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Arco Seafood Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
9896 Bellaire BlvdHouston, TX 77036
Neighborhoods: Sharpstown, Chinatown
(713) 774-2888
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
David K. said: "Best Chinese restaurant in Missouri city/Sugar land. Clean restaurant, nice atmosphere, friendly staff, great food, and big portions without denting your wallet. I will definitely come back here and tell all my friends about this…" read more »
58 reviews for Arco Seafood Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"Peking duck - best in Houston, get it with the soup." In 19 reviews -
"Next we had the black pepper soft shell crab." In 6 reviews -
"Best dim sum in town." In 7 reviews
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58 reviews in English
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Review from David H.
5/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place has some solid dim sum, but here's a quick tip-don't come too early or else the place is empty!
I was definitely debating giving this place 3 stars, but in truth it's a solid 3.5 What makes it 3.5 and not 4? They gave us one item that was not what we had ordered, as we ordered the fried donut rice roll and they gave us a shrimp egg roll rice roll (which was gross don't get that) and they reuse their slips that you order on (which is just weird).
Otherwise this place has a lot of pluses that make it worthwhile. It's clean, bright, and has a cool chandelier on the ceiling, which is always a good contrast to the usual dark grimy Chinese restaurant that I go to. The food, while it comes out a bit on the slow side, comes to the table piping hot, delicious, and well made. The service is excellent, as the waiters will always stop by to check on you, and in addition to the dim sum menu you get the full menu too. The dim sum menu is a shade small compared to other places, but the full menu service makes up for it.
The tea is above average here too, which is always a plus!
Pros: Good ambiance, well lit, great service, decent prices
Cons: Too quit early in the morning, and a limited dim sum menu -
Review from Will W.
Houston, TX
4/28/2012
I was here on Friday, 4/27/2012 for lunch and encountered one of the worst service ever! I walked in and the place was packed, except for 2 tables left with one table way in the back right next to a wall and refrigerator; and the other is out in the open. So, obviously we chose and was seated by the better table. A waiter came to our table as asked if we were willing to switch to the "bad" table. I said we prefer this one. He was okay and started taking our orders. After we received our drinks, another lady in black attires (more of a waiter/supervisor/manager type), came to our table and "asked" can we move to the "bad" table. I said we preferred not... Then, she told us that this is reserved?! (This is after we have been seated by their host). So, I said I didn't see a reserved sign on the table? And then she mumbled like "if you want to be that way or something.... ", started shaking her head, and walked away.... I was just in shock?!
I spoke with the other wait staff and asked if there is a manage or owner present. They said the owner is not around. They said it is okay, no worries about the tables. The lady in black pasted by a few times and I asked her about what kind of customer service/attitude is she providing...? But, she just continues to shake her head, ignore my questions, and refuse to answer with no apology. I really don't want to be at a restaurant when the supervisor/manager doesn't want the customer to be there... so, we left the restaurant.
I understand it is Chi-town and service level might not always be "normal". BUT, I really didn't expect this rudeness at all. I have been to this restaurant many times. It has good food and service is usually a little better for service in the Chinatown area. I do hope this new lady in black (waiter/supervisor/manager) will not bring an okay restaurant down the drain... to just simple rude service. -
Review from Kellie Y.
2/10/2012
We came in on a Friday around 2:30ish for lunch. There were about 2 other tables besides us so it wasn't busy at all. Service was horrible. They don't come to check on you when you are ready to order and they don't refill water. We ordered 4 lunch specials. They came with soup so we wanted to get each soup. They only had one bowl of papaya soup and the rest hot and sour soup. The papaya soup was pretty good but the hot and sour soup was so diluted it tasted like water. Dish we ordered were:
Stir Fried Rice Noodle - The noodles were clumped together but taste was ok
Salt and pepper toasted squid - The squid was not crispy at all
Ma Po Tofu - The tofu was not spicy at all just sweet, which is a little odd
Chicken with Ginger/Onion Sauce on the side - Chicken didn't taste fresh at all. Tasted like a couple days old.
Although the food wasn't great at all, the portion size is pretty decent. This was our second time coming in. The first time we came in we had very bad service and this second time service was bad as well. We don't think we will ever come back because the food wasn't good and neither was service. -
Review from Julia S.
1/17/2012
I've been here a couple of times now, recently bringing some family members visiting from out of town. I was in charge of picking a place. Several members of the group had dietary restrictions - one can't eat shellfish, another didn't eat meat and some were trying to carb load for the marathon. Arco fit the bill! They serve a little bit of everything to fit everyone's needs.
