This no-frills gem is well loved by Dallas’ thriving East Asian community, and little English is spoken in the dining area. But under the fluorescent lighting, the food gets to speak for itself.
First Stop
Yuan Food is a stall with colorful photos of dishes ranging from pork intestine noodles to boiled fish. Its regional specialties hail from Dongbei and Shandong, where downing a hearty bowl of noodles is the best way to ward off winter's chill. More options = more reasons to return.Overwhelmed by the options, we turned to the woman at the counter for guidance. She suggested the braised beef noodles, stating they're one of their most popular dishes. The dish includes bone broth, and all of the noodles are hand-pulled.
We’re glad we took her recommendation. These hit the spot. Cilantro and cabbage kept the thick, flat noodles and warm broth from feeling too heavy on a Texas summer night. Plus, at $10, it’s equally light on the wallet.
Second Stop
Looking for some variety in our protein, we headed over to Dongbei Home Made for guo bao rou, or double-cooked pork, a step up from your typical takeout.Although guo bao rou resembles the sweet-and-sour found at most American Chinese joints, this northeastern China dish is lighter and less sweet. The pork is sliced and fried twice to create its extra-crispy coating. The heaping serving of guo bao rou was crunchy upon first bite but delightfully tender on the inside, and almost too rich in flavor to finish. For $15, one order will last you two days.
We wrapped up the night with snacks and sweets at Chef Ma’s Noodle House, which has called Plano home since 2019. It has a second location in Richardson.
A server told us that Chef Ma still makes everything by hand daily. True to form, a banner outside the stall shows photos of Ma in the kitchen with arms outstretched, pulling dough to the full length of his wingspan; through the window, we caught a glimpse of him doing just that.
We opted for one $5 order of rou jia mo, a street-food favorite that sandwiches pork between slices of chewy flatbread. Rou jia mo originated in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, and is now known in the West as a “Chinese hamburger.”
This absolutely hit the spot. Our servers explained that rou jia mo and liangpi are a few of their specialty dishes, usually served together.
No liangpi for us this time — we wanted to leave room for dessert.
Breakfast for Dinner
Youtiao is traditionally enjoyed for breakfast, but the deep-fried wheat flour dough felt like the perfect end to a four-course food court meal.Youtiao is best served with congee or soy milk. When softened by the dipping “sauce,” the crispy dough turns addictively chewy.
One $2 order comes with two long sticks, and soy milk is an additional $2. Chef Ma’s soy milk came in a tub so large there still wasn’t enough youtiao to soak it all up – all the more reason to return and make a double order.
Parking at z.TAO is plentiful — all the more reason to pay a visit.
z.TAO Marketplace, 2049 Coit Road, No. 300, Plano. Daily, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Yuan Food is closed on Wednesdays.
