Red Pier Asian Bistro & Bar

Red Pier is awesome! We always crave it! It’s close to our house and has so many options! So so so good. We just started a vegetarian diet, and they have yummy options for us. If you are a meat eater, the beef stew with rice noodles is my boyfriends favorite.
Ordering over the phone is a bit difficult if you don’t know the menu item’s number, and I’m a bit confused about their hours sometimes. Usually they are open late though!
Cheaper than Mai’s!

My favorite. Hands down. Love this small place. In the best Vietnamese area in town. Great ambiance and typically have a quite crowd. If you’re in the area, check it out.

Pretty good! Last time we ate across the street at phở Saigon and we’re headed there again. It was too busy and crowded there and I had 3 hungry kids with me so we walked in to red pier. The menu had a lot of options, service was good, and my husband and I ordered exactly what we ordered last time from phon Saigon… Red pier was better! Will definitely return. :)

I tried this place because the Vietnamese place next it that I usually go to was closed. I’m happy I tried it, the phở was delicious!

I went here right after spending the earlier part of the night at spot light karaōke, since it’s right next door. I ordered the phở and wasn’t able to finish it! I’m never not able to finish phở! Plus it kind of put me to sleep. Right there. On the table. Maybe you can guess how wasted I was. The service was quick and my friends tummies were satisfied. The food was good and I’ll definitely be coming back after another drunken night.

I have seen this place many times but hadn’t given it a shot until today, and I’m annoyed I waited so long to go. It has a nice casual and modern feel inside, my fresh lemonade was delicious, and the garlic tofu was good. I’ll be going back for sure.

I have been looking for another really good Vietnamese restaurant near Downtown Houston ever since Van Loc closed its doors, and tried several places. Not a fan of Mai’s overpriced menu and changes since the rebuild, so I kept searching. Red Pier is awesome! It’s never terribly crowded with a long wait, probably because of its inconspicuous and partially hidden location on Milam. It’s easy to miss! But it is definitely a treasure, with super fresh ingredients and delicious traditional Vietnamese food. The BEST phở you will find around midtown, hands down! They have affordable prices, and the waitstaff of very accommodating to custom orders. It is now my new go-​to spot!

I had eaten here once before and enjoyed everything. We went last week, and like many reviews, the place was pretty empty. We had to park in the back against the building. My friend ordered the chicken Phở (after saying it twice to the waiter who did not write anything down) and I ordered the vermicelli with the char-​grilled chicken and egg roll. They brought my friend the beef Phở and we told the waiter we ordered chicken. The chicken in my dish was extremely suspect with a weird, floury coating, a mushy feel and a funny smell. I tried to eat it, but after a few more bites, I knew I was going to be sick. The waiter didn’t not speak English and I was trying to tell him the chicken seemed to be spoiled. He finally grasped what I was trying to say, and he said «old.» I said yes. They did not charge me for the dish and when we walked to the back to get in the car, the car was gone. There are no signs saying that it wasn’t their property. There were several «Tow» signs, but not indicating why and we did not initially see them. Apparently, the law office in the other lot owns that lot too. They apparently have cameras and when they see someone parking, they call for a tow. I went back in the restaurant to ask about all of it and of the three people there, no one spoke English. It was just an overall bad experience and I won’t go back.

Awesome food and service. This is a hidden gem. Not packed at all and the food is awesome.

THEY CHARGED ME $ 1 EXTRA!!! I am very meticulous about my credit card statement and keep all my receipts. I know it’s only $ 1, but still, unacceptable. Charge what is on the receipt. You know what charging extra is? THEFT.

Is it me or have they kind of gone down the drain a bit? I used to frequent this place more than I do now. The Guac La Loc is great and normally what I order. Well it used to be. I’ve noticed a difference in the food for some reason. They don’t serve the vinegarette sauces for a lot of their dishes & some items like the sweet cheese puffs are no longer on the menu. It’s weird. I used to like them but it’s just not doing it for me anymore. I brought a friend here for lunch a few weeks ago & she didn’t like the flavor in her dish. It was sour. She asked to have it sent back to the kitchen & just order something simple as a replacement. Do you know the server (young Asian girl) had the nerve to ask if she would pay for both dishes! Plus asked her if she’d mind if they used the same meat from the dish she didn’t like, & cook it with the new dish she wanted so they wouldn’t waste anything. My mind was blown. I literally took her hand & placed the bowls back into her possession like go away and come back with the chef. You’re not serious right now. Cery disappointing.

