Thien An Sandwiches

Their Bun Bo Hue used to be really good before the relocation. Now, I stick to their Banh Xeo. They’re always super busy but service is usually good. Definitely one of the best go-to’s for good Vietnamese food in downtown Houston.

Had my husband pick up food from there for the first time. Got the Shrimp Phở and their Fried Eggrolls! Everything was great!!! Their broth has a good flavor to it. And they fry the egg rolls just right. I wish they didn’t mix the siriacha with the hoisin sauce. We will return soon to try more!

LOVE their food. Very Authentic. Banh Xeo is mouth watering.
I have been a frequent customer for 15+ years and will continue to come for the great food and a great price.

My favorite place to get my Vietnamese fix since it’s so close rather than driving all the way to Bellaire. I usually go with friends during lunch time which is their busiest hours. A lot of business folks come in during their lunch breaks in big groups so it’s hard to get service right away. Their phở and shaken beef are what I usually order which is always delicious! Their service can use work but their food usually makes up for their lack of service.

The place has a big parking lot and tons of seating. It was a clean place. They have several different sandwiches to choose from. Their shredded chicken sandwich was on the drier side but the bread was good. Their beef sandwich was good.
Their smoothies were ok. I’ve had better sandwiches and smoothies.

BEST PHO IN HOUSTON!!! No, seriously. They have an award to prove it.
I have been a customer of this family-​run restaurant for 6+ years now and I never get tired of coming here. I was devastated when they closed down for a year to relocate, but that’s a thing in the past now! The phở dac biet here is amazing. The broth is very flavorful and the portion is just right. I like it more than my mom’s phở, but she doesn’t need to know that. I’ve had other items on the menu, which have all been delicious, but I always end up ordering phở every time. The food comes out quick. I don’t think I have ever had to wait for more than five minutes for my food to arrive.
There are quite a bit of tables in the restaurant, but during busy hours this place fills up quick. Plenty of parking so that is never a problem. The staff is nice and friendly, especially Joe (buff Asian guy at the register). Ever since my first visit, Joe makes the effort to remember me and my friends and always asks how are things going in my life whenever he sees us.
Overall, you can’t go wrong eating here! The food is amazing and the service is so quick that you’ll be in/​out and with time to spare during your lunch break!

The sandwich was good, but nothing that sets them apart from everyone else. There were a lot of people eating here. So it must just be a preference for people. Again, I didn’t really care to go out of my way to stop here again but others may feel different.
The rice places we ordered were not the greatest. The rice texture leads me to believe they use cheap rice.

After reading the reviews, I really wanted to try this place at their new location. I used to go to the old location quite often whenever we’re in Downtown. We came here for lunch on a Sunday. The first thing that hit me when I walked in the door was this horrible smell. That should’ve been a hint to leave, but I was too excited to eat good Vietnamese food. In hindsight, should’ve listened to my instincts.
The floors were so sticky (sign of filth). The service was fine, nice & friendly staff. However, the food was just bad. We ordered the egg rolls (looks nothing like the picture, btw) and they were super greasy! I put them on top of napkins to absorb some of the grease (it was soaked) AND picked them up with napkins (more grease transfer). My husband had craving for banh cuon so he tried that. It was old, trust me we eat a lot of banh cuon to know the difference. He didn’t even touch the veggies underneath it because of the way it looked. I had the com bo luc lac, that was good. But based on the level of filth and the food that we had, we’re def not going back! Ugh, still grossed out…

Me and the fiancée’s go-​to Vietnamese restaurant. Vietnamese crêpe? Yes please. Vietnamese eggrolls? Best I’ve ever had. Phở of any kind? Bring it on! And did I forget to mention the banh mis… and all the rice dishes…
We go to the downtown club on the weekend mornings a lot, and every time after a good workout, the #1 thing that pops up in our head is: mmmm let’s go to Thien An. We love it so much that we’ve been here probably 15 times and counting. Plenty of parking, and you pay at the register. Keep up the awesome job!!!

Bubble tea — yes, good
Location — great
Sunday mornings — yes
Saturday mornings — not open but im not sure why…
The egg crêpe! yumm… share this with 1 or 2 others.
Atmosphere — average, but what you’d expect
Pork rolls — delicious

The food at Thien An was actually pretty good for being in downtown. I like how they have Vietnamese Sandwiches which are my favorite thing to eat on the go it’s quick easy and simple. I had their BBQ sandwich and their Chicken sandwich and I must say it was pretty tasty. This place does get busy during lunch hour but the service was decent and they also have Boba Drinks for Togo as well. I will be going back for more

I had their Vietnamese sandwich and egg rolls. The food was excellent. Inside it was very nice and would be a good place to have a meeting.

My favorite Vietnamese spot in Houston! I have had several items on the menu and nothing has been disappointing. My usual is combo sandwich with fried egg. Quick service. I wish they were open on Saturday’s but I understand.
Give this place a try!

This place is fancy compared to other Vietnamese Restaurants downtown. The meatball sandwich is yummy. I believe on Wednesdays they do free Vietnamese Coffee which is a huge plus. I have been going to Les Givrales for years and honestly this is the only place that comes even close when it comes to Bahn Mis. Try the phos also. You won’t regret. The lunch crowd can get very busy so come early and enjoy your meal.

I recently discovered this place while working downtown. Everything I have had here has been excellent! The banh xeo is a huge portion and great for sharing as an appetizer. Their phở and bun bo hue are all flavorful. The vermicelli dishes here are comparable to may in Chinatown so nothing too special but always satisfying. I also really like their crispy egg rolls and order them every time I go. I would even go as far to say they have the best egg rolls in Houston!

This place is okay when it comes to vietnamese food, but just doesn’t hold up to the much better options you’d get in Chinatown or Milam. The phở was a little bland and the meats felt too prepped, or not as fresh. I also tried their vermicelli bowl and this was actually as good as most places, but they didn’t give me enough fish sauce as I would prefer. Their attempt at bodard rolls was just downright abysmal and I certainly wouldn’t order that again.
The place itself is very spacious and can accommodate large crowds with ease. Service was standard and not too slow. Prices slightly higher but expected in Midtown. Overall, food isn’t bad, but it’s nowhere near the best.

I love Banh mis and they are my go to lunch whenever I want something light and fast. This place has a huge parking lot and huge dining so you will always find a spot during that rush hour lunch crowd. This time I was picking up to go and settled on the chicken banh mi and a must for me whenever I find out that they sell boba drinks, thai tea. The banh mi was good and decent enough to stack up to all the other banh mis I have tried. The bread itself was crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside! It was not spectacular but it was still a good lunch. The thai tea was really good and I would rank this #3 on my top 5. This is a great spot to dine during the week for your lunch and I recommend it for this occasion.

I was a regular at the original location on Travis, primarily due to the quality for the value of their banh mi. Happy to say that they haven’t missed a beat since their move to the new location on San Jacinto (though the banh mi prices are a little higher now). Fresh, traditional ingredients, on one of the better crusty French rolls in town.

Very busy right now, (12:30). I grabbed a quick meatball sandwich before I headed to school. I’ve been a customer since they were located on Louisiana and I am happy to say that the quality of food is still very good. It’s my current go to for vietnames food.
Bread was light and crunchy, the meat had lots of flavor, and the jalapeños were really spicy. Really love the food here.

One of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Houston. Great phở! If you’re looking for good phở, definitely come here.
Their banh mi, banh cuon, and com dishes are also good, though they don’t offer bo nuong (chargrilled beef). I added an egg to my banh mi, and it was perfectly runny. Eggsellent.
Service was also great. Even when they’re busy, the servers take good care of you, even with a slight language barrier.
Seriously, there’s not much more to say other than this place is really really good. They know how to make their Vietnamese food, and it is absolutely worth visiting.

I’ve been coming to this restaurant over the last 15 years. My mom knows the owner and so we always come here whenever we are in midtown. Love their new location, very spacious. Always love the hospitality here. Most of the people work here are family members so you can definitely feel the sense of pride in their service and food.
My favorite dish from here is the Vietnamese crêpe. Be warned that the portion is huge, but I can finish the whole thing myself and I am a tiny person. I had their phở and other dishes here, you can’t really go wrong.
They do have a weird hours so check that out before heading over. They are mostly cater to working people in downtown and midtown so I think that’s why they have odd hours. I think they close on Saturdays which is really weird and inconvenience.
So yea, if you are looking for a place that offers alot of option for Vietnamese food, then give this place a try.

Big space for midtown, and dedicated parking lot to boot? Yes. Like many other place worth going to there will be a lunch rush, plan around it. The place is clean, serves food fast, and more importantly the food is decent.
Food: what I tried, Bun bo hue, bahn mi dac biet
BBH was decent, would say it is probably the mildest, cleanest broths ive had which isnt necessarily a bad thing, and of course it still has a lot of the essentials like blood in the soup. Condiments for the soup are fresh (veggies). Definitely wouldnt say the best bbh Ive had nor the worst, just different. The bahn mi dac biet was pretty good, the meat however was on the drier side. The bread wasnt to hard or sharp that it would cut up the inside of your mouth. If anything could use a little bit more butter. Service is good. food comes out fast and hot.
In summary, havent had anything great, but everything ive had is good
parking isnt usually a problem, The lunch rush can be off putting, mainly because you dont pay up front initially you get a ticket, and then after you eat you bring up the ticket to the cash register to pay. If you get caught in the lunch rush, not only do you wait to get seated, you have to wait to pay for your meal.

I’ve been coming to Thien An since I was a kid and have followed them through their tour of midtown and now finally settling in their San Jacinto location.
The food has always been delicious and consistent. Prices have gone up over the years. It doesn’t make it very expensive but with the relatively low price point in Vietnamese cuisine, even a 50 cent increase can mean a lot.
Their service is not great and can be incredibly slow during peak hours. They have a dedicated lot for their business and if that fills up, parking on the street may be an option.
The duck salad seems high for an appetizer, but it’s meant to be shared. Also, it’s soooooooo good. I could (and have) eaten it as a meal.

Unfortunately I made a to-​go order here the day prior to pickup cause it was a fairly large order. I needed 20 banh mi (10 grilled pork, 5 chicken, 3 specials, and 2 tofu) for a work lunch. I also ordered 20 eggrolls and 20 spring rolls. The pork banh mi lacked meat. There was a ton of bread and veggies and the meat wasn’t seasoned very well. That means just bland and not a good meat to bread and veggie ratio. The spring rolls were large but there was just lettuce and noodles. No herbs. I think what makes a spring roll are the fresh herbs in them to bring out the flavor. The pork was bland and there was two shrimp halves, one on each side. The only good thing was that they were individually wrapped so they didn’t stick together. The eggrolls were good, came out fresh and hot! I was a little concerned they’ll be soggy on the way back.
Also, they didn’t calculate the bill yet knowing I’ll be there for a quick pickup at 12:30. They had to ring up every individual item, which took awhile because she was trying to figure out everything I ordered and it tax was included. For over $ 150+ I would think they would be a little less stingy on the meats! Disappointed from the portions compared to the last time I dined in.

Ok, been here a handful of times now so I will give this review thing a go–
The good: Decent amount of parking– relatively clean– wait staff accessible-​management courteous and thankful. Food is generally acceptable to pretty good, not the most consistent (as sometimes dishes will be great, next time it’s half the size of you get little or no meat, or veggies– its a shot in the dark or roll of the dice)
The Bad: NEVER-​EVER breathe in the rest room– wash your hands and leave ugh enough said.
And as I stated above– not the most consistent place on the block.
So reviewing today’s meal and I will give you the play by play.
Appetizer: GI CUN shrimp only– most of the time fresh and today was a good day.
Lunch: BÚN THT NNG CH GIÒ — this is my go to dish on a hot day– so today this was NO-​GO (limited everything– like 3 pieces of meat and a couple pieces of egg roll, was hungry leaving)
Retraction: ok I have to retract the «nothing is consistent» remark above– the CÀ PHÊ SA ÐÁ is ALWAYS on mark=
With that said there are tons of Vietnamese places about midtown– this is a decent one that can fill up during lunch time– but also can be quite good…

Thien An is my go-​to and favorite Vietnamese restaurant to satisfy all of my cravings. My family is from Vietnam but didn’t pass the language down to me. The only thing I inherited is fluency in the Vietnamese menu. I order like a pro but when they think they’ve found a friend in me and start small talk in Vietnamese, they have, instead, a deer in the headlights.
Thien An has their own parking lot (hallelujah in the parking nightmare that is midtown). This location is a lot bigger than their other one so the lunch rush isn’t too bad. The only downside is the short hours; they close at 7PM which means dinner cravings for Thien An have to be premeditated.
Anyhoot, the items I usually get here are…
— Eggrolls — Cha Gio — Thick and crispy skin with a delicious pork filling. Filling to skin ratio is perfection. My favorite vietnamese eggrolls in town.
— Phở w/​Brisket & Meatball — Phở Chin Bo Vien — The Phở broth is very good. I particularly enjoy the brisket and meatball. The meatballs here are tasty and not like some of the other phở places with chunks of fat in them.
— Vietnamese Sandwich with Grilled Pork — Banh Mi Thit Nuong — Love their banh mis! The bread is crispy and the meat is seasoned well. Add in a fried egg for extra deliciousness!
— Shaken Beef with Fried Rice — Com Chien Bo Luc Lac — LOL by far my favorite dish to pronounce. (Ball — Look — Lahk) The dish here is good but not the best I’ve had. They cut the meat a bit small and not as juicy. The flavor is good but my biggest gripe is instead of the tomato fried rice I love, thien an pairs it with com tam (broken rice) fried rice instead. I’ve never been a huge fan of com tam. I’ll take regular rice over it any day.

This is the spot for banh xeo. OH MY WORD!!! I still think about their banh xeo and it’s been a week! It was flakey, big, and just the right amount of sprouts/​meat inside. Usually restaurants give you a ton of sprouts with little meat but it was average amount here. This is one of the best banh xeo hands down.
For starter, I had the goi coung nem nuong (spring rolls) and also had their che xun sa hot luu. Everything I got was delicious! that lunch line was horrendous though. Parking was even worse. People just doesnt seem to leave this place. 45 to an hour wait for lunch so you’ve been warned!!!

Since van loch closed down in midtown, I couldn’t get the same Vietnamese fix until I was introduced to this place. I’ve never heard of it but it’s a very spacious restaurant with its own parking lot and has odd hours. Closed Saturdays and closes at 7pm on the weekdays.
They have a huge selection of menu items which can be overwhelming to those who are indecisive. Here’s what I tried and my thoughts:
–Spring roll with chicken: I don’t know of its because I was hungry and scarfed this down but it was pretty good. The rice wrapper and ingredients were pretty fresh and not too thick as others I’ve tried.
–Ban xeo: you can eat this as a meal in and of itself. This can be shared with 2 – 3 people depending on how hungry you are. It’s also very greasy.
–Bo luc lac: other reviews raved about it so I had to try my friends. It was pretty decent.
–Grilled chicken vermicelli bowl: a bit disappointing about the portion of chicken the give in the bowl. I even asked them to reduce the noodles and give me more lettuce but I don’t think that really happened. Overall the bowl was good enough to make me come back again.
–They also have viet desserts, bubble teas, etc.
–Viet iced coffee — so strong! You can add water to get about 2 large cups of a refills worth.
For a large restaurant, it was pretty clean and the service fast but it may have to do with being one of of the first patrons on a Sunday morning before the lunch rush and church folks coming in.

They serve more than just sandwiches!!!
This became one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants in Houston for Bo Luc Loc (Marinated Tender Beef [translated literally to Shaking Beef]), Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Egg Crêpe), and Goi Vit (Vietnamese Duck and Cabbage Salad). All three dishes were very good and authentic! The Bo Luc Loc was very tasty, super tender, and goes really well with an extra order of fried egg. I just wish it came with a bit more meat but I was munching on other dishes too so it’s ok. The Banh Xeo was HUGE and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It comes with a plate of lettuce to wrap the Banh Xeo and is easily sharable. The Goi Vit plate was also huge and easily sharable. I highly recommend ordering these three dishes if you go here. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed their food.
As for drinks, order the Thien An special drink! Its a drink with coconut juice, lychee, green jelly, (I think) basil seeds, and crushed ice. It’s refreshing and not too sweet! It’s very similar to the ones you can get at Bamboo.
They own their own private parking lot so you shouldn’t have an issue with parking.