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Your typical classic Chinese round table food. It was all cooked decently but nothing really stood out as amazing. But wasn't too heavy on the sauce/MSG, which was nice.
Such an awesome place for delicious Chinese Vietnamese food! Think of an Asian diner with a menu of food offerings that don't end. You have your fancy entrees and staples that you can only get from a home cooked meal.
I enjoyed it with the father-- we ordered quite a bit of food and it all came out quite well! The chicken wings were a favorite among us and the noodles were a great pairing! To note: always get a vegetable: the string beans were great! Cheers!
Date night at our FAVORITE restaurant. This food is the best Asian cuisine anywhere. The service is amazing and servers are so polite.. Can't wait until April for Soft Shell Crab for my Birthday.
Everyone who frequently dines in the Chinatown area knows about Tan Tan. My family and I have been coming to tan tan for more than 2 decades and it's a staple in Houston's Chinatown. They have a very EXTENSIVE menu and it can get a little overwhelming for first timers. My go to order is the banh bot chien (house special rice cake), the house special fried rice, and the stir fried flat rice noodles with beef. Food portions are big. Most meals are meant to be eaten family style to share amongst the group. The service is pretty much nonexistent but that's pretty standard for Chinatown establishments. Everytime I go it's super busy but the wait is never that long.
Tan Tan is an OG family style asian restaurant that has been well establishing the heart of chinatown. A long beloved restaurant by countless residents of the community and even those outside come into the area to share in on the experience. Food comes very quickly after you've ordered. Servers don't check upnon you that often, but when they do, be sure to get straight to the point or wave them over. We ordered a variety of dishes, most of which were absolutely to our liking (refer to images). Flavors are quite bold, recommended to eat with white rice. The only dish that was a bit lackluster is there a egg drop soup for which is very bland. If you prefer stronger flavors, you'll need to add a dash of soy sauce or a pinch of salt. Otherwise we do the restaurant that I would definitely recommend to all of my friends and family.
Omg I recommend the food is good I've gone there for years but I don't know why is it that now the plates are broken, the forks and spoons are dirty. Then this worker came took our order and went to other tables we asked nicely for something's that were still missing and they just kept saying ok and it never came until we complained I am disappointed in my experience I hope that they fix this issue for the cleanness and service.
There are plenty of Viet-Chinese fusion style restaurants in this area, but Tan Tan has always been popular for a reason. Great food, especially if you're tired of American style Chinese and want something more traditional. The noodle dishes are my favorite, I've liked everything from the various noodle soups, to the crunchy pan fried chow mein and soft flat chow fun. The house special rice cakes are very popular and good too, I know many people that will come order just those to-go by themselves. The restaurant is huge and spacious, after they expanded the seating area, there's usually room and no wait even during peak times. Service has been inconsistent though, and order mistakes happen more often than I'd like.
Just coming here to update my review since it's been a few years, Tan Tan is still as good as ever! We came here as a party of 15 for dinner with the cousins. Service was fast, food came out fresh, and everything brings back a certain nostalgia from coming here so much as kids. We ordered their house special rice cakes (banh bot chien), eggplant w/ basil, salt toasted chicken wings, snow pea leaves w/ garlic sauce, sate seafood flat rice noodles, and sizzling beef. You seriously can't go wrong with whatever you order here though! I just recommend you come here with a big group and order family style, it's the only right way of enjoying Tan Tan! After coming here for well over 25+ years as a family, I'm confident we'll still continue to support Tan Tan. While I'll admit the prices have gone up over the years, that's just the price of inflation. Luckily, the quality is just as good as ever. Enjoy!
Tan Tan is THE late night spot to come with a large group on weekday nights. I used to come here all the time during college after organization events so it was nostalgic coming back recently. The best thing about Tan Tan is that they're consistent and affordable. You don't come here expecting the best Chinese/Viet dishes in the world, but it is quite solid for the price point whenever you split with friends. My favorite dishes here are their famous rice cakes and salt fried squid (muc rang muoi). Food comes out quickly which is another strength of theirs! Whatever you decide to order, always make sure you're eating family style. It's a must.
