Spanish Village 29-95
Great Tex-Mex isn't for Cinco de Mayo only. Whether it's the food, the ambiance or just the kick-ass staff, these are some place you must try.
1. Original Ninfa’s on Navigation
2. Spanish Village
3. The Original Mexican Cafe
4. Irma’s
5. Teotihuacan
6. Taquerias Arandas
7. Chuy's Comida Deluxe
8. Goode Company Hamburgers & Taqueria
9. Tacos A Go-Go
10. Mom Alone Mexican Grill
11. Don’Key Mexican Food
12. El Tiempo
13. Cafe Adobe
Santos: Taste of Mexico Photo by Bruce Bennett
14. Tony’s Mexican Restaurant
15. Veracruz Mexican Restaurant
16. El Pueblito Place
17. Romero’s Las Brazas
18. Cadillac Bar
19. Benny’s Mexican Cafe & Bar
20. Fonda Dona Maria
21. Taqueria Cancun
22. Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen
23. Mambo Parilla
24. Santa Fe Flats New Mex Grille
25. Ruchi's
26. Chiloso's Taco House
27. Alicia's Mexican Grille
28. Santos, the Taste of Mexico
29. Don Teo’s
What about Chapultepec? This place is a true hidden gem here in town. With great food, cheap prices and an odd collection of music on the jukebox, this place rocks!
I really like the Original Ninfas... but Sylvia's I want to try.
You won't be disappointed. Sylvia's has fantastic food.
What about Don Julio's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina? 1804 W FM 646, Dickinson and at 2900 W Nasa Parkway. They are they best in TEX-MEX. New location coming to Cypress and another in Texas City. Don't miss out, great food, great staff.
Try it, you'll be glad you did!
I live overseas in Oman and when I come back to Houston I stop on the way home from the airport and eat Tex-Mex food.The only place I consider worthy is La Maria's Restaurant in the shopping center at the corner of Louetta and Veterans Memorial in NW Houston. Yes, there is some good food out there but nothing compares to La Maria's.
These are all fine and worthy Tex-Mex establishments. But, my how I have missed Felix's on Westheimer. It is just not the same Houston that I, and my parents grew up in. Started eating Felix's frijoles in 1954, when Mom and I moved back to Houston while Dad finished up his stint in the Navy. Muchas gracias Tijerina family for many years of the absolute best cheese enchilada and chilie con queso. Everybody else is vying for second place.
I totally agree with you. Those of us who grew up on Fellix's food really loved it and miss it very much!
You are so right on. We ate there every New Year's eve staring in 1957. It was THE BEST. Nothing compares!
You left out 2 of the best in Houston. El Patio and Los Cucos. Both locations on Westheimer near Fountain View.
Thanks for the list - good start. Question - WHY is Houston Tex Mex Food OVERPRICED??? Compared to other Texas cities it appears Houston pays more for 3 basic ingredients - Corn, Beans and Rice, Rice, Corn and Beans, Beans, Corn and Beans.......
Doneraki's is horrible........
Doneraki's should definitely be on here. Lupe Tortilla has the best beef fajitas and tortillas. Tampico Seafood is a good place for seafood with a Mexican twist to it.
Flee from Sylvia's. I've been there three times over the last year. each time was worse than the first. the last time i went i was a guest and didn't have to pay and still didn't want to go.
the most over rated restaurant in houston....go to McDonalds next door!
There is a cemetary across the street
Los Cucos is good, but Ruby Tequila's is probably my new favorite as far as fajitas go. Certified Black Angus Strip cooked just right.
Lupe Tortillas doesn't have the best fajitas. They use a low quality extremely fatty grade of beef and butter it up really well. Pappasito's still has some of the best fajitas in town and are usually consistent. How did they not make the list?
SPANISH FLOWERS?
I have eaten at several of these, including the original Ninfa's, Spanish Village, Ruchi's, Chuy's, and the Teotihuacan on West Bellfort. The original Ninfa's is better than most of the other Ninfa's but still not fantastic in my estimation. Spanish Village is okay but not fantastic either. I have not been to Chuy's in a while, but I remember it being good. Ruchi's, at least the one that used to be at Kirby and Richmond, is poor and does not deserve to be on the list, and I have heard a number of friends voice the same opinion. I haven't tried the one at W. Alabama and Shepherd after my experiences at the other one. I live near the Teotihuacan on W. Bellfort and eat there a lot, and it is the best on this list, by far, in my opinion; their Pollo Poblano is really wonderful.
But the best, in my opinion, is not on this list. That is the Lopez Restaurant, on S. Wilcrest just a block or so north of 59. It has been there since the late 70's and is excellent. I am not so fond of their beef dishes, though I am not that fond of beef in general. But their chicken and pork dishes are great. I love their chicken enchiladas, chicken tacos, supreme nachos, a pork chop dish. Their food has a bit lighter touch than many other Mexican places. And their chips and salsa are among the best. Their salsa is actually hot, hot enough you have to be careful with it, and I eat a lot of very hot food; don't drink any water after having some if you intend to eat more, because the water washes away the protection your mouth built up. I first ate there in 1981 or 1982 and have seen a couple of generations of Lopez working there. I have had friends say it was also their favorite Mexican place.
Another good place not on the list is the La Tapatia Taqueria, particularly the one on Richmond near Woodhead and Dunlavy. Plus it is open late if you are a night owl like me (until 2 or 3 in the morning, depending upon the day) and is a great place to people watch. I have run into a lot of people I know there over the last decade. The service is occasionally spotty but the food is good, at very reasonable prices. They have nightly specials I have been having lately, and they are usually quite good.
Vernon, thanks for the thoughtful review. Some on this list are here as much for their historical significance or even for sentimental reasons. I'm going to take your suggestion and revisit the Lopez Restaurant.
I've been going to Taqueria Tapatia since the mid-90s when it was a hole-in-the-wall. The quality has really gone downhill in the last six months. The fajita meat has gotten chewy and fatty, the queso has completely changed and now tastes like it is straight out of a can, the enchiladas have gotten to be just meh. I used to go there regularly, but I've pretty much taken it off my list.
I agree about Lopez - should be on the list. Casa Dominguez on Bissonnet is pretty good too. The biggest oversight is Los Dos Amigos on Washington Ave. I have been eating there for 25 years and they even have the same cook. Best Mexican food in Houston by far.
OK so I am different but love mex food, besides few that I go to,... which mex restaurant does not have animal fat in their beans.. I am a vegetarian and eat in place where I can get food without meat or animal fat.....any suggestions for new places ??
Taco Milagro at Westheimer and Kirby has wonderful vegetarian charro beans, and lots of other good (and a little different) dishes, as well.
Wow. Lupe Tortilla is easily better than half the places on this list... then again I have the luxury of living near the original at 6 & I-10 and the franchised locations just haven't been as good, but still, no Lupe's??
MAMACITAS in Webster and Pasadena ROCK!
You folks are quite lucky to have a plethora of TexMex to choose from!! I live in Anchorage, Alaska now, and if you ever come up here, stay away from the Mexican food, It all sucks, and the salsa is definitely Yankeefied. Texas toddlers would spit it out because it is so bland. I too grew up eating at Lopez on Wilcrest, And their enchiladas will rival any TexMex restaurant in the state of Texas, I am not kidding, I am slobbering on my keyboard thinking about their hot salsa and beef enchiladas. But the first place I stop in everytime I land in H-Town is El Tiempo, excellent enchiladas there also. Sorry though, I can't think of any restaurant in Houston that can do fajitas better than going to a Mexican butcher shop and have them butterfly the marinated fajitas and flash cooking them on a very hot grill. All restaurants try to give you too much bell pepper and onions, and their pico de gallo isn't hot enough.
Out................Missing Texas
t
Check out Los Ranchitos off Spring Cypress and Keykendalh. Great food, prices and service. Don't forget about Mamacitas. They are very good a little pricer but well worth it. Bevobliss you are right nothing like going to a mexican meat market for marinated fajitas and grill them outside with some charcoal. Or if you really heavy duty griller some mesquite wood.
When you have a place to go, you don't need to have somebody tell you where to go and my wife and I have gone to Casa Ole for about 25 years.
