I was craving some Com tam (broken rice) & since this place specializes in them I figured I'll give it a try. But based on mixed reviews, outdated decor & the place itself was dead, I was a bit iffy about even dining in. However I decided to stay & I have to say that I throughly enjoyed my meal. Here's what I ordered. * Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Crepe)- very crispy, flaky, huge & the coloring on the crepe was spot on. The shrimp had a nice bouncy texture, the pork on the hand wasn't that good. I would have did better with just the shrimp inside. 3.5/5 * Com tam (Broken rice) with pork chop, baked egg, shredded pork & fried egg.- to my surprise the pork chops were not dry, it was actually moist with a good amount of flavor. The rice was fluffy and cooked nicely. The baked egg was textbook made. 3.8/5 I really did not enjoy the fish sauce that much because it was boring & needed some more ingredients, I suggest maybe adding in some sugar to give it a little sweetness to it & squeeze some lime as well. Visually it just looks like they poured fish sauce, then added the chili sauce & carrots with no other ingredients. Overall the food was solid & the service was excellent, I am guessing my server was the owner. The only thing that really needs improvement is their fish sauce & the decor. Will I return? Yep. read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Crepe)- 3.5/5 - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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6/20/24: I had high hopes, but this place really let me down. The service was poor, server was slow and forgetful. But what was worst than the service is the food. My family of 4 were served cold food. We had 4 rice plates and two appetizer's. We had to ask them to microwave the food... let me repeat Microwave.... This place has potential to be good but they have a lot of work to do. read more

The place is a little outdated & seems to always empty every time we stopped by. I only tried their Bo Luc Lac Fried Rice & Com Tam so far. The portion and the food quality were decent. Their Com Tam Pork Chop was moist, good thickness, but just average to my taste though. I ordered Pork Chop, Chinese Sausage, Tau Hu Ky, and Fried Egg for my Com Tam ($9.25). $9 Bo Luc Lac comes with a fried egg and in the same size as other $12-$13 places. I had it better at a few other places but no one can beat this price. The service was slow & the server didn't really check up on us anytime during our meal - but it's the same almost everywhere else in Chinatown so it's not a concern for us lol. Will still come back once in a while. read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - $9 Bo Luc Lac Fried Rice with a Fried Egg included - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Today is Oct-13-2023 5:30 PM.. I went to "Com tam Ban toi, It has the new owner The owner said the new name will be "Cơm Quê". I ordered Ca Kho To, and Canh Chua to go. The foods are a lot for the prices.. Canh chua ... is not "sour " and needs more vinegar, "Ca kho to" needs more salty and sweet and burned caramel flavor. I hope they can improve read more

Been here twice and the rice plates have always been consistently good. The Korean short ribs, eggroll, Chinese sausage, fried egg and egg cake is my go to rice plate. Service is as good as you can expect from Chinatown. I only deduct one star because they don't have the lemon soda most places do and they offer sprite in place of that. read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - a plate of food - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

I found my new rice plate place! As dirty as this place is, the meats were tender, rice was fluffy, and soup was simple. The service was quick and prices were not expensive. Win win read more

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The food was alright, nothing special The service was not too good The server barely talked to us except when taking orders He brought the food to us but he just placed it on the table and then left without even saying a word I was looking around to get the check but he didnt pay attention to me so I had to come to the counter to pay. When I came to the counter, he told me the total before I even get to say anything (made me felt like he was trying to push us away) When we left he didnt even look at us or say bye I didnt feel welcome and probably will not come back again read more

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Had lunch here with friends by mistake because I thought I had looked up a different broken rice restaurant. Thankfully,it turned out ok. We ordered a lot of dishes and I would say their food is pretty good standard-fare Vietnamese cuisine. Pretty extensive menu. Definitely a whole-in-wall establishment (but of course, that's where all the good food in Bellaire comes from.) Food came out fairly quickly. The dinner for 2 has 4 dishes - salad, squid, sweet and sour fish soup, and caramelized claypot fish. Portions are a tad bit smaller but food seemed much fresher. The canh chua (soup) was ok, I've had better. I liked the goi salad the most. Com tam (broken rice plate) looked really good! Everyone at the restaurant was ordering that, which is what they are known for. We will probably come back to order that. We had ordered it but I was pretty full from the other dishes to try it. Best part about this place? Food was cheap and affordable. Keep in mind, this place is CASH ONLY. read more

