Good quality food , good atmosphere, worth it! Go during Chinese New year lion dance is really fun. Also try the Friday night crawfish dinner read more

We went for the all you can eat crawfish, we stayed for everything else! Overwhelmed is the only word that accurately describes the feeling I had when I entered Kim Son. The place is palatial, with large dining areas and tons of people. But it's the buffet area that is truly magnificent. The set up is reminiscent of an elite food market with various vendors. The lines upon lines of various goods, such as cold items, fried items, desserts, drinks and a hot noodle bar are just among a few of the choices. The crawfish was also very tasty with large portions and wonderful flavor options. The staff were attentive and checked in on us to make sure we were all right. I personally loved the noodles and the plethora of desserts. Highly recommend going to experience this restaurant! read more

Kim Son - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Kim Son is the largest Vietnamese buffet in the US, located on Bellaire in Houston, Texas. But although everything is bigger in Texas, bigger doesn't always mean better. We got here on a Sunday around 5pm to avoid the dinner rush. I thought it was pretty early to be having dinner, but my boyfriend's mom told us that it would be very busy later. And she was right. As we were leaving around 6pm, there was a huge crowd of people standing around in the waiting area. I am told the wait can be around 45 min to an hour. Although the building is huge, the buffet itself is quite normal in size. The main dining and buffet area only takes up a fraction of the second floor. It seemed like they had other spaces down the hall for private events such as weddings. The decorations were pretty cute. Aside from the main buffet, they had a couple of carts mimicking street vendors and serving street food dishes such as fried bananas and banh hoi. There was also a section of the buffet dedicated to street food skewers like nem nuong and bo la lot. You can also get made-to-order dishes such as pho or banh xeo. One strange thing I noticed is that for the vast majority of buffet items, there are staff members handing out food. For the most part, you do not grab the food yourself. If you want something, like noodles, you would point at the noodles and the staff member would place the food on your plate. I wonder why... the most obvious answer is portion control or prevention of food waste, but I felt like most of the time, they would give me way more food than I actually wanted. I like to try a little bit of everything at a buffet, so I would grab maybe... one chicken wing... one shrimp... one eggroll... a small clump of noodles... and then come back to get more if I liked it. But they try to give you so much! I would constantly have to be like "oh, just one please!" or "oh, not that much, thank you." I really don't think it's necessary to have staff members serving the food as it makes the experience more complicated than it needs to be. I think their time could be better spent making the food taste better. The food quality across the board was mostly unimpressive except for a couple of items. There's a section of the buffet with food from mien trung (Central Vietnam) that had some pretty good choices. I liked the banh beo, banh it, etc. Unfortunately, I didn't think the banh hoi was very good and the cucumbers they were served with were very bitter. I also liked the fried bananas. Aside from that, nothing was really noteworthy. Although the food isn't very good, I think it's worth a visit just for the experience and ability to say you've been. The servers were also pretty nice. I would recommend coming early to avoid the dinner rush. But I don't think I would want to come back. read more

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Been here many times and I have to say that food consistency is still on the above average side. Service is also consistent bad But overall is still a come back for us read more

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I've been here a few times, and it seems to get better with every visit. The service is consistently great, and they've expanded their menu with even more options. There's a wide variety of plates to choose from, along with selection of desserts. Everything is flavorful, and I've enjoyed every meal I've had here. I would definitely come back again. read more

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Asian buffets usually have a negative connotation tied to them due to the severe lack of quality for mass-produced food. Kim Son has definitely changed the game here. The quality in food is definitely there, service is great, and with all that said, this one feels like an upscale buffet (not quite Las Vegas style but pretty dang close). Kim Son has always been a Houston Viet staple. I've had two graduation parties at other locations, and our family has had many a gathering at one of various Kim Son locations. While this is the only Kim Son left, I can attest to Mama La's brand of pho broth concentrate and egg rolls found in Asian markets. The buffet starts at $22.50 for adult lunch and $32 for adult dinner. They also have a senior discount for those 65+ and also honor a complimentary buffet on the day of your birthday (ID required). On weekend peak times, there can be a wait, but they give you a buzzer. The buffet selection is huge. I usually don't even have the stomach capacity to try everything on the line. From soups to Vietnamese street food, dim sum, and buffet classics, there is something for just about anyone. For the kids, they even have fried chicken and french fries! The must-do's for me are the lotus-wrapped beef (bo la lot), Vietnamese crepe (banh xeo), and the rice rolls with cured meat (banh uot cha), all in the street food section. Solid runner-ups are the prime rib, dim sum selection, and the turnip egg cake (banh bot chien). I know that this time of year they have crawfish served on Fridays. If you come for just the crawfish alone, it is a pretty good deal. $32 for AYCE crawfish? I'm in. Service is always very good here. Waters never go empty and your dirty plates are picked up in a timely manner. Kim Son buffet is a must-do while in Houston and even more so for out-of-town visitors. I've heard it's the biggest Vietnamese buffet in the US - better believe it. read more

