Loro Asian Smokehouse & Bar — Restaurant in Houston

We were there around 7:30 PM on a Thursday. The wait was 30 minutes. Generally, I don't mind a wait, as it usually indicates the food will be great. The doorman encouraged us to go to the "beer garden" which, as it turned out, was an understocked bar (missing most of the drinks the main bar could offer) with one server, one barback, and a long line.

The beer garden line killed most of the wait time, which turned out fine. The drinks we got were tasty, though somewhat lighter on the alcohol for premixed cocktails than I would expect for the price. All relatively good so far.

We drank our drinks, and a text came to let my wife know our table was ready. We went to the front door again, met a server who led us to our table. Then the server explained that we could place our order at one of four order spots at the bar, after which it would be brought to our table. At that, the server left, and my wife and I looked at each other and said "Wait, so we waited in line to get on the list, then waited in line for drinks while we waited for a table, and now that we are seated, we must immediately get back up again and wait in another line?" Yep. That is exactly what we had to do.

So, I stood up, and my wife came with me, and we left our cups on the table to mark our territory, empty cocktails and still full water cups. Except, while we were both spending another 10-15 minutes in line again, one of the staff cleared our drinks from the table. And then, while we were STILL waiting to place our order, another server, seeing a now-empty table, came and seated another group there.

My wife flagged the server down, explained the situation, and fortunately another table nearby was immediately available to reseat us. My wife went and sat there to protect it, and I finished the rest of the wait for the opportunity to order on my own.

I placed the order and paid (and tipped) in advance. We got the kettle corn with burnt ends, the salmon dip, and the smoked brisket.

The kettle corn was handed to me with my plate, a small brown paper bag. Again, a smaller portion than I would have thought for the price; it was basically movie theater prices, but you only got 1/6 the quantity. That said, it was delicious, the burnt ends work really well mixed in with it, and the flavor of the popcorn itself was a delightful sweet, salty, with a bit of spice melange. Quite yummy.

The salmon dip came next, with wonton chips. This also was quite good, with a pretty good sized portion too, and, despite the wait, weird process, and the chaos with the table, I was starting to think the food would make up for it all.

Then the brisket came, and the illusion collapsed. Brisket is supposed to be the specialty. The chef that established the place is famous for it, he literally is the "master" who teaches how to cook brisket for Masterclass. The smell of the barbecue while waiting was so good my mouth was watering the whole time. But....No.

The brisket arrived cold. With the appetizers, my wife and I had planned to share the single entree, but the portion was small enough that even if I ate the whole of it myself, with two apps, I would have still been hungry. One of the 4 thin slices of meat was roughly 70% pure fat, which neither of us found palatable. The flavor was not bad, especially with the herbs and garlic and onions served to garnish it, but it was certainly nothing to write home about.

So, we finished eating in about 1/2 the time we spent waiting in line to order. We were both still hungry, but neither of us felt like standing back up to try to order more. So, we left. I can count on one hand the number of times I have willingly departed a sit-down restaurant still hungry. This was...

