Chef Nikki Tran’s Top 5 Dining Picks in Houston’s Asiatown

Houston’s Asiatown is vast, spanning six square miles and encompassing both Chinatown and Little Saigon. This lively area is filled with a variety of businesses representing numerous Asian cultures—Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, and more. Longtime resident and passionate H-town enthusiast, chef Nikki Tran, knows every corner of this vibrant neighborhood.

Tran is the head chef and owner of Kâu Ba, a Vietnamese-Cajun-Texan restaurant nestled in the trendy Montrose area of the city. Her restaurant has achieved remarkable success, earning her international acclaim and appearances on three Netflix series: Street Food, Somebody Feed Phil, and David Chang’s Ugly Delicious. Originally from Vietnam, she moved to a small town in upstate New York during the 1990s before relocating to Houston in her 20s, drawn by the city's warm climate and vibrant Vietnamese community.

“Before relocating to Houston, my family often questioned, ‘Why would you want to work there?’” Tran recalls. “They believed Houston was just a cowboy town. So I thought, ‘I’ll move to Houston and see for myself.’ A few years later, I found myself driving a pickup truck and sporting cowboy boots. I love it here!”

At Kâu Ba, guests can savor inventive dishes like mini lobster banh mi, periwinkle snails in a garlic butter and lemongrass sauce, and a Vietnamese rolled rice paper delicacy known as bánh cuốn, elevated with wagyu beef and truffle-infused nước mắm (sweet fish sauce). After facing pandemic-related hurdles, she spent three years in Vietnam, where she deepened her understanding of Vietnamese cuisine and created a special menu for Asian American Pacific Islander Month, featuring items like “Vietjun”-inspired crawfish and seared scallops.

However, there’s no place that inspires Tran more than Houston itself. Here are her top five dining recommendations in Houston’s Asiatown.

Pho 54

Address: 10623 Bellaire Blvd., C198
Signature dish: Bún bò huế

Nestled in the Saigon-Houston Plaza along Bellaire, flanked by a bubble tea shop and a foot massage parlor, Pho 54 may have a modest storefront, but it boasts bold flavors inside. While 'pho' is part of its name, Pho 54 is primarily celebrated for its bún bò huế, a beloved thick rice noodle soup served with a rich, savory lemongrass-infused bone broth. According to Tran, it’s a dish not to be missed. “For me, bún bò huế is more complex to prepare than pho,” she notes. “It’s actually more popular in Vietnam than pho, which simply gained traction after being introduced here.”

SiuLap City

Address: 2808 Milam St., Suite F
Signature dish: Roast duck and roast pork

SiuLap City was formerly housed inside Long Sing Supermarket, which closed its doors in 2017. Fortunately, this beloved local spot reopened just a short distance away as an independent restaurant in 2018. Here, diners can indulge in Cantonese-style barbecue dishes featuring meats such as ribs, pork belly, Peking or roast duck, and tripe, accompanied by a choice of vegetables (including baby bok choy, stir-fried broccoli, or green beans) and either steamed or fried rice. Tran suggests trying either the roast duck or the roast pork, both showcasing crispy skin and succulent meat. “It’s kind of like a fast food joint. You walk in and see ducks and half a roasted pig hanging. There’s something oddly comforting about that,” she chuckles.

Cơm Gà Houston

Address: 11403 Bellaire Blvd.
Signature dish: Chicken rice

Chicken rice is a signature dish from central Vietnam. It shares a similar concept with Hainanese chicken rice, but the latter has a more subtle flavor profile, while the Vietnamese version is tossed with coriander, lime juice, and onions. Tran particularly enjoys the chicken rice at Cơm Gà Houston because it features free-range chicken. Thanks to the chickens' free-range upbringing (they're also allowed to grow older than store-bought chickens), the meat is sweeter and has a more interesting texture compared to commercially raised birds. Cơm Gà Houston is also famous for its bánh xèo, or Vietnamese crepes—make sure to order the ones filled with both shrimp and pork.

Bun Cha Ca Da Nang

Address: 12168 Bellaire Blvd., #333
Signature dish: Fish cake noodle soup

Bun Cha Ca Da Nang is dedicated to all things fish and fish cakes. The restaurant is named after its standout dish, bun cha ca da nang, which features crispy fish cakes and thick rice noodles served in a rich, fragrant broth. According to Tran, there's no need to explore the rest of the menu—just stick with what they excel at.

Chao Long Thang Mo

Address: 11513 Bellaire Blvd.
Signature dish: Pork offal rice porridge

At Chao Long Thang Mo, the menu may be limited, but this cozy mom-and-pop spot excels at its specialties. Known for comforting dishes such as spicy seafood noodle soup, Vietnamese cold cuts, and crispy fried crullers, Tran's top pick here is the pork offal rice porridge. This traditional dish is widely enjoyed and affordable in Vietnam, featuring pork liver, kidneys, hearts, and other offals in a luxuriously rich bone broth.

“I encourage non-Vietnamese diners to give this rice porridge a try, even if they think they won't enjoy pork intestines,” Tran shares. “To me, it’s a privilege [as Americans] to experience different cuisines and discover how various cultures utilize local ingredients in their cooking. Plus, I just love it.”