Not sure what the hyped is all about. Was recommended for their hot pot so we went and try it. The broth is so bland and no taste st all. The veggies selection to dip in was pretty sad. The only decent was the walnut shrimp the crab Rangoons. Not worth the money.
Reviews are mixed. Many highlight the varied and flavorful dishes, generous portions, and a spacious, clean setting.
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2 years ago
I am not going to lie: I came here looking for Japanese hotpot. Idk how I found this place or thought it was that... it was not... However- I loved it anyways! I got my hotpot fix and got to bring a friend to try a new place. They were super nice with her dietary restrictions and made sure there was no cross contamination. They were also helpful as we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into lol. Easy place with simple pricing - would totally come here again read more
Came here for dinner on a Saturday night around 6:30-7pm and although it was crowded, still plenty of open tables so glad we didn't have to wait. The food was solid. We had the rice cake dish which this place is known for and I would say that was the highlight. Had Hainese chicken (they call it steamed chicken rice), duck + egg noodle soup, salt toasted tofu, and a stir fried vege dish that I'm blanking on the name that were all pretty standard Chinese food fare that was fine. Forgot to take a pic of a few because I was pretty hungry and just dug in. The thing that really knocks this place down for me though was we ordered the sizzling beef dish. I've had this plenty of times at other Chinese spots and the one we got from Tan Tan was honestly a bit insulting. Not because the taste was bad, it was probably on-par with a lot of other places I had. What was insulting was for $18.95, we were given less than ten pieces of beef. Seriously? Felt like half the plate was empty, I was honestly a bit confused and thought maybe they gave us a dish that someone had already eaten through? But evidently not. At any rate, it definitely soured the entire meal for me. Service was nice and food came out in a pretty fast clip. Ambiance is... your usual Chinese restaurant spot? So yknow, pretty retro, but you come here for the food and for me it was just ok. I would not come here again though since that beef dish really did ruin it for me and the pricing is definitely higher compared to the portions for other places I've tried. read more
New thanksgiving family tradition as we copy this from the movie Xmas story. Plenty of parking and this place is huge with plenty of tables and multiple rooms. Arrived 3pm, not busy and we had a table for 12. No issue getting the table. The table also has a center piece that spins so as they bring food it's easy to rotate so everyone at the table can reach items. Large portions so best to order a few entrees and share. We ordered Duck, chicken, clams, shrimp, fried rice and white rice also Congee shrimp soup (must try) Service was good and fast but the server made 1 ticket. So what we did was on the check put marks on each line like a circle, square, asterisk, x and that way the server was able to make individual checks for us. And it was very easy... Huge menu and a lot of choices but everything we ordered was delicious. read more
3 years ago
This place is so meh I had high hopes for this place but the food and the service is so bad! Workers didn't know what they were doing and they kept bringing the food to wrong tables also the food just tasted very bad! Never coming here again! read more
1 year ago
Food was great as always and also quick service! I love their rice cake appetizer and crave it often read more
I got B03 the pork with rice and it was okay, too sweet for my liking. The pickled cabbage and carrots were delicious and the rice was cooked perfectly. The fried dumplings were also okay, they were very crispy but flavor wise they weren't anything too special. It seems like Tan Tan has many items on the menu so perhaps I got the couple of items that just didn't hit the spot for me. I personally would come back to try another thing on the menu but out of all the places in Chinatown this likely wouldn't be my first choice. The service was good and the waitress was attentive. The restaurant itself was very clean, and I loved the lighting they had inside. read more