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My husband and and I were craving for some broken rice. The place we want to try was closed; that's why gave this place a shot. The food was good compare to the price. However, the server made us feel uncomfortable. He was standing and waiting for us to order. I was excused him to give us some times since that was the first time we got there. He didn't say anything and left. Then he came back within 2 mins and just standing there and staring at us. That place wasn't even busy at the time we came. Only us and 1 more table. However the food was good. You guys should it a try! read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place satisfies your Com Tam cravings. They offer a variety of com tam. My go-to is always the special, com tam mon B. Located in a spacious plaza. It's usually not crowded here so plenty of tables and less of a wait. One thing though, it's cash only! Their bun bo xao xa and bun cha Ha Noi were pretty good. Good portion and ratio of meat and bun. Decent prices and you get plenty on your plate. Services are usually quick. It isn't too crowded majority of the time. The food comes out pretty fast. This place has grown on me. At the beginning, I thought their com was a bit soggy but after giving it a few more try. I'm a fan now. Overall, one of my more favorable places to get com tam. read more

--- NK Score = 8.0/10 --- 7/10 = Furniture/Ambience 9/10 = Food Quality 7/10 = Service 7/10 = Price (Other Ratings N/A) _____________________________________________ =( BASIC INFO )= - Small Restaurant - Pretty Good Food - Variety: Vietnamese (Rice, Noodles, Etc) - Prices: Average ( $7.00 - $9.00 ) - Cash Only: No Credit Card! _____________________________________________ = Atmosphere = Casual interior with basic setups, their tables are nice, spacious, and fairly well kept. The ambience is pretty relaxed, there's usually a lack of customers so it's very quiet and calm throughout the day. Overall a decent place to eat, they have TVs as well. _____________________________________________ = Food Quality = --- Com Tam + 3 Sides ($6.95): 4/5 --- Original com tam ($6.75) with some added sides, which were all pretty well made and tasty. The broken rice and egg were fairly well cooked, with the egg yolk still intact and able to gush onto the rice. Pork chop here is definitely better than most places, it's chewy, fragrant, and has a good balance between actual meat and fat. Overall a really good option if you want to try a quality Vietnamese meal. --- Bo Luc Lac ($9.00): 4/5 --- Incredibly delicious "Shaking Beef" dish! Most other restaurants don't come close in quality when it comes to this menu item. It's a French/Viet fusion with an interesting, yet delicious, filet mignon style cubes cooked to an upmost tender point. The cubes are super soft, savory, juicy, and has a touch of chewiness to finish it off. Definitely a mouth watering piece of art, especially when eaten with the soft yolked up rice, sliced onions, and a piece of moisturized lettuce. Overall an overwhelmingly delicious dish 80% of the time, I say 80% cause there's a small chance it's not as "perfect" as it usually is. Otherwise, totally worth getting, though their fried rice is a tiny bit sad compared to the whole plate. _____________________________________________ = Price / Service = Prices are pretty fair, most of the good menu items are around $7 to $9, which is generally affordable for most people. Cash only though. Service is alright, the only server is the cashier and he's usually just chilling there while we eat. _____________________________________________ Miscellaneous (Other): - Cash Only - Lower Quality Restroom Signed NK (October 2017) Images Below By Jason L (NK) read more

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One angry patron! I've always like this place since I've visited frequently, however my experience Saturday morning was utterly disappointing. I had a long work day so decided to pick up some broken rice and spring rolls on the way to work. Man was I excited. Only to be pissed off right when I had opened the to go orders. The broken rice plates were fine, a little old tasting because it didn't taste fresh but my damn spring rolls!! How on earth can you make a spring roll so horrible!! Like go back to rolling goi cuon 101! And how on earth do you managed to screw up not 1 but all 4 of them! Every single one of my spring rolls were all busted! If I wanted a salad, I would of ordered one! And for the fact that they allow this to be sold is beyond me. Ridiculous. Never going back. Ugh I was so angry. Couldn't even wrapped my head around it. read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Had their c1, the special combination yesterday. Worst com tam i ever tasted. The grill pork was not well cooked. The egg has no flavor. The rice was too moist. The only thing that was decent in the combination was the chinese sausage read more

