The shaking beef ($32) is made with tenderloin and filet mignon cut into cubes and seared with caramelized onions and jalapeno; served on top of arugula, lettuce and tomato with a side of rice. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
The shaking beef ($32) is made with tenderloin and filet mignon cut into cubes and seared with caramelized onions and jalapeno; served on top of arugula, lettuce and tomato with a side of rice. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
Old fashioned beef stew ($19) is made with beef, carrot and potato and is slow-cooked in homemade broth. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)Spring rolls ($14) are hand-wrapped in rice paper, lettuce, rice noodle, peanut, roasted shallot, mango, lump crab meat, served with fish sauce. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)Hoang's home town village—Haiphong, Vietnam—is represented in the mural at Le Emperor along with his family including his grandmother inside of her first restaurant in Vietnam. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
Every night at 6 p.m., no matter how busy his day is, Jason Hoang sits down for dinner with his family—a tradition he's kept since childhood and a ritual that defines his life as a family man and restaurant owner.
Through his restaurants—Le Emperor in Cypress and V. Lotus in Sugar Land—Hoang shares his family values, food and Vietnamese culture.
A family affair
Hoang was first introduced to the restaurant industry in 2013 when his parents opened their first family restaurant, Little V Vietnamese Bistro in Katy, while he was in high school. With Hoang's grandmother as the chef and Hoang on staff, the restaurant operated for five years.
After working for several restaurants and earning a bachelor’s degree in finance, Hoang opened his own restaurant, V Lotus, in 2018 followed by Le Emperor in August 2024.
Le Emperor owner Jason Hoang operates the hospitality side of his business and creates the restaurant's dishes. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
Through Le Emperor, Hoang said he brings his Vietnamese heritage to life with an ambiance that replicates a Vietnamese home with Vietnamese furniture and handmade ceramic plates imported from Vietnam.
The family-friendly establishment is meant to encourage families to gather together and enjoy a meal, Hoang said.
Craving Vietnamese?
With the heart and soul of the eatery's flavors lying in its balance of sweet and savory, Hoang said at Le Emperor customers can find dishes created by him with his grandmother's influences as well as dishes from his grandmother's original recipes such as the pho and vermicelli dishes.
The mango salad ($15) is made with fresh mango, lightly pickled daikon, carrots, fresh herbs, roasted peanuts with tamarind dressing and a choice of grilled prawn, chicken or tofu. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
A restaurant favorite includes the shaking beef made with tenderloin and filet mignon cut into cubes and seared with caramelized onions and jalapeno served on top of arugula, lettuce and tomato with a side of rice.
Le Emperor also serves beer, wine, lemonade made in house, fresh coconut water and Vietnamese coffee.
A restaurant staple is the chicken curry ($25), a family recipe with French influences made with lean chicken breast, stir fried with vegetables and homemade creamy yellow curry. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
“We offer fresh food made with love, and it might sound very cliche, but it's true. Because we make our food with quality ingredients, and our recipes are passed down through generations in my family,” he said.
Jovanna joined Community Impact as a reporter in July 2023. As a features reporter, she covers the North Houston area, including Cy-Fair, Tomball, The Woodlands, Conroe, Spring-Klein and the Lake Houston area. She graduated from Sam Houston State University in December 2021 where she majored in mass communication with a focus in multiplatform journalism and a minor in creative writing, and served as a writer for the campus newspaper, The Houstonian. When she is not writing, Jovanna enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling and fitness.
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