Let's start with the building. It's a beautiful church like structure on the inside. It has that picnic table feel inside and outside which makes it fun to hang out here. Plus there's free complimentary valet parking, even though I never understood the idea of having one in a small parking lot. It's like paying someone to escort you from your garage to your back door. Ordering service is good if it's not so busy. But because you're ordering at the bar I'd hate to see what it would be like when it's busy. The busgirls were always out filling water cups or removing empty plates. This helped keep your table clean. If you can, come for happy hour on weekdays. Cheaper drinks and cheaper menu, although the happy hour menu is mostly unique with the exception of the chicken karage. Cocktails: The Vietnamese coffee bourbon tasted exactly just that. It was interesting but I don't think I'd get it again. The combination was just a little odd for me. The Mango sake was just mango taste only. Perfect for those that don't want to have the taste of alcohol. Meats: There are 2 reasons you come here: smoked brisket and chicken karage. The brisket is as delicious as Franklin's BBQ in Austin. Only difference is the Asian spices added. The Sake can 1/2 chicken was tasty and moist. I appreciated that it want dry and overcooked. The chicken karage I can eat forever. Perfect crispy fried dark meat splashed with sweet chili sauce. $6 only during happy hour vs. $10. The Smoked Bavette tasted mild and okay. It's basically a steak but not rib eye quality. I won't get this again for $20. The butchers cut was a Tera Major, which comes from the shoulder and has good flavor. However it was cheery, so I wished they cut this smaller to make it easier to eat. The Oak Smoked Salmon I didn't like at all. The pairing of the Oak smoke, cucumber yuzu broth and pickled fruit (I forgot if it was an apricot or something else) was moist and decent. I originally gave this dish a bad rating but it must have been badly made before because this time it was tasty and moist.. Salad: I enjoyed the Crunchy Cabbage Salad. The combination of the pickled white cabbage, sliced red cabbage, mint and ginger dressing is refreshing. I do wish there was more pickled white cabbage because when you eat only the red cabbage, it's missing that pop. Arugula & Melon Salad: The melon was ripe and tasty. The vinaigrette was okay. The entire salad was okay but easily forgettable. Snacks: I would pass on the Crunchy Corn Fritters. The only crunchy part is the crust but the corn kernels are all soggy. It was a drag to eat this and it took up valuable room in the stomach. The Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs was decent. You can taste the smoked salmon however I probably wont get this again because it's just deviled eggs. Brisket Tostadas: I recommend getting the smoked brisket over this. Tostadas was crunchy, flavors were okay but I'd rather the brisket be the star. Texas sweet corn was pleasant. I wanted to give this place 3.5 stars so I decided to...

If you are familiar with the Bible's Old Testament, the Hebrews would offer animal sacrifices to our Lord in the Tabernacle (Leviticus 16). Only the finest animals worthy of our God were offered as an offering for the sins of the people. So it is fitting that the founders of Loro Houston decided to create their Asian smokehouse in a former church. With Aaron Franklin and his pit masters firing up the smokers daily in the heart of the Heights, they are providing Houstonians with superb smoked meats in God’s former house. I feel God must be smiling down on Loro Houston with the daily aromas of true Texas BBQ rising up to the heavens. Unlike other BBQ establishments, there is no need to smother his brisket with sauces to cover up any shortcomings of dryness or flavorlessness. Although the brisket rice bowl offered a delicious chili aioli to complement the dish, the brisket was more than flavorful to stand on its own. My daughter, whose weakness is shrimp, decided to explore the curry marinated shrimp rice bowl. In her teenage lingo, “it was bussin’ bussin’!” Her delicate and mature palate appreciated the spicy, sweet and acidic balance that this dish offered. We could not pass up the offerings of the highly touted Thai chips and dips, the corn fritters, crispy potatoes, and our favorite, the chicken karaage. All the accompanying sauces were superb and the freshness of the crisp chicken wings were heavenly. These were not soggy or oversauced whatsoever, and like the brisket, were splendid all on their own. Despite all the mouthwatering delectables before us, the one true miracle happened before our eyes. My son, the ultimate picky eater who leans vegetarian, devoured his Loro cheeseburger. Cooked perfectly medium and topped with brisket was almost literally inhaled before my eyes. Luckily the rest of us were able to snag a sample before the burger vanished. Mind you, we ate a full breakfast no sooner than two hours prior to arriving here, so we were not hungry. This is a kid that with one egg, a few slices of apple and juice would be “full.” So to watch my toothpick of a son inhale the half pound cheeseburger and a third of all the shareables we had was a miracle only God can oversee. His words after consuming the burger were “this is the best hamburger I have ever had!” This is a bold statement coming from a kid who has been blessed to try many gourmet burgers in his short teenage lifetime. So whether or not you are a religious person, I feel you will have a religious experience eating the beautiful fusion of Texas BBQ with Southeastern Asian flavors here at Loro Houston. As a born and bred Texan, I sincerely thank Chef Leal and the kitchen staff for putting excellence into their dishes and representing the cultural diversity that Houston has to offer. I also want to give a shout out to the extremely friendly bar staff and helpful wait staff. They represent Houston well and give our city another reason...