Top 10 Restaurants in EaDo

Last weekend the neighborhood formerly known as Chinatown or Eastside had a coming-out party, and like a confirmed Catholic or a geisha, they celebrated with a new moniker--EaDo, short for East of Downtown. The townhouses have already started arriving, so check out these gems before a developer tears some of them down for a condo tower or a Chili's.

​10. Champ Burger 304 Sampson St. Under a shaded patio, dig into the house-specialty steak sandwich, a juicy, greasy mess served up in wax paper, alongside a super-thick, creamy milkshake. Do not attempt to use the truck-stop-ish bathrooms.

Photo by AJ Gazmin

Shrimp balls with crab claws at Kim Son

​9. Kim Son 2001 Jefferson St. There are those who say Kim Son isn't what it once was, but the same is said of every Houston legend. The buffet wins more for its variety than for the quality of the individual dishes, but with hot pot, Chinese barbecue, sushi, crab, crawfish and all manner of pan-Asian dishes, it's hard to complain. The spring rolls and Vietnamese soups are particularly good.

8. Villa Arcos
3009 Navigation Blvd.
The breakfast tacos here made to order and known for their deliciously fatty chucks of bacon. The thick, fresh flour tortillas alone would be worth the trip.

Photo courtesy of Thiem Hung

​7. Thiem Hung 2108 Pease St. This place is the epitome of an ethnic hole-in-the-wall, but the bahn mi is crazy tasty, with bread fresh from the in-house bakery. Other homestyle Vietnamese classics like pho and vermicelli are delicious too.