Just like any restaurant, some things they do better than others. Both times I came here, we ordered the Peking duck. Highly recommend it! Your leftover duck meat is used either for soup or stir-fry with bean sprouts. I recommend the stir-fry. Other dishes I liked: walnut shrimp, black pepper ribs, and stir fry snow pea leaf. One dish I'd avoid: the softshell crab. Just like other Yelpers said, it had too much batter.
Overall, solid Chinese restaurant especially if you're looking for banquet style Chinese food.Listed in: Houston Ethnic Eats, Houston Chinatown
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Review from Alison L.
1/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
A chinatown star! Definitely one of the fancier places on Bellaire, fancy is a broad term encompassing everything - decor, service, and prices. The peking duck is a must, it comes with 2 dishes and I recommend the bean sprout option over the soup. Everything on the menu is pretty solid: the orange beef is legit, the fish is great (this is a seafood joint afterall), and I love their eggplant.
Helpful hint: They do take credit cards but won't split a check more than 3-ways so bring some cash if you come in a group.Listed in: Chowdown Chinatown
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Review from Edward T.
Houston, TX
4/13/2012
Peking duck is amazing here. Crispy skin, savory fatty juices and chewy meat. This place is different from other place as they dont skimp the meat. With every otder you get a choice of soup and buns. We also got the mushroom beef and holy crap, I never knew something could be so tasty. We had to fight over who gets the last serving. Let's just say I won.
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Review from Ro N.
New York, NY
1/3/2012
GP took a group of us here. They did the ordering, so not sure what exactly they ordered but here goes:
Peking Duck - love the fact it comes with guai bao! Sooooooooooooo good. The only thing that stood out.
Fish Maw Soup - decent, but I've had better versions and this definitely wasn't as good as the other ones.
Soft Shell Crab - good...well seasoned.
Meat with some red sauce - It's good, but a bit too sweet.
Chilled Chicken (that's yellow) with some dipping sauce on the side - I am not a huge chicken eater. People don't ever seem to make it right...it's always too dry. I don't like to eat the skin and this just wasn't so good for all that trouble.
Shrimp and Scallops - like the shrimp, but not the scallop
Steamed Fish - This was good and not as fishy as other Asian restaurants.
Mushroom - ummm this dish totally didn't want me to eat button mushrooms. I usually love shrooms, but not these kind.
Eggplant dish - eh, no wonder I am not a fan of eggplant.
This is all that I remember, so basically the duck and the fish are the only things that were good...everything else, not worth going. -
Review from Kelvin P.
3/14/2012
I believe Arco serves food Hong Kong / Cantonese style. I came with some Houston friends on their recommendation. We ordered a couple bowls of congee. This was my first time trying it and the dish was well suited for the particularly rainy day I came in. What we came for was the dim sum, which was made-to-order and fresh. The atmosphere is slightly more formal than most Chinese restaurants, to Arco's advantage. I wouldn't hesitate to come again. Other reviewers' comments about the lackluster service are true.
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Review from Jin C.
Houston, TX
12/7/2011
This place is da bomb! Here's what I always get - you can't go wrong:
Peking duck - best in Houston, get it with the soup
Baked chicken with jellyfish - careful it's room temperature
Green beans with XO sauce - perfect balance of crispiness and tenderness
Sauteed fish with broccoli and vegetables - sorry not really sure what it's called
It's helpful because their menu has nice pictures and you can pick stuff that looks good. I've tried other not-so-tasty items like lobster noodles and salt and pepper shrimp.
Nice decor and the service is pretty good, although you get ignored occasionally when they're busy. -
Review from Maigen A.
1/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
In the words of my boyfriend, "this place is REALLY Asian." Spot on, my love, spot on. Arco Seafood Restaurant sits right next door to our most beloved restaurant of all time, Jang Guem, and we've always noticed crowds of people going in, so we made a mental note to give it a try one day. Unfortunately, since we love Jang Guem so much, I didn't think we'd ever get around to it. Then, divine intervention struck - in the form of Jang Guem being randomly closed one night - so we ended up coming here.
AMBIANCE: As several reviews have stated, Arco is a lot fancier looking than your typical Chinese joint. You walk in through the glass doors and you're greeted by high walls, bright lights, glass table-tops, animal-print booths and chairs, and a nice TV showcasing today's news. There are about 4-5 booths along the left wall, with small tables and big family-style tables scattered all over the room. In fact, you'd never guess this was an Asian establishment until you get a glimpse of the live fish tanks on the rear wall.
