There's a large number of Vietnamese restaurants in this midtown area - I wonder what's the cause of that. Of these, Mai's is one of the more expensive. But in order to make up for the expense, it is also very fancy and clean and beautiful. The service leaves something to be desired. **Vietnamese coffee** Comes in a cute cup reminiscent of tapioca. Too sweet even for Vietnamese coffee. **Cha Gio** The meat tasted old, as if it was made in large batches and then frozen and re-fried later on. Which is a perfectly fine practice but it felt as if it was left frozen for too long. **pho tai** This was the best out of everything I tried. Most of the beef was very tender. The soup was a little dark, not bright and open like pho usually is. I wonder if they add something in their ingredients that make the broth so heavy. read more

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It's been awhile since I've been here but when I tell you this place is a Houston staple. There was a time I lived here late at night after the club! 97A (which is now just 97) garlic beef has always been a favorite. It's their signature dish. I had to try something else this time. I ordered the chicken and Chinese broccoli which was also delicious! I also had a ginger mule. The service is always great and sometimes I still can't get over the renovations even though it's been a long time! read more

Mai's Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I love Mai's Restaurant. If I had a choice to eat one thing it would this food restaurant. Everything is authentic and cooked with TLC. Enjoy the fact that they are open after midnight but closed on Sundays. Great service, even better food, with amazing people! Looking forward for Going back for my birthday soon. On my 3rd visit I will my usual and something else different. read more

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I've been coming here for years and it stays consistent with great food. I love their chicken pho and the chicken spring rolls no one beats in my eyes. The service is basic and nothing special but keep returning for their delicious food. I've come late nights and days and it's a reasonable environment and ambience. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Chicken pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

I've been to Mai's many times. This time I was desperate at the hospital so I ordered via UberEats. I don't usually have an issue with their pricing but everything seemed expensive. So I'm going to blame delivery fees. Everything was yummy and still very hot. They didn't really understand all my comments in my order so they called for clarification. Top notch customer service as always. Will of course be back to this Houston staple and soon. Glad they were able to serve me in a pinch. read more

The service was quick and plenty of parking behind the building. It's a good spot that is opened late. I arrived around 12am Offered vegan dishes. read more

Mai Mai Mai, you never seem to disappoint! Looking for good lunch or a late night meal after your endeavors? We'll slide on over to Mai's! Food: - Vegan Fried Rice: when I say there is no mistake here, take my word for it. This is my go to when I know I want yummy fried rice and I want it made perfectly! - Veggie Spring Rolls: You get 2 HUGE spring rolls that deliver exactly what you want - fresh and filling - Singapore Noodles: Get these made vegan friendly and prepare for an experience. The flavor profile is unmatched! - Wings: Per my family members "Best wings in Houston"; if you eat chicken you should try them becauseeee that's a big statement read more

Mai's Restaurant - Singapore Noodles - made vegan - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This place used to be good a few years back but the food wasn't flavourful at all. The fresh sorting rolls had few veggies and mostly noodles. The fried tofu dish was quite bland and Vietnamese coffee too sweet. Service was ok though. read more

Great late-night spot for Vietnamese food if you know what you want! Located in Midtown, which is extremely convenient. Service is always super quick and prompt. I'm probably considered a regular here now, because a few of the servers actually remember my order at this point and I love that for me. :) It can get a little loud at times, depending on when you go, but that's to be expected. read more

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Mai's has solid takeout Vietnamese food. I really liked the bo luc lac, which I think is basically shaking beef--it was so tender and tasty. The pork spring rolls (goi cuon) were solid--I really liked the peanut sauce that came with it but thought it was unusual that I had to pay an extra $2 for peanut sauce, as that usually comes with spring rolls. The pork vermicelli bowl (bun thit nuong cha gio) was just OK--the pork was a little tough and fatty at the same time, but the eggrolls with it were great. For such a casual place, I'll note that it's a little pricey but not crazy expensive. Overall, an OK choice for Vietnamese takeout food. read more