Tan Tan has been a Chinatown staple for decades, since the early eighties! It was one of Houston's OG late night spots for Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine back in the day. They've made it this long for good reason' Don't expect much in terms of ambiance. The dining room is pretty much just functional. The random floor to ceiling plastic trees seem a bit out of place, but whatever! Expect to see a lot of families here. A simply ginormous menu is offered here, with many Vietnamese and family style Chinese options. The banh bot chien appetizer is famous here and is not to be missed. It's comprised of rice cakes and egg, topped with green onion, fried shallots, and some pickled vegetables. Don't forget to use the accompanying dipping sauce! It really ties this dish together! Their rendition is probably the best version to be found in Houston. Served on a bed of shredded lettuce, the shrimp with walnuts is also another popular choice here. The shrimp are nice and large in size! Yay! I really enjoy the bit of sweetness in this dish. In the winter time, the hot pot option is another a popular favorite, perfect for sharing. Plus you get to cook it yourself at the table. This was one of the premier places for hotpot decades ago when there were very few options in Chinatown. Service here is not the greatest, and it's pretty much always been that way, so be aware of that if you're in a hurry. read more
3 years ago
I hadn't had authentic Vietnamese food in a while and this place did not disappoint. The pork vermicelli noodle dish was so flavorful and satisfying. The pork was cooked perfectly and the dipping sauce brought everything together so well. Added egg rolls on top which I thought was a nice touch. I dreamed about this dish for weeks afterwards. read more
3 years ago
The food was fresh the service was good and the price was reasonable considering the portion size. We ordered the garlic chicken and white rice we shared it among 3 people but this dish should have been only for 2 because we all didn't feel full the rice was replenished as a favor ??maybe ?? Dont know if they would do it for everyone. My friend ordered shrimp fried rice with Chinese sausage and seasonal vegetables with garlic we all shared the total was $50 we left a tip of course in addition. The food was so fresh and flavorful they give vinegar soysauce peppers and garlic on the table. And the sauce that was brought out was so amazing. read more
5 years ago
I just wanted to give an updated review. The service has definitely stepped up a lot since I last came here. They're still as busier as ever and are probably short staffed, but when I came with my family on a busy Saturday evening, they were actually pretty attentive. They were fantastic at frequently refilling our drinks and our food all came out in a pretty good timely manner. The food quality is still the same, and it's still really good. I always recommend the combination hotpot! This place is such a great spot to come with family and/or friends. Definitely do family style when you come here. read more
10 months ago
1 year ago
George Michael had the Wham Wham Flintstone had the Bam Bam Frisco has the Tram Tram The Rock has Summer Slam Slam Josh Duggar keeps it in the Fam Fam Mexicans have the Flan Flan Students have to Cram Cram But before the Exam Xam You gotta eat at Tan Tan WHAT?! Definitely one of the best late-night meals in Chinatown, and you can get great value here, most dishes taste good, and it's in our regular rotation of places to eat after 10pm, and probably always will be as long as they're around, because they have a consistent standard, much like Fufu in many regards. And unlike Fufu, there's plenty of space, so you'll never really have to wait for a table. What to get: I love their Chicken and Onion dish, not even sure which one it is but check out my pix for a close up, Barbi loves their Garlic Snow Pea Leaves, also the Ao1 House Special Rice Cake WOW (sort of like Scallion Pancakes), Maybe Vermicelli Bowl, Definitely the Thai Dessert What not to get: Maybe not the "3 Flavors Rice" Chicken dish, and definitely not the Desert, it's really dry and rather uninhabited What else: Avoid Josh Duggar's Hand Hand Tan Tan is basically the description of the girl I went to Tan Tan with. As in, not just Tan, but Tan Tan. In fact I think she goes tanning before and after every time we eat here. Possibly during, after all, she was in the bathroom for a long time. There used to be other locations, not sure if any still exist, but this one always was my fave, and is open late which is great. Late night food in Chinatown can be good or bad, but it's rarely great, and this is good (to me) and okay (to Barbi). Although it wasn't the best food I ever ate, the service can be nice, and the prices are affordable. It's very neon pink in here too, which obviously we like. It's sort of a fusion between real Chinese and Vietnamese, we usually order the Chinese dishes, but Viet influence is obvious. I like such items as the Ao1 House Special Rice Cake which is orgasmically amazing (and seems extremely