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    Happy Lamp

    4.1 (97 reviews)
    InexpensiveChinese
    Open 11:00 am - 9:30 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Happy Lamp Photos

    Business Info

    HAPPY LAMP ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Jay F.

    This is classic old school Chinese American. Like a time machine taking you back to the traditional Chinese of the 60's. At the time we went here Irene and I were going on a cruise the next week and on previous trips we had met some delightful Royal Caribbean. staff members from diverse countries such as Ukraine and Belarus. While Irene is putting together gift bags for the waitstaff and room staff (toiletries and such that they would normally have to pay for in the cruise ship company store), I set off to visit the several Russian and Ukraine grocery stores to buy chocolates and savories from those respective countries. My first visit was to the Armenian owned Golden Grain on Birdsall, now closed, and followed by what was once called the Russian General Store now shortened to just General Store. Purchased made. But the additional opportunity was to dine at Happy Lamp, one of the three older Chinese American restaurants in Houston. Happy Lamp was established in 1973! I settle in for a lunch of sweet and sour pork with hot and sour soup and hot tea.. The other two would be Ambassador and China Garden. The hot and sour soup and the sweet and sour are classic Sino-American flavor profiles and I was in a Time Machine mode, remembering, growing up in Houston and going out with my family once a week. (I loved the big side bowl of the sauce, perfect for doing the pork as finger food to dip). Recommended.

    Tim C.

    Always great food and friendly service and a great lunch menu Wednesday through Monday

    Four Treasure Bird's Nest
    Nick S.

    I recently tried Happy Lamp for the first time, after hearing about it from friends. I can't speak to the service or ambiance as it was a to-go order, but I can say that their website is easy to use and their delivery was efficient. There are so many great dishes and sides to choose from. The food was delicious, and the portions were hearty. I would definitely order from them again. Some tips: If you are ordering as a group, order a variety of dishes and share (family style). Also, try one of the two "Birds Nest" chef's specialties options. It's essentially a stir fried meal that you place into a crispy noodle bowl that looks like a birds nest. Cheers!!

    Hot and sour soup

    The best Chinese food that I have ever tried in Houston. It's super affordable and the place it's just so quiet and peaceful, they really make u feel like you're at home. Absolutely recommend it. If I could have lunch here every single day I would! They're hot and sour soup is haven made

    Delicious! Affordable and the lunch special is the perfect deal! 100% recommended The wonton soup is well balanced, I ordered the Special Lo Mein and was perfection. definitely I will recommend to come and eat here! The service is amazing and the restaurant is cozy and pretty

    Kung pao chicken, sweet & sour chicken with fries, fried rice, general tso
    Jocelyn V.

    This was my first time going here with my family the food tasted authentic, it was so delicious the family working were very nice and welcoming. It's very clean and quiet.

    Sweet and sour sauce and Egg Rolls was delicious. Crab puff was just warm cream cheese.
    Veronica S.

    I went here only by the reviews I read. Then once I decided to go I realize it was in my neighborhood and I was glad about that cause I am new to Houston and I hadn't had any Chinese food since I left home. I was hoping it was delicious and some of it was. I got sesame seed, chicken with brown rice and crab puff. The Sesame Chicken was delicious the fried rice was ok and the Egg Rolls was delicious and the sweet and sour sauce was delicious but the crab puff was just warm cream cheese no crab.Egg Rolls,Crab Rangoon,House Fried Rice,Sesame Chicken.

    Kung Pao Chicken (No peanuts, no vegetables) Lunch Special - comes with egg drop soup.

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    20 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 months ago

    Always good and hot! Never had a bad meal from here and staff is always friendly and service is always speedy

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    1 year ago

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    5 months ago

    Service was okay and the food was fine. Still looking for a "go to" Chinese food spot in the neighborhood

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Excellent food and very affordable! One of the best Chinese food restaurants I've been to in Houston!

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Local spot with good food and reasonable prices. Our go-to for takeout but ordering can be a little tricky (phone vs online).

