Biggest Thai Buffet in Texas

Best Thai experiments with new spin-off restaurant in Dallas

The well-named Best Thai welcomes a new member to the family in Best Thai Diner, a unique concept from this small, individualistic family-run chain. Taking over the former Ole Whiskers space at LBJ Freeway and Greenville Avenue, the diner opens oh-so softly on November 7, with a grand opening scheduled for November 29.

What's unique about Best Thai Diner is that it's the rare Thai food buffet. While other cuisines such as Indian and Chinese have long plied buffets around Dallas-Fort Worth, most Thai restaurants have been sit-down places with service.

"There's not a lot of Thai buffets, and this one will be the largest in Texas," says spokeswoman Teresa Nguyen.

But the Best Thai folks wanted to do this outlet as a place for experimentation, says spokeswoman Teresa Nguyen.

"There's not a lot of Thai buffets, and this one will be the largest in Texas," she says. "Some Thai places do offer a buffet at lunch, but Best Thai Diner will serve it at lunch and dinner."

They also intend to experiment with the selection, switching out different dishes from day to day and offering a completely different set on weekends. And they'll do something that not many Thai places do, she says.

"Very few Thai restaurants serve food from all four regions of Thailand, and they're going to do that," Nguyen says. "People within the Thai community are excited about that — the opportunity to get noodles and dishes from different regions."

This will be the seventh location of Best Thai. Booney Virattanajun opened the first branch in 1996 in a tiny spot at Preston Road and Royal Lane. She and her husband, Jess, own three other branches, in Irving, Plano and Frisco. Her sister and brother-in-law Meaw and Too Chaisuwan operate Best Thai Signature in Addison and at Frankford in Far North Dallas.

Although they're all under the same family, each branch operates slightly differently. For example, the two branches of Best Thai Signature cater to the vegan community, with whom they are very popular.

Best Thai Diner, which will also incorporate a gift shop with Thai trinkets, represents a next step.

"That’s how they see it," Nguyen says. "It will feature more than 25 items, with a variety of Thai Dishes, including a noodle station. They want to use Best Thai Diner as a way to explore something new."

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Noodling in

Chinese noodle spot Yo! Bowl expands to Plano with full-service restaurant

Photo courtesy of Yo! Bowl

Yo! Bowl revolves around a springy, chewy rice noodle from Taiwan called mifen.

A family-owned restaurant that introduced an under-the-radar Chinese noodle dish to North Texas is expanding to Plano: Yo! Bowl, known for its customizable rice noodle bowls and Southwest Chinese flavors, will open a second location at 4701 W. Park Blvd. #105 in mid-July, according to a release.

The noodle shop debuted in Carrollton in 2024 and built a following for its mifen, a springy, chewy rice noodle from Taiwan, also sometimes called mei fun. These noodles, still quite unfamiliar to American diners, can be found on some menus in Dallas, but Yo! Bowl is the rare all-mifen concept.

In China, mifen noodles are typically offered in self-serve bars, where customers choose their ingredients. In a nod to those origins, Yo! Bowl in Carrollton offers a build-it-yourself bowl but the ingredients are mixed behind the counter. They're available in a soup form, as well as a non-soup dry option, similar to a stir fry, in choice of spicy or non-spicy.

The noodles are cooked in 20 seconds, making this true fast food, given the speed in which customers get their orders. Bowls range from $11 to $13, depending on protein.

The new Plano restaurant will differ slightly from the original. While the Carrollton location relies primarily on self-order kiosks, the Plano outpost will offer full table service.

Owner Xinran Xu founded Yo! Bowl with the goal of introducing mifen to a broader audience. Born in China and raised in Japan, Xu drew on influences from both cultures when developing the restaurant.

"When we first opened, many customers had never heard of mifen before," Xu says in the release. "I wanted to introduce a dish that I grew up with and make it approachable for everyone. Whether someone likes spicy food, mild flavors, soup, or dry noodles, they can create a bowl that fits their own taste."

Crispy chicken at Yo! Bowl.Photo courtesy of Yo! Bowl

While mifen is the centerpiece, the menu also includes Japanese-inspired items reflecting Xu's background, including chicken katsu. Another customer favorite is the restaurant's homemade yogurt, she says, prepared from a family recipe passed down through generations.

Xu says the idea for expansion came from seeing how many customers were driving from Collin County to visit the Carrollton restaurant.

"We realized many of our regular customers were driving from Plano, Frisco, and other parts of Collin County," Xu said. "When the opportunity came to open a second location, Plano felt like the natural next step."

Xu says she hopes mifen can eventually achieve the same level of recognition in the U.S. as other Asian noodle dishes.

"Japanese ramen and Vietnamese pho have become part of mainstream American food culture," Xu says. "If one day Americans recognize mifen the same way they recognize ramen or pho, I would consider that a success."

To celebrate the opening, Yo! Bowl plans to offer a limited-time promotion with select noodle bowls priced at $9.95, according to the release. A soft opening will take place in mid-July, they say.

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Luciana Gomez contributed to this story.

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