Houston needs to give this place a bit more love! Cash only! First of all, it's CHEAP. All the dishes, even the Bo Luc Lac, which I have seen for nearly $12 at other places, are only about $9 here. The broken rice dishes plates range from $6 - $8.25!! This is pretty cheap!! AND, each rice dish comes with a complimentary bowl of delicious soup. AND, the portions are HUGE!!!! I have attached pictures of how big the portions are. AND, they offered a LOT of dishes! The dishes I have ordered so far (Com Tam Dac Biet and Bo Luc Lac) never disappoints! The service is good too! They are pretty attentive. Food came out extraordinarily fast -- like within 10 minutes. I'm surprised this place isn't so packed. It's quite delicious and affordable. This is my go-to Vietnamese rice spot. read more

Decoration is kind of confusing, I guess because the shop kept changing theme due to different restaurant close down. It have Mexicans and Italian stuff around the restaurant. The chair was short and very uncomfortable to sit. The cushion sunk in when I sat down. Service was fast maybe because no one was there. But the waiter was nice. Except the lady at the cashier she seem to hesitated to give me a Togo box when I asked for one. Their rice plate is good. The grilled meat was tender and flavorful. Pickled vegetable was refreshing with a lot of fried tofu stuff shrimp. The shrimp pancake is blend. The eggroll that came with the rice plate smell kind of weird so I didn't take another bite of it. The bun bowl was decent. Basic soy sauce and sugar mixture sauce. It does have a huge shrimp cake on top. read more

Dont be alarm with the dated decor, dim lights, if you do not see many people inside. This place does not get very busy however the food is exceptional. For lunch the Rice platter special combination (com tam dac biet) is all under ten dollars. Its delicious, the meat flavored just right. I came back a second time for the two persons family dinner for under twenty dollars which was surprising good. Enough for even three people. Highly recommend. read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

We're traveling so my husband just stop by at here to try out a new palace. And it was a big surprise We got com tam and fish rice gruel. My husband add extra meet on com tam but still only 10$ for his dish. That's really cheap comparing where we from and food so delicious.... Fish rice gruel really good too fish so fresh and taste juicy. Now we have one more palace to visit in bellaire. Will come back for sure. read more

Food: MID. The peach tea was full of artificial sweeteners, so saccharine that it was undrinkable. I had to trash the whole thing. The grilled beef in the cơm tấm was sinewy and had barely any meat. Service: Even more MID. I placed my order on the phone. When I got there to pick up, the cashier ignored me and went to the back for 20 min until I managed to get her attention. She said she thought I was with the guy who was in front of me!! Bruh, I was clearly social distancing behind that guy, so why would you even think that. So that guy got his food before me even though I called a good 25 min prior. Like my APUSH teacher used to say, "to assume is to make an ass of u and me". Could not pay me to go back there. read more

I came here with my big family and the Vietnamese food here is pretty ok. I thought most the family style dishes (fried pork bones, fried squid, catfish in the stone pot) were a tad salty though but you can fix it by eating more rice. Banh xeo was ok. I personally like the Canh chua so try it! I think the best food here would be the com tam but I was too full so next time, I would definitely come back to try it. read more

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Soooo good. I think I have my replacement for my van loc cravings. The prices are great. 7 or 8 for one of their rice plates. They have just about every topping you could want on a rice plate: fried egg, egg cake, sausage, shrimp, pork, shredded pork, chicken, and etc. The taste of their egg cake was most acceptable. Note: they are cash only. read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - Rice plate with egg cake, pork chop, and shredded pork. - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great food and really reasonable prices. Honestly there's a lot to choose from the area but when I tried this place I really was surprised. You can tell the food is fresh and the portions are more than generous. The waiters are very attentive and the restaurant was kept clean. Lunch time can get packed though, but it's worth it! read more

