Kim Tai

"Family-run for decades, Kim Tài is one of the few remaining original Vietnamese restaurants in Midtown. The kitchen is still manned by the husband and wife team. While it may appear scrappy, and it may take a bit of time for your meal to arrive, the food is fantastic. The tiny teal and wood-paneled dining room and even tinier kitchen holds a gold mine of rich phở, overstuffed bánh mìs, and bánh bột chiên egg omelets with crispy fried rice cakes. Everything arrives lovingly plated, as though your grandparent made it special just for you. Pull up for lunch and you’ll see every Midtown character dining right alongside you, as though you somehow stumbled into a downtown waystation. Kim Tài does feel conjured from a Houston history wormhole, but that’s one of the many reasons why we like it. What to order: bánh bột chiên, bánh mì đậu hũ (tofu)" - chelsea thomas

"Family-run for decades, Kim Tài is one of the few remaining original Vietnamese restaurants in Midtown. Yeah, the entire building needs at least a coat of paint, and we’re not going to rush the long-standing husband and wife team that runs this place. While you wait, watch whatever glitzy karaoke show silently plays across the TV, and enjoy the rich gold mine of phở that the owners bring to the table just for you. " - chelsea thomas

" As one of the few remaining original Vietnamese restaurants in Midtown, the elderly husband and wife team at Kim Tài know how to build a bánh mì, even if it takes them a little bit longer than other places. Food arrives with loving sincerity, as though your grandparent made it special for you. Each bánh mì has warm, toasted bread overstuffed with pickled veggies and hot jalapeńos, whether it’s filled with whole fried tofu pieces or marinated grilled pork. And the teal and wood-paneled dining room, a time machine to Houston’s past, is the fried egg on top, with every Midtown character dining alongside you.  What to order: bánh mì đậu hũ (tofu), bánh mì dặc biệt (special)" - chelsea thomas

"Family-run for decades, Kim Tài is one of the few remaining original Vietnamese restaurants in Midtown. The kitchen is still manned by the husband and wife team. While it may appear scrappy, and it may take a bit of time for your meal to arrive, the food is fantastic. The tiny teal and wood-paneled dining room and even tinier kitchen holds a gold mine of rich phở, overstuffed bánh mìs, and bánh bột chiên egg omelets with crispy fried rice cakes. Everything arrives lovingly plated, as though your grandparent made it special just for you. Pull up for lunch and you’ll see every Midtown character dining right alongside you, as though you somehow stumbled into a downtown waystation. Kim Tài does feel conjured from a Houston history wormhole, but that’s one of the many reasons why we like it. photo credit: Richard Casteel" - Chelsea Thomas