Kim Son - Round 1 of buffet plate - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

This has been on my bucket list of places for years and I had the opportunity to try it! Pretty large dining space, but options seemed less than I was expecting. Soup station: 7/10 Offered about 14 different soup options that are made fresh to order. You can ask for modifications, but you'll probably have to speak some Vietnamese to get exactly what you want. You can ask for no noodles! Pretty hot and good sizes. Sauces/condiments on the side. Grill/Street food station: 6.5/10 Biggest line because they have freshly grilled oysters and shrimps. It was fine, the sauce that was served with them was okay, very syrupy Deli station: 8.5/10 The fresh summer rolls were good and fresh! Hot food bar: 6.5/10 Fresh banh xeo, but it was very coconutty in flavor which I was not a huge fan of. I loved the amount of fresh herbs and vegetables that came with it though! There was nothing that was very memorable to me I. This station had some seafood but some of them were slimy or had too much sand. Dessert station: 8.5/10 Great dessert station, this and the soup station were my favorites. They offer a lot of Che/Viet desserts as well as some freshly squeezed sugar cane juice and Thai milk tea. read more

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I thought I reviewed this place years ago. I came to update about their newest stations. Kim son has really made full upgrades over the years. They have a great selection of Vietnamese food and they have a seafood grill station. There's ayce crawfish when in seaso. That's brought to your table. They recently added another station with pandan waffles, viet pizza, mango sticky rice. Their space is also for wedding banquets. The place is huge so the waits not usually terribly long. But it does get packed. I think this is one of the best buffets in town offering a huge variety of foods. Service is not the best for drink refills but they do clean off plates fast. The food overall is decent. On weekends they offer dimsum at lunch. read more

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Haven't been here in a couple months and boy did I miss me some Kim Son! It's the unlimited Nuoc Mia for me honestly. There was a wait for it when we first came in though. The girl said 5 minutes and when I came back there was a huge line and there was this lady ahead of me that asked for 6 cups.... Surprisingly today there were crabs?! I don't think I've ever came in when they had crabs on their menu but hey, let's keep it. Also they added Nem Nuong and I'm obsessed! The rice paper could be a little bit softer, but it's inevitable once the rolls are out in the air for a bit. I think I've said it before but I'll say it again, please bring back the fried shrimp balls!!! I forget what KS calls it but it's the one you usually get at Dim Sum. Management if you're reading please please please bring it back! read more

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This is like a Vegas buffet experience in HTX. They have everything you could possibly want here, even the pickiest eaters would be able to find something delicious. The quality of the food is relatively high for a buffet. I particularly loved the grilled oyster station and the iced desserts. Even on a weekend night, there was no problem accommodating a group of 8 and there is plenty of seating. It can be a little loud there due to how popular the spot is. One note is that even though this is a buffet, the workers serve you instead of you getting the food yourself. They sometimes give really big portions, so make sure you communicate with them how much you want! read more

Disclaimer: I may be Vietnamese, but I am Vietnamese AMERICAN. Therefore my tastebuds can skew away from my heritage. Explanation for why I had a plate of sushi and crab rangoons at a quintessential viet establishment. But the food was fine nothing crazy. Oysters were gritty and not good - just look at the picture attached. Those are grilled and "seasoned"! Selection of snails and mussels was good - got approval from my parents dessert was awesome. Went on a Saturday night and was immediately seated for a table of 4. No wait read more

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It was really neat to go to a buffet that primarily served vietnamese food. They had a wide variety of foods such as different noodle soup, Vietnamese street food, dimsum, and some classic dishes. My favorite section was definitely the dessert cause they offered different che options and also the dimsum section. The food overall was OK and was pretty decent for buffet food! There are dedicated servers who plate your food instead of you getting it yourself which helps with cleanliness. read more

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Food was ok at best. Service was not well either. Waiter was not honest when questions about food were asked. $32 dollars is too high when considering the quality of food. Take your money elsewhere for better food and service. read more

