Lien's Viet Kitchen — Restaurant in Houston

After dropping items off at the cleaners I noticed the restaurant in the far right corner. Lien's...OK. I ventured in and noticed an officer seated on the left enjoying a bowl of Pho. Decent sized bowl and it looked good. Unfortunately I was to go elsewhere so I continued towards the counter and was promptly greeted. She informed me Lien's has been open since April of this year (2022). It's nice to have a Vietnamese restaurant in the neighborhood; Hoang's Sandwich on Elgin near Scott Street was forced out due to condos/high rises being built near the Metro rail and UH. Chinese Star on Calhoun suffered a similar fate; UH wanted space for their 'projects' and made them close. Irony is nothing was built for a couple of years until recently (they could have remained opened a little longer). Nearby franchises survived in the same location, but 'Mom and Pop' business are forced to close (so much for being for the 'little guy'). Back to the current restaurant: Lien's...

After a short discussion on the teas and drinks offered, I requested oolong tea with minced wintergreen melon and lychee sweetened with a bit of honey. I think the attendant was surprised by the combination - wintergreen melons can vary and are not like watermelon; they add sugar in case the customer might be put off with the taste. I don't mind less sweet items (and was surprised salted lemonade isn't on the menu!), so a bit of honey was fine for me. I thanked her for my drink and said I'd review it. The oolong tea with wintergreen melon, honey and lychee pieces (like 'boba') is delicious, and the oolong tea is nice and smooth. Do try it; wish they had aloe vera pieces - it might taste even better!

Second visit was after retrieving the cleaners order. Two customers were seated upon entering Lien's; both had Pho, and one customer received two beautiful looking spring rolls. Seeing them almost made me change my mind from what I wanted to order - a Bánh mi sandwich with tofu, light butter and plenty of carrot. The Bánh mi was excellent; tofu prepared well (good portion thats flavorful and easy to chew) and the bread and veggies were fresh. The order was to go so the veggies were steamed by the freshly prepared tofu 😏.

Enjoy the photos on what I discussed (at length - sorry, I hate good neighborhood restaurants being forced out!), and do stop in and try whatever is on the menu. Prices are very reasonable (about $13 total for both items with tax and extras) and the food and beverage were excellent.

July 2023: Purchased three items to go - a Bánh mi sandwich, vermicelli with tofu and green tea with blood orange and lychee pieces instead of my usual oolong tea with wintermelon. While waiting on my to-go order, I noticed that patrons dining in can enjoy refreshing water with healthy items added 😍. Nice touch. The seasoned tofu vermicelli was EXCELLENT and the beverage was really good. I'm trying to save the Bánh mi for tomorrow 😏. Enjoy the photos including their menu and the query code to order online!

September 2023: I decided to call in an order to bring with me and share with a loved one at the hospital. I recognized the owner on the phone - she took the order, repeated it, thanked me and said she'll see me soon. Done. I decided to try the Lemon honey and fresh aloe green tea - VERY good and the photo shows the delicious aloe in the tea. The combo grilled chicken and shrimp vermicelli was requested to share with the family member. I shared a few shrimp with them prior to the photo and the amount of shrimp was still generous. The grilled chicken was delicious- looks like I will try it in Banh Mi. The shrimp could be in a Banh Mi as well - looks like a chat with the owner is the next step for consideration of it being offered. Nice to see that other items are being offered- hope the...

I thoroughly enjoyed everything about Lien's Viet Kitchen! I must confess at the time of writing this review, I've been back three times. Lien's has not disappointed yet.

The first time I came was on a whim after leaving a work conference at NRG having skipped lunch, I was craving some solid Vietnamese cuisine close by for a late lunch. I looked at a few nearby spots and decided that Lien's looked pretty enticing. I drove up and was lucky to get the last space in a rather small parking lot. I walked in and was greeted by the welcoming staff. The person working up front graciously told me to take my time and was patient with my questions. After putting her through my basic but hopefully accurate attempt to articulate my order in Vietnamese (always trying to get my practice in), I sat down and waited for the Tofu bánh mì and House Special Combo Pho that I had ordered. Yes, I was starvin' like Marvin, so I was hoping for something extraordinary. I was not disappointed at all. The bánh mì was exquisite, with heaps of savory tofu that must have been marinated in heaven. Combined with the cucumber, carrot, butter, pate and cilantro it all came together in a crescendo of mouthwatering synergy enveloped in a crispy phenomenon. I felt like time slowed down and I could hear and see each flake of bread as it crumbled into my mouth. Let's just say I was impressed! I devoured it wholeheartedly.

After polishing off the bánh mì, ít was time to call on the reservoir of hunger I would need to finish this bowl of pho. Within a few tastes of the broth, veggies and lime, I knew I was in pho a treat! I lost track of time, as I worked my spoon and chopsticks in unison to grab every last noodle, meat and veggie in that bowl. When I came back to my senses, the bowl was completely empty and dry.

I walked out of there in a daze, thinking about the deliciousness I had just experienced.

Needless to say, I had to return with friends and indeed I did twice. The best thing about coming with a group of friends is that you can eat family style, so I was able to taste a variety of dishes. To date I have also had the Grilled Pork bánh mì, Beef Stew, Grilled Pork Vermicelli, Shaking Beef, Shrimp and Pork Spring Roll, and Ca phê sữa đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee). I have enjoyed every thing I have ordered so far. I look forward to returning to do some more gastronomical research and write another in depth review.

The service is excellent. The food is fantastic and the ambiance is relaxing...

I got a vermicelli bowl with grilled chicken, pork egg rolls and Thai tea for my dinner. I did not eat anything all day until the dinner time, so usually I can eat any foods without complaints. However, the food here is only mediocre at best, just enough for me to write a review about. I can tell either it is not very authentic Viet food or they are just not restaurant-quality foods. I would understand this quality if they were just home cooked food leftover from another meal, but definitely not worth the money you would expect from a restaurant. Actually, my Viet friend's mom does a much better job in cooking than this place does.

-The sauce for both vermicelli and egg rolls were watered down and just not well-balanced. Hope they taste it before getting them on the table.

-Egg rolls were freshly fried, but I can smell the pork (beware of it - I want to warn those who are sensitive about meat smells). They do not provide any extra lettuce, cilantro or basil leaves with egg rolls like other Viet places typically do.

-Vermicelli bowl had some lettuce leaves that do not look fresh. The noodle portion was too much, I would say 90% noodles and 10% veggies, which is not great. They need to increase the veggies portion. I was also surprised to see there was no cilantro in vermicelli bowl, which is unusual. The pickled veggies were not crunchy as they should be. The grilled chicken was provided hot and crispy, but I don't know how many times they had to be re-heated. A little too over-cooked and dry.

-The Thai tea was fine, but nothing special. Probably they just used Thai tea powder mix, likely bought from a store, which just got mixed with water to prepare.

-All the sauces, silverware they used are disposable plastic stuff while I ate at the restaurant (not a to-go order), which is definitely not environment-friendly.

-The good thing about this place is it is nicely designed and clean.

All in all, I won't return to this place. There are just too many awesome Viet cuisine places in Houston out there within 10 min drive from here. I really wished to like this place because this is the closest Viet restaurant...