Best Restaurants in Bellaire, TX
Date Published
Bellaire, Texas packs roughly 3.5 square miles of its own city — but the Bellaire Blvd commercial corridor Houstonians call “Bellaire” stretches six miles west from Loop 610 through the heart of one of the most diverse eating corridors in the country. This guide covers both: the City of Bellaire proper (ZIP 77401) and the Bellaire Blvd strip through Houston’s Chinatown, roughly from Stella Link west to Beltway 8.
The eight restaurants below were confirmed open on their own official websites as of October 2026. Hours shift, especially for BBQ joints that sell out early and dim sum halls with shorter service windows — verify before you drive.
How we chose
We looked for restaurants with something worth crossing town for: a dish that started a culinary movement, a kitchen that has been on the same block since before World War II, or a pit that just earned a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand for the third year running. Every place on this list checks out as operating on its own official site. We left out anything we couldn’t confirm.
The quick list
- Cheapest breakfast: Moeller’s Bakery, on Bellaire Blvd since 1930
- Best American sit-down: The ‘401 Table & Tap, inside the City of Bellaire
- Best dim sum hall: Ocean Palace, Houston’s largest dim sum restaurant
- Best brisket: Blood Bros. BBQ, MICHELIN Bib Gourmand three years running
- Best crawfish: Crawfish & Noodles, where Viet-Cajun was invented
- Best cheap late-night: Tan Tan, open until midnight on weekends
- Best Indo-Pakistani: Himalaya, in the Hillcroft area
- Best Vietnamese sit-down: Kim Son, on Bellaire Blvd
In the City of Bellaire (ZIP 77401)
Blood Bros. BBQ
5425 Bellaire Blvd, Bellaire TX 77401 · Tue–Sun 11am until sold out (typically around 3pm); evening service Wed–Sat 5–9pm · closed Monday
Three childhood friends from nearby Alief grew up eating in Houston’s Chinatown, spent years doing backyard BBQ pop-ups around Houston, then opened a brick-and-mortar on Bellaire Blvd in 2018. By 2021 the New York Times had named them to its 50 Best Restaurants in America list. The MICHELIN Bib Gourmand has followed every year since 2024. A James Beard Foundation Finalist for Best Chef: Texas in 2022.
The brisket bark includes spices rooted in Vietnamese cooking — a direct line from those childhood Chinatown meals. The ribs rotate: gochujang-glazed on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday; guava-glazed on Friday and Sunday; beef ribs on Saturdays only. Evening service brings the pho-rub beef belly bánh mì.
What to order: brisket, the rotating rib of the day, and the bánh mì at evening service.
Insider tip: the kitchen sells out. Go before 1pm or plan for evening service.
The ‘401 Table & Tap
6700 Ferris, Suite 150, Bellaire TX 77401 · Mon–Thu 11am–9pm, Fri 11am–10pm, Sat 10am–10pm, Sun 10am–9pm
The name is the City of Bellaire’s ZIP code. This is the neighborhood American restaurant — brunch on weekends, lunch and dinner through the week, with a menu that runs from hearty to healthy. Kids are welcome. It’s where Bellaire residents go for the kind of meal that doesn’t need a special occasion.
Best for: weeknight dinners and weekend brunch inside the city limits.
Moeller’s Bakery
4201 Bellaire Blvd, Houston TX 77025 · call ahead for hours: 713-667-0983
Moeller’s has been on Bellaire Blvd since 1930, which the bakery says makes it Houston’s oldest family-owned bakery, running the same kitchen processes since the beginning. Come for pastries, cakes, cookies, petit fours, pies, and seasonal breads. Hours aren’t listed on the website — call or swing by.
Best for: a pastry before Blood Bros. opens, or a cake for a Bellaire-area birthday.
Along the Bellaire Blvd corridor (Chinatown)
Crawfish & Noodles
11360 Bellaire Blvd, Suite 990, Houston TX 77072 · Mon, Wed–Thu, Sun 11am–10pm; Fri–Sat 11am–11pm; happy hour Mon–Fri 3–6pm · closed Tuesday
Chef Trong Nguyen opened this restaurant and, by his own account, invented a cuisine. “I didn’t create a dish. I created a culture — and Houston was ready for it.” Viet-Cajun crawfish — live crawfish in garlic butter with a house spice blend — is now a Houston institution that’s been copied across the country. This is the original. Crawfish & Noodles has since appeared on Netflix, Food Network, Travel Channel, and CBS News.
Order the live crawfish by the pound and choose your spice level. Gulf oysters come raw, chargrilled, or cheesy. The crawfish fried rice is worth ordering on its own.
What to order: Viet-Cajun crawfish, crawfish fried rice, Gulf oysters at happy hour.
Ocean Palace
11215 Bellaire Blvd, Houston TX 77072 · open daily 10am–5pm
Houston’s largest dim sum restaurant has been on Bellaire Blvd for more than 25 years. The dining room seats up to 1,000 guests — not a typo — and dim sum carts roll daily from opening until 5pm. The menu is traditional Cantonese: har gow, siu mai, turnip cake, cha siu bao, and daily seafood specials.