FOOD: I don't think Arco's name fits the restaurant because they offer a LOT more than seafood here. The menu is vast (but it has pictures, so that's helpful!) - lucky for me, I have Yelp! At first, we opted for the Yelp-favorited Peking Duck/House Special Duck, but our waitress quickly informed us they were out of duck. Bummer. Instead, we ordered the Peking Chicken (which comes with a big bowl of ginger-cabbage-pork-tofu soup concoction) and Steamed Fish Tails. We didn't care for the soup at all - the broth was bland and I bit into one too many ginger slices. The Fish Tails tasted all right, but I was a little turned off because the tails felt slimy and undercooked. The Peking Chicken was probably the best dish we had and - I totally didn't know this - it comes with little steamed buns, so you're supposed to eat it "sandwich style." Plates ran around $8-12 a pop ($30+ for those famous crab dishes), but the portions are family-style and big enough to share. Our bill came up to $35.
SERVICE: Arco may be smack-dab in "What-Is-Service?" Chinatown, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much better service was at this restaurant. We were seated immediately (instead of being "pointed" to a table), they gave us plenty of time to scourge the menu, and didn't hustle us to order. I'll admit I was a little annoyed of the language barrier (I always am), but you get used to it after awhile, and it's hard to stay in a bitter mood when the waitress is so timid and sweet. Though, I will recommend coming here with either someone who speaks Chinese or someone with a good repertoire of Chinese food - otherwise, this visit can be a bit intimidating.
I can't say we'll be back. Arco Seafood Restaurant held its own and I'm glad we tried it, but it's just not our cup of tea. Besides, Jang Guem is right next door. You don't want to have to compare yourself to that!
**They DO accept credit cards here. -
Review from jim h.
10/23/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Time to up this to a 5, due to standing the test of time.
Highlights:
Cashew Shrimp
Salty fish fried rice with shrimp. Seriously, you can't beat their fried rice at this price range anywhere that I know of.
Shredded pork with yellow chives. Not beatable.
Service is good, if you know what waiters to go for and what waiters to avoid. Oh, and the guy cleaning tables is more than happy to serve you compared to the actual waiters in some instances. (We go with small parties and order cheap stuff, so management apparently doesn't like us very much. But who freaking cares? It's good food.)
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The price to quality ratio for food here is seriously impressive. Service is flaky, but more on that later.
Sweet & sour fish - lightly battered fresh fish in a tangy sweet and sour sauce. More depth than the typical stuff you get at 4.99 Chinese buffets.
Cashew shrimp - done excellent here.
Peking duck - good, but I've seen better. Needs more texture for the skin. Otherwise, a good choice.
Fried rice - done right with proper amount of "wok hei".
Lobster w/ noodles - not bad, but also not impressive. Too expensive IMO.
Decor: this place is Michelin 3 stars compared to most (ie almost every other) Chinese restaurant in the area. A place that you won't mind taking prospective clients to, as someone suggested.
Service: Ugh. Sometimes they can be quite decent, or excellent even for a Chinese restaurant. Other times especially when they're busy, it becomes mediocre or even horrendous. Not the most polite too.
Overall: since there aren't any Chinese places around up to this standard, this gets a 4, despite the service. -
Review from Elizabeth T.
Houston, TX
10/7/2011
I REALLY like this place!
The seafood here is fantastic. The fish and crab are great though a little pricey. I like the walnut shrimp, and you know, even the beef dishes and vegetable dishes here are good too. It's a very solid restaurant and I really don't think you can go wrong ordering anything here.
It's clean, has high ceilings, and well-lit.
After reading the reviews, I'll be sure to try the peking duck next time I visit. -
Review from Melissa M.
Sugar Land, TX
Just because a place is in Chinatown doesn't mean they have to skimp or have bad service. We went here with a group of 8 and enjoyed our food for the most part. Our waitress was very difficult to understand and communicate with. We ordered Peking duck to start with. It comes with the white puffy buns rather than pancakes. Delicious Peking duck! I really enjoyed everything about the Peking duck and would go back just for that. We then ordered several other dishes. The sweet and sour spare ribs were more bone than anything and I definitely wouldn't get those again. Some of the other dishes were good like the pan fried noodles and snow pea leaves.
We waited at the end of our meal for our check, then we waited and waited. They are very slow. We asked for dessert (as I read from others that there is free dessert) but they told us the kitchen was now closed. Why not at least mention it to us before the kitchen closed?
The Peking Duck was a 4 star dish and many of the other items were 3 star dishes. The service was less than 3 stars, for sure. The price wasn't too bad ($15 a person in our group which included tax and tip). It's too bad the service sucks or else I'd be there for Peking duck regularly.Listed in: I love Asian Food!, My Adventures in Chinatown
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Review from JBean C.