Solid com tam (Vietnamese broken rice dish). My mom ordered com tam dac biet B for to-go. At $9 a plate, it's reasonable priced. Definitely get bang for your buck. The to-go box was filled to the brim. The com tam dac biet B consist of grilled beef, egg meat cake, pickled veggies, cucumber and tomatoes, shrimp meatball, fried bean curd shrimp, shredded pork, and nuoc mam. Overall, the com tam was okay. Beef was slightly tough. The egg meat cake, bean curd, and shrimp meatball were bland. My mom also got goi cuon (spring rolls with shrimp and pork) for $5 I believe. Handles down one of the best goi cuon I ever had. An order of goi cuon consist of 4 rolls loaded with meat, shrimp, lettuce, and vermicelli. So well made and delicious. The sauce for the goi cuon was underwhelming though. It wasn't peanut based and more of a hoisin or oxyster sauce base. I prefer the peanut sauce that usually accompanies goi cuon. Highly recommend the goi cuon though. They accept credit cards now!! Huge! read more

Good food and awesome prices! I came with my grandma and ordered the family for 2 meal for only $21 with tax included and it comes with 4 dishes! What a steal Goi sen Tom thit(vietnamese pickled salad) 5/5- really good, balanced with sweet and sour Ga hai nam(chicken) 4/5- not a fan of this type of chicken but it was good and really soft and tender Canh chua(hot sour soup)- very good, a bit on the sour side but I added sugar and it was perf Ca kho to(carmelized fish) 3/5- it was ok but I could barely taste any flavor and sweet, it was soft and the texture was nice but the brown sugar in it was burnt so I couldn't taste the sweetness, it wasn't horrible, just ok read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Best Bun Mam and com tam in town. A lot variety of food. So far none have failed me. Loves the place.

I came here for dinner based on the high reviews. There were only a few patrons during dinner on a Saturday evening so was kind of skeptics but wanted to give it a try nonetheless. The interior is not anything fancy, just your traditional Asian restaurant but the service was great. Very accommodating and nice. We ordered five dishes and thought they were authentic and reasonably priced. The steamed whole fish was priced $11 and I was sure it was probably frozen fish considering the price. Waiter assured me it was fresh so I gave it a try and I was happy I did. It's a decent size fresh, very moist and flavorful. I have to admit it's a lot better than most other restaurants. The egg rolls were meaty and looked homemade. The Bo luc lac was very tender and flavorful. I ate all of the veggies that were soaked in the sauce. The Rau muong was ok to me. They cooked it with chao so if one likes chao then this dish would be good. I'm not a big fan of it and they failed to state it in menu or I just overlooked it. The suong rang muoi was my least favorite dish. It was a little overcooked and salty. Some pieces of pork tasted funny reminded me of freezer burned meat. Overall, it's a place for good authentic home cooked meals. I would definitely return. read more

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Awesome food and service this is definitely a place to try out ! The egg rolls here are soooo GOOD I could eat them all day! read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - Combination fried rice and BBQ Chicken - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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All the food here is great. I usually get the C2 since that has everything in it. They also have delicious things at the counter you can take home. read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - three trays of food - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

It's our second night in the city and were looking to get a nice Vietnamese dinner before going back home. As recommended by a local friend and it's unexpectedly very good. We ordered the family dinner and also a special broken rice plate A (C1. Com Tam Ban Toi dac biet Mom A). The foods were excellent with the Vietnamese ice coffee. The service is also very good. Highly recommended. read more

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Thought I would give this place a chance since they're supposed to be known for their rice plates. I've actually come here and sat parked to observe the patrons that enter but didn't go in because of lack of customers inside. Finally bit the bullet and went inside even thought there were literally zero other customers. Upon choosing my seat, I noticed that there were dried stains on the table which caused me to reseat myself. I ordered the rice plate combo 1, which is guess is pretty standard for combo rice plates because you get to try everything. The food came out and looked decent upon presentation but it's not until you look closely that you notice the pork chop has an unusual texture to it. It doesn't look or taste fresh. The shrimp had a bouncy texture with a bit of foulness. Actually, nothing on the combo plate is obviously fresh prepped except the fried ground shrimp patty. I felt uncomfortable being the only person eating there even past 6:00pm. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt since it was a Tuesday evening but I'm pretty sure it's just because the food quality isn't great. I'm not likely to ever return here and really not sure why it has an average rating of 4-stars. At least now I have an idea why no one else went in there the whole time I ate.. read more

