A Fresh Take on Asian Street Food at Teaholic in Highland Village (of All Places)

Some restaurants just catch you by surprise. Teaholic in Highland Village is one of those places.

Driving down Justin Road through Highland Village, it would be easy to think that Teaholic is just another tea shop. You’d see the sign, which reads in big white letters, “TEAHOLIC.” In much smaller text is the description, “TEAHOUSE & RESTAURANT.”

Food seems almost like an afterthought. Based on a quick curbside view, there’s little that would pull a hungry passerby in; and there’s even less indication that this establishment serves delicious Asian street food. All that changes once you step inside.
If you arrive during peak hours, you'll likely hear the familiar sounds of a bustling neighborhood restaurant — the clanging of pans, the chopping of vegetables, the sizzling of meat, and the lively chatter of contented diners. Better yet, you’ll also smell inviting aromas coming from the dining room and all the way from the kitchen, which sits opposite the entrance.

So, once inside, your senses will tell you that Teaholic is far from just a teahouse. This sentiment is confirmed by the fact that every table is adorned with chopsticks, soy sauce, sriracha, hoisin sauce and chili oil. The menu is also surprisingly robust, with something for everyone — from garlic fries and wings to kung pao chicken to tom kha. After just a couple of visits, the most memorable dishes so far are the garlic noodles, the shaken beef (photo at top), the calamari and the house wings with garlic fried rice. The garlic fried rice is savory and aromatic, bursting with the flavor of fresh garlic. The wings have a slight taste of fish sauce that’s complemented by a sweet glaze.

The calamari appetizer is fried well and has a flavorful batter. If you’re open to a kick, we recommend that you order the calamari spicy and squeeze lime on top. Teaholic’s shaken beef can be served alongside the garlic noodles and, when paired together, the dish will leave you craving more — we’ve certainly been daydreaming about it since we took our last bite.

We have yet to try the pho; however, given the quality of the other dishes and the fact that the owner and chef is Vietnamese, we would guess that it hits all the right notes. Of course, as you may suspect, Teaholic does indeed have tea. We ordered the sea salt green tea and the lychee-berry tea, both of which were delicious. There are also iced coffees, milk teas and smoothies. The coconut taro smoothie is particularly good.

You may be surprised to learn that the mind behind Teaholic, Karen Nguyen, is in her mid-20s and opened her restaurant at the age of 21 soon after moving to Texas from California. Despite her young age, she seems to have the cooking skills and restaurant-management acumen to back up her determination.

The Friday night we dined at Teaholic, it was bustling with families eating together, townies picking up takeout and teenagers enjoying the fruit smoothies and coffee. Though the server told us that they were running a little behind, the kitchen churned out dishes with haste and every plate was on point.

To be sure, Teaholic isn’t fine dining — it’s more like street food that’s stepped up a notch. In our estimation, Teaholic has all the makings of a neighborhood favorite that you won’t want to miss if you’re in the Highland Village-Flower Mound-Lewisville area.

2940 Justin Road, Suite 100. Monday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.