Mak Chin's Delectable Asian-Fusion cuisine presented in casual full service setting Retro-trendy bar w/ comfortable lounge & patio Hours: See Profile   1511 Shepherd Dr Houston TX 77007 713.861.9888 Profile Description: A Nuvo-Asian cuisine restaurant that reflects a style of food made in Malaysia, Singapore and other nearby former British, French and Dutch colonies whose crossroads population include immigrants from China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam and Thailand. Executive Chef David Yeo's dishes profile a combination of all these cultures with their unique flavors and spices.   Add Review PROFILE   Website  Menu MY REVIEW: Mak Chin's location and ambiance are great. It's chic but accessible feeling. My girlfriends and I picked it for a girls night out despite the reviews here. Bad choice. After being seated, we waited at least 15 minutes for someone to bring water/menus/take our drink order. (That's from when we started checking our watches.) Finally one of us got up and asked for water/menus/someone to take our drinks order. That took another 5 or so minutes but they did apologize for the mix-up. (They didn't appear to be understaffed, just disorganized.) The drinks were okay (we didn't order anything complicated but one of us got lemons rather than limes as requested) but took another 15 minutes to arrive -- without the water we'd requested. We ordered a couple of appetizers to split while we waited for our fourth person to arrive. The appetizers were quite tasty but took 30 minutes to get to the table. Of course, by then our fourth had arrived and we were all starving. We tried to order another round of drinks and get dinner menus but finally gave up and decided to go across Shepherd to S*paghetti Western. S*paghetti Western isn't as fancy, but they actually bring you food there so we were happy. NAME: Heights-ite SUBMITTED: 7/16/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: June 2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I love Thai and Asian food, but did not like Mak Chin's at all. The chicken curry was made with both white and dark meat, but it also had some fat in it. The flavor was more of an Indian curry than a Thai curry. Our waiter was not knowledgeable of the items we asked about at lunch, so he gave us a dinner menu so we could read about what was in each dish. The interior is unique and colorful. With so many good restaurants in Houston, I doubt we'll be back to this one. NAME: bdug SUBMITTED: 5/24/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/08 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: B4-u-eat sold my friend and I to visit Mak Chin's for the first time this past Sunday. What a great restaurant. We both sampled the Salt and Pepper Shrimp served with brown rice, followed by the Shrimp Salad with bib lettuce, Fuji and Granny Smith apples, and carrot sticks with a mint sauce. Absolute heaven!! Our waiter Terry helped us to try various Sauvignon Blancs and our favorite was the Whitehaven Sav. Blanc from the Marlborough region of NZ. We promptly ordered a very nicely chilled bottle of the same. The service was friendly, knowledgeable but not obtrusive. After our meal, Chef David visited our table and introduced us to the green tea Mojito - what a wow!! This will certainly not be our last visit here, being a restaurant owner I can be a little picky, but I am looking forward to my next visit. The short ribs intrigued me, I am looking forward to tasting the ginger flavoring served with anise Jus. Chef David's menu is a breath of fresh air with unusual fruit and spice parings, I know it's going take some time, but I am determind to try all of his innovated dishes. We'll be back!! NAME: Bistro Jane SUBMITTED: 5/5/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: May 2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My Partner and I love, love, love this place. The interior is really nice, kind of contemporary but with a classic touch to it. I also like the fact that the tables aren't super close to each other. They also have a nice patio for outdoor seating too. Our waitress was okay the night that we went, kind of slow with the drink orders but she was attentive and really friendly. For appetizers we ordered the Calamaris, it was good, the portions were huge, we had leftovers to take home with us (which isn't a bad thing, believe me). I ordered the Fried Prawns with Candy Walnut for my entree. It is simply delicious!!! This is definitely my favorite dish for sure. If you go to Mak Chin's you have got to try it. I guarantee you will love it. All in all I would recommend it for sure. Good atmoshpere, great food. What more can you ask for? NAME: washington-avenue-critic SUBMITTED: 4/26/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: April/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: All good. Great service, great food. We had the chicken satay, the chicken randang, and the wok grilled pepper shrimp. The satay was more Thai and the chicken randang more Indonesian. Some of the best food I have had out in quite a while. NAME: sheri SUBMITTED: 3/23/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/23/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Lovely ambience. Weak service, insufficient staff. Tasty