Sugar Land, TX
8/6/2011
Came here yesterday for dinner. My parents came 2x before but didn't order as they were guests and I've only read reviews. It was my 1st time and important because it was the 1st time my parents would be meeting my BF's.
Service - terrible for a Chinese restaurant. I mean, usually, the service is never great because the people don't smile and are always rushed, but I've never experienced SLOW service and being ignored or having to ask for refills repeatedly.
Food - not good, we ordered 6 dishes and 1 soup and ended up drinking at least 4 glasses of water each. They were heavy on the salt and msg and I know this because I'm rather sensitive to it and felt like I had cotton mouth all night. These were dishes we order at other restaurants along Bellaire and my parents and I can safely agree that Arco was by far the loser.
Ambiance - clean for a Chinese restaurant, relatively nice, was actually thinking it might be nice to host a small engagement party here before I went through the whole experience.
There are more options out there so I probably won't be going back. -
Review from Peter C.
7/26/2011
This place is fancy. Upon entering the restaurant, you start to feel the level of class as far as the decor and furniture.
Other than that, food and price was average. I am definitely putting this place in my top 5 to eat dim sum. -
Review from Jamison U.
Kansas City, MO
5/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
This was one of the greatest Chinese food experiences I have had since I returned from Hong Kong. Previous reviews that complained of service issues might not be fully in tune with how service works in most traditional Chinese restaurants.
I had a great selection of Dim Sum for lunch, the only congee I have had in months, and some pretty decent table tea.
All of my dishes were prepared quite well, very tasty, and optimally portioned (like all Dim Sum).
If your looking for great Cantonese food in Houston this is your place. -
Review from John G.
Friendswood, TX
12/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very good! Great food! Very nice atmosphere! One of the best restaurant in town.
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Review from Kevin T.
Union City, CA
12/27/2010 1 Check-in Here
Aside from the fact that the name of the restaurant reminds me of the gas station back in California, the first impression I got was that this place looks really nice. The china, seats, decor all work well with each other and it's all very clean.(restrooms are pretty decent) The restaurant is well lit and spacious. They can easily accommodate a party of 10. When you first enter the restaurant you can see that they have a nice selection of wines. Seeing as I don't drink wine in front of my family, someone else will have to tell you about their specific wines that they carry. They also have a large flat screen just in case there was a game you wanted to watch. (this time it was the Lakers vs. Heat on christmas day) Seats are comfy and the wait time for food, minimal.
We ordered one of the prefixed meals. If you want to change any of the items on the menu, you'll get charged extra. I basically judge all chinese restaurants on their ability to make honey walnut prawns, since that's my favorite dish. It was pretty ok, the shrimp was fried but was a little bit soggy and the sauce was a bit more zesty than usual. There were exactly 12 prawns so it comes out to be about a dollar each. The steamed fish and beef with bell peppers and cashew nuts were dishes that were delicious in my opinion. Flavorful and not too salty. The snow peas with shrimp was a bit too salty and the house special chicken, wasn't so special. Actually the chicken was really cold. But for 169.80 for 8 person meal (we had 7 adults 2 kids), I must say it's not too shabby. All the dishes were pretty large in portion size.
In terms of service, the waiters and waitresses were relatively attentive. They never really came over to ask how we were doing, but when you asked for something, they'd bring it to you pretty promptly.
I've read a few reviews exclaiming about the Peking duck, I must agree that they give a lot of meat, but the meat itself was pretty bland and unexciting. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the greatest I've ever tasted.
Last thing, they didn't have any dessert at the end of the meal, slightly disappointing, but I was so full, it was ok. (granted there's always room for dessert) Thanks for reading and I hope you find this helpful.
Kevin -
Review from Nene D.
Conroe, TX
6/26/2011
You know...for an asian, you'd think I'd like Chinese food...but after eating here (on my uncle's suggestion), I realize i don't really like it. So for me to write a review about the restaurant would be unfair as my palate prefers other cuisines over this one.
I took my mother here for her birthday and I guess we just ordered the wrong dishes. They all tasted the same to us and we were not impressed. Don't want to say much more other than we won't be going back...but again...I don't like chinese food. -
Review from Kelly N.
8/25/2010 2 photos
I had my bday dinner here last night. Overall I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. We ordered the peking duck, shrimp with walnut, and battered soft shell crab with butter. Peking duck was presented beautifully and the pieces were cut thinly to pack it into the bun. I hate it when the pieces are too big and you have to sit there and tug at it. Buns were steaming. $28 a dish. Shrimp with walnut was good as well. Probably tastes typical but it was a lot better than what I had at Tan Tan. Then for the crab...I don't really care for this dish. It was ok, but I just don't like things that are covered in a whole lotta batter.
