Jin Yuan Cafe's (錦源美食) opened two years ago and quickly became one of the only true Shanghainese…read morespots in Katy -- if not in the greater Houston area. Located inside of the 99 Ranch Market (#1) along Mason, it had so much potential but struggled with foot traffic. As a result, it closed for good several weeks ago. With only a handful of tables, the setup was casual and completely unpretentious. The restaurant transitioned from over-the-counter ordering to a self service kiosk, a practice that has become commonplace amongst many Asian eateries. Prices were reasonable for the area, with plenty of options under $10. The menu featured a number of classics true to Shanghainese cuisine, including their stir fried udon (上海粗炒麵), scallion oil noodles (葱油拌面), min purse wontons (小馄饨), and even braised wheat gluten (烤麩). All of these items delivered in a big way, even their steamed dumplings (水餃) was silky and plump. Unfortunately two Shanghainese staples fell short: soup dumplings / XLB (小籠包) and pan fried buns / SJB (生煎包). The XLB was doughy, unstable, and the broth lacked depth. The SJB suffered from a similar doughy texture, with very little crisp at the bottom. These were not issues initially, but over time the decline in quality became noticeable. There is a part of me that hopes for a revival in a new location. While there is no shortage of soup dumplings in Houston, Shanghainese cuisine remains rare. ___________ (#1) 99 Ranch Market - Katy: https://www.yelp.com/biz/99-ranch-market-katy-2

Curry Beef Vermicelli: this is one of the more unique dishes I've had recently. The soup is super…read morelight, but has an aromatic curry aroma to it. The noodles are thin but cooked al dente. Nice tender slices of beef. Pan fried dumplings: Really great texture... crispy on the bottom and soft everywhere else. The dumplings were juicy and very flavorful. Very sad that they closed... it was a super affordable hidden gem.

Hadn't been back in a long while, but we came here to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This…read morerestaurant is another OG in Houston. They have been around for as long as I can remember. Don't be fooled by its English name, you will not be eating Shanghainese food here: this is a traditional Cantonese restaurant. In typical Chinese American fashion, we had the "adult" table and of course we sat at the "kids" table. We ordered the classics as pictured. The food is always tasty and consistent. Service is friendly and the even though this spot is no frills, it is a familiar place with a very family-centered atmosphere. You can not go wrong with old reliable. If you are ever craving authentic, traditional Cantonese cooking without the large, dim sum hybrid model, I definitely recommend this place. Perfect for lunch with coworkers, by yourself, and great for larger dinners with the whole family.

My parents needed to pick up some Chinese New Year goodies at Welcome Food Center so we figured…read morewe'd grab dinner nearby. We had eaten here years ago before the whole shopping center was remodeled. We arrived around 5:00 PM for dinner and were seated quickly. The food came out fairly quickly and was flavorful. It was four of us so we ordered: Hot & Sour Soup, Beef with Bitter Mellon, Beef Flat Rice Noodle (dry), Cantonese Sweet & Sour Pork (with pineapple) I was impressed how silky and tender the beef was. The sweet & sour was perfect lightly battered and crispy. The hot & sour could've been a bit more sour but had a small kick to it. It was perfect for my parents, but my husband and I had to add some chili oil & soy sauce for more flavor. The quality of the food 9/10, the price was a bit on the pricey side for the portions of the dishes. The hot & sour soup was $17! It wasn't anything special about it. I thought it was a bit steep for a family size, but I guess good service made up for it. I'm not sure if they were offering Chinese New Year specials, but within an hour there were several big parties with reservations. I recommend this place for authentic Cantonese Chinese food. It's rare to find good food and good service!

Excellent XLB - on par with Din Tai Fung. Enough said…read more Drunken chicken is all dark meat - good flavor. Great deal for the price. Pork with pickled vegetables noodle soup is ok - could use more meat. Braised tofu skin pork rolls over bean thread and cabbage - very good.

A little mom and pop shop with a large menu. The food and ambiance just feels cozy and nostalgic…read more The dumplings were amazing, and not to mention huge. I still think about these dumplings. The workers were all nice and welcoming, and thanked us as we left. The one and only downside is limited seating as the restaurant is on the smaller side. Despite the limited seating, which is its only drawback, this place gets a 5/5 in my heart. So affordable as well. Highly recommend the dumplings!

$20-30 We ordered the 3 shrimp egg rolls, beef and broccoli,…read moreand the walnut shrimp. Everything we had was delicious. We highly recommend giving it a try. Food: 5/5 | Service: 5/5 | Atmosphere: 5/5 Noise level Quiet, easy to talk Parking space Somewhat difficult to find parking Parking options Free parking lot

We had this delivered to our hotel and were hoping for a great meal. We ordered shrimp fried rice,…read moregarlic chicken and general tso chicken. Unfortunately this was mediocre at best. I'd compare it to grocery store frozen food. I wouldn't visit again. $58 and the value was just not there.

My husband and I stopped in around 5:30 for dinner. We were seated immediately with no wait…read more We've been here several times and it's always been consistent with the quality and freshness of the food. It's uncommon to dine in Asian restaurants where the customer service is great. Here at Mein you will get wonderful attentive service from the entire staff!

Seems like a more trendy Asian fusion type of restaurant…read more The only 5 star dish here is the red oil dumplings - pan fried to perfection! Squid ink fried rice is a cool concept but just tastes like normal fried rice. Dijon mustard x charsiu pork does not work at all. Lava toast is forgettable. Overall, this place has above average prices for Chinatown combined with below average portion sizes, and the dishes do not stand out much.

