Updated November 2023
There are so many things to love about Houston. At the top of many Houstonian’s lists is how beautify diverse our city is in terms of cultures, languages and flavors. We are so lucky to live in a city where you can connect with people from all over the country and world, often times within your own neighborhood. One such destination is Katy Asian Town.
As Katy Asian Town continues to thrive, we thought it’d be fun to share some of our favorite finds in this West Houston shopping and dining center, conveniently located off I-10 and SH 99.
Hot Spots To Visit In Katy Asian Town
H-Mart
Katy Asian Town is anchored by H-Mart, a Texas sized Asian supermarket filled with fresh produce, meat and seafood selections, household essentials and unique condiments and snacks you won’t find anywhere else. H-Mart is home to a food court where you can sample a variety of Asian cuisines, including the curry cheese donkatsu at Donkey Yaki.
Insider tip: Our contributor Kirsten raves about the French-Asian bakery at the front of the store, Tous Les Jours, that serves up delicious coffee, pastries, breads and cakes. The Honey Lavender Macchiato with an Almond Croissant or a piece of Taro Cream Bread is calling your name.
Phat Eatery
No Katy Asian Town guide would be complete without Phat Eatery. Phat {as it’s affectionately known by the foodies who love it} offers a menu full of Malaysian street food along with some heartier Malaysian dishes. Some of our favorites are the Roti Canai, the Malaysian Fried Rice and their Sizzling Tofu. Phat Eatery is a great date night spot or a perfect place to start a progressive dinner. If you’re going to commit to the full Phat experience, our resident Houston foodie expert, Meagan, highly recommends the “Feed Me” shared dining option.
Aside from drool worthy dishes, head chef and owner, Alex Au-Yeung seems like an all around stellar human being. He’s lived in Houston since he was 17 years old, and has been written up numerous times for his culinary expertise and his heart of gold. Nearly 18 months ago, when Asian restaurants were hit particularly hard at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he jumped into action to help his neighbors’ businesses survive.
Insider tip: follow Phat Eatery on social media to stay in the loop about their upcoming off menu specials. Specials, that often benefit a local charity, have included Curry Chicken Roti Enchiladas, Braised Oxtails and collaborative dishes with other local restaurants.
Chung Wang BBQ
Next door to Phat Eatery, you’ll find Chung Wang BBQ. This family-friendly Chinese BBQ restaurant is popular with adults and kids alike. Some of our favorites include BBQ pork, roasted pork belly, shrimp dumplings, and the shao mai. Chung Wang BBQ features party trays that offer guests at your next holiday or game day gathering a yummy change of pace.
Bubble Egg
You’ve probably seen these Insta-worthy Bubble Egg stuffed waffle creations show up in your social media feeds. You can pick from suggestions of sweet and savory filling combinations, like Bubble Oreo and Spicy Wing Waffle or create your own. Bubble Egg also offers a wide selection of coffees, milk teas and slushies.
Kinokuniya
Kinokuniya is a Japanese bookstore that sells both Asian and American books, magazines, art supplies, stationery, and unique gifts. Our kids love the super soft and squishy Nemu Nemu stuffed animals. The fancy pens and cute notebooks and stationery could make great gifts for the teachers or students in your life.
SomiSomi
Before or after your shopping at Kinokuniya, be sure to stop in SomiSomi for some soft serve & taiyaki. The Ah-Boong is a goldfish shaped waffle cone, stuffed with your choice of filling {like Nutella!} and soft serve ice cream. Soft serve flavors include Ube, Matcha, Oreo, Horchata, Coffee and are often changed up seasonally.
Insider tip: Ask for the Ah-Boong upside down and you’ll get the ice cream in a bowl, topped with the taiyaki cone. You’ll get all of the goodness with a little bit less mess.
85°C
85°C named for the temperature at which the founder believes coffee to best hold it’s temperature, serves up a steady stream of coffees, teas, pastries, savory baked goods and cakes. You’ll find self serve pastry cases full of garlic cheese breads, milk butter pastries, chocolate cookie breads, and pork sung buns that you load onto a tray and take to the register where they’ll box them up for you to take home. Grab an iced sea salt caramel coffee to go with your treats and you’ll be all set.
Jia Kitchen
Jia Kitchen is the fast casual concept part of the Tan Tan Family group that includes Houston’s China Town favorite, Tan Tan Restaurant and Katy’s Tan Tan Wok.