Prices are a little higher as other people have stated, but the atmosphere is nice, clean, and modern for a Chinese restaurant in Bellaire. I would definitely be back and maybe try other dishes if I can figure out which ones are good. :) -
Review from Christina N.
Houston, TX
9/12/2010 1 photo
I truly enjoyed a this lovely family style dinner. Delicious meal. Thanks Arco!
Peking duck - 5/5: Lots of meat and the crispy skin was excellent
Steamed fish - 4/5
Beef w/ peanuts - 5/5: SO GOOD! tender and tasty
Lobster w/ sauce - 5/5
Mushroom w/ baby bokchoy? 4/5
Shrimp & vegetable - 4/5
Soup - 5/5
Softshell crab - 3/5: more batter than crab
Personal favorite: Walnut shrimpListed in: Asian Cuisine on Bellaire…, The occasional urge to…
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Review from Tiffany S.
Highland Park, NJ
7/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
I avoid eating Chinese food in Chinatown like the plague. Call me spoiled, but once you eat Cantonese food in Hong Kong, everything else tastes like poo. Greasy, old, MSG-stuffed poo. But not Arco Seafood!
Arco Seafood is the first place that is actually comparable to places (chian-tengs if you will, but a bit nicer) I've eaten at in HK. I had a graduation dinner here so we ordered one of their banquet meals (9 dishes or something like that). Pretty much everything was delicious.
We definitely had peking duck, steamed fish, walnut shrimp, and snow pea shoots because those are my faves but I forgot all the others. Well, I lied. We also ordered a mushroom tofu dish for a vegetarian and it was AMAZING! I could've eaten half of it myself (it's a huge bowl) but I couldn't steal her food. Shouldn't. Didn't. Only a little. And only because she said she was full.
Decor is also nicer than the usual Chinatown dives so I guess you pay a little more for that. But the food is totally worth it. Service might be slow at times but I've come to expect it in Chinatown. Not even a factor. -
Review from Alexander T.
Houston, TX
This is one of the few 'nicer' places within Chinatown that I would feel comfortable bringing a prospective client or for a celebration.
I recommend the Peking Duck, Walnut Shrimp, Orange and Filet Fish (I don't remember what it is called, but it has a unique presentation).
The platters are large and the food is great. This is going to be the next Fung's Kitchen where it is widely accepted by the non-asian population because it is CLEAN, and interior decor is very nice, with both traditional and american style dishes. -
Review from David S.
Houston, TX
Back for dinner. Good seafood with some of the classic dishes of Cantonese seafood. We had a asparagus crab soup, shrimp with walnut, lobsert with ginger scallion sauce and a mushroom hotpot. The latter was creative and tasty. Worth asking which dish as fresh seafood, which are frozen and which items are canned. Unfortunately, too many items are frozen or canned.
Staff was helpful and pleasant.
They have a couple of rooms for private groups and plenty of tables for parties up to 8 or 10 people.
Why did they lose a star on the dinner review? Too many items were not fresh. It is expected that Long John Silver is going to serve previously frozen fish, but ARCO is getting up to the price of a moderate range Western restaurant, and in a Western seafood restaurant, entrees use fresh caught fish/crab/oysters. The decore in the dining area at ARCO started off well but needs to be cleaned up, and the wait staff needs better multilingual skills (English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, etc.)1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/13/2010
Upscale quality Chinese restaurant on Bellaire Blvd. Newer and more stylish than Fung's, and not… Read more »
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Review from Wendy L.
8/4/2010 8 Check-ins Here
This Chinese restaurant is more decorated to look upscale than any of the other restaurants around it. However they're not just for looks since they don't disappoint on the food.
My family came here to eat dinner one night and to start we ordered the peking duck. I'm more a fan for the pancake peking duck instead of the fluffy bread but the duck in this was super delicious! I won't complain.
The other things I found enjoyable eating at this restaurant was their cold chicken and the steamed fish pieces. The steamed fish pieces were soft and flaky while the chicken had great flavor. Definitely two other winners!
Note their prices are a little higher than the other chinese restaurants but since their food doesn't disappoint I won't mind paying the little extra. -
Review from Kristine H.
Houston, TX
10/3/2009
Arco Seafood is in the huge, newer shopping center behind Sinh Sinh. It's clean, spacious, and well-lit. Overall, the food was good due to the freshness of the ingredients -- especially the seafood (go figure) since they have their huge grocery store-sized fish tanks filled with dungenous grab, fish, etc. Seafood "caught" and made to order!