unhealthy too). The texture and taste blew me away. It's sort of like a thicker, greasier Scallion Pancake (yum), and also the Vermicelli Bowl with Pork was commendable. She loved her bowl, and even though it's not my kind of thing to order, I have to admit it was pretty good. Their flat rice noodle dishes, fried rice dishes, and all their poultry dishes, are great. Perhaps the surprise of the menu was the Dessert. They have a whole series of them, and they're all kinds of fruity desserty almost-drinksy deliciousness. The one we had (which the kid recommended - the Thai version) was spectacular. I'd recommend anyone try one, and if not the Thai one, he told me lots of the others are great too. And perhaps the surprise of the continent of Africa is the Desert. It's just... so... big. So for the excellent service, my chicken and onion dish which I can never find on the menu, Barbi's excellent garlic snow pea leaves and other veggie dishes, the good food, the delicious rice cake and the dreamy dessert, this place is easily a 5 star place, keeping up the high standard of food (especially all kinds of Asian) in Houston, which to me is easily the best food city in Texas, and one of the best in North America. Now it's time to finish with some more craprap. I like girls but prefer Man Man Danielle? I prefer Dan Dan Stella? Gimme Stan Stan I get p*nis while I Can Can Til I can barely Stand Stand Tear hamstrings doing Can-Can My computer's on a LAN-LAN I don't own a Frying Pan Pan Cuz all I eat is Tan Tan I say "wow" to German Sham-Sham Say "ugh" to Simple Plan Plan I do it with my Hand Hand Take pix with my Cam Cam But if I put the pictures up From Yelp I'll get a Ban Ban But I don't really give a f*** Cuz my junk's really Grand Grand It's bigger than the Vietcong The biggest in the Land Land And if these jokes are just so wrong Why are the Beach Boys in Demand Mand? I'll fight the whole Band Band Though my shoes will fill with Sand Sand I'm the last man who will Stand Stand Just like Jackie Chan Chan So run and tell your Mam Mam Avoid Josh Duggar's Hand Hand While I go eat at Tan Tan WHAT?! read more
One of my family's go-to restaurants. They seem to have renovated and gotten more staff. They are very attentive now; we actually had to tell them no to refilling our waters multiple times. Prices have increased, though. The hot pot is great during cold weather. It's not your typical Chinese or Mongolian hotpot. The wonton Noodle soup or banh xep (bigger shrimp pork wontons) are both delicious and our go-to. Peking duck whole $41.96 - comes with 10 baos. Super crispy, thin skin. Lots of meat. They also stir fry the leftover meat with veggies and serve it as an additional entree. Rice Cake $10.50 - their infamous appetizer. Always good and crispy. Salt toasted squid $16.95 - very crispy Seafood pan fried noodles $16.95 - I get the crunchy noodles. Comes with a lot of seafood (they used to be stingy) and noodles. Snow pea leaves with garlic sauce $15.95 - not cheap but big serving. General tso chicken, walnut shrimp, and beef flat rice noodle are also good. I would like to try the salt toasted chicken wings. read more
1 year ago
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4 years ago
I was only in Houston for a short visit, but i came here on recommendation from my nail guy, and I'm SO glad I did! The restaurant is huge, but staff is extremely helpful and attentive! We absolutely loved everything we tried. My favorite was probably the won-ton soup, it just had the bast flavored broth! But seriously, everything was delicious! read more
1 year ago
Tan Tan was one of the recommendations my friend gave when I told her I was coming to Houston, and it did not disappoint! For COVID reasons I decided to grab takeout from them, and though certain items were not quite as crispy because they weren't fresh out of the kitchen when I started eating, the flavor didn't disappoint. I ended up ordering the house special rice cake, salt and pepper squid, and the wonton noodle soup. I'm so glad I gave the rice cake a chance. I'm usually not a huge fan of them, but Tan Tan's appetizer was delicious and flavorful. I loved that the rice cakes had a turnip cake-like consistency, and fried along with the egg + dipped into the house sauce gave them a lovely savory flavor. The crunchy toppings were added a great texture as well. Similarly, the salt and pepper squid was delicious too. And the wonton noodle soup had excellent egg noodles and generous portions of wontons -- the broth was also light and refreshing. So good for the price point! The next time I'm in Houston I'd love to come visit again with a larger group to try more of the menu! Hopefully by then everyone will feel safe enough to eat in at the restaurant. And I'd definitely come back just for the rice cakes. :) read more
Last post from last Thursday. Is it just me or does the staff make you feel like your are taking too much of their time. I know... time is money and You want to turn over tables. If you have ever been here before, you know they have a huge menu. It takes a while just to peruse the menu. We finally settled on Seafood Flat Rice Noodle and Green Beans with Pork. Green beans had a slight crunch to them... pretty good. Seafood flat rice noodle was good. read more
4 years ago
Visiting Houston for the week, I wanted pho. Large place with plenty of seats, we didn't have to wait to be seated on a Friday night for dinner. They were able to accommodate five of us with just a quick table adjustment, we had ample of space. Sooooo many items to choose from, I'm sure there is something for the pickiest of eaters. Everything we order was good. Please note that they don't bring all the food at once, as they bring the plates to the table as it's ready, so we had people eating and some time later the next plate, but not a deal breaker for me. The waitresses were helpful and friendly. I requested a change to my plate, but they couldn't accommodate as they do at my local Pho restaurant. Overall it was a good place to spend time eating and catching up with family and friends. read more
1 year ago
This is our go to Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant. The rice cake is their specialty and is the best. I've had it at other places but it's not as good anywhere else. The fried egg rolls, wonton soup, beef flat rice noodle with black bean sauce, hollow stem vegetables with garlic, string beans and eggplant in garlic sauce are staples for us. The service is fast and friendly as well. Plenty of parking and late hours. read more
I'm disappointed that Tan Tan doesn't have lunch specials. I like black bean sauce. I ordered the shrimp with noodles and black bean sauce. The dish is $15.95 and has about five shrimp. There was an obscene amount of red and green peppers and onions. Plus the dish was salty. I don't understand the appeal of Tan Tan and now not surprised the one on Westheimer closed. read more
4 years ago
You guyyyyssss! This place is soooo incredible. Tan Tan has been established in houston since 1986 and their attention to detail, variety of food options, and TASTE is so on point. My stand- outs (although everything is a banger...): I've had a lot of pan fried noodles, it's one of my Asian favorite dishes and Tan Tan Is definitely competing for the best I've had. So sweet but also savory and I like how the noodles are chopped to shorter strands. Fried rice is amaaaazing. If someone knows what soy sauce/sauce combo they use, help a sister out! I couldn't stop going for more and more.. Orange and sesame chicken has RICH flavor and is very saucey. Though I think this time they went a bit too heavy handed on the sauce for orange chicken (to my liking), I would absolutely reccommend tokie to anyone still. Honey walnut shrimp is such a SLAPPER!! The shrimps are giiiiiant and the sweetness and CRUNCH and light sauce is just beautiful. I think the only thing I wasn't as blown away by but still enjoyed is their hot pot. I think it just didn't stand out to me and it wasn't super flavorful. But it was still a treat nonetheless Also a staple for value!!! Thanks Tan Tan. read more
3 years ago
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3 years ago
This place was great! It was pricey. Paid $70 for 2 entrees and a friend rice to share (see pictures) That included tip also. The service was great. Everyone in staff was super attentive. I notice staff helped each other around the restaurant with their tables. The food was also VERY good. I hope to try different dishes next time. They have an extensive menu that is truly authentic. This place is HUGE. From the outside you can't tell but there must have been 40-50 tables inside if not more. You can tell a lot of families come here for family style meals. So bring everyone next time you are in the area! read more
3 years ago
I can't put into words how good this food was! The service was unbelievable fast and the restaurant was extremely clean! This will definitely be a regular spot for me! read more
3 years ago
Food was absolutely to die for. Best fried rice I've ever had in MY LIFE. Everything we got was amazing. Dumplings, fried rice, generals chicken and sweet and sour chicken. Everyone is so sweet that works here and the environment is so welcoming! Absolutely will be coming back... maybe tomorrow. read more
7 years ago