Specialties at Jia Kitchen include clay pot rice soups, vermicelli noodle bowls, noodle soups and macaroni and rice dishes. Jia Kitchen is conveniently located next door to H-Mart, which means it’d be a great option for take out if you’re not in the mood to cook after doing your grocery shopping.
Proper Rose Garden
Another Insta-worthy sensation, is Katy Asian Town’s Proper Rose Garden tea house. Here, you can enjoy traditional afternoon tea service of assorted hot and cold teas, finger foods and desserts. Unique finds on their menu that is updated seasonally, include Hot Chile Truffle Edamame, Cajun Honey BBQ wings and Green Tea Mille Crepe Cake.
Thaicoon Restaurant & Pub
Add Thaicoon Restaurant & Pub to your list of dine in options for Katy Asian Town. You’ll find all of your Thai favorites including steamed seafood dishes, rich curries, stir-fried noodle plates and steaming bowls of soup along with some house specials. On their drink menu you’ll find some unique Thai themed cocktails, local craft beers like Saint Arnold’s Art Car IPA and respectable wine options.
Corner 99
Corner 99 is a fantastic choice for Vietnamese dine in or take out. Their rice platters like the Shaking Beef with Steamed Rice and Vermicelli with Grilled Meat are consistently solid choices. Corner 99 also has a vegetarian menu, a kid’s menu and a steady rotation of craft beers, including a few brews you’re unlikely to find many other places, so everyone is sure to find something they love.
Insider tip: the beer list at Corner 99 is constantly changing and updated on their website. You can build your own beer flight with most of the beers they keep on tap.
Bing Su
Bing Su Katy is known for their Korean Shaved Ice, Chung Chun Rice Hotdogs, and Mochi Donuts. These Korean corn dogs and bowls of shaved ice may be Korean in origin and flavor, but they’re certainly Texan in size. Contributor, Andrea, loves the fresh strawberry shaved ice topped with sweetened condensed milk. The shaved ice serving sizes are generous enough to share amongst your kids or family if you can all agree on a flavor combination. If you can’t agree, go ahead and order more than one. You won’t be sorry.
Beard Papa’s
Beard Papa’s has quickly grown a fan base in Katy, Texas. They’ve been serving up customizable Japanese cream puffs for the past couple of years. The hard part is narrowing down your flavor choices for shells and fillings. We think the Smores Éclair with Chocolate filling and the Honey Butter with Vanilla filling sound like winners.
Soju 101
Soju 101 is a Korean kitchen, bar and karaoke joint known as much for their seafood pancakes, kimchi and spicy Korean fried chicken as they are for their opportunity to belt out your favorite K-pop tune or Beatles ballad.
Insider tip: While Katy isn’t exactly known for it’s night life, Soju 101 is open until 2:00AM most nights.
Haidilao
If you’re looking for a one of a kind dining experience, look no further than Haidilao. Haidilao is known for the Hot Pot dining experience which is basically Chinese fondue. You cook your own meat, seafood, noodles and vegetables in a boiling hot pot of flavored broth on the table in front of you. We would recommend this spot for families dining with older children or for an adults only dinner, since toddlers and boiling hot broth don’t tend to mix well.
Insider tip: If they’re available, try the dancing noodles.
Lava Coffee
Lava Coffee is an independently owned coffee shop showcasing locally roasted Amaya beans. Its coffee program features both traditional and unique offerings like the Lavender Honey or Campfire Latte. Lava Coffee also has plenty of offerings for those who don’t like coffee, including Butterbeer and flavored lemonades. This is a great spot to meet up with a friend, get some work done or just relax with a good book and a drink.
Insider tip: the wi-fi code will be printed on your paper receipt
AMA On The Go
AMA On the Go is a to-go food ordering platform packaged in an app that you can download from the Google Play or Apple store. You can put together a custom delivery order from many of the places we’ve listed in this guide, along with many others. While you’ll find many of these restaurants on other delivery apps, AMA On The Go states that proceeds, from sales through their app, will be reinvested into marketing these small, local businesses to help them thrive.
While we know we’re only scratching the surface of what Katy Asian Town has to offer, we hope this guide serves as a starting point for planning your next culinary or shopping adventure. If we missed your favorite Katy Asian Town spot, let us know in the comments so we can add them to our guide!
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