I went with my husband and his family and the meal for 6 was ordered + the peking duck.
The peking duck was awesome! The thing that differentiated this peking duck from the rest was the generous amount of meat and the freshness of the green onions. Usually, when you eat peking duck, you only get a few good meaty slices and the rest is the crispy skin. Also, the green onions are usually the white parts closer to the root. Definitely not the case here! Only complaint was the duck was a LITTLE salty.
There are 6 courses for the meal for 6 rounding off to about $80 for it all. 4 of the 6 courses were good. (1) The soup was a crab soup which lacked much flavor. (2) There was a chicken soup that was super salty. (3) the steamed garlicy bok choy was good. (4) So was the dungeness crab -- soooo fresh. Don't expect to eat this with your chopsticks. You're going to have to use your fingers and get that garlicy smell stuck on them for the rest of the night to really enjoy it. (5) There was also a beef dish stir fried with mushroom. Tasty, tender beef. (6) Creamy fish filets with snow peas.
Don't forget to ask them for rice. They don't automatically bring it out in a big tub like usual Chinese restaurants. They bring out the little bowls when requested. I like this because (a) you know your rice isn't being recycled like it usually is in other restaurants (b) it's straight from the cooker so it's hot and fresh.
I would go back again!Listed in: Chinese Food
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Review from M B.
Austin, TX
12/30/2009
I live in Austin, and I don't get to Houston much, but when I do, I always make the parents take me to their current favorite place in Chinatown West so I can have lunch before I hit the Beltway up to I-10 back home. My parents follow the local Chinese restaurant scene with gusto - they follow the good chefs as they move from place to place, they know where the best of any regional cuisine is at any given time, and no matter where we go, the owner always bustles out to shake my Dad's hand. (A good word from my Dad means more business!)
Today, the parents took me to Arco. And it was GREAT. We got:
Sea cucumber, crab and fish maw soup - love that the slippery, spongy sea cucumber
House special tofu clay pot - lovely tender tofu in the most fragrant broth - almost better than the soup
Stir-fried snow pea leaves -a simple but perennial favorite
Sweet and sour ribs - the real Chinese vinegary kind - no neon here
Steamed pork with salty fish - oh so good but not for the faint of heart
Salt & pepper fried croaker fish pieces - a little spicy and served with red onion slivers
Steamed whole fish - the centerpiece of the meal - just steamed with soy sauce, slivered green onions and ginger - MMMMMMM
Every dish was terrific, and prices were very reasonable - total for this heavy-on-seafood meal was $97.
So here's the big question - was it as good as the ever-popular Fung's Kitchen? I'd say it was comparable. But as everyone knows, Fung's Kitchen has gotten super-pricey, and parking is a bear. Arco is similar quality for half the price and parking right up front. And even better, it is located right down the mall from Classic Kitchen, so you can also pick up some Taiwanese take-out before heading home!
Five stars for Arco - except I gotta ask, what's up with the name? The Chinese name is Dong Hai, which means Eastern Sea. Eastern Sea is a far more poetic name than Arco - Arco sounds like a steel fabrication company. Ah well. -
Review from Esther L.
Sugar Land, TX
5/24/2009 2 Check-ins Here
If we have out-of-town guests, my parents will bring them to Arco Seafood. My uncle, who has super high expectations, ate here 3 times in one week when he visited. It's relatively new, nicely decorated, and clean!
We love their fresh seafood, peking duck, and this clay pot dish that has pork and eggplant...soo good.
Decently priced and convenient - looking forward to going back! -
Review from Drew W.
Houston, TX
9/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
Best dim sum in town?
Quite possibly, but then again I'm not the expert.
It was really good, and the price for what you get is totally worth the drive to Bellaire!!! : ) -
Review from Jessica W.
Houston, TX
3/31/2008
My mom was in town this past weekend, and despite the fact that she herself is Chinese and can cook way better than any restaurant, she always insists on going to Chinatown for dinner when she's here. Being the lovers of sea creatures that we are (erm, lovers of eating sea creatures, that is), we decided on Arco Seafood Restaurant at around 9:00 on a Saturday night. We usually go to Sinh Sinh, Pho Dung, or a number of other little holes in the wall, but we wanted to branch out and try one of the restaurants that had opened up in the newer Golden Foods Supermarket center.
The place was near-empty, which is surprising for any restaurant in Chinatown at 9 pm. The waitress came over and chatted with us a bit, and told us that we actually just missed the dinner rush. Fine by us! Since it was our first time there, she gave us some tips on what to order and what to avoid. I'm not sure I can say what service an everyday American would receive here (as with all restaurants in Chinatown) because we were speaking Chinese to her, so maybe that helped, but she was attentive and friendly. I know that most Asian restaurants are notorious for bad service, and it's true.
