Inspiring Conversations with Johnny Cheung of Hong Kong Food Street

Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Cheung.

Hi Johnny, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey in the restaurant world started when I was still in high school. In the early 2000s, my parents saw that authentic Cantonese food was under represented in Houston, despite having a sizeable Asian community. Their entrepreneur mindset drove them to open the original Hong Kong Food Street on Bellaire Blvd, which was the heart of Houston Chinatown. Being the oldest child in our newly migrated family, it was a no brainer that my help and contribution was needed and expected. As cliche as it sounds, I was that kid doing homework by the register while taking orders. Thinking back, it was so hard, especially when our business hours were 365 days, 15 hours a day. However it didn’t feel like a rough time or a struggle. There was something very rewarding about building something with your family. Every small step forward was a win to the family. Eventually we developed a reputation with consistent quality food and service, then the rest is history. We were a thriving business and a recognizable name in the community. As we were looking forward to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original Hong Kong Food Street, we got thrown the curve ball of the century, Covid-19. We held in there for as long as we could, but social restrictions and case numbers escalated at the same alarming rate. Both my parents were at their mid 60s and they decided it was time to retire. And just like that, a business that my family and I deliciated almost 2 decades of our lives to was gone. Even though I agreed with the closing since we saw no end of the Covid-19 at that point, it never felt right. A lot of regulars reached out, wanting to know what happened, or when are we planning to reopen. I had no answer. The only thing I knew was that I was not gonna let it be a thing of the past and eventually fad away, but I had no concrete plan or path. After closing, all the former chefs and cooks were displaced. Reopening under the same banner with different cooks would never be the same. Then a few years down the road, my couple former chefs got back in town and we caught up. I thought I’d have a tough time trying to convince them to drop everything to come give it another go, but to my surprise, everyone showed interest to come back. But this time, not as employees, but as partners. Learning to be strategic like my parents, we targeted the Katy Asia Town within Katy, one of the fastest growing communities in Texas. The idea of building MY version of the family restaurant ignited a fire in my heart and within a few weeks, we secured a new location to evolve into Hong Kong Food Street 2.0.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We chose to build our dream space from the ground up, so we started this restaurant from an empty box space. Nothing was smooth since day one of the build. From battling HOA rules, complying with city regulations, to getting contractors to deliver the space on time, everything big and small was a fight. But luckily the one thing and the most important was smooth. That was to get our name out there. We are so fortunate that we have cultivated a loyal following and once someone caught wind about our opening at Katy, it spread like wildfire.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a authentic Cantonese restaurant that specializes in crafty, time consuming dishes like Peking Duck, Pi Pa Tofu, in house Chinese BBQ, home made desserts, etc, along with comfort food like wonton soup and congee. We are proud to say we make all our dishes from scratch. From tofu to seasoning sauces, and even chili oil, we make everything that we can make ourselves. We are also extremely honored to be recommended by The Michelin Guide and named among the Top 20 Restaurants in Houston by the Houston Chronicle in 2025.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
With everything being data driven and digitized, I can see big corporate restaurant chains utilizing robotics to make food. While it might be more cost efficient, consistent and operates as a lower risk, it also has no soul. My hope is that diners will still appreciate culinary arts crafted by human hands.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hkfstx.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hkfs_tx
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HongKongFoodStreet
• Other: https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/texas/katy_2986633/restaurant/hong-kong-food-street

Image Credits
Ben Sassani