet, and had the green onion taste. I don't know how the food is during dinner or lunch, but breakfast was a hit! The service wasn't bad considering it was quite busy and I think that I will be returning for more boa! read more

Central China Restaurant - Bao zi and You tao! (Meat Buns and Fried Bread!) - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Well the food has improved and I was about to give this place four stars but today's experience totally threw me off. The place was terribly under staffed and therefore we had a hard time getting any service. First nobody ever cared about our request for water. We asked for at least three times and didn't get out water until we were half way through the meal. I guess in their defense we ordered soy milk and probably wouldn't need water. But I was really thirsty especially with the food there. When we asked for water again without ice, there was a little confusion and someone probably asked with ice. The waitress gave us the "you want it with ice or without ice for god's sake" kind of attitude. Guess we shouldn't have been so demanding. The table next to us that came later got their water just fine. One dish didn't come by the time we were basically done eating. We asked cancel the dish and of course they were making it and almost done and actually done! The manager refused to cancel the order and claimed it was coming out, which still took a few minutes after that. Apparently you can't cancel an order that takes FOREVER to arrive. They said they were busy with orders placed after our orders. In the end we were asked to pay cash because their machine was broken. It wasn't a $10 meal. We had 7 people and it was almost $100. I think we should have been notified whenever the machine was broken so that we could be prepared for it, right? Not so sincere apology was made and it almost felt like mocking us. Well we paid anyway. I didn't really want to leave a tip but my company suggested $10 or less so we did it. I almost never under tip so this place is that bad. There are enough good Sichuan restaurants in Houston so I will never bother with this one again. read more

Food was ok. I guess it could have been amazing if someone at the restaurant spoke some English so that we could get some more guidance to what to order. The only saving grace is that the menu had pictures. The few items we got were pretty good but I am sure there are much better item on the menu that we just didn't know because of the language barrier. I have to say the rice is super dry and not great at all. read more

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Went with a friend. Food was fast and flavorful/spicy. Portions were pretty good but a bit oily. There were a lot of good dishes. Be prepared for lots of peppers. The meats were fresh. Some dishes were a little salty but would be perfect beer food. We wanted fried chicken wings with no sauce for the kids and they delivered; there was a good batter and they put in scallions and ginger (surprisingly good). They may want to put this on the menu. read more

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It is literally the best Chinese restaurant I've ever tried in Houston. The owner is a little bit cold even if I speak their language, but the foods are so good that I don't really mind. I tried different dishes every time I went there and none of the dishes disappoints me read more

I came in for lunch, ordered potato and ribs. I waited for 45 minutes for my food. There were two tables who came after me BUT got their food earlier. The waitress was as rude as any other restaurant you can find in this area. The restaurant is as dirty as any other restaurants in this area. The food is the same as any other hunan restaurants in this area. I will not come back here again. This restaurant doesn't worth 3.5 stars. read more

FOOD I came here with 7 other people so luckily we were able to order a lot of food! Sadly we were all ravenous so I didn't get any pictures in. The first dish that came was the "eggplant with brown sauce" which I enjoyed because of the ginger and well cooked eggplant (not too rubbery but still soft) but overall the flavor was a little subtle for my taste. The next dish was mapo tofu which was incredibly good, the mala spice was perfect and the tofu was cut smaller, which I appreciate, while still being silky smooth. Our next veggie dish was the string bean which I really enjoyed, they were cooked so it was a little crispy but not oily which is the balance I look for in that string bean dish. The next dish was the fried tofu iron pot and that was the star of the show, the sauce was smooth and addictively savory. The tofu was crispy and the seafood well cooked, which when combined with the egg on the bottom made for a great umami profile. We also got the fried chicken which was wonderfully crispy and spicy. Finally, we also got the winter melon and pork soup which tastes beautifully homemade, savory and salty and light enough that you go back for more. The flavors were very authentic and for so many dishes, the price point is near unbeatable. DRINK We got a pot of tea, it was always kept filled and hot. Can't ask for more in tea. ATMOSPHERE Sadly Chinatown is still not as busy due to coronavirus paranoia (COMPLETELY UNFOUDED!!!) but they managed to make it feel like a restaurant with energy. The people working there were very nice and helpful, making little jokes with us and impressed that everyone in our group could use chopsticks (we had a diverse group). The main lady reminds me a lot of your typical sweet Chinese auntie and it definitely made the food taste better! read more

I was really impressed by the food here, and i will be coming back again soon. The spicy boiled fish was delicious and reasonably priced and i had enough for lunch at home the next day! Also, i loved the cold cuts that they keep in the cold case, it consisted of tendon, meat, and intestine and what i had leftover made an excellent breakfast at home the next day. Hooray for this place! read more

Central China Restaurant - this is delicious Sichuan style spicy boiled fish, maybe the best in Houston. - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

You should come if you like spicy dishes! It's very traditional Chinese food! But make sure ask lower spicy level if you can't eat too spicy. read more

This is now our favorite Hunan restaurant in Houston. The waitresses were always friendly, the food was always great and came out fast and as a bonus you get 10% off for paying cash! My only gripe was that maybe due to the fact this building is really old and this space has many windows facing outside, it got real hot during the summer. They always kept the ceiling fans on high but having wind constantly blowing at my head was not comfortable. Now the weather is a little cooler it is much more comfortable inside. read more

Probably one of the best tasting Chinese food in Houston. The service isn't going to be 5 stars but the food more than makes up for it. If you like spicy food, this place has some good stuff. The food is a little more oily than I would like but it's alright. Parking can be hard to find on weekends so you might have to walk a little bit, but it's worth it. read more

Wonderful authentic hunan food! Must try the stinky tofu. Wish it was in dfw, their dish is the best hunan style I can find in texas.