Crawfish & Noodles

"There might be some debate on whether the turkey necks at Crawfish & Noodles qualify as a soup. But we’re willing to expand our definition for this Chinatown dish. The giant mounds of turkey feel like a support to the thick broth laced with cayenne pepper. It’s spicy and a little smoky, and we love spooning up the tender pieces of meat that fall into the broth." - gianni greene, chelsea thomas, julie takahashi

"The only way to experience Crawfish & Noodles is by ordering their seafood boil. This Chinatown institution has tables lined in plastic and is full of folks cracking crawfish, only stopping for the occasional swig of beer. The best Viet-Cajun crawfish in the city comes smothered in garlic and perfectly spiced with loads of cayenne. And if you want to take the sweeter route, order your mudbugs and crab legs covered in a sticky tamarind glaze. Just know things will get messy at Crawfish & Noodles, and it's absolutely worth it." - gianni greene, julie takahashi, chelsea thomas

"From the folks sucking back crawfish heads to the goldfish hoovering up every morsel in their tank, everyone is chowing down at Crawfish & Noodles, a Viet-Cajun institution in Chinatown. Cajun dishes including boiled crawfish and turkey necks are infused with Vietnamese flavors like lemongrass, ginger, chili, and fish sauce. Dining here feels like stumbling into a wayward sports bar, where the TVs blare Astros games, and everyone is donning bibs and comically large plastic gloves like cartoon surgeons while frantically snapping crawfish in half. It may be a little unconventional, but who cares? The food is really, really good. What to order: crawfish by the pound, turkey neck, phở" - chelsea thomas

"When you eat at Crawfish & Noodles, things will get messy. At this Chinatown institution, each table is full of folks fully committed to slurping back crawfish and frantically cracking spiky crab legs, only stopping for the occasional swig of beer. And blazing through pounds of crustaceans smothered in Viet-Cajun spices while a Rockets game plays in the background makes this spot feel quintessentially Houston. But Crawfish & Noodles contains multitudes—besides seafood, it’s also home to some of the city’s most tender braised turkey necks, too. Bring every seafood lover you know and be thankful that you exist in the same universe as this place." - chelsea thomas, gianni greene

"Viet-Cajun crawfish is a distinctly Houston dish, and there’s no better place to find it than this James Beard Award-nominated spot in Asiatown. Big, juicy mudbugs tossed in a spicy, buttery, garlicky sauce will have even skeptical crawfish newbies coming back for more. Though crawfish is the most obvious order, other dishes like the basil fried rice, pho, and fried seafood options — namely, the salt-pepper crab and shrimp, are worthy options. If you can’t make it to Asiatown, try the restaurant’s new outpost in the Houston Farmers Market in the Heights." - Brittany Britto Garley