Food is excellent, one most amazing service you will get for a buffet restaurant and location and the ambiences is grand read more

Kim Son - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Good food, every single time. So many choices but my stomach never allows me to taste every one of them. At the time of checkout, internet was down causing quite a bit of hassle and Inconvenience. read more

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The best Vietnamese buffet I have ever been to. Would definitely recommend to try at least once. The service was friendly and the food was served by people behind counters. We went early so there weren't as many lines - when we left, lines were forming at every station. read more

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Wow! Saw the bad reviews here but wanted to give it an opportunity!! And no regrets!!! Yes it's $32 but you get to eat from a variety of dishes! I tried most of them and I was satisfied with several of them!! The service is great, servers are very attentive and kind, cleanliness is on point. Ambiance is chill and it does start to pick up but worth the trip! I would have given a 5 star if the rice was savory but it lacked flavor! But the rest YUMMMM The fried crispy shrimp is delicious!!! I only wished they would add more garlic but it was still very savory!!! The chicken feet omg!! Yes omg so savory, sweet and a little kick!! First time trying snails and I was not disappointed!!! The flavor of the sauce was very good!!! A splash of lemon and chili and omg!!! A variety of desserts too and I was full to eat all of them but I did try the yogurt and was surprised to find that the flavor was sweet and creamy texture and convinced me to buy Vietnamese yogurt from now on. The casava desserts are so delicious and creamy too!!! So much to choose from so come with an empty belly!! And don't be stingy on the tip because here they actually have great customer service!!! read more

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Overall a very must go-to Vietnamese buffet in the area. This place is well known and the food is typically high quality for being an all you can eat style. The desserts are plenty to choose from as well and they also make it fresh in front of you. It's great for a small party or very large size. read more

As a Vietnamese American I feel like eating at Kim Son is a true cultural experience. The food tasted like a cultural journey around vietnam hitting all the greatest hits. Never have I seen such variety of viet food all in one place. Finally a Vietnamese buffer experience that speaks to my soul. If you're from a place where there is a small viet community, go to Kim Son to reconnect with the culture. read more

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A must-try experience in Houston! My fiancé and I heard this was the only Vietnamese focused buffet in the states, so we had to try it out. The buffet is at the upper level of the plaza, and so many families were there for graduation season too - they had a deal going on for graduates. The wait wasn't too bad, and we had a whole table to ourselves with plenty of space - seems like they accommodate a lot of large parties too, so good for groups. Food: We came during crawfish season so they also had AYCE crawfish with sweet garlic flavor (I think it replaced the grilled oysters since we did not see that item). There were so many options! They had a noodle bar where you could pick a variety of pho or congee (my favorite part). There was a street food section, the hot foods area, a small sushi area, and a dessert/tea station. The hot foods had some traditional Asian/Chinese buffet options, but I loved trying the Vietnamese dishes. Lot of seafood, but they also served some prime rib when we went. Service: Service was great! Everyone was super nice and they are quick with clearing your table when you have empty plates. Given how busy and crowded and busy it was, the staff did a great job. Ambiance: Seems like a great spot for families to dine together - truly something for everyone! The restaurant also had a gorgeous balloon display to celebrate those graduating and many people took photos next to it. Similar to a Chinese style buffet, but with a Viet twist. read more

Kim Son - AYCE crawfish during crawfish season - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Feeling adventurous for an AYCE Vietnamese restaurant? Kim Son in Houston is the answer. We went here on a Saturday and it was packed, all caps but service wise all is smooth. You get done with your plate and you have two servers grabbing your dirty plate! The buffet has plenty of options but taste is average at best - we went here for the variety as we were in a big group, the noodle bar, seafood, and street food selections were our favorite. Also tried the dimsum - which was average. Just be ready to be in a packed place and eat all you can! Surprisingly the longest line when we were there was the desert - plenty of options to pick from. Che, bread, fruits, and unlimited Thai tea and sugarcane juice. read more

back at Kim Son after some time and im constantly surprised by its changing course menu (heard the owners travel places and bring back great recipes over the world) we had the set menu as follows: Fresh Tofu & Seafood Soup (yummier than traditional crab soup) Summer Delight Salad Shrimp Paste Wrapped Crab Finger Baked Salmon Wrapped w/ Scallop & Crab Meat (kinda new, good protein) Seafood Birds Nest Kim Son Steak w/ Asparagus (100/10) Yang Chow Fried Rice Crème Brule (pretty solid!) professional staff and quick service as always Kim Son room decor has been so on point lately, they already put up Christmas trees and nutcrackers. Highly recommend! read more