Good place to stop and pick up some traditional Chinese breakfast…read more Seamless ordering online. They were "sold out" of a lot of the rice soups we wanted to order, so ordered the wonton soup (really well made!) and ordered a Chinese donut stuck (huge and crispy! They did add a $1 tip automatically, fyi

Super food super people! Super food super people! Super food super people! Super food super people!read more

This little restaurant is just a wonderful, hole-in-the-wall kinda place! Authentic Chinese foods…read morethat I have never tried, or not even heard of, can be found here; for instance, "Pig nose with cucumber and garlic (appetizer #14)" sounds like bizarre and freaking people out, but it is delicious!! Seriously, I never knew pig nose were edible *face palm* Anyways, for the very first time I had the "pig nose" (pig snout), man oh man! I liked it! The pig snout has been slow-cooked so it is pretty tender yet chewable, and it tastes sorta like pork tongue or soft tendon; the cucumber adds a refreshing crisp and the garlic boosts the flavor! I DARE YOU to try this bizarre food! Lol My favorite appetizers and entrees here include, but are not limited to: 1) Shredded potatoes in chili oil (appetizer): a little spicy; loves the crispy texture of the shredded potatoes; tasty and interesting! 2) Sweet & Sour pork loin: i love almost everything sweet & sour so I may be a little biased on this one; however, not only me but also the boyfriend and his coworkers have said that it is delicious, so i'm sure this is a good one! 3) Shrimp w/ cabbage: flavorful, but kinda greasy as the shrimp and cabbage are soaked in oil. Don't be fooled by the orange-reddish colored oil though; this one is not spicy at all. 4) Pork kidneys stir-fried w/ cabbage: another one that sounds bizarre, maybe? oh well, the organ meat is thin-sliced and cooked just right so it is soft and crispy, rather than chewy and plastic-ky (as if overcooked). I would recommend this one to the organ-eaters *wink* 5) Egg scramble w/ Clams: eggs not overcooked; clams taste fresh. Just perfect! Prices are very reasonable (accepts credit cards); food portions are huge; service is prompt and friendly. Before I go, this place is BYOB!

Love it! This is the No 1 choice for our family reunion! The owner is very nice and kind, all the…read morefood tastes so authentic Chinese flavor. There is no food addictive added. The price is always so reasonable! Whenever the lunch or dinner. It is always the best choice.

I apologize for the pictures! Was too excited to dig in that we forgot to take pictures first!!…read more I have been here a handful of times and every time it has been soooo gooood! The interior of this restaurant is really nice, and the service is great. Perfect for a lunch date. Mandatory must haves: any xiao long bao (soup dumpling), nutella xiao long bao, and the pork crispy bottom bao!!! Appetizer: Pork xiao long bao - 10/10 Pork crispy bottom bao - 10/10 Red oil dumplings- 7.5/10 Garlic cucumber - 9/10 Entrees: Fish drizzled with Szechuan sauce - 10/10! I was skeptical about this one but turned out to be one of my favorites Pepper pepper steak cube - i opt out for the peppercorn 10/10 Whiskey shrimp on fire - they set it on fire at your table! the dish itself is really delicious 10/10 Dessert: Nutella xiao long bao - these are delicious but only if you like chocolate bananas! Not sure if they offer a non banana version. 9/10 Overall: 10/10 will be back!!! (Especially to update this photos!)

I really wanted to like Wanna Bao because the presentation of the food was beautiful, but overall,…read morethe taste just did not live up to the visuals for me. We came with a group of 18 people, and the bill ended up being around $972. Unfortunately, most of the dishes were more impressive visually than flavor-wise. The colorful green fried rice looked unique, but honestly just tasted like regular fried rice. The green beans were overcooked, so they lost the crunch and sweetness that usually make that dish enjoyable. The green curry was extremely spicy, but outside of the heat, it wasn't very memorable. The shaking beef dish looked amazing presentation-wise, but the sauce was too sweet for a savory dish, and the crispy rice pairing just didn't work well for me. I initially thought the duck dish was Peking duck, but it was actually the Jasmine Tea Smoked Duck. Even so, everyone at my table agreed we still preferred the traditional Peking duck style. The duck itself lacked flavor for us, and the skin was soft instead of having the crisp texture we were hoping for. The only dishes I genuinely enjoyed were the soup dumplings, cucumber salad, and fried dumplings. Most of the other dishes at the table were barely touched. If you're looking for colorful, aesthetically pleasing food and great presentation, you may enjoy this place. But if flavor is your main priority, this spot just wasn't for me personally.

So delicious! The food is very authentic and the service is great. Got here on their break and they…read morewere still so kind. Might come back to dinner too. Ambiance super cool... feels like I'm back in Shandong

Taste of China is a very authentic, no frills Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. The workers all…read morespeak Chinese, and it is a place that locals often frequent. The menu is expansive with the dishes categorized by Chinese regions like Hunan, Szechuan, and others. There are many other restaurants in the complex that sell similar szechuan cuisine. Service was very fast, I got the food promptly. I ordered: 1) Toothpick Lamb - I am normally not a lamb person, but I enjoyed this! Not too gamy, just a slight aftertaste. Not as tender as I would've liked, but not overly chewy. The flavor was good. It has a crystalized sugary crust that adds sweetness and a nice caramelization. This helps balance out the slight kick of spice and lamb flavor. 2) Mapo Tofu - a solid dish here with good flavors. Small, soft tofu pieces. Overall, I think it is a solid restaurant to try out if you want something authentic. For me, personally, since I am not much of a lamb, tripe, or szechuan cuisine fan, I probably won't be coming too often. But it is good.