The softshell crab and shrimp that we ordered were crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and had a wonderful flavor. It was served with sliced red onion, whole black pepper kernels, scallions, and red peppers on top. We also ordered a vegetable called "empty heart", and it was tasty as well, although I prefer when it's prepared with a bit more garlic. By the end of dinner, all three dishes were gone and it was "covertly unbutton the top of your pants" time. Oh yeah. That's a definite sign of a good meal.
The decor was nice and elegant, and my mom reported that the bathrooms were clean, although I never saw them myself. I will definitely come here again, especially if I'm hankering for some delicious seafood. And typing about it right now has made the hankering begin... -
Review from Omar F.
Medford, MA
3/26/2010 1 Check-in Here
In Japan they say that you know if you are at a good Sushi restaurant based on the rice. This may not be a sushi restaurant, but I was surprised even by their rice!
We ordered the following:
Sauteed Chicken - Delicious!
Sole Fish - Very good, even if I'm not a seafood lover.
Chicken Soup, or was it scallop soup? This one threw me off cause we ordered a scallop soup and all I could see was chicken. There were some threads of scallop there, I think, but I really couldn't find a big piece of scallop or anything.
The pecking duck only comes in big portions, and I wanted to have many dishes to try on my first visit, so I saved it for next time. When I have a chance to go again, I will definitely have a pecking duck dinner since everyone is going crazy about it! It did look delicious, the people on the table next to us were eating it... :D
EDIT:
I went today with my friend and we shared the Pecking Duck, all I have to say is... that stuff is made out of happiness! So delicious. Go get it. :) One more star for these kids. :) -
Review from David C.
8/18/2009
Last week, a couple of friends from out of town were driving through Houston (from California to Atlanta) and we decided to do Chinese. Esther L always talks about Arco Seafood so we go there...
I was pretty impressed. First, I was impressed by the lighting and spacing of the restaurant. It is a large, large restaurant (and it was half empty on a Friday night) and it was very well lit: much more so than the dingy Sinh Sinh it resides behind. Next, I noticed how cold it was in the restaurant. AC had to be set at 70 degrees or below--I sleep with a comforter and long PJs in the summer--can't handle it. Enough about the ambiance and my sleeping habits.
We ordered walnut shrimp, pepper steak on sizzling plate, some sort of tofu with ground meat dish, soft shell crab, and fried rice. The food was indeed hit or miss. The beef on sizzling plate was definitely a miss. It was incredibly fatty and it was difficult to even get the meat off the bone. The soft shell crab was by far the best dish of the night and it was garnished with jalapeno, onion, and cilantro. However, it was the most expensive of the dishes and had the smallest portion. The walnut shrimp, tofu dish, and fried rice were all somewhere in between: average, unremarkable.
Overall, I liked Arco Seafood. I don't mind paying a few extra bucks to not see something crawling on the wall. I also don't like how crowded other Chinese family-style restaurants are so when the girlfriend and I decided to do Chinese banquet-style date night (in which we'll order 6 dishes for the 2 of us), Arco will probably be the place. -
Review from Dan C.
4/22/2010
And this is why I miss Houston so much. I'm sorry NC, you have nothing on the Chinese food here. Period. End of story.
After a slightly delayed 3 hour flight from Raleigh to Houston, my wife and I arrived tired, haggard and hungry. Upon the suggestion of my parents, they recommended this place...but thinking that they still had dim sum. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) we were much too late for their daily dimsum offering (only 10am - 4pm). That's okay, we ordered 3 dishes which were all spectacular and realistically would be worth a 6 star rating in NC (if that were even possible). We ordered the sole fish with broccoli, a ginormous pan fried seafood noodle and a shrimp paste stuffed eggplant. All 3 dishes hit the spot and had me homesick from the first bite....I think I cried a little eating the perfectly cooked succulent shrimp in the pan fried noodle dish. Seriously. I got in touch with my feminine side.
Considering that we showed up on a Thursday night at 9pm (they close at 10pm on Thursdays), we ordered and had our food on the table in less than 15 minutes. All of the seafood (fish, squid, shrimp and shrimp paste) were cooked to perfection - not over done, just right and still juicy. I was impressed by the eggplant dish with shrimp paste as they use real shrimp in the paste - you can see bits of whole shrimp crushed into the paste! The only complaint I have is that the sole with broccoli was slightly too salty. But that was remedied easily with a bit of rice.