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Lunch time buffet. We were seated right away. Great customer service throughout the whole dining experience. Food was decent, slightly overhyped on social media, but one of a kind vietnamese buffet. read more

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Went here for a wedding banquet reception and this was some of the best wedding food I've ever had. The fish maw soup, shrimp balls, and fried rice were the best dishes. Highly recommend having your wedding reception here if you're in Houston. read more

Very unique experience - Vietnamese buffet with tons of offerings and quality, authentic dishes. Stations across the large dining hall with fresh seafood (oysters, shrimp, fish), soups, tofu pancakes, fried street food, standard "american asian" fare like noodles and chicken, plus unlimited hand rolls, sushi, thai tea, and more. Truly a worthwhile visit. read more

Kim Son - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I finally made it to the only Vietnamese buffet in the states. Kim Son. This has been on my bucket list of places to go and it finally happened. Does it live up to the hype? I'm going to say yes! Before I go on with this review, hands down to the staff here. They literally bust their butts here. They go above and beyond for the customers. Super friendly, super nice, super accommodating, and super fast service. I know people can be really demanding with their requests here but I see their work ethics, they're on point. So shout out to the workers here! Food : 5/5. Legit 5/5. I expected them to have snails and other seafood. I didn't expect them to have grilled oysters. I was super excited. It was the first thing I went for because there was a line forming. The snails alone is worth coming for. They provide little containers of nuoc mam (crack sauce for your seafood). Individually packaged. The oysters were grilled with scallion. You can add peanuts and more scallions if you want. I had so much other dishes there I don't even know where to continue. My only complaint is, it's not very organized. Although I can see why. It's going to be hard to control all these customers and request them to form a single line. It'll just cause more delay. It's get very very overwhelming if you have anxiety lol me? I'm ok and used to it. lol you think people are cutting but you have to understand, they may not want what you're waiting for . So don't get mad! lol My overall experience here was AMAZING. It would be so dangerous for me to live here. I would easily gain so much weight lol I 100% highly recommend coming here if you're in Houston. You do not know what you're missing out if you don't come here if you're in town. read more

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We used to just go to Kim Som for their dim sum area which was really good but after 2020 they got rid of it and they just have their buffet now. Buffet options change during the week and on the weekends. Sometimes they have specials where it's AYCE crab which is such a steal when they have it. I wish there was a way they can let people know what the AYCE special will be because we drive over an hour to get to Chinatown. Anyway, the buffet is super fresh and there's a lot of options like Bbq, soups, dim sum, desserts etc. There's employees serving which is great and more clean. Just expect to be super full after your visit to Kim Son. Don't forget to try their Vietnamese dessert options. They're all so good! read more

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Definitely a place to visit and try when in Houston if you like Vietnamese food . Every kind of Vietnamese food you could think of is all in one place . Service was good and ambiance was even nicer . read more

Not for us ! This buffet is mostly for Asian people (nothing wrong with that) variety it's ok sticking to a few good choices but in general Asian flavors, it gets pretty packed for dinner, prices are way higher than any other "buffet " service its pretty good, restroom needs a lot of care , smelly and not clean often enough. read more

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I remember the first time I ate here back in high school and the food was memorable but time was not good to Kim Son. I think when Kim Son grew the quality of food suffered. The last goodbye meal was Chicken Curry Noodles, Orange Chicken, with Ginger salad and Chicken eggrolls. The Chicken Curry Noodle had a mild flavor profile and the sliced chicken breast tasted as if it was quick flash fried then added to the curry dish, basically bland. The Orange Chicken was more or fried, hard chicken nugget pieces with some gelatinous red sauce and no tangy taste of citrus. The ginger salad was meh. I had to be content with Chicken eggrolls which believe or not was dang good. The waitress saw my disappointment in the meal and took the Orange Chicken off of the check. read more

Kim Son - Anyone else remember learning this in school? - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Wanted to try the biggest Vietnamese buffet in Houston and the place looked huge! The entryway was grand and impressive. They had Easter decor up since it's a week away. We were seated right away and pretty much everyone that was there was Vietnamese except our group. The food was very good for buffet food. What I liked best was that they had folks that served you so there's not a lot of waste. It was a great experience. The waiters/waitresses were quick to pick up empty plates and refill your drinks. I would definitely comeback again. read more

