Phin Lean opened up his own Chinese barbecue restaurant during the 1980s when the Asian population in Dallas started growing. Years later he and his brother co-own it, and now the whole family works together to keep the restaurant a success.
Hiep Phong BBQ offers Chinese dishes, each handmade from carefully followed family recipes. Everything has a story and a place where it came from, the family members say.
“We are always making sure the customers leave happy. We always accommodate them. That’s what kept them coming back,” says Mea Nea, Lean’s sister in law, who also helps run the place.
For first-time guests, she recommends roast pork, because of the crispiness Hiep Phong strives to have.
“We work on getting our pork extra crispy and extra juicy. We make sure there’s enough flavor in each section of the pig,” Nea says.
A dish that makes their barbecue different from others in the world of Asian barbecue is the soy sauce duck.
“They (her husband and his brother) cook their soy sauce the traditional way and with traditional flavoring. It’s steamed like soy sauce usually is and they put a special spice that I haven’t seen anywhere else,” says Nea.
Focusing on customers is a priority of the restaurant. With their homemade meals, they have made themselves stand out.