What can I say? It seems good quality has gone down here. I know pandemic played a role in a a lot of things but I don't think it should effect quality of food. First I was disappointed to find out they don't serve the do it your self spring rolls aka "Vietnamese fajitas" it was the one thing I really enjoyed eating there. Ordered the next closest thing which, vermicelli. Nice big bowl but then the pork I had and chicken my wife had was dry. It didn't seem like it was freshly cooked either. The noodles was more warmer than the meat. I was also confused to why the bowl was warm. Vermicelli isn't warm enough to warm up the bowl. But back to the meat, it was dry and tough. The chicken wasn't soft or tender so it was difficult to chew. The pork felt like I was eating pork that was sitting there and heated up. I feel like they lost the authenticity of the food. 30 bucks for two bowls of vermicelli, not sure I would want to come back to what was a great Asian cuisine staple in the area. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Pork and egg roll vermicelli - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

I was in the vicinity and stopped by for a late lunch. I ordered vermicelli with tofu. I don't know how to describe the texture of the noodles but it was not like the vermicelli I'm used to. The tofu is not overly fried and cooked just right. The sauce could have been more vinegary. $15 is a lot for noodles with tofu and I've had tastier for less. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Vermicelli with tofu - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

This is no joke probably the worst Vietnamese I have ever had in my life and I've had it all over the world. The Bun was tasteless, had zero flavor, was filled with noodles and no vegetables as it traditionally should have. They should be ashamed to use Anthony Bourdain's face on their menu, he would not approve of the way this food tastes now, surely. What a huge disappointment. read more

Big portions! Praised by Anthony Bourdain himself. This pho place is a few blocks from my place, but I only recently stumbled upon it as I have 3 other pho restaurants that are even closer. This place is solid but not my favorite for pho. I will say though, the egg rolls are a must try! Fried to perfection. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Cha Gio - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

I actually feel bad for giving Mai's such a low score, but based on their extremely high prices now, I can't justify going back unfortunately. I've been going to Mai's for 20 years and their food is pretty good too. I'll always think their spring rolls are the best mainly because theirs were the first place I ever had spring rolls before. However, knowing how cheap many of the ingredients cost, charging close to $20 for a shrimp vermicelli bowl is almost unreasonable. Then add another $5 for two tiny egg rolls makes it very unreasonable. Why do you charge that much?? I can get the same thing at other Vietnamese restaurants and pay less for sure. I'm sad because I love eating there but I don't want to spend $70 for two people to eat when we used to pay like $20 less before. What a shame. read more

I can't speak to the more classic beef pho, but the shrimp pho was very good with a good portion size. There was enough for a meal and then a meal to take home. The cold summer rolls (called spring rolls on the menu) were good, nothing special just the classic roll. The pho also was a very classic pho. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Shrimp pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Came here for late night pho fix and it did not disappoint. Not the cheapest pho place but they gave TONS of meat. I got the bun Bo hue and it typically comes w pork hock (this place does not). The soup base was on point with tons and tons of onion which was appreciated. There are vegetarian options and for a place open til 3am... I will be coming back for sure! Service was fast and allowed splitting of checks. I got seated pretty fast with my party with no reservations around 10pm at night (and it was still pretty packed) read more

Where's the meat!! $21.95 for this mediocre portion! 13 tiny pieces of meat! This is ridiculous! Edit: I did complain and was given an additional portion to make it a whole portion. Either way the initial Porton was tiny and should not have warranted a complaint to make it a true porton. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Mai's always does me right!!! The service is quick. The food is authentic. That garlic fried chicken, it has a hint of heat but they are fried perfectly. I also had some shrimp fried rice and I always add bean sprouts for a crunch. Shrimp in every bite. They've been a staple for years and they're open late for the club goers. read more

The food is always hot and fresh tasting, been here numerous times. Wait staff is chop chop, and tastes extremely authentic. Has good lighting and a Pho shop feel. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Number 15, Pho Tai - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Boy, has this place gone downhill! It was evidenced by the minimal crowd at high noon on a Wednesday . There might have been 4 occupied tables. The Pho was mediocre. The broth tasted like it was out of a can and it was overloaded with noodles. The waiter was un-attentive. He didn't bring the garnishes which usually come with Pho. We asked for them and he brought a plate of jalapeños. Then we mentioned the basil and so forth, and he brought mint! I WILL NOT be returning, especially as there are sooo many great Vietnamese spots in midtown/Houston. read more