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I love viet food and when I heard there's a viet food buffet I had to go. I come from Orange County, CA which has some of the best viet food in the world outside of Vietnam (Westminster) But honestly this place was pretty solid. Lot of good offerings and for a buffet everything was surprisingly good. This gets a 5/5 if I'm judging it compared to other buffets but compared to all restaurants in general, it's a 4. Even more surprising was that the pho and bun bo hue at the soup station was pretty good. Desserts were also great and loved all the Che and the gelatin pandan layer cake jelly thing. Service was amazing and they were super attentive. Would definitely come back! read more

Felt like everything was solid. Nothing stood out but nothing was bad either. It was nicer when it was self serve but it's not terrible. I would probably only go for special occasions or if someone else was paying. You do get unlimited nuoc mia though and I definitely took advantage of that. read more

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We tried the infamous Kim Son buffet! I think it was not bad for a buffet! There are many food options from dim sum (we went on a Sunday), to street food, noodle soups, and desserts and sugarcane drinks. I think our friend put it nicely - there is a wide variety of dishes; Kim Son gives you a chance to have a bite or two of every thing and it will fulfill the cravings one may have for Vietnamese food. Service was quick and attentive. Can get pretty busy. read more

Kim Son - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I enjoy going here for their Vietnamese buffet though the price keeps increasing. You should reconsider the price for kids under 10yo though, most kids under 10yo don't eat much, because either they are picky eaters or have little tummies that fill up fast with fried rice! Lol. I think it's the ONLY Vietnamese buffet in town! So many things to eat and drink like sugarcane, and all their chè desserts are delicious. read more

This is the only Vietnamese buffet in the U.S. however, the options are not limited to just Vietnamese, there's also Chinese and Japanese food. It gets really busy here so plan to wait or come right when they open. I appreciate the natural light coming in from the windows but no one cares about the ambiance here, what we care about is the food and on imo they deliver. There's a soup station with made to order noodle soups from pho and wonton noodle soup to bun bo hue, banh canh, etc. they have a variety of stir fried dishes, banh xeo, banh bot loc, spring rolls, dim sum, and a variety of Vietnamese desserts. It's almost impossible to try everything without getting full because there's so much. I come here to satisfy my Vietnamese food cravings when I visit Houston and then I'm good for at least a month or two. This is not your fancy buffet so don't come with high expectations. They do serve you which can be a hassle when you just want a little bit bc there is a language barrier or bc it's too loud. It's an inconvenience but then I appreciate not touching tongs that thousands have touched especially during flu season. read more

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Came here all the way from Cali! Definitely was good food, especially the nuoc mia(sugar cane)! Staff is there to help you get your food, so it helps in terms of wasting less food/uneaten food. I recommend trying a bit of everything, you can definitely try everything and still have some room for more! Our server was always checking up on us and was very kind. I think everyone who loves Viet food and visits the Houston area try this place. Price was a bit more than average. Lots of tables and space. read more

Kim Son - Grilled oysters and bun bo hue! - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

I tried the special event catering food for an event on their second floor banquet hall. Everything was so delicious! I really liked the lobster fried rice and this steamed fish dish. I also had a tiramisu slice at the end, that was not too sweet. It reminded me of Costco's tiramisu cake! read more

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This place was amazing!! I definitely wish we had this back home. I had heard about this Vietnamese buffet a good bit before we visited but nothing prepared me for it in person. There were so many great food options, with street food to pho to dim sum. They also had free boba and desserts included- their chai tea was phenomenal. I really loved the variety and felt that anybody could find something to eat there. We visited on a weekday at lunch and business was booming. This is a must visit next time I am in town! My only complaint is that most of the food is salty, so if you are sensitive to that just be aware. read more

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I'd heard about the famous Kim Son buffet off Bellaire but had never had a chance to visit it. When my wife and I finally had a mutual day off and a common interest in trying out Vietnamese cuisine, we jumped on the opportunity. The dining area is shockingly spacious and the buffet is lined out in distinct sections. You can grab a variety of hot and cold items with a street food station and ramen station on one side and the desserts on the other. Everything looks good, and depending on your preferences, pretty much everything tastes good too. The only real issue I saw with anything is the general lack of communication that the staff has with the customers. The staff serves everything on the buffet, which is great for making sure things remain sanitary. However, on more than one occasion, I asked for a small amount of a dish to try something without wasting it, was completely ignored, and handed a ton of food. This may not be the original Kim Son location (I believe that distinction belongs to the East End outpost), but I believe it's become the most iconic one now. read more