Kim Son   2001 Jefferson St Houston TX 77003 713.222.2461   10603 Bellaire Blvd Houston TX 77072 281.598.1777   12750 SW Fwy Stafford TX 77477 281.242.3500   7531 Westheimer Rd (CLOSED) Houston TX   300 Milam St (CLOSED) Houston TX You might also be interested in these:     Chinese Food Restaurants    Vietnamese Food Restaurants   Add Review       2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: I love the hell out of this place. In all my years of going here, I have never had a bad dish, bad service, or had anything that has made me not enjoy my meal there. I know I may be blowing my own horn, but the menu selection is such that anyone should be able to find something to eat there. I absolutely love their sauteed tofu, the barbecue shrimp (wrapped in bacon and deep fried), the spring and Vietnamese rolls, the Kim Son Special, and the Vietnamese crepes/'pizza' - just not all at the same time. I had the pleasure of introducing this place to some of my co-workers who were nice enough to have a going away party for me, as I will be moving out of state in August. They were blown away by the menu, the service, and the amount of food that you get for the price. I'll miss this place, but I'll be back to visit and make this one of my stops when I do come back to Houston. NAME: kytxan SUBMITTED: 8/3/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: July 2008 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: I love the food at this place. I am always greeted with a warm smile and they try their best to sit me at a great table. I live far away, but everytime I am in Houston (the Jefferson location), I always stop by for a great meal. Decent prices and a great bar area. My boyfriend absolutly loves their vietnamese soups and their spring rolls. I am crazy for their Mangolia chicken and chicken fried rice. Not too greasy and I can not believe how tender the meat is. Service is great. Never even had to ask for a refill. I higly recommend the Jefferson location. NAME: Ashley SUBMITTED: 4/8/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/08 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 10603 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, Texas 77072  281.598.1777 MY REVIEW: Best buffet for the price and I've gone to quite a few. Had some exotic foods like duck feet and frog legs among others. Being able to prepare your own soup with your choice of ingredients at your own table was pretty neat. Great variety of authentic Asian foods for people to try, whether you knew what you were eating or not. Would highly recommend. NAME: Robert SUBMITTED: 3/17/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: March, 2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: I first visited the Bellaire location in the early 90's and fell in love with the food. I have switched to the Jefferson restaurant as it is closest to my home/work. I/we have never been dissappointed. Food quality and service is 5 stars. I have visited several other restaurants who claim to have similar items on their menu but nothing can compare with the overall quality they offer. My favorite is Black Peppered Crab Legs, and I will pay any price for it, as well as their Singapore Noodles. If there was ever a negative, although I have never seen a panhandler when we have visited, it is when I place my order to go. I alway's ask that they not overcook the onions on the crab; many look black and sometimes burnt. It is on very rare occasion that my wishes are ignored. You won't be disappointed at any of their locations in my opinion! NAME: Jeannie in Clear Lake SUBMITTED: 1/23/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/4/08 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: This was must first time there, I was not sure what to expect. IT WAS WONDERFUL. My family and I enjoyed the atmosphere, the service, and the food was really wonderful. Our waiter was very attentive. I would go back and I would recommend you try it. 5 stars, and not over priced. NAME: Boater Babe SUBMITTED: 12/31/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12 30 07 FREQUENCY: Visited once 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: We went to the Kim Son on Jefferson last Sunday after church. We were very surprised at the quality of food and service this time. We've loved going to Kim Son over the years but something has changed. We had the pepper crab (soft shell) and the beef brocoli. The crab and the beef were both battered!! and fried!!! and apparently with oil that had not been changed for a few days. And the sauces were bland. The waiter who brought the food to the table didn't seem to know what to do with it and we had to help him figure out where to put it. Friendly people and nice atmosphere as usual, but the food was basic mediocre chinese restaurant grade. NAME: Gaston SUBMITTED: 12/27/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: We love Kim Son but very disappointed in their buffet. It doesn't even seem like the same family running this restaurant. Not your typical Kim Son fare and definitely not for your typical American diner. It was your typical Asian hot pot cooking. The Chinese buffet was food that had been sitting in the steamers for ever and the labels did not match the item in the steamers. We will never go back. Sorry! NAME: Sugarspice820 SUBMITTED: 8/2/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: August 2, 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: Dropped in just prior to an Astro's game for a snack, and we were amazed at the variety on the menu. Ended up with the lettuce wrap and the beef fajitas looked too interesting to pass up. The waiter was very helpful, attentive and courteous. The resturant was clean and very comfortable. The food arrived in less than 5 minutes, and both