The first time I went, 1980 something, I tasted the very best bean soup that I have ever eaten and its quality has not changed. And in recent years, when seafood became popular, Casa Ole has come out with Pescado (sp? Spanish for fish) Ixtapa -- the most delicious Tex Mex meal I ever ate.
A person does not have to eat the whole menu but, with dishes like that to choose from, you do not have to keep looking.
Try 1308 or el tiempo...if you liked ninfas years ago, you will dig this.
I honestly can't believe that Los Cucos did not make this list. Los Cucos has not been around nearly as long as Ninfa's, but IMHO it is better. I mean, they cut the avocados and make the guacamole right there in front of you...it doesn't get fresher than that! And the Pollo Ixtapa is the absolute best. Another place that I think is right up there with Los Cucos is Donaraki's. The atmosphere at both of those places is awesome.
I am stationed out here in New Mexico, and the Mexican food out here sucks! I am so sick of green chiles in everything...
Los Cucos and Los Tios should both be on the list. I agree on most of the restaurants listed, but Goode company? Come on! They have dcent burgers and all,but this is not a Tex-Mex restaurant. Escalante
is also good, but expensive. Stick with Los Tios and Spanish Village they are Houston traditions.
what about TIA MARIA'S on dacoma!!! great margaritas and the food it goog too!!!
I agree Melissa. I was just there yesterday and the fajitas were wonderful. It is my favorite Mexican Restaurant of all!
Lopez on W. Belfort should be on the list. Casa Dominguez on Bissonnet is pretty good too. The biggest oversight, though, is Los Dos Amigos on Washington Ave. I have been eating there for 25 years and they even have the same cook. Best Mexican food in Houston by far.
The chicken soup at Pico's (Tex-Mex)on Bellaire has medicinal qualities,,it never has failed yet when Ive had the sniffles.Good friendly and professional service .
a few personal notes
- spanish village's enchiladas were pretty over cooked and very chewy last time i ate there, not to mention overpriced.
- Don Carlos locations on 76th and Broadway should be on here for sure!
- ChaCho's should be on here. That place is a gem imo.
CROSS OUT ALL,ONLY TIA MARIA ON DACOMA STANDS ALONE
No Tex-Mex list is complete without the best 1970s style Tex-Mex in town: 'La Hacienda' on Memorial!
find where berthas family have taken her old receipes
El Tiempo has the best fajita's hands down. Don't forget about Lost Concert Cafe either.
I've never heard of Lopez Family restaurant... it's a must on the list now!
Someone actually suggested Casa Ole on here. That person needs to slap themselves, what is their second choice Panchos???
BUMP for Lopez. (and there's a great BBQ joint in the strip center across the street...)
El Charro in The Woodlands has great fajitas, and the portion sizes always has me asking for a take-out before we start to eat.
The best ones, however, are made in my kitchen with New York Strip steak marinated and grilled.
What a rip-off from the meat industry or whomever started the "let's eat tough, neck meat and call it good" routine. Ridiculous!
Mely's in Pearland and in League City is the bomb. Great food and decent prices. If you are a Frida Kahlo fan, check out the Frida room at teh Pearland location.
I'm a native Houstonian and miss Felix's also. Just north of Tomball on 249 is a place called Taqueria Acapulco, family owned and operated. Everything on the menu is made fresh daily. Their salsa is dynamite and the enchilada verdes great. Another place is on the corner of 1960 and Veterans Memorial, called La Paranda (sp?) Their poblano de crema is wonderful. Thanks to all for suggesting new places I had not heard of. Can't wait to try some of them.
teotihuacan was better several years ago. now that it has been "discovered" the food is not as good nor is the service. this list has problems
Terlingua, glad they were not on the list.
Agreed! Ate there on a whim last night b/c short on time. They were short on service and flavor. Tortillas are stale and microwaved!
Los Amigo's at Burke and Fairmont in Pasadena, Rocks! There Margarita's are awesome, $3 bucks and their food is great!!
This is bullsh*t. Why isn't Pico's on the list? That is the best Mexican restaurant in the city.
Post new comment