food, mostly of Thai flavor. It took more than 20 minutes to be served our drinks (we were not served any water until we asked for it). The lemon drop martini's we ordered from the lounge were definitely not up to our standard. We had to tell the waiter that we were ready to order rather than the waiter being alert and asking us. Eventually, the food came quite quickly, the starters were delicious, the chapati bread, the calamari and the dumplings. They forgot to bring our spicy fries, we had to remind them to bring those out. The main courses were green curry veg., eggplant, beef rendang and a chicken dish. All of them tasted very Thai. Having lived in Indonesia we were looking forward to the beef rendang, a little disappointed we were, the meat was still too tough and served on coconut sticky rice, another Thai tradition. All in all, lovely Thai food in a pretty ambiance. Hopefully they can improve their service, perhaps only a matter of increasing staff. And then those lemon drop martini's, they need attention! NAME: My Feedback is $$ to you! SUBMITTED: 1/20/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 19 January 2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: We have been coming here since my last review off and on. They did change the menu and raise some prices but the food is still great. The crab wontons are better than anyone in town, hands down! You have to go for happy hour specials, great drinks and cheap appetizers! My husband and make a meal out of it. Great patio! NAME: Dana Lu SUBMITTED: 12/1/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/07 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: We were pleasantly suprised by the recent changes at Mak Chin's. By getting rid of counter service and ramping up the decor a little, it is getting farther away from a P*ei Wei style place and becoming more upscale (and worthy of its prices). The food was excellent (Thai Basil and Baked Chicken), and we loved sitting on the patio. Would have ordered more drinks and dessert had it not been for the smokers all around us. Overall, Mak Chin's is one of our favorite places! NAME: AY SUBMITTED: 11/7/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: November 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: My husband I visited Mak Chin's for Sunday Brunch, and it was hands-down the most fun that we have had at brunch since we have been in Houston! The DJ on the patio was great, spinning memorable tunes from the 80s and putting the patrons in a festive mood. The food and beverages were delicious, particularly the roti, the mango chicken, and the creative Shotgun drinks! The servers were attentive, and the ambience was great! We were surprised that the place didn't start coming alive until after 1:30 p.m. There is clearly an all-day party going on at Mak Chin's on Sundays. We will definitely go back! NAME: GG SUBMITTED: 9/16/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 09-16-07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Great Food, service, and atmosphere... but no more self serve area and prices have been raised. $30 + tip for two people at lunch, no appetizers, no liquor.... that's alot IMHO. I guess we will be going back to our old chinese / american fast dine take-out place. NAME: Thomas SUBMITTED: 9/2/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 9/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I had my first meal yesterday and it was the re-grand-opening. Basically, it's a completely different place than all of the previous reviews here. From what I understand, the walk-up casual is completely gone and it is more fine dining with a swanky dark bar attached than it was before. I don't know what it looked like before, but it's really beautiful in there. Lacquer red walls and gleaming floor. Open kitchen where you can see them cooking. Very nice. A total date restaurant. It was the first day of their new menu so the food was a little slow in getting to us, but the food was absolutely beautiful. The mussels in green curry sauce and the cilantro pesto shrimp were great. An ugly dish of chicken curry was out of this world. The orange beef was really good. We'll give them a week to work out the kinks in the kitchen and then we'll go back. NAME: MidtownGirl SUBMITTED: 8/29/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/28/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I been in Mak Chin's several times and i LOVE this place, i always go there for the happy hour drinks cause i can't resist the Samurai Showdown wich is the best of the drinks in this place and if u get those "FABOLOUS DRINKS" acompanied by the bacon wrapped egg rolls or the Salt n pepper chicken you will have the best drinks and patz in the bar area, the manager Axel & Adrian are really nice and very polite and they are always friendly and with a warm smile and ready to answer any questions for you, they really make me feel welcome!! Parking lot is kind of small but "ok" but the place has a great atmosphere and friendly waitstaff. I will always come back to Mak Chin's and i will get all my friends to go and try their food!! NAME: Elizabeth T SUBMITTED: 8/11/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 07/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: This must be "the best keep secret" in the Durham/Sherpherd area. You must look really hard to find Mak Chin's tucked behind the Ace Hardward on Durham...but it is worth the effort. THIS PLACE IF F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C!!!!!!!!!! If you are lucky you will get Joel Etor for your waiter...what a fountain of knowledge...he can answer any question that you throw at him. They should name a dish after him. The food is just the best....and plenty of it. Everything is fresh and beautifully presented. The Seven Flavored Delight...is just that" a delight"...if you love lots of chinese veggie in your entree this is the dish for you....mmmm good. For the seafood lovers...the Jumbo Shrimp in Garlic Sauce is out of this world...with tons and tons of jumbo shrimp. You will be stuffed when you leave this place and HAPPY!!!! The parking is not the best...very limited...but it is worth the drive around the lot a couple of times to find a place. You will not be sorry. Thanks Joel Etor (our #1 waiter) for a great first experience at Mak Chin's...we will be back. NAME: Mamma Mia Sheri SUBMITTED: 8/10/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/10/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I loved Mak Chin's!!! I went for Sunday brunch and loved the beautiful patio area, the DJ, the drinks (definately order the Samuri) and of course the food was so good! Had the shrimp potstickers and then the Pad Tahi Noodles with Shrimp...YUMMY! I will be going back and telling all my friends about this place as well. NAME: Angie B. SUBMITTED: 3/19/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/18/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: This was the first time my husband and I visited. The staff was very friendly and took the time to explain the menu to us. The manager on duty, Adrian, was really nice. It was a fabulous meal. I had the curry shrimp, great because they did not overdo it on the sauce. My husband has the pad thai and it was great too. I would definitely recommend it. BTW the Mai Tai and Bellini was great too. The mix them together so you get a sample of both called the Samurai. Very comfortable atmosphere! NAME: Dana Lu SUBMITTED: 3/3/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: mak chin's is a FABULOUS addition to the washington/shepherd area. we live in the area and have been numerous times. the restaurant itself offers a lot in choice. you can sit down for a cheap meal w/ a soda in the main dining area, that is also smoke free, well lit, spacious and inviting. or you can walk to the bar in the back w/ pretty woodwork and eclectic artwork. the patio is also well done, maximizes property space and i think will be a hot summertime hangout. we've only eaten in the bar and the bartender is super. she's on point and i never have to ask for the obvious (refills, ashtrays, menus...) we normally see the owner or manager (someone of authority) walking around and checking on things, and i love seeing that. MY FAVORITE THING is the egg drop soup. unlike the rest of houston- they do not use corn in the recipe and its TOO DIE FOR. all of their noodle dishes are fabulous and the crab and cream cheese won tons are sinfully delicious. this place is so good, i suggest praying after the meal. pray for mercy in your gluttinous ways, because you cannot leave without having the chocolate green tea cheesecake. did i mention its reasonably priced? run! run as fast as you can to this place. push aside the elderly and small children to snatch and grab every moment of this restaurant you can- because nothing COOL in houston LASTS. yet...'gol*den pal*ace buf*fet' stays open for 20 something years. viva la mak chins. NAME: morganhatesyou SUBMITTED: 1/16/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: last week FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: This was my first time at this restaurant. Delicious food, great atmosphere, very friendly staff. I had the Mandarin Orange Chicken, it tasted fresh and came to the table hot. The manager came by our table and sat down with us and asked us about our experience. Definitely reccommend visiting. I will certainly go back again and again. NAME: DonJuanHouston SUBMITTED: 1/3/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 01/02/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: A great addition to the strip of casual dining destinations along North Shepherd, Mak Chin's is obviously from the P*F Chang/P*ei Wei school of Asian fusion, but the place has a nice hang-out vibe with a (sports) bar/lounge area, patio seating (great view of Shepherd traffic) and oddly cavernous main dining area (looks like it may once have been a car repair garage). We thoroughly enjoyed everything: addictive bacon vegetable egg rolls, chicken lettuce wraps as good as P*F's, chicken curry with a fried onion topping, mango sweet and sour prepared with tofu on request. Entrees were served with bok choy and choice of white, brown (hurrah) or fried rice. Did not try the self-serve sauces bar as there were sauces or seasonings enough (and we were lazy). Good choice of wine or beers (including Tiger from Singapore) or mixed drinks from the bar. Regret that we had no room for chocolate green tea cheesecake or Asian coconut cream