This Vibrant Houston Market Is an Oasis of Rare, Fantastical Fruits

Linda Nguyen grew up in Can Tho, a small town in South Vietnam where fruits went far beyond apples and bananas. There were longans and lychee, pomelos, a wide variety of mangoes, and her personal favorite — soursop, a fruit she describes as a sour cross between a pineapple and a coconut. But after immigrating to the United States, Nguyen lost access to her home country’s kaleidoscopic fruit variety. It wasn’t until a trip to a fruit farm in Florida in 2014 that she’d rediscover some of these more nostalgic flavors.

“It reminded me of my hometown where I grew up. I just didn’t know that they existed until then,” she says. “It opened my eyes, and I said, ‘I have to have them.’”

Nguyen began her research — starting with soursop. At the time, she says, “Nobody [in my community] really knew where they could get it, and it was just a crazy, hot fruit that everybody wanted.” Nguyen started selling it out of her garage in Huntington Beach, California, and then, not long after relocating to Houston in 2016, she signed a lease and officially opened Linda’s Tropical Fruits in November 2017. “It’s kind of me bringing all of my childhood here,” she says.

Linda’s Tropical Fruits

Located in Asiatown’s Belcrest Plaza, the fruit shop has built a reputation for selling rare, exotic, and hard-to-find tropical fruits sourced seasonally from around the world, including countries like Mexico, Vietnam, and Thailand, as well as certain countries and regions in South America. She also sources from states with fertile climates, like Florida and California.

For some, Linda’s Tropical Fruits is a gateway to lesser-known fruits in the States. Bins and boxes are filled with bumpy-skinned sugar apples with custard-like insides, massive spikey jackfruits, kumquats, yellow dates that are super sweet when ripe, mangosteen or santol with soft white flesh hidden behind hard, plum-colored shells, and the so-called “king of superfruits,” durian. For others, Linda’s fruit shop reminds them of the home and culture they grew up embedded in. “When you’re eating something that you grew up eating, you just crave it. You miss it. It brings back childhood memories,” she says.

There never seems to be a dull moment at the fruit shop — and not just because of the breadth of offerings. Diverse crowds often stop in during its opening hours in search of a new fruit or longtime favorite. (During my recent visit to the shop, Nguyen was investigating a peculiar bite mark on one of her fruits, which, after examining the shop’s cameras, was revealed to be a regular who couldn’t resist.) The shop touts other all-natural fruit-focused items free from added colors, fructose, and artificial flavors. “We want to keep it natural like the old days,” she says. Diners can order sugar cane juice made fresh in-house from pressed sugar cane, fruit cocktails made up of freshly cut fruit, smoothies, a Superfruit Slush drink made up of blended soursop and banana, and Nguyen’s ideal version of an açai bowl, a sorbet-textured fruit puree topped with fruits like red dragon fruit, mango, and optional cuts of durian.

Brittany Britto Garley

“It’s such a blessing to have everyone excited about a fruit shop. I didn’t think I would survive because there’s so much competition,” says Nguyen, noting the ample number of grocery stores in the area. Initially, she questioned whether she could keep up, but focusing solely on fruit has set her apart. It’s allowed Nguyen to become an expert in her trade, which helps educate customers on how to choose the best and most ripe fruit — usually when the skins are tender or can be pressed in slightly. “We know what our fruits need ... and how to care for our fruits. Certain fruits need to be at certain temperatures,” she says. “We know how to keep it fresh.”

The shop is also big on hands-on education: Last year, Linda’s held a mango-tasting event. Nguyen says a line of customers wrapped around the entire shop to sample 25 mango varieties.

Still, some people shy away from certain fruits, like papayas. Nguyen says the smell of Mexican papaya puts many people off, but she also sells Hawaiian papayas, which smell like jasmine. There’s always something new for customers to encounter: One of her best-sellers, for example, is durian — a super nutritious, spikey-skinned Asian fruit that can sometimes be divisive due to its funky smell, which Nguyen compares to the aroma of blue cheese; its unique creme brulee texture; and its mildly sweet, onion-like flavor. “Once your nose registers the smell, your mind says no, no, no,” she says.

For those trying durian for the first time, there is a trick, Nguyen says. She advises trying durian in pastry or smoothie form, a creamy mixture of durian and milk at Linda’s. It’s the easiest way to bypass the fruit's pungent smell and get straight into the flavor, which, still, depending on one’s palate, could be hit or miss. When it hits right, though, durian offers a singular textural and flavor experience, unlike any other fruit. It’s an experience that Nguyen loves being able to gift to Houston.

“Seeing and witnessing clients being excited and happy when they find their childhood fruits, it really brings home smiles and keeps me motivated,” she says.

Linda’s Tropical Fruits