Bouray’s Burrito Bar

Strange combination of Mexican and Vietnamese, but it must work. The regular weekday lunch crowd is steady. Traditional Vietnamese phở, bun and rice plates, but also made-​to-​order burritos, bowls and nachos. Prices a little higher than expected for comparable offerings elsewhere, otherwise my rating might be better.

Watch out for credit card fraud at Bouray’s at 609 Clay St. Had lunch their recently with a few coworkers, my bill was $ 16.95 with tax & tip. Checked my credit card statement, transaction is now $ 116.95 and now under dispute with my credit card company. Spread the word to save your receipts at a minimum, or if this upsets you to the level it does me, discontinue your patronage of Bouray’s.

Pretty good and different. It’s like a Mexican– Indian mix. Plenty of seating for groups. Nothing fancy but a good place to get in and out of.

This place is like chipotle– build your own Mexican food BUT you can also build your own Vietnamese food. Its so original and the Vietnamese food is fantastic!!!

Their chicken vermicelli bowl is the best I’ve had in town. I’ve tried a number of other places and none compare.

I used to go here 3 years ago and the line would be out the door. Now it’s almost empty and after eating there twice one the last two weeks I know what. Hight prices and low quality of food. Yesterday I for the Phở Chicken Soup and it was 8:95 and had one piece of basil in it along with limped ingredients other than broth. Last week it’s as a pork noodle salad — it had barely any meat.

This place is decent for a quick work lunch, however be prepared to wait about 5 – 10 minutes if you order the phở.
The phở is decent, but by no means the best in Houston. The mexican food is also meh, but it is decent. The prices are pretty good for downtown.
Basically I would eat here again if I was nearby and had no time to go anywhere else, but it is not fantastic…
It’s downtown, so be prepared to pay for street parking if it is even available.

Cha gio was outstanding. Spring rolls were good. Phở was underwhelming.
Enjoyed talking with the owner/​manager (I think) so I’d give them another shot but try something else.

Pretty good place for Phở and Vietnamese food. Great location and pretty fast. Recommended if you work in the area. I have not yet tried the Mexican food.

It’s okay… not the best I’ve had. The prices are a bit expensive, but it’s downtown too… so I guess it”s normal. The place was a bit jumbled. Some of the meat looked dried out on the heated bar.

First time having lunch at this establishment and will be my last. I clearly asked for one of the specials, the chicken curry plate, which is $ 9.95. He proceeded to hand me spring rolls, so I asked, «is this included?» His answer was yes. I asked the same about the drink and again he responded positively. The final bill was $ 15.16. Clearly none of these items are included. The Manager was very sneaky in that he simply provided a receipt and never said the total. Point of the story, WATCH OUT FOR THE BAIT AND SWITCH. During a busy lunch hour, you’re not going to hold up the line to sort out the bill and he knows that…

This is a pretty quick get-​in-​and-​get-​out kind of place, more than likely following the theme of their namesake. I went to the burrito bar, ordered some Beef Phở and Grilled Pork Spring Rolls, got a card that says «Beef» on it, grabbed the pre-​made springs rolls off the counter and moved to the cash register to get my fountain cup and check out.
The Grilled Pork Spring Rolls: These were surprisingly good considering the grilled pork looks more like Chinese BBQ pork and the peanut sauce is much creamier than I’m used to with an almost curdled look to it. Would I get them again in a pinch? Sure would as I’ve had much worse attempts with the «right» ingredients.
The Phở: It’s in a large bowl but not as full of ingredients as you’d expect from most phở places. The Beef is tender and fairly thick from what you’re probably used to but the flavor is there. The noodles are cooked just right (IMHO) but there aren’t many of them. The only thing I’d really knock it on is the broth, which isn’t bad but tastes more like chicken broth and picks up the green tint and a good amount of the flavor from the onions. If you’re in a hurry and looking for quick phở I think this place comes off as advertised and is miles above the phở from Top Taste Asian Subs & Grill in the tunnels and slightly better than Phở Express in the nearby food court on McKinney St. (their broth is better though). If you have time to get the real deal and the means to get there, Huynh Restaurant and Phở Saigon Vietnamese are about a mile away and worth the trip.
In conclusion, I would definitely go here again if I was ever in a hurry. It’s close-​by and you get what you pay for when you consider it’s probably a place known for their burritos. If you get easily cold in this winter-​like weather I would suggest bringing a coat as it doesn’t feel heated in there and outside in the sun felt warmer. If you’re used to colder climates like myself you probably won’t mind at all. That said, eat your phở fast if you want to enjoy it while it’s warm.

