E-Tao
E-Tao is a surprisingly fancy sliver of a restaurant inside the Galleria near Nordstrom. It's also one of the best places to get soup dumplings in Houston. There are restaurants in Asia dedicated solely to these packed, juicy morsels, the most famous being Taiwan's Din Tai Fung.
E-Tao might not be the Din Tai Fung of Houston, but it comes pretty darn close. There are other, sometimes rare Asian favorites on the changing menu — pork hand with peanut in clay pot, chicken wings stuffed with rice, scallion pancakes and rice radish cakes, among others — and they all come out quick and steaming hot. E-Tao may be in the Galleria, but it's got the soul of Chinatown.
E-Tao boasts several off-menu specials for those in the know to ask for. There's also online ordering and delivery.