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Good food, good service, expectations for a Chinese takeout place were met.You can eat a lunch combo there for about $10

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    3 years ago

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    Page 1 of 3

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    Hu's Cooking

    Hu's Cooking

    4.5
    (1.1k reviews)
    5.0 mi
    $$

    5 Stars - Authentic Szechuan that absolutely nails the classics…read more During our short trip to Houston, as a custom, we were determined to find real Szechuan food, and luckily we found Hu's Kitchen. The location is a bit unassuming, and parking is definitely tough (the spaces are very shallow), but the second we walked through the doors and smelled the Szechuan peppercorns, I knew we were in exactly the right place. I generally judge a Szechuan restaurant by their 夫妻肺片 (Fuqi Feipian)--which they cleverly name "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" on the menu. They completely nailed it. The beef, tripe, and tendon were incredibly cohesive together, yet you could tell each component was prepared and marinated in a slightly different way to perfectly highlight its specific texture. The chili oil was right on the spot. We went through a massive bowl of rice just eating this dish alone. Honestly, if I weren't feeding a family of four, I could have just ordered that and been perfectly happy. While the Fuqi Feipian proves their skill with dry dishes, the 水煮魚片 (Fish in Szechuan Hot Chili Oil) proves their skill with wet ones. It's another must-order. The execution was flawless--we didn't just finish the tender fish chunks, we ate every last piece of cabbage soaked in that incredible chili broth. For my two daughters who can't handle the heat, we ordered the fried rice, garlic pork ribs with onion, and the 紅燒獅子頭 (Giant Meatball with Cabbage). The giant meatball was spectacular. The kids completely devoured it on their own, but I managed to steal a bite, and it instantly brought back childhood memories of exactly how this dish is supposed to taste. We also had the Dan Dan Noodles, which were great and rounded out the meal perfectly. I loved all of the dishes we tried. Should we ever find ourselves in Houston again, we will absolutely be revisiting this hidden gem.

    My mom wanted steamed fish with ginger, scallions, and that light sweet soy sauce. Hu's Cooking…read moredelivered! When we ordered, they mentioned it'll take about 20 mins but it came out in 10. No complaints here since we were starving from an 8 hour road trip. The Dan Dan Noodles...I had high expectations but sadly this dish fell short. I recommend Hu's Cooking to use a bigger bowl and more sauce because it was difficult to mix the noodles and the sauce wasn't...saucing, unfortunately. I wish there was more flavor in this dish. The Scallion Pancake was super over-fried and oily. See image in my review. The outer parts of the pancake were fried to a crisp and only a small circumference in the center stayed chewy. I know Chinese tends to be oily but this pancake soaked up way too much oil. Half a Peking duck: super great price for so much meat. The difficulty when eating this dish is gnawing the meat off the sharp bones of the duck. Mapo Tofu with white rice: pretty easy staple, no complaints here. Dinner on a Saturday was packed but we got seated quickly and food arrived fast.

    Photos
    Spicy chicken, clear noodles with red pepper sauce, and stir fried green beans
    Spicy chicken, clear noodles with red pepper sauce, and stir fried green beans
    Open til 11:00pm on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat
    Open til 11:00pm on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat
    Hu's Cooking

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    Xiaolong Dumpling

    Xiaolong Dumpling

    4.6
    (301 reviews)
    8.3 mi
    $$

    This little spot is my literal favorite place for fried rice. Everything is good but the fried rice…read moreis the best I've ever had! Pork Bao's are normally my daughter fave but the soup dumplings here are her favorite. She could finish an order on her own. The service is always great. As soon as you get in they give everyone a water and a carafe of more water. There is a QR code to order and you place your order on the phone. The order goes straight to the kitchen and you can add as you go if wanted. I always thought that was pretty cool. The owner came out to say hello and ask how everything is. She even brought out a small bowl of soup for my baby to enjoy. The waitress was also very sweet and attentive. I don't live close by but will make the trip when the craving hits. Today was one of those days. The last time I was here there was no ac and not enough seating. This time it was nice and cool in and well as having new seating! This little spot needs to be on your need to stop places!

    Was a little bit of a red flag when we were the only Asian customers in the restaurant - still…read moredecent but definitely catered towards Western taste buds. My favorite dish was surprising the fried rice, with generous portions and slight smokiness. The xiaolongbao weren't my favorite, as there wasn't a whole lot of juice; but hey if you're looking to be health conscious maybe that is a positive.

