Bellaire Boulevard

Bellaire Boulevard food is the best reason to drive outside the 610 Loop, and Houston's Chinatown is the best eating neighborhood in Texas. We will fight about it. The area runs along Bellaire Boulevard in southwest Houston, roughly from Fondren out past Beltway 8, plus the blocks around it. It is home to one of the biggest Asian American communities in the South: Vietnamese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, Malaysian, Filipino and more, packed into giant shopping centers and strip malls.

The Vibe in Bellaire Blvd

Bellaire is all business and all flavor. Huge parking lots, signs in a dozen languages, supermarkets bigger than some towns, bakeries, tea shops, karaoke, hot pot, herbal medicine shops and families eating together late into the night. It does not look pretty from the street. It does not need to. This is where Houston actually eats.

The scale is the thing that gets people. You can drive for twenty minutes on Bellaire and never run out of restaurants, and the shopping centers themselves are like small cities with their own food courts, bakeries, jewelry stores and travel agencies. Weekends bring families from all over the region to stock up and eat. Come on a weekday afternoon if you want room to breathe, or a Saturday night if you want the full roar.

Bellaire Boulevard Munchies and Late-Night Food

Crawfish & Noodles is the Viet-Cajun legend that helped put Houston crawfish on the national map. Garlic butter, Cajun spice, a bag on the table and nothing clean by the end. In season, go. See Houston by season.

Mala Sichuan Bistro started here, with numbing, fiery Sichuan cooking that grew into a small local chain. Fung's Kitchen, a short drive north near the Southwest Freeway, has been a giant dim sum hall since 1990. Kim Son keeps its Bellaire Boulevard location going for big Vietnamese and Chinese family feasts. Molina's Cantina has a Bellaire Boulevard location for Tex-Mex cravings, and Blood Bros. BBQ, just east in the city of Bellaire, does brisket with Asian American flavors.

Late at night, noodle shops, congee spots, hot pot places and dessert cafes keep going, especially on weekends. More in the munchies guide and late-night Houston.

Things to Do on Bellaire Boulevard

• Eat a progressive dinner. Banh mi at one spot, dumplings at another, crawfish at a third, boba to finish. That is a perfect Saturday.
• Shop the supermarkets. The big Asian supermarkets are a trip, with snacks, produce and frozen dumplings you have never seen. Load up for the next sesh at home.
• Hit the bakeries. Vietnamese, Chinese and Taiwanese bakeries for buns, pastries and baguettes.
• Karaoke. Private karaoke rooms run late. Bring friends, pick songs badly.
• Hillcroft and the Mahatma Gandhi District. A short drive east for Pakistani and Indian food and sweet shops.

Art, Music and Culture on Bellaire

Bellaire's culture is the community itself: Lunar New Year celebrations, temples and churches, cultural centers and family businesses. The Asia Society Texas Center, in a stunning building near the Museum District, is the place for Asian arts and performances. For movies, the big dine-in theaters and multiplexes on the west and southwest sides are a quick drive. See the movie theaters guide.

Chill Outdoor Spot: The Brays Bayou Trails

Brays Bayou runs across southwest Houston with a long greenway trail, parks and open space along the water. It is the best place nearby to walk off a feast. Go at sunset, when the heat breaks.

A Perfect Day in Bellaire Blvd

Here is how we would spend a full day around Bellaire Boulevard, start to finish. Check hours before you go, and keep a sober driver in the plan.

1. Banh mi from a bakery for the car.
2. Dim sum at Fung's Kitchen with a big group.
3. A supermarket run for snacks.
4. A walk on the Brays Bayou trail to make room.
5. Viet-Cajun crawfish at Crawfish & Noodles in season, or Sichuan at Mala.
6. Late noodles or boba before the drive home.

The Good and the Annoying

Nearby Neighborhoods

Bellaire Boulevard is out southwest, but it connects easily to the Galleria to the north and Rice Village back toward the Loop.

• Galleria and Uptown guide
• Rice Village guide