Tex-Mex in Houston

3245 SW Freeway Greenway Plaza

713-665-2900

Taquitos ("little tacos") come three to an order at this charming restaurant built to resemble a taco wagon parked on a street in Mexico City. The tacos al pastor, made with crispy pork and pineapple, are your best bet.

19th Street

300 - 700 Blocks of 19th St. Heights

713-869-5885

American, Cafe, Italian, Retail, Tex-Mex, Vietnamese

The Heights' main street for antiques, boutiques, art, dining, and more.

1 event 1 article

Alicia's Mexican Grille

25725 Katy Freeway, Katy Outside Houston

281-347-1800

Tex-Mex, Restaurants

Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen

10115 Louetta, Suite 400 Outside Houston

281-205-1240

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Readers' Choice

4 articles

Andy's Home Cafe

1115 E. 11th St. Heights

713-861-9423

Tex-Mex, Mexican, Recommended, Menu

Not being updated since it first opened in 1977, the drab decor can now be described as having "character." This BYOB restaurant serves up simple, fast and cheap Tex-Mex-American diner fare to Heights locals. The food is hot and fresh, the service is fast and friendly, and they're open 24 hours.

1 article

Anejo

1180-1 Uptown Park Blvd. Galleria

713-963-9032

Tex-Mex

Añejo restaurant offers an original dining experience that pays homage to the authenticity and soul of Tex-Mex cuisine while presenting it in an elevated, sophisticated and refined manner. As Texans, we know Tex-Mex is more than just another type of cuisine – it represents the cultural, historical and culinary melting pot of both Texas and Mexico. Añejo is pushing the boundaries of “traditional” Tex-Mex by elevating this beloved culinary union. Guests will experience a truly unique and contemporary form of Tex-Mex as we showcase the beauty and versatility of the cuisine.

2 articles

Armandos

2630 Westheimer Lower Shepherd-Kirby

713-520-1738

Tex-Mex, Best Of

The quintessential River Oaks culinary experience, a slightly stuffy and ornately-decorated dinner house with excellent, overpriced Tex-Mex served on white linen tablecloths.

1 article

Azteca's Margarita Bar and Grill

2207 Richmond Lower Shepherd-Kirby

713-526-1702

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Recommended, Menu

Azteca's, on Richmond near Montrose, is an interesting blend of cantina and sports bar, with TVs competing with loud music and shouting people. The place specializes in drinks - happy hour is a big deal here - but it also has a large and varied menu. Its chunky, oniony salsa and flour tortillas are noteworthy. You will find not only the standard Tex-Mex offerings here but also legendary fish tacos, an excellent pork tenderloin stuffed with olives, jalapeños and cheese, and a delicious grilled red snapper served in a garlic white-wine sauce. There's also a good selection of vegetarian dishes.

2 articles

BB's Cafe

2701 White Oak Dr. Heights

713-868-8000

Cajun, Creole, Tex-Mex, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

8 articles

Benny's Mexican Cafe & Bar

13320 Westheimer Memorial

281-870-1107

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Bars and Clubs, Recommended, Menu

This is a very large restaurant that serves all the traditional Tex-Mex favorites and then some. Outstanding dishes include ceviche, a veggie tortilla, a terrific tropical salad with shrimp and pineapple, enchiladas tomatillo, baby back ribs and a grilled tilapia. They also serve a great breakfast. The monster super mixta platter is a combination of almost everything they serve.

Big Humphrey's Pizza and Italian Restaurant

5627 Broadway St. Pearland

281-485-0392

American, Italian, Pizza, Tex-Mex, Recommended

Taking in Big Humphrey's King of the Hill ambience, customers might wonder about the food. But all they need to do is sit down and order. Jasper Vitale uses recipes left by his grandmother, who was born and raised in Sicily. They supplement Grandma's Italian dishes with good ol' American favorites, as if to concede that truckers do not live by the meatball alone. Those who want wine with their pasta will have to bring it themselves.

Bravos Mexican Restaurant

10906 Fuqua Outer Loop - SE

281-484-2697

Tex-Mex, Recommended

Anybody who remembers the glory days of the original Ninfa's will welcome the decidedly ungentrified Bravos experience with cries of joy. For starters, it passes the benchmark for a true Tex-Mex restaurant: good nachos and cold margaritas, which come in a variety of flavors. Ambitious entrées include a good cabrito punched up with garlic and cumin, and some strongly seasoned pork carnitas.

Cadillac Bar

1802 Shepherd Heights

713-862-2020

Tex-Mex, Best Of, Menu

Mariachis, colorful décor and complimentary chips and salsa -- Cadillac Bar just outside the Heights has all the assets a Tex-Mex institution should, right down to the fajitas brought out on a sizzling iron skillet platter. Their Sunday brunch is massive, and massively popular. Parking is plentiful in the lot adjacent to the building, which is not something you can say for all the restaurants lining Shepherd just north of Washington. Crowd-wise, you'll find everyone from families of four to snazzily-dressed 20-somethings on their first stop of a night on the town.