What to order: arrive before 11am on weekends. That’s when the kitchen is running at full speed and the carts cycle freshest. By noon the pace slows.
Best for: a proper dim sum outing with a large group. See our dim sum guide for more options across the city.
Kim Son
10603 Bellaire Blvd, Houston TX 77072 · Mon/Wed–Thu 11am–3pm and 5–9pm; Fri 11am–3pm and 5–9:30pm; Sat 11am–9:30pm; Sun 11am–9pm · closed Tuesdays
Kim Son serves Vietnamese and Chinese food in a spacious sit-down dining room in the Saigon-Houston Plaza on Bellaire Blvd. The menu is wide: pho, bánh khọt (crispy mini rice pancakes tinted with turmeric and coconut milk, topped with shrimp), Singapore noodles, and braised pork belly with eggs. Dim sum is available at lunch. If your group can’t agree on one dish, Kim Son is the right call.
What to order: bánh khọt, Singapore noodles (bún gạo tân gia ba), braised pork belly with eggs (thịt kho trứng).
Tan Tan Restaurant
6816 Ranchester Dr, Houston TX 77036 · Mon–Thu 11am–10pm, Fri–Sun 11am–midnight
Tan Tan is Chinatown’s late-night anchor — one of the few full-service restaurants in the area that stays open until midnight on Fridays through Sundays. The menu covers Vietnamese and Chinese cooking, with hot pot as the signature: seafood, combination, and shrimp-and-beef. If you need a meal after 10pm anywhere along the Bellaire corridor, this is your answer.
What to order: combination hot pot, noodle soups.
Himalaya Restaurant
Hillcroft area, Houston TX · Tue–Thu 11:30am–10pm, Fri–Sun 11:30am–10:30pm · closed Monday; dine-in closes 30 min before posted closing time
Himalaya serves Indo-Pakistani cooking and has built a following well beyond Houston’s South Asian community. The kitchen is known for its Hunter’s Beef and a house Magic Mustard Sauce that runs through multiple dishes. The restaurant describes the cooking as built on “surprising combinations” from Indo-Pakistani tradition.
Note: Himalaya does not publish a street address on its official website. Call 713-532-2837 to confirm the location before your visit.
What to order: Hunter’s Beef, any dish that includes the Magic Mustard Sauce.
Save this: a Bellaire Blvd route
Work roughly east to west:
- Morning: Moeller’s Bakery (4201 Bellaire Blvd) — pastry and coffee before the crowd
- Lunch: Blood Bros. BBQ (5425 Bellaire Blvd) — arrive before 1pm to beat the sellout
- Happy hour: Crawfish & Noodles (11360 Bellaire Blvd) — Mon–Fri 3–6pm, Gulf oysters and crawfish
- Next morning dim sum: Ocean Palace (11215 Bellaire Blvd), opens at 10am
More eating near Bellaire
Meyerland is directly south of Bellaire and worth combining into a full day. Rice Village is a short drive northeast. The Houston Chinatown guide goes deeper on the Bellaire Blvd corridor. For the city-wide dim sum picture, start with best dim sum in Houston. The things to do in Bellaire guide covers the full neighborhood beyond restaurants. If you’re moving to the area, our living in Bellaire guide has the full neighborhood breakdown.
Last verified: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bellaire its own city separate from Houston?
Yes. Bellaire is an independent city (ZIP 77401) entirely enclosed by Houston, with its own city government and services. When Houstonians say ‘restaurants in Bellaire,’ they usually mean both the City of Bellaire and the Bellaire Blvd corridor through Houston’s Chinatown to the west.
What is Bellaire TX known for food?
Bellaire is known for two things: the Bellaire Blvd corridor through Houston’s Chinatown, packed with Vietnamese, Chinese, and other Asian restaurants, and Blood Bros. BBQ in the City of Bellaire proper, which holds a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand and was named to the New York Times 50 Best Restaurants in America list in 2021.
Is Blood Bros. BBQ worth the wait?
Blood Bros. BBQ at 5425 Bellaire Blvd holds a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand (2024, 2025, 2026) and was named to the New York Times 50 Best Restaurants in America in 2021. The kitchen sells out, typically by 3pm on busy days. Go before 1pm for lunch or plan for evening service (Wed–Sat, 5–9pm).
Where should I go for dim sum in Bellaire?
Ocean Palace at 11215 Bellaire Blvd is Houston’s largest dim sum restaurant, open daily 10am–5pm and seating up to 1,000 guests. Kim Son at 10603 Bellaire Blvd also serves dim sum at lunch. Arrive before 11am at Ocean Palace on weekends for the freshest cart rotation.
What are the cheapest eats in Bellaire TX?
Moeller’s Bakery at 4201 Bellaire Blvd has been open since 1930 and is the best cheap breakfast option on the corridor. Tan Tan at 6816 Ranchester Dr serves affordable hot pot and noodle soups until midnight on weekends. Kim Son’s lunch menu starts under $13.
Is Crawfish & Noodles open year-round?
Yes. Crawfish & Noodles at 11360 Bellaire Blvd Suite 990 is open year-round, closed Tuesdays. Live crawfish availability is highest during Texas crawfish season (roughly January through June), but the restaurant serves crawfish daily throughout the year according to their site.