This food was absolutely amazing. Ample parking with no wait times, and we were seated immediately and offered water while we viewed the menus. Menu options were authentic and easy to follow for first timers. All questions were answered thoroughly and with Grace. Our server couldn't have been better to us, offering several recommendations after learning our likes and dislikes. Everything he recommended was delicious. My favorite part was the homages all over the place to Bourdain. I didn't realize until after we got there that this was one of his favorite restaurants in the USA. High praise from a gifted chef. I'll be back, and back, and back, and back. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Food was really good. We ordered the salt and pepper wings with shrimp and chicken fried rice. Very good and enough for 3ppl to share

The chicken pho was super good and they give hugeeee portions !! its great that they're open super late too read more

Mai's Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Came here for lunch one day since I was craving pho and wanted to stay in the area. Honestly very average pho that was much more pricy than other options in Houston. Tastes good, nothing too special, but I would rather go somewhere else for better price. However, the location and the hours are convenient - but that's about the only reason I would come here again read more

Mai's Restaurant - Pho Ga Nuoc and Pho Tai Nam Bo Vien - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Been going here for many years and will continue to go anytime I can. For, service and ambiance are all wonderful. The garlic bee of my go to. read more

A faded shadow of a former late-night Vietnamese favorite in creepy Midtown. Mediocre food at a higher price

The service was awful, they had so many issues with the service and the food, I had been there several times but this night they were terrible, and I will not visit them again. read more

Mai's Restaurant - This is after I asked him for everything - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place has the best Vietnamese eggrolls ever drove all the way from the Woodlands just to come here for food and it's totally worth it sometimes Mais is open late and then can't go wrong on anything with the menu The food is utterly epic make sure you use the bathroom the walls are fun read more

Mai's Restaurant - General tso - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Mai's is a Houston institution. I don't know exactly how long it's been around, but as long as I've been an adult who likes to have a meal after a night of fun, it's been here for the late night crowds! Sober it A-OK, but with a few drinks in your system, it's the best food around. They have a big menu with lots of food choices as well as drinks. All your typical Vietnamese fare is on there. My personal favorite is the egg rolls. Other than that, there's no dish that has a wow factor. I'll sure I'll be back from time to time! read more

Mai's Restaurant - Bun Singapore - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Mai was an institution in this area of downtown Houston since the 80s, 90s era and it was the reliable place to come, especially late night after clubbing! Through the years, downtown has become residential and Mai's also updated the restaurant, tweaked the menu for the current local residents. Recently we stopped by, ordering food to go. The food was still decent for the area, although lacking the depth of yesteryear. We ordered the fish in clay pot, shaking beef and the Mekong soup. We must be the few customer ordering the fish entree that day because they gave us a big portion! It was somewhat bland, lacking the authentic flavor, but the leftover fish tasted much better the next day...like typical braised or stewed food. Mekong soup had the essential ingredients but a bit sweet. Overall I would say Mai's is a solid 3 for the food and an extra star for opening late ! read more

This place is consistently great! I ordered the Vietnamese egg rolls that came with lettuce, cilantro, mint and fish sauce! Soooo goood! In addition, I got a bowl of wonton soup off the appetizer menu. Holy Moly!!!! The broth was so flavorful, the wontons were stuffed full with meat and the wonton wrapper was nice and then. Just perfection! My only complaint is that the Vietnamese egg rolls used to be a bigger portion, and now there are just 4 in an order and they are a bit small... I'd like to see the portion a bit bigger for the price! read more

My friend and I came for a late Monday dinner. We were both craving pho and struggling to find places that were open this late on a Monday but Mai's was! I had never heard of/been to Mai's before so I didn't really know what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised! I was shocked to see that the restaurant was so packed on a Monday night. We ordered the fried egg rolls and each ordered the pho tai nam Bo vien (pho with brisket, rare beef, and meatballs). Food came out very fast and all the waiters are very welcoming and attentive. Loved the egg rolls, so crispy and delicious!! When the pho came out, I think they accidentally had made a different pho at first but quickly went back and changed it so it was correct. Everything about the pho was great too--the broth was savory and flavorful and the noodles were cooked perfectly. Also, I think because they had initially gotten my order wrong they ended up overloaded by bowl with meats (not that I'm complaining) but just found it funny as I felt like I ate so much meat but there was just endless mounds of it in my bowl lol. That being said, the only thing that I think could be better were that some of the meats were definitely a little drier/tougher than others especially the meatballs which were a bit over cooked. When I come back, I'd probably opt for something without meatballs. But, overall I think this was a solid restaurant and am looking forward to coming back to try the rest of the menu!! read more

