This restaurant has been featured in both Houston Press and the Houston Chronicle, and the reviews by both newspapers have been totally spot-on. Praising the restaurant as being “no frills” and “remarkable,” this fast food Chinese and Indonesian restaurant is so good that it’ll be hard to go just once.

Completely Authentic

The women who prepare and serve food at Rice Bowl Indonesia are actually from Jakarta, making the Indonesian dishes truly authentic. However, if you want Indonesian food rather than Chinese, you must ask for the Indonesian menu—otherwise, you’ll simply be handed a Chinese one.

Getting Started

If you have never eaten Indonesian food before, you might be clueless as to where to start when gazing at the menu at Rice Bowl. Don’t panic, here are a couple great options for those who are new to this cuisine: the Indonesian fried rice, which is better as a side than as an entrée item; the Kwetiau Goreng, which is pretty much flat rice noodles that have been pan fried and served with beef or chicken; the Telor Balado, which is a hardboiled egg that’s been fried and is served with chili sauce; and the yellow fried chicken.

Chinese Food: Just as Good

While the fact that this restaurant offers Indonesian cuisine makes it unique and interesting, especially with all the Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants in the area, if you’re not into Indonesian food, the Chinese cuisine here is just as good. The Mongolian beef is a must have if you’re not eating Indonesian, and the chicken wings are also pretty fab.

Everything but Fancy

This restaurant satisfies a number of adjectives: delicious, cheap, and satisfying being at the top of the list. One thing that it’s certainly not, though, is fancy. In fact, it’s a bit rundown, to be honest. A real hole in the wall type of place, the entrees are really cheap and the service isn’t the same that you’d experience at a 5 star restaurant. In fact, you order and pay at the counter, so the service is nearly non-existent anyway. However, don’t let appearances deceive you. While you may be turned off by the shabby nature of the place, if you stick it out, you’ll leave convinced that it’s some of the best food that Houston has to offer. If you don’t love the atmosphere, you can always take your food to go and dine someone more preferable. Plus, since they’re open six days a week from 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM, and from 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Sunday, there’s no reason that you can’t keep going back again, and again, and again….