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Higher End Mexican Restaurants

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by pgabriel, Feb 25, 2026 at 12:20 PM.

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  1. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    I'm a huge fan of Guadalajara Mexican Grille. The first one opened in Town and Country. I was working my first job out of college and a coworker had us eat lunch there. That's not when I became a fan. That one closed and opened on Bunker Hill and i10.
    .

    My ex wife and I lived nearby we tried it.i had the enchilada marisco. They load it up with seafood and put lump crab meat on top and its still only $21 so awesome
    MY sister is a fan of Pappasitos. I think it's okay. I've also had El Tiempo .

    My vote is Guadalajara by far.

    I used to not like Mexican restaurants. Being a spoiled middle class kid whenever my family went out I wanted seafood but Mexican food to me was fajitas or enchiladas which other than the seafood enchilada referenced earlier I really didn't do. I was jaded by microwave enchiladas. Then a Hispanic girl I dated in college turned me on to taquerias
     
    #1 pgabriel, Feb 25, 2026 at 12:20 PM
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  2. MadMax

    MadMax Member

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    Man, I love 'em all...seriouisly! :) There isn't one restaurant you mentioned that I wouldn't enjoy having for dinner tonight.
     
    #2 MadMax, Feb 25, 2026 at 12:22 PM
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  3. ThatBoyNick

    ThatBoyNick Member

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    Trying to dine with Mexican industrialist?
     
    #3 ThatBoyNick, Feb 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
    jordnnnn, mtbrays, pgabriel and 1 other person like this.
  4. The Captain

    The Captain ...and I'm all out of bubblegum

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    We talkin' Tex-mex, right? For beef or chicken fajitas, nothing beats Pappasitos for quality IMO.

    For other stuff- I've eaten street tacos in the barrio for dirt cheap that were 10x better than anything a bougie place like Torchy's can offer. Burritos in some hole in the wall where they barely speak English are usually amazing.

    I'd rather give business to a struggling immigrant joint than some corporation with layers of overhead.
     
    #4 The Captain, Feb 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
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  5. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    All of these restaurants have the thin tortilla chips and fresh salsa. I never was a fan of lays tortilla chips and store bought salsa is okay but I started buying the fresh chips and salsa at the grocery store. I don't buy it currently because if I have some at home I burn through it
     
    #5 pgabriel, Feb 25, 2026 at 12:48 PM
  6. Buck Turgidson

    Buck Turgidson Member

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    TexMex or MexMex?

    If MexMex, then what part? I guess I'd start with seafood or not seafood?
     
    #6 Buck Turgidson, Feb 25, 2026 at 12:53 PM
  7. cwebbster

    cwebbster Member

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    Panchos - Raise the Flag!
     
    #7 cwebbster, Feb 25, 2026 at 1:01 PM
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  8. MadMax

    MadMax Member

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    Also, what a great excuse to post these marketing gems:

     
    #8 MadMax, Feb 25, 2026 at 1:07 PM
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  9. Nook

    Nook Member

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    Central and Northern Mexico get my vote - but I also grew up on those, and they are what most Mexicans I know prefer.

    The Yucatan and South Pacific has the freshest and most basic dishes. I like them, but they are not all that different than a lot of dishes in South America.

    Mexico is a very under-rated food country, a lot of the world, including the USA and Europe think of only Northern Mexican street food or Tex Mex (which has a lot more Mexican influence than people think).
     
    #9 Nook, Feb 25, 2026 at 1:10 PM
  10. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    Whatever category the ones I named fall into The other one is EsCalante's.Ive had that once.

    I guess that's texmex.ive only been to one restaurant that was , as my ex described was really authentic Mexican food. I can't remember the name but I had enchiladas and they were different.

    There was masa mixed with the main ingredient
     
    #10 pgabriel, Feb 25, 2026 at 1:14 PM
  11. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy

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    Fonda San Miguel in Austin.
     
    #11 KingCheetah, Feb 25, 2026 at 1:19 PM
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  12. ima_drummer2k

    ima_drummer2k Member

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    Seriously, if you live in Texas, there's a good place on every corner. If you live in Kingwood, there's 27 spots per square mile.


    Agree with this. Of all the chains and hole-in-the-wall places I've tried, nobody can compete with Pappasitos beef fajitas. Too bad their tortillas taste like they were bought on the bread aisle at the grocery store.

    The perfect combination would be Pappa's beef fajitas on Los Cucos flour tortillas.
     
    #12 ima_drummer2k, Feb 25, 2026 at 1:31 PM
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  13. thegary

    thegary Member

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    So OP is definitely talking about Tex-Mex, which I love with all my heart and is 99% of “Mexican” restaurants in the us.

    Traditional Mexican Cuisine has received UNESCO cultural heritage of humanity recognition, the first and one of only four countries on the planet awarded the status. So no, Mexico is not an underrated food country, it is justly acknowledged as one of the pinnacles of gastronomy.
     
    #13 thegary, Feb 25, 2026 at 1:48 PM
  14. A_3PO

    A_3PO Member

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    Since moving to Houston 40 years ago (August), I've completely bought into nearly every aspect of local Houston cuisine...except TexMex. I still don't get the intense love affair Houstonians have for TexMex restaurants. Even when friends and colleagues have visited here over the years, they usually wanted to hit a Mexican restaurant first thing.

    I do enjoy going to Pappasito's once or twice a year. That's enough for me.
     
    #14 A_3PO, Feb 25, 2026 at 2:33 PM
  15. SuraGotMadHops

    SuraGotMadHops Member

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    Candente
     
    #15 SuraGotMadHops, Feb 25, 2026 at 2:43 PM
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  16. Buck Turgidson

    Buck Turgidson Member

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    That's interior MexMex

    also: anything Hugo Ortega does in Houston
     
    #16 Buck Turgidson, Feb 25, 2026 at 2:50 PM
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  17. Joshfast

    Joshfast "We're all gonna die" - Billy Sole
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    Teotihuacan on Airline or the two Irvington locations. They are all great.
     
    #17 Joshfast, Feb 25, 2026 at 3:01 PM
  18. Buck Turgidson

    Buck Turgidson Member

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    Been a while, but that was my favorite Texmex in Houston


    Eta: my favorite before 10pm, my favorite after that is a different story
     
    #18 Buck Turgidson, Feb 25, 2026 at 3:05 PM
  19. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy

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    It's not interior -it's just as good as all the other restaurants in this thread.
     
    #19 KingCheetah, Feb 25, 2026 at 3:23 PM
  20. heypartner

    heypartner Member

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    here’s some by Hugo Ortega

    Hugo’s is a must try, nice setting, too
    I haven’t been to Zochi, I’d probably love it based upon menu
    Tried Caracol once, in Galleria area. I liked it, casual, good to great on appetizers.
     
    #20 heypartner, Feb 25, 2026 at 3:46 PM
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