dishes were presented very well and tasted great. We certainly will be going back as soon as we get back into Houston. NAME: Will SUBMITTED: 7/7/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: July/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: We have never had a bad meal at Kim Son. Tonight we had the Mekong soup - it is fantasic! Spicy (not too) and tart-sweet, it's a fresher, lighter alternative to the traditional hot and sour soup. We also ordered the vegetarian version of Singapore noodles - cut-up noodles with veggies and tofu flavored with a very light curry (they also have a version with meat and shrimp). The Vietnamese coffee is a terrific dessert - strong coffee (I think it's probably French roast) with sweetened condensed milk at the bottom. Stir it VERY well and then pour it into the ice-filled glass. Delicious! The wait staff are friendly and the prices are incredibly reasonable. My only gripe with Kim Son is that the kitchen is TOO efficient. Tonight we ordered the soup and continued to study the menu. When the soup arrived, we ordered the main course. Not three minutes later, the main course arrived, making us feel hurried to finish the soup. Next time I think we'll very firmly insist that they space out the courses. Alternately, we will order the main course only after we finish the appetizer. This evening as we were leaving, a man was sitting on the step in front of the restaurant asking for money. He wasn't aggressive or insistent, and we felt totally safe. This is the first time we were approached for money in the parking lot. NAME: LauraS SUBMITTED: 5/5/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 12750 SW Fwy, Stafford, Texas 77477  281.242.3500 MY REVIEW: The Stafford location has probably the best dim sum that I know of. There dim sum portions area a lot larger than most places and have a lot more flavor. I think O*cean Palace dim sum is disgusting and a lot of the smaller ones on bellaire are DIRTY. Although, the prices are a little bit high, I would recommend this to my friends and family. The only other dim sum place I would eat at is F*ung's Kitchen. NAME: DimSum Girl SUBMITTED: 5/2/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 4/2007 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: Kim Son has been a favorite of mine for many years now. I discovered them way over a decade ago at their original location and fell in love with them the first time I dined there! Many of my friends in the Viet community have told me Kim Son is more Chinese than trad. Viet cooking, but whatever they are, they are great. It's fun eating there as you have so many choices! You can order full menu items or order several of their appetizers (request a bowl of white rice with appetizers when you are eating only the appetizers for dinner) and make a meal of just the appetizers. The Hot and Sour soup is the BEST in Houston! It's great. Get the large size bowl for a party of 2 or more if you really love hot and sour soup. The Viet eggrolls are wonderful and you will need to request extra "green trimmings" as they tend to be skimpy on the plate they bring. The Viet spring rolls with shrimp are just as wonderful. Try the Orange Beef and the Lemon Grass Chicken...YUM! The grilled shrimp is truly delecious, nice and large shrimp, not overcooked. I have heard their Pepper Crab is wonderful, but I do not like to crack crabs, so never ordered them. Service there is good, but do not expect a chatty waitperson. The servers have always been kind and gracious, yet they appear to be on the quiet side. Ordering cocktails and wine may be a bit confusing at times depending upon your server, but do not get irrated, just speak slowly, point to items you want from the bar, and it will appear! Their service is excellent in my opinion. The desserts are mostly frozen ice cream dishes and they are okay...not great...just okay. Frozen ice cream you can find anywhere, I would skip it. When they have FLAN order it...truly wonderful. Try the Viet Coffee for a different type of dessert and fall in love with life. It's truly that good. I have NEVER had a person approach me in the parking lot looking for a handout. I have always felt safe in their parking lot. I have however had people approach me in front of my own home looking for a handout...LOL! This is Houston, street people are everywhere. Kim Son is also a great place for celebrating a birthday and you need a table for 10 or more people. NAME: Dennis Doughty SUBMITTED: 2/15/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: Jan/2007 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... 10603 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, Texas 77072  281.598.1777 MY REVIEW: I usually don't like buffets, but this was the best Asian buffet ever. It's cheap and comes with a huge soup that you can place myriads of fresh seafood (shrimp, octupus, scallop) and other meats (pork, beef strips) and dunk them into the spicy broth. There was an area to get basic Vietnamese soups (pho, hu tieu, mi), too. A lot of hustle and bustle, loud, service ok but definitely worth a visit. NAME: drfoodie SUBMITTED: 12/28/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once 12750 SW Fwy, Stafford, Texas 77477  281.242.3500 MY REVIEW: I've dined at Kim Son off and on through the years, very first visit was the Jefferson St. location in 1987 and I was impressed. Tried the sauteed squid and it was good. These days I don't eat Asian cuisine very often, bad food and service at too may mom-&-pop shops were enough to turn me off of it for good. Kim Son has been consistently good, I frequented the now defuct Westheimer location for both lunch and dinner when I moved to southwest Houston almost ten years ago. My usual order is the pho beef noodle soup and spring