Came in for lunch. Service is good. Server was fast and friendly and kept checking on us.
The bun thit nuong cha gio (vermacelli noodle with grilled pork and egg roll was just ok, leaning towards below average. He pork was not tender, it was very tough and chewy.
My friend got the mi xao which was decent but the noodles seemed too fried.
It’s in a good location with some parking. Ambiance is nice.
I would go here again, but maybe try something else.

I came to Red Pier with a friend for dinner before an Astros game — while the promise of $ 1 Wednesday hot dogs was tempting, we thought we would load up on something else to sate us.
Although I was craving phở, I decided to order Red Pier’s most popular dish: garlic chicken, which is stir fried with vegetables. Fortunately I wasn’t particularly hungry, since the portion size with this dish isn’t particularly big. Flavors were good, but seriously — for a dish called garlic chicken, there wasn’t a whole lot of chicken. At least I had a lovely amount of vegetables to nosh on.
I also sampled my friend’s bun bo hue, which was actually quite delicious and had a nice level of spice to it. I’m kicking myself because I should have ordered a noodle dish, dangit!
I’d give Red Pier another shot, especially since it’s not a particularly busy Vietnamese restaurant. I definitely don’t think it’s bad — just that some menu items are better than others here.

I got the tofu vermicelli, which was amazing! it was only 6.99 and it was a big portion. I got it to go and only had to wait like 10 minutes for it. I’ll definitely be back!

Red pier is in the same plaza as les givrals and phở Saigon and is kind of the fancier cousin of them. Their phở is a little better than phở Saigon and les givrals, and red pier definitely has a bigger space. I made the mistake of ordering hot sake which ended up costing like $ 16, while normally hot sake is like at most $ 8, the price was not listed on the menu and they just put a packaged bottle of cold sake in a pint carton of hot water…
Other than that their food is pretty good.

Red Pier brings a variety of Vietnamese dishes.
Soups are packed with flavor, noodles packs a punch as well.
I come for L110.
Today I’m adding fried squid appetizer. so that’s going to be a first for me.
Staff is amazing. Long is absolutely amazing and when I can’t remember what dish I had the last time… He remembers. Dude is uhmazing.

been wanting to go back to this place for a while and just got the chance recently. Overall same thoughts on the food as I had a year ago. For a Houston joint in the previously dominated little saigon region of midtown this place is ok for the price in relation to Mai’s but not nearly on the same level. For some reason in my dish of grilled pork chops they came out extra crispy. This made for a slightly unpleasant dining experience as I was fearful I was eating egg shells.
Also, a note… this place doesn’t have dessert :(the one thing I was craving.

OK, so I was craving some Asian food between appointments and I found myself in midtown. Les Givral’s was way too busy, so I went next door to Red Pier, which was practically empty.
Now I know why.
Short version: Food leaves a lot to be desired and the front and back of house staff need some SERIOUS training. This place is a train wreck.
Long version: Unlike next-door’s Les Givral’s, where the line was snaking out the door at 12:30, Red Pier was so quiet I thought it was closed. After what I went through today, I’m not so sure it won’t be closing down in the near future.
The menu — typical of any Chinese or Vietnamese place — is the size of a Sue Grafton novel. Prices are typical of what you’d find in the area.
Décor is, well, blah — but I had high hopes for the kitchen.
My hopes were dashed. But it started out with the waitstaff.
Since I travel solo, I like to eat at the bar or counter (if available) because I like to free up a 2-​top or 4-​top for guests. So I sat at the bar. And waited. And waited.
Finally a young man got me a menu. One look at him and I knew I was not dealing with a Rhodes scholar. But I digress.
After I got the menu, I decided on a wonton soup and General Cho’s chicken. Hot tea rounded out the meal.
Here’s where the whole thing just went south.
Young Waiter never wrote down my order, and asked me (twice) what my order was. Uh, here’s a hint, kid — Write. It. Down. That way you won’t mess it up.
Now, normally the soup would come out before the entrée, right? Not here.
Sure enough, Young Waiter brings out the General Cho’s and rice.
«Excuse me, but where’s my soup?» I asked.
«Oh, it’s coming. We only have two chefs back there,» he answered.
WTF does that have to do anything? Soup and salads are usually pre-​made and easy to get to the table. That’s why they are listed first on the menu.
Second problem: no tableware. Unforgivable oversight. Especially after I’d gotten all this food! (The soup eventually got to the table.)
Finally the dinnerware arrived. Now for the food.
The wonton soup was, well, meh — it obviously doesn’t compare to places such as Simply Phở or 888. It was so oily (see the picture) that it looked as if it was prepared by the guys at BP.
Plus, it had so much black pepper in it that it looked like the lemon sauce for Bo Luc Lac or something. Not even additional soy sauce could remove the pepper taste.
In fact, the main ingredient for all the food was black pepper. I mean, LOADS of it. The General Cho’s chicken was awash in it. It was as if someone just took the lid off the shaker and dumped it on the dish!
Speaking of which, the General Cho’s was, well, bleah. It looked as if someone had started to make a Ga Luc Lac and decided «well, fcuk it, I’ll just cover it in Cho sauce.» Again, the picture doesn’t lie.
The staff here leaves a lot to be desired, and it’s not just me. Another patron who was seated at the bar was brought a full order of spring rolls — which he didn’t order.
«Hey, I never said I wanted these!» he exclaimed.
«You want us to wrap it up for you to take home?» was the answer. Turned out that Young Waiter had botched it again by not… writing…it…down.
Again, woefully poor service strapped with a black pepper fetishist for a cook.
It’s too bad, because with a good overhaul of the kitchen staff and a complete re-​training of the waitstaff, this place could actually be quite good — or at least able to siphon off some of Les Givral’s overrun.
NOTE: Apparently HPD loves the place — if not for the food, but for the free WiFi. There were two hunky cops not far from me who were doing their work. At least I got some eye candy out of this whole experience.
Usually the cops know where the good food is. Maybe they’re rookies or something.
As I was leaving the place, I noticed I sign on their door: «HELP WANTED — Servers needed with experience in Asian cuisine.»
Now I know why.
Bottom line: avoid this place until it shutters. It probably won’t be very long now.

This is another late night spot in midtown that doesn’t get as packed as Mai’s and located right next to Spotlight Karaōke on Milam.
They’re open until 3 am so it’s definitely a good place to go when you’re buzzed. The last time I was here was on a Saturday night and there were A LOT of empty tables in the restaurant because everybody else went to Mai’s, I guess.
Food is not bad at all. The servers are always friendly. The food came out pretty quickly, obviously because of the lack of other guests in the restaurants. The bo luc lac is not bad at all. The spring rolls are okay, and the vietnamese egg roll aren’t too shabby.
If you’re in midtown and feeling buzzed and looking for a place to eat and want something quick without having to wait forever in line and you’re craving Asian food? Come to Red Pier and if you see me there, buy me some egg rolls?

As a person who has been coming here longer than I’ve been Unilocaling, I have had the privilege of eating all of their vegetarian options. Their garlic tofu, lemongrass tofu, and general tso’s tofu stand out. If your first time here, I would recommend their Special Garlic Tofu or just the Garlic Tofu if you are not looking for a lot of vegetables.
Honestly, they have not been as great as they used to be in more than a few ways: 1) I have to ask for their lemon pepper sauce when I order garlic tofu which used to be a given, 2) sometimes their special garlic tofu doesn’t taste all that great, 3) their general tso’s tofu was not impressive at all the last time I came here, and 4) a friend of mine waited over 10 minutes for service a week ago and then walked out only to receive no acknowledgement from the waiting staff and he’s in their as much as I am. When this occurred, it made me aware that I needed to update this review.
Let’s just say that they have been falling off recently. Once I get used to a place with such great dishes and a waiting staff that treats me well, sometimes it’s hard to admit that my favorite midtown eatery has fallen from grace. However, I have to be honest and say Van Loc and Mai’s have been more attractive lately.
I don’t want to dump on them because I know they can do better because I have had better here. This is why I have brought friends and family here, but they need to change some things before they get another 5 stars for me; actually, even 4 stars now. One bright spot is this is the only place I have had a chocolate fortune cookie.