    Photos
    Excellent customer service!!!
    Excellent customer service!!!
    V9. Eggplant In Garlic Sauce V9.
    V9. Eggplant In Garlic Sauce V9.
    P3. Black Pepper Beef P3.

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    P3. Black Pepper Beef P3.
    Cooking Girl - Montrose

    Cooking Girl - Montrose

    4.5
    (200 reviews)
    8.0 mi
    $$

    The food at the cooking girl restaurants in Houston is outstanding! I've been to multiple locations…read moreand they're all very good. The food comes out so fresh and hot. They prepared to order and as soon as the dishes stirred up, it comes out hot.!!!! highly recommend although maybe I shouldn't because it might get too busy and hard to get in!!!!

    I have wanted to eat here for months but I always passed it up because of how busy and small the…read moreplace looked from the outside. Today was my lucky day because there was plenty of parking spots and seats (although the parking lot is very small). This place is great! I understand the hype for sure. When you walk inside it's just about the smallest restraunt I've ever. Very cozy and cute vibe with smooth jazz playing on a speaker and we got our food very fast. I really enjoyed my time here. Dry Fried Green Beans 5/5- these are the best green beans I have had in my life! I am not exaggerating like I will be thinking about these green beans all week. Do not hesitate to try these. Perfectly salty and good amount of crunch still left. The flavors they used are just perfect. Colorful Beef 4/5- The texture of the beef was so tender and not chewy at all like other places. The flavor was bright and the bell peppers were cooked through well. The issue I had with this dish was the sichuan peppercorns. I was just eating and not really looking at it super closely so I got a mouth full of these peppercorns and wow it was actually horrible. Just beware because the texture of these things are god awful and I think that they should be taken out like how a bay leaf is removed before serving. It was just really intense and it almost ruined the dish for me honestly. Other than that a great dish. My mouth was so numb but worth it. Dandan noodles 2/5- This was my first time trying this dish anywhere and I did not really enjoy it at all. The sesame flavor was really strong and it wasn't really salted at all. Very strange flavor. I will not order this again, however I do believe that the execution on this dish is great. There was a lot of sauce and the noodles were cooked well. I just really wish I liked the flavor of this dish and that's a personal problem. This dish also made my mouth numb but the flavor did not make it worth it. I wanted to like these so badly but I just couldn't do it. I will be back!

    Photos
    The bar
    The bar
    Bao was Delicious!
    Bao was Delicious!
    Inside

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    Inside
    Cooking Girl - Downtown

    Cooking Girl - Downtown

    4.1
    (70 reviews)
    9.8 mi

    Casual but solid in an awesome location if you are enjoying downtown…read more My niece is a lover of dumplings and fried rice so of course we had to walk over for an early lunch before the Art Car Parade. --- location/vibes--- located in the northwest corner of downtown -- can stop by before bar hoping, catching a show, maybe even an Astros game if you wanna walk just a bit. There was a good amount of seating for that area of town but not a ton! --- Foods--- We really loved the wonton soup and mama's dumplings (gyoza basically). Both had a surprising amount of flavor. Especially the soup as this can be kinda plain at other places. We also tried soup dumplings which unfortunately stuck to the pan so we missed on the soup but the pork inside was lovely. Pricing was very resonable. ---Service--- to the point -- friendly but limited - ---Overall--- Looking forward to trying more dishes here!

    My friend and I had dinner at Cooking Girl a few months back. It wasn't busy at all on a Thursday…read moreevening. We were seated towards the back of the restaurant and it was uncomfortably warm. I don't remember our server's name but she was nice. I started with a Lychee Martini. It was very good and very strong. For apps we ordered the Scallion Pancakes and the BBQ Pork Buns. The Scallion Pancakes were very good, but once they cooled down, it didn't taste nearly as good. I enjoyed the BBQ Pork Buns too. For entrées I had the Salt Pepper Fish Slices while my friend went with the Ingenious Fried Beef. The Fish Slices were very seasoned and flavorful, but a bit dry. The batter was good and I really enjoyed the peppers and onions that accompanied the dish. I think a dipping sauce would have helped. My friend enjoyed the Fried Beef. They have quite a few locations around town if you don't want to venture into the downtown area. If you're near the Theater District, Cooking Girl is a great dining option.

    Photos
    Cooking Girl - Downtown
    Cooking Girl - Downtown
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