Mai's
| Mai's | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
  Location within Texas  Mai's (the United States) | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1978 |
| Owner(s) | Anna Pham[1] |
| Food type | Vietnamese |
| Dress code | casual |
| Street address | 3403 Milam Street |
| City | Houston |
| County | Harris |
| State | Texas |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 77002 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 29°44′28″N 95°22′48″W / 29.741192°N 95.379959°W |
| Website | maishouston |
Mai's is a Vietnamese restaurant in Houston, Texas that first opened in 1978.
History
Originally opened in 1978 by Phin and Phac Nguyen,[1] Mai's was the first restaurant in Houston to feature Vietnamese cuisine.[3] The couple named the restaurant after their daughter, who took over the business in 1990.[1] Her name means "golden flower", and this meaning, of significance to the family, along with its relatively simple pronunciation, was a reason for its selection.[4] Mai had a signature dish, a beef stew.[5]
A fire on February 15, 2010 caused most of the roof to collapse.[6] The fire did not cause any injuries reported to authorities.[7]
Authorities determined the incident was caused by a wok that caught fire.[3] The restaurant re-opened on April 16, 2011.[3] The business has since been passed down to Mai's daughter Anna.[1] Phin Nguyen died in 2017.[8]
Anthony Bourdain visited Mai's when he went to Houston in 2015. That year he stated the restaurant gave him "The first great meal and most memorable great meal I had in Houston".[9]
See also
- History of the Vietnamese-Americans in Houston
- List of Vietnamese restaurants
References
- ^ a b c d "The History of Mai's Restaurant". Mai's. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- Midtown Houston Management District. Retrieved on April 4, 2009. Map on page 25/25 of the PDF.
- ^ a b c Abrahams, Tom (April 18, 2011). "Mai's re-opens a year after devastating fire". KTRK-TV. Archived from the original on April 19, 2011.
- ISBN 9781440828652. - Previews of book pagesCITED: p. 771.
- ^ Morago, Greg (2011-05-01). "Mai's is better than ever". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
- ^ Glenn, Mike (February 15, 2010). "Popular Midtown restaurant Mai's catches fire". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "Two-alarm restaurant fire blamed on wok cooking". KTRK-TV. 2010-02-15. Archived from the original on 17 February 2010. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
- ^ Alfonso, Fernando III (2017-08-07). "Phin Nguyen, founder of Mai's Restaurant, has died". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
- ^ Bishop, Amy (2015-11-05). "Anthony Bourdain On Food, Art, And His Favorite Place To Eat In The Bayou City". Houston Public Media. Retrieved 2022-06-12. - Audio file