Oh. Mai. Goodness. This was my first Vietnamese food experience and I'm so happy with was with Mai's! I'll admit, I was timid to the thought of Vietnamese food. It was uncharted territory but hey, I was in Houston with a great group of friends and was willing to take the leap. Wow- Mai's is SO good. I was with a party of sixteen and I did not see one meal I wouldn't have wanted to order. I cannot say that about too many places! I ordered #18, the chicken + pho and it was delicious! Not only is the food delicious- the service is amazing! There was not wait whatsoever and the food came out super fast. Our waiter was very friendly and knew the menu forwards and backwards. He even offered suggestions on spice level! I would 100% recommend checking this restaurant out! read more

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I like Mai's an old Houston treasure for sure. I'd say the food is damn good but a few of the wait staff was a tad bit rude to my date after incorrectly placing someone else's food on our table. Being that it was his first time there and myself being unaware of how his order should look he started eating when an older Asian woman snatched the plate and yelled at him " You don't know what you order?" Apologetic we asked for the correct dish although it was the waiter's fault, they took no responsibility. read more

The best thing you can say about Mais is that it's open late and they were quick to deliver our food after ordering. Both people at my table ordered the crispy noodle and it had predominately soy sauce/salt flavor. The texture if the tofu was good and it had lots of veggies. Too bad it was seasoned so poorly. Our waiter was efficient but he never asked if we actually wanted anything besides water to drink. For a town that has so many good Asian food options - you can skip it his place. read more

Mai's is truly an iconic Houston institution, famously adored by the late Anthony Bourdain, and has been serving home-style Vietnamese food to locals since the 70s. Open til 3 AM on weekends, the restaurant is a popular watering hole for those in various states of inebriation after a night of midtown merrymaking. I have eaten here a few times in the past, though not in the past 2 years, and I truly hope our most recent takeout experience was an outlier and not a sign of the restaurant's current state. My wife ordered egg noodle soup w/ shrimp in pork broth (Mi), and after discovering that they no longer offer the seafood pho option I used to order, went for the Pho Tom w/ shrimp. We parked outside (around 10 PM) and when my wife went in to retrieve our order, she reported back that the place was packed with limited distancing between tables. Not cool. My Pho Tom was a sad sight for a $15 item: a wad of stuck-together vermicelli noodles, 5 miniscule shrimp, a tub of broth, and a baggy of bean sprouts, basil, and raw onions. The broth was actually quite nice - silky, light, and flavorful with hints of sesame and seafood. But the shrimp were overcooked and didn't taste especially fresh. More importantly, $15 is highway robbery for an identical soup you can find at any local Viet joint for half that. My wife's soup (also $15) had thicker noodles, but the pork broth was actually less exciting than mine and her shrimp were equally rubbery. They also did not include chopsticks or silverware in the bag. In summary: Mai's is open late, which is nice, and the fare is actually decent in taste. But it is quite overpriced, and they don't appear to be helping the cause during our current COVID spike. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Pho Tom - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Had dinner with a friend last night. I ordered the General Tao's chicken and my friend had the Sweet and Sour Chicken. Both portions were more than generous. The chicken was well cooked and flavorful for both. We both enjoyed our meal and commented to each other that we want to come back for another visit. The reason for the 4 star review is our waiter. He was terrible. I eat out at least twice a week and cannot remember the last time I had such terrible service. The waiter literally brought my friends food and slid the plate across the table without stopping. I've never had a waiter toss a plate of food before. After 15 minutes, we asked about my food. The waiter said it wasn't ready yet. The service was totally unacceptable and the tip definitely reflected my displeasure. Overall the good was delicious, but the service was terrible. read more

This is one of our late night go to's! The food is amazing and I mean AMAZING! The Chicken Wings are so delicious I could eat them everyday! Service is pretty good, and the place itself is nice! read more

I love their pho and their egg rolls. Their chuncks of steak with lemon and seasoning is also sooo good! read more

Mai's Restaurant - Egg rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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