A store and restaurant in Conroe is one of our most interesting food finds so far this year, and we think it’s worth a drive from Houston. Opened by Jen and Joel Martinez in 2023, Pinas Asian Store at 804 Gladstell carries an impressive range of Filipino pantry staples, snacks, spices, sauces, cooking ingredients and frozen meats, along with specialty items such as tocino (sweet-and-savory cured pork) and Filipino chorizo. For anyone cooking Filipino food at home, Pinas is the kind of market where a quick shopping trip can easily turn into a hunt for something you didn’t know you needed.
In late February 2025, the family expanded the concept with Tap Si Han @ Pinas Asian Store, a casual Filipino restaurant located inside the market. The restaurant initially opened with a buffet-style breakfast featuring dishes such as eggs and plantains, then expanded its offerings into Filipino comfort food throughout the day. The service is exceptionally friendly and helpful, and a recommendation from the staff led me to an Entrée Pancit Meal ($14.88) centered around pancit — a classic Filipino stir-fried rice noodle dish with meat and vegetables, lumpia, the Filipino version of a spring roll, with a thin wrapper surrounding a savory filling before being fried until crisp, and inihaw, a marinated barbecue pork skewer grilled until smoky and caramelized.
The restaurant also offers many other Pinoy specialties, including longanisa, a sweet-savory sausage often served at breakfast, and beef tapa, thinly sliced beef marinated in a savory-sweet mixture before being cooked until browned. Adobo, one of the Philippines’ most recognizable dishes, gets its signature tangy, savory character from meat braised with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and seasonings. For something richer, kare-kare is a hearty stew with a thick peanut-based sauce, while palabok features rice noodles coated in a savory, shrimp-forward sauce and finished with an assortment of garnishes. The rotating selection of Filipino homesstyle favorites gives regulars plenty of reasons to return while offering newcomers an easy way to explore the cuisine.
Weekends are when Tap Si Han really turns up the volume. On Saturdays and Sundays the team prepares lechon, one of the Philippines’ most famous celebratory dishes. A whole pig is slow-roasted until the skin becomes crisp and crackling while the meat beneath remains juicy and tender. The restaurant also serves a full buffet, making weekends particularly appealing for anyone looking to sample several dishes in one visit.
The restaurant also offers weekend karaoke and a dart board to keep things festive, while catering menus and party trays make it a resource for larger gatherings. Among the catering options are traditional, communal Filipino feasts such as boodle fights, where an assortment of food is arranged for everyone to share.
That combination of market, restaurant and gathering place makes Pinas Asian Store and Tap Si Han one of the more interesting food finds in Conroe. It is a practical destination for Filipino ingredients, a welcoming spot for a homestyle meal and, on weekends, a lively place to eat, sing and spend time with friends and family. For Filipino diners, it provides a taste of home closer to where they live. For everyone else, it offers an inviting introduction to the food and culture of the Philippines and a good reason to make the drive.
Tap Si Han at Pinas Asian Store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 3 p.m. on Sunday…