I've had better...but for some reason tonight, this was about as near to perfection to that good Houston Chinese food that I craved...and it made my home coming oh so nice. A solid 4 stars with efficient service from the waitstaff and ginormous servings for 4 people (we took home leftovers!). Thank you Arco Seafood, I feel right at home again in the Bayou City! -
Review from Taylor M.
Austin, TX
3/20/2011
Best Cantonese food in Houston's chinatown in my opinion. Usually, i use chong bao beef(green onion beef) to benchmark a place and if they fuck that up, it probably means the sifu in the back doesn't know how to use a wok. Theirs is ridiculously tender with no hint of toughness or gristle.
Also their lunch deal dishes are legit. I never order that walnut/prawn/mayo thingie but I saw a table get it. For 6.99, you get around 12 jumbo shrimp with a light lemony sheen of kewpiesh mayo, perfectly crisp and juicy. yay cholesterol..
I've ordered off their regular menu, which is a little more expensive. They offer live seafood and you can goto the tanks and pick out what you want. Market price hurts here, so I wouldn't get this shit unless I needed to impress someone...I think we got a medium sized grouper once(pretty freaking good) and it was around 60 bucks(better be fucking delicious)?
Anyways..their decor is nice(r)..and they probably have one of the cleanest bathrooms in Houston's Chinatown. Props to these guys for providing a higher end experience and an affordable option for lunch. -
Review from Larae M.
11/24/2008
Ate here last night since Sinh Sinh is still closed due to mold (eww). It was our first time there and we were pleasantly surprised! I'm a huge fan of seafood and that menu was to die for!
What we ordered:
1. Soft shell crab (salt toasted and with a bit of butter)
2. Baby Bok Choy with garlic
3. Steamed Sea Bass (drool)
Between the boyfriend and I, we POLISHED the plates! Definitely coming back here.
Extra points for:
1. Upscale decor: they really made an effort to create a better ambiance and they succeeded!
2. Dinnerware: Nice solid platters, bamboo chopsticks
Minus points for:
1. The A/C: bring a sweater, or two.
2. The one cup of rice: haha, seriously, my bf had to keep asking for extra cups.
Next time, I'm definitely having the shark's fin soup! mmmm....Listed in: Bellaire Restaurants
-
Review from Winston G.
Chicago, IL
8/19/2009
Not much to say-- this is an authentic Chinese restaurant that does a good job with the decor and serves pretty decent food. Walnut shrimp was great, the beef with black pepper sauce a bit too fatty, but the fried rice was awesome. Not a huge fan of the soft shelled crab dish, but the mapu tofu was great.
All in all, final bill came out to be very affordable-- less than $15 a person, which is what you would expect at a Chinese restaurant. Would come back here again for sure. -
Review from Bill Z.
Houston, TX
6/17/2008
We had a nice evening at Arco. The service was friendly and helpful; they were eager to show off their fresh fish in their tank. The live fish seemed to be a bit out of our price range, so we stuck with three dishes that were more in our budget:
Salt and pepper shrimp- quite good. The shrimp was crispy and flavorful, be sure to toss the garlic and peppers that are underneath the shrimp before eating, as this definitely made the latter shrimp even better than the first.
The crispy noodles with seafood was also good. The dish was very light, so I felt the need to add some chili oil to enhance the flavor a little bit. The fish served with the dish was a highlight.
Speaking of fish, try the orange peel fish. It was the final dish in our meal, and it was delicious. We will order it when we go back.
The chrysanthemum tea was delicious accompaniment to our meal and warmed us up nicely, as they had the A/C cranking in the restaurant. -
Review from Anthony L.
Boston, MA
12/28/2011
peking duck and peking chicken were awesome!
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Review from Chit C.
McKinney, TX
8/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Dim Sum here is awesome! It is really crowed on Saturday lunchtime.
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Review from Shannon Y.
Houston, TX
9/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
This is definitely one of the better Chinese restaurants on Bellaire. The owner of the restaurant actually came out to greet us and personally served us. He recommended some dishes whose names I don't remember but I definitely remember the Peking duck. It was very good. I'm not a fan of the steamed buns just because I don't like buns in general but I happily ate a little more than my share of the dish.
The place was clean which was really nice. I've really only been there with my family and usually I let my mom order since she's a little more knowledgeable about Chinese cuisine than I am, but I have yet to be disappointed in any of the dishes there. Their crab meat and fish maw soup is delicious. This is our go to soup whenever we're out at asian restaurants and they do not disappoint. The servings are a little small but a lot bigger than at Fung's Kitchen. For the six of us we had 4 dishes including soup and peking duck, we walked out of there happy and full. I'm definitely going back there.
