best chinese restaurants for christmas day dining

Houston's 11 best Chinese restaurants for celebrating Jewish Christmas

Kingwood favorite Hunan Garden will be open for business on Christmas.

All across Houston, families with gather to celebrate Christmas by going to church, opening presents under the tree, and dining on a home cooked meal. To them, we say "Merry Christmas!"

This list is not for you.

Other people, for any number of reasons, will not celebrate a traditional Christmas. Whether travel is too expensive or too inconvenient, whether someone isn't a Christian, or whether family gatherings just aren't fun, we propose celebrating Jewish Christmas instead.

The program is simple. Take advantage of a day off in the middle of the week by sleeping in, watching a movie (at home or in a theater), and then eating Chinese food. Or eat the Chinese food and then watch a movie.

While it should be noted that many restaurants in Chinatown will be open, we've selected a few favorites as a starting point for anyone contemplating a meal along Bellaire Boulevard. In addition, we've mixed in some other options from various parts of the Houston area.

Bamboo House: Both locations of the restaurant that serves Houston's best Peking duck will be open their normal hours. We recommend calling the day before to reserve one.

Cafe East 3: The buffet restaurant in Mission Bend will be open regular hours (11 am to 9:30 pm). The price is just $11.50 for an all-you-can-eat spread of over 100 items.

China Garden: Although the Rockets are on the road, this Houston classic will still be serving Houston's best egg rolls. Hours are 12 to 9 pm.

Chow Wok: The fast casual restaurant in west Houston will be open on Christmas. We recommend the cheese puffs and shrimp egg rolls.

Hai Cang Seafood Restaurant: Make it a Christmas to remember with ginger-scallion lobster and sizzling short ribs at this Chinatown favorite that came in at number 58 on CultureMap's list of Houston's top 100 restaurants.

Hu's Cooking: This newcomer in the West U/Medical Center area has been generating serious buzz for its Sichuan cuisine. The restaurant will be open from 11:30 am to 3 pm for lunch and from 5 to 9 pm for dinner.

Hunan Garden: The Kingwood location of this family-owned restaurant serves up all the classic dishes, but the chicken wings, beef and shrimp in sa tsa sauce, and Phoenix chicken are particularly noteworthy. Opens at 11 am. Last seating 8 pm (expect a wait for a table by 6 pm).

Kim Son: All three locations of the popular Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant will be open, but we recommend the Stafford location, which will be rolling out the dim sum carts starting at 10 am.

Ocean Palace: The massive restaurant will serve its dim sum menu from 10 am to 3 pm and dinner starting at 4 pm.

One Dim Sum: Midtown's new destination for shu mai, hai gow, barbecue pork buns, and more opens at 11 am.

Shanghai River: Located in River Oaks, this restaurant has a sign on its wall testifying to its high quality: A picture of legendary Houston broadcaster Marvin Zindler. Fried dumplings, hot and sour soup and Mr. Dan's chicken are all can't miss.

where-to-eat holidays

street food inspired

Veteran chef opens affordable new Thai restaurant in West Houston

A new restaurant serving Thai street food is opening in the Westchase District. Osha Thai Kitchen will begin serving customers on Tuesday, December 10.

Located in the West on West development (12230 Westheimer Rd.), Osha Thai Kitchen is the latest project from Saranya Danvetnukroh, who owns Nua Thai in downtown Houston. Named for the Thai word that means “delicious,” the restaurant takes inspiration from dishes served in street markets in different regions of Thailand as well as some items for those seeking more familiar flavors.

Meals at Osha could start with items such as crispy spring rolls, crab rangoon, or Thai chicken wings. Three papaya salads — traditional Thai, one with salted egg, and another that’s Lao style with salted crab — join chicken larb in the salads section.

Notably, Osha makes all of its noodles in-house. They’re utilized in dishes such as pad Thai, pad see ew, and pad woo sen. The restaurant also makes its curries in-house. They include red curry, green curry, and panang curry.

Part of Osha’s appeal will be its affordable prices. Only two entrees, crab fried rice and whole fried red snapper, cost more than $20.

Danvetnukroh has recruited sous chef Afridi Zama to lead the kitchen. His resume includes time with Pappas restaurant and at The Nicolette, a restaurant in Lubbock that earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination in 2022.

“This project is a culmination of dedication to our craft and creativity to elevate Thai cuisine,”

Danvetnukroh said in a statement. “It’s an homage to our roots and a celebration of our heritage in the modern age.”

West on West is home to number of food-related business. Its anchored by a 99 Ranch grocery store and includes restaurants such as cake bakery Lady M and Tokyo-based ramen shop Tsujita Artisan Noodle.

Photo by Becca Wright

Osha Thai Kitchen opens December 10.

openings news-you-can-eat osha thai kitchen