rolls, and a cafe su da (Vietnamese iced coffee). Soup is always hot, spring rolls fresh and flavorful, can't go wrong with a bistro pot coffee on the side. I've tried a few of their other dishes, the rice and vermecelli plates are the only other items I'd recommend. Most of their Chinese dishes are too greasy or are swimmimg in that vile brown sauce. The Stafford location has always been good, the Westheimer location had always been good to me until just before it shut down. For the best in really fresh pho is T*an T*an on Bellaire. The tables have hot plates in the center and the raw materials are brought to your table, and you can watch your soup cook right before your eyes. Bring cash because they don't accept credit cards, and just ask for the soup. NAME: mm mm good SUBMITTED: 11/29/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 9/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: I hadn't ben there for nearly a year because I got tired of the panhandlers in the parking lot. Went back and...immediately was accosted by a filthy panhandler at 3 PM on a Sunday! No off-duty officer in sight. They need to have security in the parking lot. Food was really good, but as I was leaving...I saw another panhandler approaching 3 ladies that left just ahead of me. No more 30 mile drives for me until they clean up the parking lot. Some of those panhandlers are quite scary. In the meantime...it's 8*88 in Dickinson. NAME: Dr. Bob SUBMITTED: 9/14/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: September 2006 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... 10603 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, Texas 77072  281.598.1777 MY REVIEW: I did a review for Stafford, but it wasn't displayed. Good dimsum for Sunday and not so for Monday. Great service and quick. A little waiting time for your table. For the Bellaire location, all in all, the food is yummy, but the service is slow. They either need extra workers or it's disorganized. In a Nutshell: Great food; yes it tasted better than the on on Stafford Slow/No Service - Maybe it was the Independence Holiday weekend Ok eatting surrounding I went to the one on Sunday and Monday. Both days seemed as though there were no specific waiter servicing our table. They ran all over the place. Sunday's has faster service and meal while Monday's has hotter and tastier Dim Sum. I will describe the one on Sunday in detail first. We ate at the party banquet floor of the second floor, which made the area really unappealing. The room was obviously made to cater weddings. There were even a curtain wall separating the entire room for the buffet on the other side. The Kim Son on Stafford definitely has the look of a restaurant than this location. The Sunday's dim sum had better service than Monday. The food was still good. When we were finishing, we finally got our water refills and extra napkins though. Then the waitress asked if we ever needed anything, just ask. Too late for that. Not great service. The next day on Monday, we ate at a smaller room, next door to the banquet room. It made the surrounding more appealing to eat in. We were sitted at the wall tables. However, the moment I sat down, I noticed a bar that horizonally connects the table foots from either side of me, keeping me from pulling my lap under the table! That was not a smart way of arranging the table against the wall. I had to move my chair to the side, facing the wall, to eat. Then comes the water. When we placed our order of dim sum, we also asked for water and they never came back to give it to us. We had to ask another person who was runniing around to give it to us, which was about 1 hour later. Without water, it made our food dry and hard to eat. However, the food is still good and because it was ordered, it was served HOT. There was 2 orders that really upset us. We received our rice soup 3rd from our 9 dishes, but never got our spoons or bowls to eat until the end. No waiter came to ask if we need anything the whole time, so we couldn't get our extra napkins, water, or bowls. The rice soup was cold by the time I ate it, and it wasn't even that good either. It had too many eggs in it. We won't order that again. Our last dish came after we waited 15minutes after eating DONE when we asked when it would be done. It came out less than 5minutes later. They must've forgotten us. Monday's dim sum is really yummy. We liked #2, 5, 16, 57, 38. I liked 40 without sauce, but he thought it was too tasty. But half way and after, the food came after every 5 or 10 minutes when we were done eating. We like to eat fast but we were left starving in between dishes, especially the last one. For Monday's, my husband was very displeased at the slow service and became disinterested in his meal. He even lowered the amount of tip we usually give for more than half we usually give. (I'm usually the one giving the lesser tip than him!) Because that's a first, it says a lot. He says he won't go on Monday again, but I love the food being hot, we might give it a try again in 6 months when we hope they get more employees to work. PS: S*ilver Bay's Dim Sum on Bellaire is terrible. Don't eat from there. Failed twice for us. NAME: Hanh SUBMITTED: 7/6/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: July/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times 10603 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, Texas 77072  281.598.1777 MY REVIEW: It's a sad fact that many good restaurant (especially buffets) starts out incredibly good and within a year or so slips to just so-so. I hope this will not be the case for Kim Son. There are just too many good dishes to list at this place, but everything I tried with the exception of the sushi rolls were fresh, well prepared, and tasted good. This place is very, very popular with the Asian community. When I arrived at the place a good 15minutes before the buffet opened, there were already a sizable crowd and it was even larger when I left more than an hour later. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone and I would advise that you not wait too long because it is very unlikely that this place can maintain this level of quality indefinitely. NAME: JL SUBMITTED: 7/5/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once 10603 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, Texas 77072  281.598.1777 MY REVIEW: I went with a group of friends at around 7 and there was a waiting list. There were 2 cute short hostesses up there that were friendly and fun.. but still wouldn't let me in earlier even when I offered $20 each. The buffet was pretty good, I wish they had hot pot buffet earlier though. Waiters were also very nice and courteous. I heard that dim sum is good too, so I'll probably stop by that next time. NAME: Andy SUBMITTED: 6/26/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/25/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: My wife and I have enjoyed eating at the Jefferson St resturant for several years. However, recently we have to pass a panhandler just outside their front door. We have told the Hostess and were told that there is nothing they can do. Until we know we can go there without running a gauntlet, we will go somewhere else. NAME: Downtowner SUBMITTED: 6/26/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/26/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 10603 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, Texas 77072  281.598.1777 MY REVIEW: Good service, food is no different than the Viet H*oa-K*ingsway buffet. Did anyone find any other soup than that one they made fresh for you? For $16, I would of rather gone to a sushi buffet. I thought the food was cold, bland, and not worthy to be called Vietnamese food. The good part was the ready to order section where you can actually get fresh banh canh (noodle soup) or bot chien (eggs fried with rice flour). I also tried the japanese teriyaki beef and I definitely thought it was too much fat on the meat. The desserts were good. The che was still warm and they provided the coconut juice that goes on top of that. They also had a Haagen Daas ice cream alongside the dessert area which had good vanilla or chocolate flavors. I was hoping for more Vietnamese dishes, especially banh cuon or pho. Will I go again? I guess so, but if only someone asks me. NAME: funfloury SUBMITTED: 6/4/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/27/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: My husband & I have really enjoy Kim Son's food and service staff. We feel we're "fine dining" for reasonable cost. We've been to the Sugarland, Medical Center & ChinaTown location and they each are a great eating and dining experience. NAME: paula SUBMITTED: 5/7/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/07/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: Love the restaurant. The Jefferson St location is central and has plenty of parking. The waitstaff is kind and prices are quite reasonable. I highly recommend the "killer combo". You can't go wrong dining at this location. NAME: Arevis SUBMITTED: 2/28/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: Jan/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: I used to enjoy Kim Son very much, but the food has gone progressively downhill. On my last visit at lunch the pad thai was so salty I couldn't eat it, and my companion's pho was totally flavorless. The service was excellent, though, and they cheerfully brought a replacement for the inedible dish NAME: Dakota Blue SUBMITTED: 2/13/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/05 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 12750 SW Fwy, Stafford, Texas 77477  281.242.3500 MY REVIEW: This is the best dim sum that is in the sugar land area. In china town (bellaire), the best would be G*olden Palace. Near downtown/medical center, the best would be Yum Yum C*ha. NAME: ployt SUBMITTED: 1/7/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: Jan 6, 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 2001 Jefferson St, Houston, Texas 77003  713.222.2461 MY REVIEW: I have never had a bad meal at this location. Service is always impeccable. NAME: Sam SUBMITTED: 12/17/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/16/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once 12750 SW Fwy, Stafford, Texas 77477  281.242.3500 MY REVIEW: Finally got an opportunity to visit Kim Son after hearing much of the place. I was there on a Saturday night and partook of some standard Vietnamese fare. Egg rolls and bun with char-grilled pork. It was all tasty enough. But a little lacking I thought. I am used to getting shredded marinated carrot, cucumber and sometimes mint leaves with the egg rolls not just lettuce and cilantro. The bun was fair, but I have had better tasting pork in many other Vietnamese restaurants, this had almost a teriyaki flavor. The nuoc mam cham lacked character, but I have found this to be common in places that cater to a large anglo clientele. Usually I can jazz it up with some sriracha but there was none on the table. I am also disappointed when I have to request chopsticks to eat noodles. Decor and service were excellent. Prices were high though, about $2 more than what I would normally pay for bun. Price of the location and decor I guess. Overall, I would rather relax in one of my standard haunts for less money and more flavor. But it was nice enough. NAME: dzeren SUBMITTED: 11/7/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/05 FREQUENCY: Visited once ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY