November 2019 | SMITHSONIAN.COM 57A mural cel-
ebrating the
Bros’ diverse
childhood
neighborhood of
Alief. The artist,
Daniel Quinones,
also sells Alief-
themed clothing
and accessories.But the visual centerpiece of the space is on the
wall behind the bar. It’s a mural, painted by the local
artist Daniel Quinones, with graffi ti-style letters at
its center spelling “Alief.” The Blood Bros grew up in
that suburb (pronounced A-leaf ) 15 miles southwest
of Houston, going to schools where the kids spoke as
many as 70 diff erent languages. In spite of all that
diversity—or because of it—Alief has a fi ercely uni-
fying sense of hometown pride. “You’ll meet some-
body you really get along with and then fi nd out
they’re from Alief,” says Hoang, “and it’s like, ‘Oh
yeah, now it makes sense.’”
One Monday, when the restaurant is closed, we pile
into Hoang’s 2006 Dodge Charger, whose color is strik-
ingly similar to the restaurant’s walls. The partners
are all wearing Blood Bros baseball caps, in diff erent