Cash only! Got the meal for 2 which included lotus salad, canh chua, ca kho to and thit kho but I replaced thit Kho with garlic stir fried water spinach. All this food for $20! The canh chua was a touch sweet. Which there was pineapple, but overall solid. Ca kho to was cut a little thin and I didn't like the fatty pieces of pork. It was average. The water spinach was so good with large chunks of garlic. Lotus salad with barely any lotus-- more cucumber. The dressing was kind of sweet. Was given Thai peppers which was a nice accompaniment. Would try again. read more

CASH ONLY I'm really not a fan of cash only places, but the portions and pricing is good. My go-to place is usually Com Tam Kieu Giang in HK4, but it was almost closing time for them. I'm so glad I went to Com Tam Ban Toi instead. The food & portion is way better at the same price. I find the male owner at Kieu Giang cheap. This place is my new to-go place. One suggestion though, they should at least have a credit card minimum. Maybe $10. read more

From out of town and excited to enjoy com tam. My family and I ordered the C1 & C2. Pros: good service, large portions Cons: all the components of the com tam plate were not flavorful - the pork chop was dry, cha & bi did not taste fresh, lap xuong overcooked. I also understand and expect most asian restaurants to be kind of dirty, but the seats and floor were sticky and greasy. All in all, very disappointed. read more

For me, this is the best com tam I have ever tried since I came here. The price is cheap, but they just accept cash only. That was one thing I don't like. read more

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Used to be good but this place has gone downhill. I order through the phone and picked up my order. No one was in the restaurant beside a worker sitting down watching tv and the cashier eating behind the register.It must have been a very slow day as when I open my plate the pork has a smell that was not the usual grilled taste nor smell. It smell pungent and unappetizing. Also check your bill as they do not have accurate pricing on the menu. They write in the paper menu old prices but did not provide the new price. read more

First time come here. I'm not usually take picture and write review like this but this place so quiet + clean + great service. The food is good (I just take two of them) Ah they have food for vegeratian too ^^ read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - ^^ - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Enjoy lunch time with roommate. "Lu mm"-small size is enough for us with affordable price $25. My roommate compliment to this dish. However, they accept cash only, so it takes a note before coming here.. read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Great traditional Vietnamese food. The restaurant looks like a typical Asian eatery with not much decoration or ambiance. However, once you overlook the appearance of the restaurant you will be treated to great traditional fare at extremely reasonable prices. No gimmicks, just great food. I am not Vietnamese...and I would recommend coming with someone who is because this is not your typical Pho restaurant. Many of the dishes are not recognizable by name. Also the place is cash only!!! read more

My favorite Place to get a hep of Vietnamese rice plate, got their signature rice dish that was soooooo good and delicious, love this place so much read more

Com Tam Ban Toi - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Vermicelli veggies with tofu not on the menu, but you can request it! Grilled onions added to the dish sure makes a big difference! Veggie spring rolls with tofu is a great appetizer also not on the menu! The veggies are fresh and the noodles taste delicious! Staff is friendly even though it's hard to understand their english! Cons: Hole in the wall location! Language barrier! Location not as appealing! Semi vegetarian friendly! Cash only! Hardly any veggie dishes, but if you can get past the language barrier like I did by showing veggie pictures via cell phone I'm pretty sure a lot of items on the menu can be made vegetarian! read more

They serve the best com tam I've ever had in Houston and their price is very reasonable. I usually go during weekdays for lunch and it's almost always very empty. I don't know how much business they have at night or on weekends but I certainly hope it's much more for them to stay in business. But I personally believe that a major reason why they have few patrons during weekday lunch time is due to lack of businesses around the area. They do only accept cash but this is the same with most smaller Asian restaurants so it's to be expected. read more