6 articles

Candente

4306 Yoakum Boulevard Montrose

(346) 867-1156

Tex-Mex

Canyon Cafe - CLOSED

5000 Westheimer Galleria

713-629-5565

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Recommended

The Southwest grill wood and stone décor gives this place a rustic, lodge-like feel, while the bar with TVs constantly blaring makes it feel like a sports bar. The second-floor location, especially the outdoor seating area, features a great view of the Galleria area, perfect for enjoying the cafe's famous margaritas. On the menu: innovative Mexican, Native American and Tex-Mex food, including spinach and portabella quesadilla and banana burrito. They also serve poblano chicken chowder soup, burgers, sandwiches, blackened chicken and avocado salad and pasta.

1 article

Casa De Leon

9217 Long Point Outer Loop - NW

713-461-1955

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Recommended, Menu

This is a great place for a late, late-night Mexican feast. Located in a run-down strip center on the west side of town, Casa De Leon doesn't have much atmosphere but makes up for it with the food. The three salsas served with chips are incendiary, even for Houston tastes. Breakfast includes great chilaquiles (scrambled eggs with tortilla strips), machacado (scrambled eggs with dried beef) and a hangover-curing menudo. The grilled whole perch is superb, as are the carne guisada and the alambres (kebabs) with beef, shrimp and bacon. Among the best deals are the meats to go, such as barbacoa or cabrito, which can be purchased by the pound.

Casa Grande Mexican Restaurant - CLOSED

3401 N. Main St. Heights

713-227-8801

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Music Venues, Recommended, Menu

Located in the north Heights, Casa Grande's very popular nightclub is open on weekend evenings. There's also free live music in the bar on Thursdays. The thing to order is nachos supreme, an enormous pile of chips covered with beans, fajita meat and melted cheese, garnished with guacamole, pickled jalapeño slices, lettuce, tomato and sour cream. It's not an appetizer, it's a meal.

Chacho's

6006 Westheimer Galleria

713-975-9699

Tex-Mex, Recommended, Menu

This is the best fast-food version of Tex-Mex in town. The prices also aren't that much more than Taco Bell's. Chacho's is a small, privately owned San Antonio-based chain with a fascinating marketing premise. It uses higher-priced ingredients but keeps the cost of the food low. In order to make a profit, it has to do huge volume - which it does. If the high quality of the tacos is surprising, the number of people eating there at any given time is astonishing.

Chapultepec Lupita

813 Richmond Ave. Montrose

713-522-2365

Tex-Mex, Recommended, Best Of, Slideshow

Any place with more than 60 different tequilas and nearly 20 different margaritas is bound to be happening. Located in a funky old house that seems to go on forever in the middle of Montrose, this colorful place has become an institution for the late-night/early-morning crowd looking for a hangover cure. They serve inexpensive Tex-Mex standards that start with chilaquiles and huevos rancheros and then progress to quesadillas, tamales, enchiladas and an excellent mole. The menu also surprises with dishes like tortilla-crusted snapper, Mediterranean-style salmon, alambres (kebabs) and sticky pecan cheesecake.

5 articles

Chili's

1110 Lake Woodlands Dr., Spring Outside Houston

281-362-9191

American, Barbecue, Mexican, New American, Southwestern, Tex-Mex, Traditional, Best Of, Menu

Originating in Dallas in 1975 as a casual sit-down restaurant stuffed to the brim with Southwestern tchotchkes, Chili's has since grown into a behemoth chain owned by culinary conglomerate Brinker, with more than 1,400 locations in more than thirty countries. Sadly, the Awesome Blossom is no more, but menu staples like Chicken Crispers, Southwestern Egg Rolls and those infamous baby back ribs — which may or may not cause you to spontaneously burst into song — are still going strong. Every location including Houston features a fully stocked bar, and, as would seem fitting for a Southwestern-themed chain, Chili's specializes in margaritas, from top-shelf to sparkly fruit-flavored incarnations. In recent years the chain has continued its worldwide domination with more minimalist, modern decor and promos like the "$20 Dinner for Two." Voice Places is the place to find a Chili's near you.

1 article

Chilosos Taco House

701 E. 20th St. Heights

713-868-2273

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Recommended, Menu

This is a steam-table joint that fills up with yuppies eating eggs and drinking joe around noon. Metal trays are full of all kinds of breakfast taco options, made with thick, homemade tortillas and fluffy eggs.

1 article

Chuy's

9350 Westheimer Rd. Outer Loop - SW

713-278-2489

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Best Of, Menu

3 articles

Chuy's Comida Deluxe

9350 Westheimer Outer Loop - SW

713-524-1700

Tex-Mex, Restaurants, Best Of, Menu

Founded in Austin, this is a favorite hangout of young Anglos who like to drink. You can almost always expect a long wait at this noisy, crowded spot, which has colorful decor and a large outdoor patio. The strong suit at Chuy?s is the sauces and the ultra-thin, crispy tortilla chips. The creamy jalapeño and Hatch green chile sauce will not be found elsewhere. If you?re into "Big As Yo' Face" burritos and combination plates, you'll be at home here.

