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The Highland Lakes doesn't just serve tasty barbecue and Tex-Mex; you can enjoy a variety of Asian cuisine in Marble Falls, Burnet, and Llano with traditional dishes from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and beyond.
Options include fast food from Panda Express with its bounty of choices for the whole family to fine dining at Simply Pho House, which specializes in Vietnamese and Asian fusion. You can even get fresh-made sushi at the H-E-B.
Dine in or take out from the following Asian restaurants in the Highland Lakes:
MARBLE FALLS
China Kitchen
705 First St., Suite 102
830-693-2575
Open for lunch and dinner; kids' menu
Dine in • take out • delivery
Specializes in Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine. You can bring your own beer or wine to enjoy with your meal. Try China Kitchen's signature dishes, including the peppery calamari, the Marble Falls shrimp sautéed in a spicy red sweet sauce and topped with honey-glazed walnuts, or the Singapore noodles with chicken, shrimp, pork, and vegetables in a spicy curry sauce.
Fuji Sushi & Asian Grill
1304 U.S. 281 North, Suite 101
830-637-7757
Open for lunch and dinner; kids' menu
Dine in • take out • online ordering
[image id="34937" title="Fuji Sushi & Asian Grill in Marble Falls" linkto="file" ] Find fresh sushi, sashimi, and more at Fuji Sushi & Asian Grill in Marble Falls. Photo for Fuji Sushi website
This casual dining restaurant offers sushi as well as meals cooked on a hibachi grill. It also serves Chinese cuisine along with its traditional Japanese dishes, sushi bar, and buffet. Popular menu items include the cream cheese-filled, fried wonton-wrapped crab rangoon, a seaweed salad, and a Marble Falls roll with salmon, tuna, white fish, and avocado wrapped in soy paper and topped with spicy crab meat, crunchy scallions, and fish eggs. Fuji Sushi's extensive menu includes appetizers, soups and salads, sashimi, and bento boxes.
Ginger & Spice
909 Second St.
830-693-7171
Open for lunch and dinner; kids' menu
Dine in • take out
Enjoy Thai food along with sushi and vegetarian/vegan options in a comfortable, downtown setting close to shops and Lake Marble Falls. Choose from a selection of rice and noodle plates, curries, fish and seafood, and desserts. Several dishes can be made vegetarian.
Li Wu Buffet
1208 RR 1431 West
830-693-7959
Open for lunch and dinner
Dine in • take out
Order traditional and popular Chinese dishes off of the menu or from the buffet. Prices are low and the choices are plentiful, including appetizers, soups, fried rice, lo mein, chow mein, and chicken, pork, beef, and seafood options. Chef's specials include the Triple Delight Hunan Style with shrimp, beef, and chicken stir fried with vegetables in a spicy sauce.
Panda Express
2009 U.S. 281 at Commerce Street
830-693-0889
Open for lunch and dinner; kids' menu
Dine in • take out (has drive-through) • delivery
Known for its Original Orange Chicken — crispy chicken wok-tossed in a sweet and spicy orange sauce — this casual Chinese eatery is a fast and tasty stop for families, friends, and work colleagues. Start your order online, order from the drive-through menu, or go inside and make your selections in line. Panda Express can also cater your parties or business meetings. It's open every day of the week!
Simply Pho House
101 U.S. 281
830-220-5013
Open for lunch and dinner; kids' menu
Dine in • take out • online ordering
[image id="34938" title="Simply Pho House" linkto="file" ] The chicken pho is light yet filling at Simply Pho House in Marble Falls. Photo from Simply Pho House website
Simply Pho House specializes in Vietnamese and Asian fusion, using traditional ingredients in innovative ways. Choose from flavorful meals served on vermicelli or rice with chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp. The menu also includes appetizers, salads, fried rice, and curries. The namesake "pho" is a Vietnamese soup containing rice noodles in either a chicken or beef broth and served with a side of fresh bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, lime, and jalapeño.
Thai Niyom Restaurant
909 U.S. 281, Suite 101
830-693-1526
Open for lunch and dinner
Dine in • take out
"Authentic Thai food made by Thai chefs," its website touts. It serves a variety of appetizers, soups and salads, curries, fried rice, noodles, and beverages. Start off with steamed edamame and then dine on Kra-Prow (very hot!) with your choice of beef, chicken, or shrimp sautéed with basil leaves, bell pepper, onion, and bamboo shoots. Cool off afterward with a smoothie or Thai iced coffee or tea (tapioca and jelly toppings available).
And more …
You can also pick up freshly made sushi, spring or summer rolls, poke bowls, and more from the Sushiya Sushi counter at the Marble Falls H-E-B, 1503 RR 1431.
BURNET
Aranya Thai Restaurant
1013 E. Polk St. (Texas 29)
512-865-9789
Open for lunch and dinner
Dine in • take out
[image id="34939" title="Aranya Thai Restaurant sticky rice" linkto="file" ] People rave about the sticky rice with mango at Aranya Thai Restaurant in Burnet. Photo from Aranya Thai website
Online reviews sing the praises of this authentic Thai restaurant — the word "amazing" was used many times. Choose from a selection of noodle and curry dishes as well as desserts, including a sticky rice with mango — "It's the king of all desserts," exclaimed one review. Another reviewer, from Fort Worth, summed up their dining experience with: "This local gem is truly a diamond in the rough, and unexpected for a rural small town."
Mei Yuan
402 N. Water St. (U.S. 281)
512-553-0093
Open for lunch and dinner
Dine in • take out
Another Burnet spot with rave online reviews, Mei Yuan has a large menu and reasonable prices. It offers pork, beef, chicken, seafood, and vegetarian options along with appetizers, soups, and chef's specials. Try the rainbow shrimp, a stir-fried and colorful dish with Napa cabbage, carrots, broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts in a white sauce.
LLANO
China Wok
103. E. Grayson
325-274-5522
Open for lunch and dinner
Dine in • take out
Fast and delicious, China Wok offers homestyle Chinese food at great prices. Chef's specials include the Happy Family with shrimp, chicken, beef, and roast pork sautéed with mixed vegetables in a brown sauce or the Dragon and Phoenix with crunchy chicken in a General Tso sauce and jumbo shrimp. The menu also has healthier steamed options.
You can't go wrong with any of the above Asian restaurants while on your Highland Lakes family vacation, a date night, or a lunch with friends.
For other options the area has to offer cuisine-wise, check out the Highland Lakes Eat & Drink Guide.
editor@thepicayune.com
