Bò-Né Houston — Restaurant in Houston

Our good friend writes: "When my partner and I are deciding where to go stuff our faces on weekend mornings, the incredible Vietnamese dish bò né (steak and eggs with so much more) is usually part of the discussion. We recently found what so far is our favorite bò né in Houston, at the appropriately named Bò Né Houston (11694 Bellaire). We've been to at least a couple other spots with the same name, but this newest one on Westheimer is the one we like the most so far.

I doubt we’ve tried every bò né in town, but I think we’ve tried most of them. The best versions start with a leafy green salad usually doused in a sesame oil-based dressing, along with a basket of fresh-from-the-oven French baguettes and a ramekin of rich liver pâté and butter to be used as a spread on that heavenly bread. I don’t know where the Vietnamese places in town source their butter, but it is often the sort of stuff you would expect Heidi and her family up in the Swiss Alps to be spreading on their braided rolls every morning. Next arrives a (very important) cow-shaped sizzling platter filled with 2 still yolky sunny-side up eggs and chunks of tender ribeye sauteed in what might be slightly sweet oyster sauce, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, or a combination of all of the above, with grilled white and/or green onions. Those are the basics, though I’ve seen some places throw on some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers for color or variety. At Bò Né Houston, you can go veg or get fancy or just gluttonous by ordering yours “blanketed under a mushroom layer” or sided with a hot dog, sausage, and a meat ball, or with sizzling tofu instead of meat. We were ecstatic with our basic “Original” version. This place absolutely nails all the basics. We also loved the adorable and welcoming staff—they make the experience all...

We stopped by here for a late dinner which explains why the place was completely empty. Better for us because there was no wait whatsoever. Easy parking and spacious interiors. Plenty of tables for big or small groups. Services were friendly and fast.

We ordered the Bo Ne Houston and fried rice with grilled pork, shrimp, and chicken. The Bo Ne Houston came with a side of baguettes with pate and butter dip. It also came with a small salad. The pate and butter was surprisingly good. Much better than the pate I have had. The flavor wasn't too strong, very subtle. The hot toasted baguettes dipped in the pate and butter were a delish combination.

The bo ne came out in a sizzling stone plate in the shape of a cow (I believe). The beef was tender, not too thick. Eggs weren't overcooked. I like the dressing on the side salad. It had a bit of a sweet/salty taste. I wasn't too impressed with the fried rice. It was a plain fried rice. The extra sauce it came with added more flavors to the fried rice.

Grilled pork was a bit overcooked that it became a bit thick. The fried chicken Asian-style and grilled shrimp made up for the grilled pork. Overall, this place served authentic bo ne. Is it the best? I am not so sure about that but I can tell that the quality of the food here...

This place is name after their signature dish yet the dish itself was not up to par. We came here the day after Labor Day and it was 2 other tables there when we arrived. There was a lot of dirty tables so we assumed we got here after their rush.

There was only 2 servers working and they were nice. They were busy prepping the other tables sides that they didn’t see us or acknowledged us; which is. They told us to sit anywhere and offered us water and etc. we ordered bánh xèo and the bò né special. Bánh xèo was weird, it was filled with so much onion. I didn’t even know people put that much in there; I would’ve ask for no onion if I know. The ratio of onions outdo the bean sprouts. I’m used to bánh xèo being served with the Asian lettuce but this place served it with iceberg lettuce. Their bò né is even worse, it has no flavors! The only thing that was good was the butter, pâté and the xíu mại. The dish itself supposed to come with a little sauce but nothing. The meat was tasteless and dry so we didn’t even finished it.

I feel like this place could’ve been great but because they offered so much varieties that they’re just ok. They’re always busy so I guess other people don’t care about quality like that. Eat at your own risk.

Until next...