Barbecue in Houston's Chinatown: Brisket to Char Siu

The best barbecue in and around Houston's Chinatown is Blood Bros. BBQ for Texas brisket, One Roast and Sinh Sinh for Cantonese roast duck and char siu, and Xin Jiang BBQ for charcoal lamb skewers. All of them sit on Bellaire Boulevard, along with a Lao sausage specialist and a Vietnamese com tam favorite. Eight verified spots are below, plus a one-afternoon route that hits five barbecue traditions on a single street.

Where is Houston's Chinatown?

Houston's Chinatown runs along Bellaire Boulevard between Gessner Road to the east and the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) to the west, roughly two miles through ZIP codes 77036 and 77072. Locals call it Chinatown, Asiatown or just Bellaire. Two picks sit just outside that stretch: Blood Bros. BBQ is a short drive east on the same Bellaire Boulevard, inside the City of Bellaire, and Fung's Kitchen is about two miles south on the Southwest Freeway.

How we chose

Barbecue here means any tradition built on fire and smoke: Central Texas smoking (brisket, ribs, sausage), Cantonese siu mei (roast duck, char siu, crispy pork), Xinjiang charcoal skewers, Lao grilled sausage and Vietnamese chargrilled pork. Every pick was checked against its official website or official social accounts in October 2026. Hours and prices change, so treat them as typical and confirm before you go.

Texas BBQ

Blood Bros. BBQ

5425 Bellaire Blvd, Bellaire, TX 77401 · lunch typically Tue–Sun 11 am until sold out or 3 pm · Happy "Nhau"-er typically Wed–Sat 5–9 pm · closed Monday

Blood Bros. BBQ in Bellaire is the Texas barbecue joint that grew out of Houston's Asian-American suburbs. It began in 2013 with three childhood friends from Alief, the neighborhood that wraps the west side of Chinatown. They ran monthly pop-ups and festival stands for five years, and opened the Bellaire Boulevard restaurant in 2018.

The resume is long: MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand in 2024, 2025 and 2026, the New York Times 50 Best Restaurants list in 2021, Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Joints in 2021, and a James Beard Foundation finalist nod for Best Chef: Texas in 2022.

The weekly calendar is where the Chinatown upbringing shows. Tuesdays bring tacos at special prices, including sloppy jack and suadero. Wednesday's smoked brisket cheeseburger typically runs $10. Thursday is Tray Day: two meats, two sides, jalapeño cheese cornbread and sauce, typically $23, dine-in only. Friday is Thai Day, with Thai sweet chili pork belly burnt ends and Thai peanut butter sticky ribs while they last.

What to order: Brisket and pork ribs are the anchors. Beef ribs are Saturdays only, sold by the bone, first come first served, and not available online.

Insider tip: The evening service is called Happy "Nhau"-er, a play on nhậu, the Vietnamese word for drinking with friends over shared plates. It has its own menu separate from lunch, takes reservations through Resy, and hosts a steak night during the second week of each month.

Cantonese Siu Mei (Roasted Meats)

Siu mei is the Cantonese tradition of roasting meats in a closed oven or over a rotisserie: duck, soy sauce chicken, honey-glazed pork (char siu) and crispy pork belly. It is what most menus in English call Chinese BBQ, and Bellaire Boulevard is where Houston goes for it.

One Roast

9600 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036 · typically daily 11 am–8 pm

One Roast in Houston's Chinatown is a dedicated roast-meat counter whose chefs roast every duck and all the pork daily, in the Hong Kong and Guangzhou tradition. The short menu stays focused: Cantonese crispy roast duck, soy sauce chicken, honey-glazed BBQ pork and duck noodles.

What to order: The BBQ Combo, which puts three signature roast meats over rice with greens. Roast-meat counters sell through their best cuts as the day goes on, so lunch beats dinner for selection.

Sinh Sinh

9788 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036 · late-night hours; confirm on the official site before you go

Sinh Sinh on Bellaire Boulevard is a longtime Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant known for its barbecue counter and late closing time. Roast duck, char siu and crispy pork come by the plate or to go, alongside a full Chinese-Vietnamese menu.

What to order: A roast duck and char siu rice plate, or wonton noodle soup topped with roast meat. Sinh Sinh is the answer when every other barbecue counter on Bellaire has closed for the night.

Xinjiang Charcoal Skewers

Xin Jiang BBQ

9260 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036 · typically Mon and Wed–Fri 4:30 pm–midnight, Sat noon–midnight, Sun noon–9 pm · closed Tuesday

Xin Jiang BBQ in Houston's Chinatown grills skewers over charcoal in the style of Xinjiang in northwest China, where cumin and dried chili do the seasoning. The menu covers cumin-spiced lamb and beef skewers, shrimp skewers and grilled vegetables, plus lamb pilaf, fresh-baked naan and hand-pulled noodles.

What to order: Lamb skewers, lamb pilaf and a naan to share. It is open until midnight most nights, so it works as a late stop too. Remember it is closed Tuesdays.

Lao Grilled Sausage

Lao'd District

9393 Bellaire Blvd, Suite B, Houston, TX 77036 · typically daily 11 am–9 pm

Lao'd District in Houston's Chinatown cooks Lao and Thai food, and its house-made Lao sausage is the dish to know. The restaurant calls the herb-packed sausage a fan favorite and a traditional staple of Laos and Thailand; it comes with sticky rice and jeow bong, a sweet-hot Lao chili paste.

