Mai's
{{Short description|Vietnamese restaurant in Houston, Texas, U.S.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox restaurant
| name = Mai's
| logo =
| logo_width =
| logo_alt =
| image = File:Mai's - 03 - Front.jpg
| image_width = 300
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| established = 1978
| closed =
| chef =
| head-chef =
| food-type = Vietnamese
| dress-code = casual
| rating =
| street-address = 3403 Milam Street
| city = Houston
| county = Harris
| state = Texas
| postcode = 77002
| country = United States
| coordinates = {{coord|29.741192|-95.379959|type:landmark|display=inline}}
| pushpin_map = Texas#USA
| seating-capacity =
| website = {{URL|maishouston.com}}
}}
Mai's is a Vietnamese restaurant in Houston, Texas that first opened in 1978.
It is located in Midtown.There are separate boundaries for the Midtown Super Neighborhood and the Midtown Management District. See City of Houston maps: [https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Demographics/docs_pdfs/SN/62_Midtown.pdf Midtown Super Neighborhood] and [https://www.houstontx.gov:443/planning/Neighborhood/docs_pdfs/mgmt-maps.pdf Management district map]. Retrieved on June 4, 2019. - Also see: [https://web.archive.org/web/20081203060535/http://www.houstonmidtown.com/cmsFiles/Files/Midtown_DevMap_1206.pdf 2006 Midtown Management District Land Use Map] and "[https://www.midtownhouston.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/MMD-Service-Plan-2015-2024-Final-4.pdf SERVICE AND IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR FISCAL YEARS 2015-2024]." Midtown Houston Management District. Retrieved on April 4, 2009. Map on page 25/25 of the PDF.
History
Originally opened in 1978 by Phin and Phac Nguyen,{{cite web | url=http://maishouston.com/history.php | title=The History of Mai's Restaurant | publisher=Mai's | accessdate=September 15, 2012}} Mai's was the first restaurant in Houston to feature Vietnamese cuisine.{{cite news | url=https://abc13.com/archive/8077195/ | author=Abrahams, Tom | title=Mai's re-opens a year after devastating fire | publisher=KTRK-TV | date=April 18, 2011 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110419223243/http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8077195 | archive-date=April 19, 2011}} The couple named the restaurant after their daughter, who took over the business in 1990. 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.{{cite book |last=Roth|first=Hope|chapter=Little Saigon (Houston, Texas)|editor-last=Ueda |editor-first=Reed |date=2017-09-21 |title= Content from America's Changing Neighborhoods: An Exploration of Diversity through Places (3 volumes) |publisher=ABC-CLIO |pages=770–772 |access-date= |isbn=9781440828652 |issn= |oclc= }} - [https://books.google.com/books?id=q4I2DwAAQBAJ&q=Mai%27s&pg=PA771 Previews of book pages] CITED: p. 771. Mai had a signature dish, a beef stew.{{cite web|last=Morago|first=Greg|url=https://www.chron.com:443/entertainment/article/Mai-s-is-better-than-ever-1360603.php|title=Mai's is better than ever|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=2011-05-01|accessdate=2022-06-12}}
A fire on February 15, 2010 caused most of the roof to collapse.{{cite news | url=http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Popular-Midtown-restaurant-Mai-s-catches-fire-1710908.php | author=Glenn, Mike | title=Popular Midtown restaurant Mai's catches fire | work=Houston Chronicle | date=February 15, 2010 | accessdate=September 15, 2012}} The fire did not cause any injuries reported to authorities.{{cite web |url=https://abc13.com/archive/7278188/ |title=Two-alarm restaurant fire blamed on wok cooking |publisher=KTRK-TV |date=2010-02-15 |access-date=2022-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217051809/http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7278188 |archive-date=17 February 2010 |url-status=live}}
Authorities determined the incident was caused by a wok that caught fire. The restaurant re-opened on April 16, 2011. The business has since been passed down to Mai's daughter Anna. Phin Nguyen died in 2017.{{cite web|last=Alfonso|first=Fernando III|url=https://www.chron.com:443/entertainment/restaurants-bars/article/Mai-s-Restaurant-Houston-founder-death-11739553.php|title=Phin Nguyen, founder of Mai's Restaurant, has died|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=2017-08-07|accessdate=2022-06-12}}
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".{{cite web|last=Bishop|first=Amy|url=https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org:443/articles/news/2015/11/05/125885/anthony-bourdain-on-food-art-and-his-favorite-place-to-eat-in-the-bayou-city/|title=Anthony Bourdain On Food, Art, And His Favorite Place To Eat In The Bayou City|publisher=Houston Public Media|date=2015-11-05|accessdate=2022-06-12}} - [https://cdn.hpm.io/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/05151141/Bourdain-spot-mp3.mp3?source=plyr-article Audio file]
See also
{{Portal|Texas|Vietnam|Food}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://maishouston.com/ Official website]
{{Midtown, Houston}}
{{Restaurants in Houston}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mais}}
Category:1978 establishments in Texas
Category:Asian-American culture in Houston
Category:Restaurants established in 1978
Category:Asian restaurants in Houston