Central China Restaurant

I don’t usually write a review for restaurants at all but I have eaten in hundreds of restaurants in Houston and the food here would be placed near the top of my list. The food is delicious. Delicious food and super authentic. I cant explain how tasty the food is. The actual place might not look too appealing but don’t be fooled by that! The food never misses and it’s at a very reasonable price. The portions are also hugeeeee! I’m seeing a lot of the reviews are saying the workers aren’t super nice but I disagree, as an Asian myself, but really their English is not the greatest and it is in our culture to talk a bit loudly but I can promise that they are trying their best.🤣

It looks old but taste really good. The waitress is the tipical chinese old lady😃 very friendly, cute and talktive. I had dine in before but didn't leave review this time I ordered online. I have to say "they saved my day". I had terrible day so wanna eat sth to cheerup. I ordered STINCKY TOFU and rice noodles. And I had the stincky tofu in my BEDROOM🥳🥳, oh dear the whole room stincks but I was so happy. I can't imagine what my husband would say when he got home🤣. Thank you STINCKY TOFU, you'r my best friend.

My cousin and I were roaming around Bellaire (an Asian-dominated area of Houston) looking for a new place to try and we pulled into one of the many strips with multiple Chinese or Vietnamese restaurants, and we settled on Central China. And wow, talk about a hidden gem! The menu was very intimidating as its a massive menu with over 100 items, and this is authentic Hunan food so you're not going to see things like "General Tso's Chicken" or "Broccoli Beef" on it. I ended up getting the Cumin Lamb with Cilantro and my cousin got the Fried Stinky Tofu. The lamb was absolutely delicious (though I ordered it to be mild, not too spicy though the waiter struggles a bit in English so I used hand gestures to help) and the cilantro/cumin was fresh. My cousin had never tried tofu before, much less the famed "stinky" tofu, but he enjoyed it as well (also ordered it mild). The outside of this building is kind of boring and generic, but the inside feels like you could be somewhere in the Hunan province. Do not be afraid to try this restaurant- it will be the closest you'll get to being in China while in Houston!

Gotta love a restaurant that has pictures for all their dishes on the menu. Here's what you must order: -Sauteed sour potato. I've made this at home and was amazed at how thin the potatoes were sliced. The thinness and flavor will enhance any other dish that you order, must have!! -Dried pot with family tofu. The sauce has an amazing flavor. This dish kept on giving, I was just expecting a marinated tofu dish. There's a few wonderful surprises in there that I won't spoil, just order it and try it! -Twice cooked pork w string bean. Don't worry if your spice tolerance is low, it's not that spicy.