What to order: The Lao'D Sausage (typically $12.99). If you are sharing, add the Crack Belly, lightly battered pork belly tossed in sweet chili sauce with a lime wedge (typically $14.99).

Insider tip: Lao'd District sells its jeow bong as a side, so you can take a cup home for your own grilled meats.

Vietnamese Chargrilled Pork

Thuan Kieu Com Tam

10792 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77072 · typically daily 9 am–9 pm; check the official site

Thuan Kieu Com Tam on Bellaire Boulevard is built around com tam, the Vietnamese broken-rice plate topped with a chargrilled marinated pork chop. The C11 combo adds baked egg and tofu skin to the pork chop. The restaurant is also known for catfish clay pot (ca kho) and hot-and-sour catfish soup (canh chua).

What to order: The C11 com tam combo. Bringing a crowd? Thuan Kieu offers family portions that serve up to 10 people.

For Groups

Kim Son

10603 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77072 · check the restaurant's official channels for current hours before you go

Kim Son on Bellaire Boulevard is the all-you-can-eat buffet from the long-running Houston Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant family, and the easiest answer when a big group can't agree on one tradition. Everyone grazes their own way.

What to order: Work the buffet in laps and save room for a second pass. Weekends get busy, so arrive early.

Just Outside the Corridor

Fung's Kitchen

7320 Southwest Fwy, Suite 115, Houston, TX 77074 · typically Tue–Sun 10:30 am–9 pm · closed Monday

Fung's Kitchen on the Southwest Freeway, about two miles south of Bellaire Boulevard, is the Peking duck stop. Its house-roasted Peking duck comes sliced with scallions and plum sauce, and you choose steamed buns or tortilla wraps; typically $28.99 for a half and $55 for a whole duck. Fung's also serves dim sum daily and live seafood.

What to order: Peking duck with steamed buns. Start with the Peking duck rolls, which the restaurant calls its gold medal appetizer.

Save This: A Chinatown BBQ Route

Five barbecue traditions on one street in one Saturday. Use a rideshare or designate a driver.

1. Be in line at Blood Bros. BBQ at 11 am for brisket and a Saturday beef rib.
2. Drive west to Xin Jiang BBQ (opens noon on Saturdays) for lamb skewers and naan.
3. Continue to One Roast at 9600 Bellaire for a BBQ Combo of roast duck and char siu.
4. Stop at Thuan Kieu Com Tam for a chargrilled pork chop over broken rice.
5. Finish late at Sinh Sinh with wonton noodle soup and roast duck; confirm the late hours first.

Before You Go: Checklist

• Blood Bros. BBQ is closed Mondays, and lunch ends when the meat sells out or at 3 pm, whichever comes first.
• Blood Bros. beef ribs are Saturdays only, by the bone, in person only.
• Tray Day at Blood Bros. (Thursdays) is dine-in only.
• Xin Jiang BBQ is closed Tuesdays and opens at 4:30 pm on weekdays.
• Fung's Kitchen is closed Mondays.
• Kim Son's buffet hours vary by day; confirm by phone or its official social accounts before you go.
• Korean tabletop barbecue is also big on Bellaire; see our best Korean BBQ in Houston guide.

Where else to eat in Chinatown?

For the full neighborhood, start with the Houston Chinatown guide and the best restaurants in Bellaire guide. The best BBQ in Houston guide covers Texas-style picks across the city. For the Vietnamese side of the corridor, the best Vietnamese restaurants in Houston guide goes deeper, and the best Chinese food in Houston guide covers more roast-duck options. A food crawl guide through Houston's international districts has a ready-made multi-neighborhood route.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is Blood Bros. BBQ in Houston's Chinatown?

Blood Bros. BBQ is at 5425 Bellaire Blvd in the City of Bellaire, a short drive east of the Gessner-to-Beltway 8 stretch most people call Houston's Chinatown. Its three founders grew up in nearby Alief and opened the restaurant in 2018.

What is siu mei?

Siu mei is the Cantonese tradition of roasting meats such as duck, soy sauce chicken, char siu pork and crispy pork belly in a closed oven or rotisserie. It is what most English menus call Chinese BBQ, and counters like One Roast and Sinh Sinh serve it on Bellaire Blvd in Houston's Chinatown.

What is the difference between char siu and siu yuk?

Char siu is honey-glazed roast pork with a red, caramelized exterior. Siu yuk is crispy-skin roast pork belly, scored so the skin crackles. Both are Cantonese siu mei and are often sold side by side on Bellaire Blvd in Houston's Chinatown.

Is there late-night barbecue in Houston's Chinatown?

Yes. Sinh Sinh at 9788 Bellaire Blvd keeps late-night hours for roast duck, char siu and wonton noodle soup, and Xin Jiang BBQ at 9260 Bellaire Blvd typically grills skewers until midnight most nights. Confirm current hours before you go.

When does Blood Bros. BBQ sell out?

Blood Bros. BBQ typically serves lunch Tuesday through Sunday from 11 am until the meat sells out or 3 pm. Saturday-only beef ribs are first come, first served, so get in line at 11 am.

Where can I get Peking duck near Houston's Chinatown?

Fung's Kitchen at 7320 Southwest Fwy, about two miles south of Bellaire Blvd, serves house-roasted Peking duck with steamed buns or tortilla wraps. It is typically open Tuesday through Sunday and closed Mondays.