cheesecake! Best of all, there were so many choices of interest on the menu we will certainly return to try them. Prices were moderate. We were there on a weeknight but could see how things might get raucous on the weekends. However Mak Chin's seems set up for good eats in a party atmosphere. NAME: Michelle B SUBMITTED: 12/27/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Great food, quick service, good quality at a great price. Nice simple menu, and specials. Best Thai chicken wings in Houston, also the Hot and Sour soup is divine, probably only bested by E*mpress of China (which is way more expensive!). Good quality seafood, which can be rare at this price! Open and friendly, priced right, and best of all exceptionally good food. Best Asian in the Memorial/I10/Heights area; hands down.. NAME: corey@ SUBMITTED: 12/3/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 12-02-06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: BAD: The parking on a Friday night was terrible, but expected. GOOD: 1. The prices. Very, very affordable. 2. The food! Yummy pan-asian delights (and I'm Asian). 3. The ambiance...my group of 9 loved being able to sit and enjoy the weather at the outside patio. OVERALL EMPRESSION: My group of friends will be returning over and over and over... NAME: TheHungryOne SUBMITTED: 11/19/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: November/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I've eaten here 3 times so far. Overall, a nice experience with great decor, tasty food, plenty of parking. The first two dishes I had (both of them noodle based) were very good. Third time I had the signature Thai curry and was less impressed. The shrimp and vegetables were all very fresh and perfectly cooked, but the curry sauce tasted flat, as if it were just a mixture of unsalted broth, cornstarch, and a little curry powder. I expect a little more depth and complexity in Thai curries. Final point--the rose house wine they serve by the glass is quite good. NAME: Doc C SUBMITTED: 9/21/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 9/20/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I really liked this place! A friend took me on Saturday-she had been once before. Great prices, nice comfortable atmosphere & very friendly employees. I had an order of ginger potstickers that were very yummy as well as the Mandarin Orange Chicken-that was very good. The menu is simple & has just enough items on it -not too many. I cant wait to go back and try the mango sweet & sour chicken. My friend also got bacon wrapped eggrolls. That was quite different and very good. We went on Saturday evening around 7:30 and didnt have to wait at all so I believe not everyone has discovered this place yet. Its also very unassuming from the outside-I would never have known there was anything there-you can see a patio from the road but the sign isnt very large-so you could easily miss the place! Try it out! I really liked it! NAME: tammyf SUBMITTED: 9/18/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 09/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: my sister and I went to eat at this restaurant because of it being in the top 100 of most asked about restaurants by before you eat. We had no expectations. I got Thai chicken wings and pad tai and my sister got thai curry. We were both impressed. I've eaten at least 30 thai restaurants with pad thai and this was the 2nd best behind Thai Gourmet. The Thai chicken wings were also very good. My sister who is a very picky eater raved about the Thai curry. The service was good and the waitstaff were courteous. We will definately go back! NAME: mark f. SUBMITTED: 9/17/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 09-06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I live in the area and was looking forward to trying out this new restaurant. I was very impressed. I met a co-worker here for happy hour and we sat in the very spacious bar/lounge area. The drinks were great the service was excellent and the prices were reasonable. Because the food smelled so good, we ordered the chicken lettuce wraps which were very good, much better than P.F. C*hangs. They also have a huge outdoor patio to complement the indoor lounge. I recommend this place highly. We usually go to G*ravitas for drinks and apps, but Mak Chin has won us over. NAME: MMM SUBMITTED: 9/8/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: September/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: It's great to have Mak Chin's in the neighborhood. My wife and I had heard so many good things about it from our neighbors that we could no longer wait to try it out. The steamed veggie dumplings are tasty (so is the dipping sauce they are served with). Their unique Asian sauce bar is a must try. I ordered the flamimg beef, very flavorful. She enjoyed the Mango Sweet and Sour Shrimp (less the two shrimp I "borrowed" from her plate!). We shared the Chocolate Green Tea Cheesecake. Lots of places claim to have signature dishes but Mak Chin's has so many that we will definately be back to sample some more! NAME: chowdown1 SUBMITTED: 9/6/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: August 2006 FREQUENCY: 2-3 times ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY