Tucked away in Chinatown’s Dun Huang Plaza, Hunan Bistro offers delicious, firey cuisine. We try some specialties from the dinner menu and return for lunch.

9889 Bellaire Blvd, Ste D-254, Houston, TX 77036
(832) 991-8609
unofficial Facebook page

10:30am–10:00pm Mon–Thu, 10:00am–10:30pm Fri–Sun

Last visited on August 22, 2018

The two-story Dun Huang Plaza is a dining Byzantium but it is hard to miss which one of its infinite restaurants issues the greatest dare to culinary thrill-seekers. Scrunched in a back corner, Hunan Bistro announces itself with a logo resembling the poster for the Asian leg of a Rolling Stones world tour. Disembodied lips part to let a lolling green tongue lap at Chinese characters consumed by stylized, finger-like blazes. Translation apps render the phrase “spicy” or “it’s hot,” but despite the flaming logo, this exceptional restaurant offers more than thrill-ride levels of capsaicin.

For the benefit of those unable to read Chinese or envision what vague translations would look like on a plate, ordering at Hunan Bistro is a demystified process. Diners receive a tabloid-sized menu lavishly illustrated with life-like photos of almost every item. Here’s what we ordered on two afternoon visits, the first to celebrate a birthday and the second to try their lunch specials:

Crispy pork intestine ($13.99, full order): These fried slices of intestine check two boxes of desired textures—crackle and chew—and they are made more addictive by the company of flash-cooked onions, dried red chiles, and Sichuan peppercorns. If you are on the fence about consuming guts, this dish reminiscent of crispy chicharrones could be your gateway to the wonderful world of viscera. Everyone who tried these at our table floated their chopsticks over to this plate many times. While some of us noted that this same dish can be much hotter when served at several local Sichuan restaurants, its numbing mala quality is undeniable, which the slow build of the heat enhances, as do the sweetness of the onions.

Steamed needle mushroom with house special sauce ($12.99, full order): Sized for a banquet, this plate of enoki mushrooms served with bean thread noodles looks demure. Do not be fooled. It has enough heat to warrant a few sets of skull and crossbones, plenty of garlic to ruin the end of a first date, and a flavor so profoundly umami that more than one of us had flashbacks of linguini with clam sauce or, if you’ve spent much time in Connecticut, Frank Pepe’s white clam pizza. But Hunan Bistro’s mushroom dish contains no discernible shellfish and, of course, no parmesan; so we attribute the savoriness to the heroic quantity of mushrooms and whatever secret ingredients comprise “house special sauce.” An unexpected dish deserving as many stars as its red pepper emojis on the menu.

Spicy boneless chicken with chili ($6.99 lunch special): This is an item found on Sichuan menus under various names, including Chongqing Chicken, and Hunan Bistro’s recipe follows the same guidelines: chunks of deboned meat crispy-fried with dried red chiles, scallions, and Sichuan peppercorns. Their version hits the sweet spot on seasoning: noticeably salty with thrilling, but not overpowering levels of chili heat and numbing peppercorns. In an ideal universe, these spicy, golden nuggets of joy would accompany your cold beer at every street-corner tavern.

Boiled fish filet with hot chili ($7.99 lunch special): This belongs in the family of the water-boiled dishes, which again you can order at many Sichuan restaurants. Think fish filet slices (tilapia, most likely) and bean sprouts in a  spicy-hot broth based on fermented chili bean paste with pools of red oil floating on top. Hunan Bistro’s version is delicious, with prominent aromatics and flavors in the five-spice ballpark, such as cinnamon, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorn. This dish came out from the kitchen boiling hot and tasted better and better as it cooled.

Mashed garlic AA choy ($5.99 lunch special): Served in a light, savory sauce with lots and lots of garlic, these leafy greens were a great foil for the hotter and oilier dishes in our lunch.

Appetizers: On our first trip, we ordered scallion pancakes and potstickers, which were fresh, not too greasy, and fine examples of these popular sides. But next time we plan to save stomach real estate for more house specialties.

Despite serving exciting, high-quality fare and opening before noon, Hunan Bistro was sedate during the two times we visited for a late lunch. But the lack of crowds were no indication of the food, and deals can be had if you ask the waitstaff to bring you a battered, taped-together “lunch special” menu, from which you can order smaller portions at reduced prices until 3 pm. Note: these do not include the usual soup and/or fried rice and/or egg roll, but you will get plenty of steamed white rice.