If you really want to Tan Tan then come here. Just don't get sun burnt. Haha kidding. But this restaurant is spacious. So spacious, they could even house another restaurant with half. But if you think the space is big, just imagine the menu. It seems to me that they have over 100+ menu items. A great place to taste authentic Chinese food with groups ranging from small to extra large. We had already ate a lot throughout the day so we just came here to order a few dishes to share. All which tasted healthy and delicious. My favorite would be the salt and pepper chicken wings which were the last to come out. There must be a special prep for them because they came out with the right amount of crisp. The service here is hit or miss tho. But this is prob due to high demand from the other large parties. read more
2 years ago
Tan Tan used to be legendary for one reason: their Banh Bot Chien. They also used to be infamous for another reason: their less than stellar service. 4 star is based on their service. If only Yelp allowed a 3.5 rating, that would be more accurate overall. Their service has improved immensely! The hostess who sat me down and took my order was friendly and welcoming. She even came to check up on me since a bigger party had backed up the kitchen a bit. I will say I was disappointed with the Banh Bot Chien this time around. See, Banh Bot Chien can invoke very different reactions out of you depending on how it's made. When it's crispy? Most comforting, delicious savory pancake. When it's soggy and flimsy? Like microdosing depression. And I can say this (TMI: clinically diagnosed major depressive here). I had asked for it to be fried on both sides to prevent the mushy horror, and I'm pretty sure they didn't do that because what I got was meh. But hey! Every time it's crispy and fried nicely, it's amazing, so I'll just keep that in mind for next time and can't dox them too much for that. Especially considering how their service has improved. I'll probably be back to try again. read more
4 years ago
Tan Tan Restaurant Houston-Texas Video: https://youtu.be/tZslJw00k84 Tân Tân nhà hàng ẩm thực Tàu tại Houston TX với nhiều món ăn ngon, tuyệt vời, không gian rộng và nhân viên phục vụ nhanh nhẹn... đặc biệt món Tả Pí Lù ngon nhất luôn. - Add: 6816 Ranchester Dr, Houston, TX 77036 - Local guides: https://goo.gl/maps/EwMLVEadBfiREjkU7 read more
The OG Tan Tan, I've been eating here since I was a pre teen maybe. Sadly the westheimer location near me close and moved so the Chinatown location is the next best. In my humble opinion no one makes a Banh Bot Chien quite like Tan Tan it is their house special fried rice cakes. The sauce that comes with it is necessary and I've yet to figure out the other ingredients they mix in there. I tried their fried intestines which were really crispy a little fatty but over good beer food/snack. I enjoyed their snow or leaves however my friend didn't. I love their wonton noodle soup, bo luc lac, and their stir fried flat rice noodle dishes. It definitely helps to come with 2 or more people so you can have a variety of dishes family style. I've never had hot pot here but always see people enjoying that every time I've dined in. I'm sure I'll be back soon for the house special rice cakes. read more
4 years ago
I tried the sizzling beef with fried rice. The beef was cooked to perfection and was so flavorful. Fried rice was also very delicious. Babe had the pepper steak with no veggies and fried rice. He said it was super good and would definitely be bringing us back again. The portion sizes are very generous and prices are very reasonable. While we waited I had some hot tea (lavender and jasmine) it was so fragrant and smooth. I wish I could have drunk the whole pot. The atmosphere here is very lively and customer service was good. I will for sure come back and eat again. Follow my food journey @MugsyEats on IG and YouTube. #mugsyeats read more
5 years ago
Customers: beware they are ripping you off. Horrible! I paid for Green bean with pork and mapo tofu with pork. Got home 15 minutes later tasted it and no pork. Stirred up the whole boxes no ground pork. I called the manager said i can text you the pictures showing no pork. They said no and didn't want to fix their mistakes. Owner. Pay attention to your slacking employees. They're not working. SEE PICTURES read more
More info about Tan Tan
6816 Ranchester Dr
Houston, TX 77036
Chinatown, Sharpstown
Directions
(713) 771-1268
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Visit Website
http://www.tantanrestaurant.com
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Ask the Community - Tan Tan
About how much is the combination hot pot?
About 30-35 for an order depending on type of meats, seafood always a little more. Enough for 2-4 people.
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