1 article

Chuy's

2706 Westheimer River Oaks

713-524-1700

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Best Of, Menu

Founded in Austin, this is a favorite hangout of young Anglos who like to drink. You can almost always expect a long wait at this noisy, crowded spot, which has colorful decor and a large outdoor patio. The strong suit at Chuy's is the sauces and the ultra-thin, crispy tortilla chips. The creamy jalapeño and Hatch green chile sauce will not be found elsewhere. If you're into "Big As Yo' Face" burritos and combination plates, you'll be at home here.

3 articles

Cisco's Salsa Co.

209 Commerce St., Tomball Conroe

281-351-7572

Tex-Mex, Menu

Cyclone Anaya's

1710 Durham Heights

713-862-3209

Tex-Mex, Recommended, Slideshow

The original Cyclone Anaya's was an incredibly popular Tex-Mex joint owned by a former professional wrestler. The new locations are upscale eateries run by his heirs. Potent margaritas and homemade Tex-Mex are the best bets, but the queso with seasoned taco meat should not be missed. Saturdays and Sundays diners can select brunch menu options until 3:00 p.m. that include chilaquiles or huevos rancheros, or the breakfast-style quesadillas with scrambled eggs and Applewood bacon, as well as a house-style mimosa with one cent refills.

8 articles

Cyclone Anaya's River Oaks

3736 Westheimer Road. River Oaks

(346) 613-1360

Tex-Mex

Doc's Bar & Grill

1303 Westheimer Montrose

American, Bar Food, Burgers, Tex-Mex, Wings, Bars and Clubs

The original Doc’s opened in 2005 on South Congress Avenue in Austin, housed in a former auto-repair shop that was owned by a guy nicknamed Doc, hence the name and automotive theme. The bar expanded to two more locations in Austin and now has ventured into Houston with this location in Montrose. Doc’s serves upscale bar food such as burgers, sliders, wings, nachos, tacos, salads, and more, including an all-day breakfast menu. Craft-beer lovers will appreciate the selection of more than 50 beers on tap, including upwards of 30 from Texas. The Houston location stays true to the repair-shop theme, with garage doors that can be opened up when the weather is nice, old gas-station signs and even an old rusted-out truck parked under the sign out front. The front patio allows for good people-watching along this busy stretch of Westheimer.

6 articles

Don Carlos Mexican Restaurant

416 N. 76th St. East End

713-923-1906

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Menu

This is the original Don Carlos location. The small, local chain also has two other Houston locations and one in Waco. Self-proclaimed fame is derived from their Señor Grande burrito - a five pound sirloin stuffed burrito with all the fixins, like beans, rice, lettuce, tomato, gravy, guacamole, sour cream and pico. We're getting sleepy just thinking about it. To those brave men and women daring to eat it all by themselves, and under a half hour, you get the honor of a free meal, and we're guessing a huge case of indigestion for the rest of the day. For normal people, regulars suggest the fajitas and margaritas.

Don Julio's Mexican Restaurant

322 Westheimer Montrose

Tex-Mex, Restaurants, Recommended

This import from the suburbs is better than first glance: excellent Don Julio-based margaritas and a special house dip called Texas Mud pack the crowds into the big, boisterous space. The rest of the food is pretty standard Tex-Mex fare, but the service and atmosphere more than make up for it.

Doneraki Authentic Mexican Restaurant

Gulfgate Center, 300 Gulfgate Mall Outer Loop - SE

713-645-6400

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Music Venues, Menu

Tastefully decorated with saltillo tile floors and a huge copy of a Diego Rivera mural, the Gulfgate Doneraki is one of the best-looking Tex-Mex restaurants in town. Like all classic Tex-Mex operations, Doneraki claims its chips and hot sauce, chile con queso, fajitas and cheese-stuffed jalapeños are "authentic Mexican." Bless their hearts.

Edgar's Hermano

1700 Smith St. Downtown/ Midtown

713-495-7854

Comfort Foods, Southern, Tex-Mex

We've staked our claim as one of Downtown Houston's best restaurants.

Edgar’s Hermano

1700 Smith Downtown/ Midtown

713-495-7854

Fusion, Tex-Mex, Southern

Pass the chilies, hold the queso at Edgar’s Hermano. The modern, turquoise-accented Edgar’s Hermano, tucked inside the Whitehall hotel, is a cute, welcoming spot to stop by for happy hour and nosh on any number of Southern Tex-Mex fusion dishes. The restaurant is split between a roomful of booths and rustic wooden tables and a long bar situated next to a row of smaller tables where sports aficionados can catch the latest game. The fare is mostly elevated beyond the typical hotel restaurant menu, though several dishes, like the salmon salad and the tres leches parfait, suffer from a lack of polish and execution. However, the fried chicken is tender and generously stuffed with creamy mac and cheese at dinnertime, and the doughy housemade tortillas — found in everything from the quesadilla appetizer to house-fried chips — are worth a second glance. Skip dessert, but be sure to try the savory fried chile relleno.

1 article

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Tex-Mex in Houston