Fast
Decent food
Good prices
As good as it gets downtown. Gets pretty packed quickly so I try to get in before 1130

Bouray’s is definitely A-​OK, as Unilocal so aptly describes three star venues.
I really wanted phở today, and didn’t want to pull my car out to drive to my favorite place in Midtown. So a Unilocal search told me the best place would be Bouray’s.
I had been once before, and had a vermicelli bowl, and thought it was the same. A-​OK. Not fantastic, but it was pretty good.
The phở took an exceptionally long time to be brought out to our table. I thought that was strange because there was no one there when we got there (late lunch at 1pm). And then the first time they brought mine out, they had put onions in it, even though I’d asked for no onions. So it took a little while longer to get the right order out to me. By the time my bowl got to me, one of my colleagues was already done eating.
And then the bowl got to me, and I was immediately suspicious. The broth didn’t look like any phở broth I had ever seen. So I was weary. But I immediately set to work, and a little sriracha, hoisin sauce and chili oil later, and it was delicious.
Still, having paid over $ 10 for phở seemed a little excessive for me. I probably won’t do it again unless I’m having another phở emergency.

I had a burrito, it was underwhelming. I might go back to try their Vietnamese food sometime, but would definitely not go back for the burrito, I guess I’ve just been spoiled by Freebird’s and Chipotle.

this was the second place I went to for lunch here in Houston. Needless to say I was not impressed with the bowl I ordered up. It was bland tasting and a bit pricey, not impressed at all for what it was. It’s the exact same thing you can get in the tunnels.

I am fanatically addicted to this place.
Where can you get yummy Vietnamese food during rush hour in downtown? Bourays! Soup is delicious, the portions are generous, and the price is very reasonable for downtown standards. A great amount of variety in soup, rice, and other typical Vietnamese food.
Not in the mood for Vietnamese? Well, they have burritos too! Definitely a great place to take a small group of indecisive eaters from the office.

I work near here. I’ve only ordered the Phở. It’s a solid performer, the people behind the counter are helpful, and the place is always clean.

This place gets love from me because it is within walking distance of my building downtown! So when i need a phở or spring roll fix, it’s only a block away :)
The owner is really nice and always says hello to me! The restuarant is clean and everyone works to make sure tables are cleaned quickly so the lunch-​rush crowd can get their grub on and go! This in itself is success for a downtown lunch joint. .. now for the food. .. I have tried quite a few different items on the menu…they offer everything from vermicelli noodle bowls to phở to rice plates and burritos and tacos with mexican rice and beans! Everything is good, flavored well, hot and the servings are pretty big. My only complaints are really with the phở :/​but again, i am kind of a phở snob.
You get jipped on the meats, a few pieces of brisket, eye of round or a coupleo f meatballs. Not a lot of mints or cilantro, and the broth is not as fragrant as phở should be. It is always steaming hot and with the right amount of nuoc mam, hoisin and sriracha, i can make anything taste good!
You should give it a try if you are ever stuck downtown in the middle of the day; they are only open from 1030 AM — 2PM on the weekdays.

Where else to have a Mexican and Vietnamese fusion restaurant than in Houston! The people I work with love this place (despite always asking to hold the fish sauce… which I do not understand as who can eat asian food without fish sauce, but I digress). In truth, I have only tried the Vietnamese vermicelli bowl that comes with pork or chicken and eggrolls for about $ 9. Considering I can purchase this exact same meal for half the price at a real Vietnamese restaurant, this place is kind of a jip. In a lunch crunch compromise situation, this is the place for that area (better than Benihana around the corner or the horrible «Chinese» place next door), but not a place I would seek out on a Saturday afternoon to fulfill a craving. ONE STAR!
This review is based solely on my personal experience and reflect my personal opinions. Your experience may be completely different.