What started in 1998 as a small bakery in the Greater Heights has now grown to a chain with five locations across the Houston area. Here, Houstonians will find tres leches, flan, cheesecake, and pan dulce like conchas, orejas, panaderos, or carcoles (spiral pastries with sweet cream cheese). For anyone craving a savory treat, order the kolaches or tamales, and grab some tortillas to-go. 

In the colorful Tlaquepaque Market strip, Irma Perez is quietly making some of Houston’s best conchas. The small joint has a few cases of pan dulce made fresh daily. Come early and load up a tray. Diners not pressed for time, sit down for a dish of comida casera–style cooking before taking on the day. 

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this is especially true when it comes to the breakfast tacos from Brothers Taco House. This East End spot has tons of options to choose from, but diners can’t go wrong with the classic chorizo, potato, and egg, or the bacon and egg. Weekends are essential for anyone looking to fulfill a barbacoa or menudo craving, but fair warning: the line gets long. Prepare to wait. Don’t forget to snap a photo in front of the restaurant’s colorful mural as a keepsake.

James Beard Award semifinalist Victoria Elizondo bring a slice of Mexico to Houston at this East End restaurant and cafe. Considered the ultimate spot for community gatherings and lotería night, Cochinita & Co. welcomes diners daily for dishes including its signature cochinita pibil, served as a plate with beans and rice, or in taco form, plus coffee drinks and fruit-forward agua frescas. Weekend brunch is a hit with chilaquiles (a vegan option is available), mimosas, a nopalitos scramble, and El Desayuno, an ultimate breakfast platter that comes with two eggs, bacon, potatoes, black beans, queso fresco, pico, and buttered toast.  Bring a taste of Cochinta home by shopping Elizondo’s market, which features retail frozen tamales, crisp totopos, and her signature Tacotastic cookbook.

From a beloved pop-up shop to a brick-and-mortar restaurant, it’s no surprise that this 2025 James Beard Finalist for Best New Restaurant is one of Houstonia’s go-to places for Mexican food. Formerly known as Ema, Casaema offers world-class pastries crafted by Beard semifinalist Stephanie Velasquez. Find horchata berlinesas, canela coffee panques, and conchas—or order the suadero chilaquiles and taco de zanahoria from the main menu. Top your morning off with one of the caffeinated drinks, which includes piloncillo chai and lattes in flavors like café de olla, horchata, and agave.

Launched in 1977, this taqueria is especially loved for its barbacoa, which is made with the traditional combination of beef cheek and tongue meat. For many, the ultimate test for a Mexican restaurant is how it executes its barbacoa taco, and Gerardo's nails it every time. Each bite is flavorful and not too fatty, just the way we like it. But plan wisely. You'll have to wait until the end of the week to score its specialty. Gerardo's is only open Friday through Sunday. 

This beloved neighborhood staple has been serving Montrose for 30 years, and it's so popular that diners can often be seen spilling out into the parking lot while waiting for a bite of its Mexican comfort food. Must-try dishes include the chilaquiles, migas, huevos rancheros, and buttermilk pancakes—but let’s be honest, everything from the menu is great. End a dine-in visit with some pan dulce from the pastry case, or take some home to devour selfishly at home.

Although La Mexicana is known for its lunch and dinner, too, the all-day breakfast menu is its biggest draw. Expect big portions—an order of three tacos is more than enough. Other favorites include the chorizo and egg or bacon and egg tacos, the huevos rancheros con tocino (bacon), migas, and chilaquiles. It's always fun to add La Mexicana's margarita into the mix, whether its frozen or on the rocks. It's 5 o'clock somewhere right?

This cafeteria-style taqueria deserves all the recognition it gets. The breakfast tacos here are affordable and made with love. Grab a potato and egg or chorizo and egg taco, or order a larger dish like the huevos rancheros. No matter the day, it's best to show up early to skip the line—especially on weekends, when menudo is served.

This East End family-owned operation originally opened in 1977 and has been a longtime Houston favorite. Following a hiatus during the height of the COVID pandemic, Villa Arcos reopened in 2023, serving its hits, including its Super Bacon—a supersized taco with bacon, egg, beans, cheese, and potato—and the similarly large Super Chorizo. Diners who prefer a plate for breakfast or brunch: the migas or ranchero plate are always safe bets.

From the owners of the neighboring barbecue joint Pit Room, Candente always offers a great time food with to match. Treat yourself to smoked chicken flautas, brisket enchiladas, tortilla soup, tacos al carbon, and the black bean enfrijoladas with avocado. Seafood is also popular here, with mesquite-grilled redfish and newly debuted ceviches. For the ultimate sip, order the Premium margarita, a classic mix of Don Julio reposado tequila, Grand Marnier, agave, and lime. Weekend brunch, hosted from 10am to 2pm, is a whole ordeal, with plenty of boozy drinks and plates like enchiladas de huevos, tamale con heuvos, posole rojo (red), and pancakes. 

A spin-off of Ninfa's launched by one of Mama Ninfa’s sons, El Tiempo has served Houstonians Tex-Mex since 1998, and it just keeps getting better and better. Start by sharing fresh guacamole or one of the quesos flameados; then, order one of the big crispy tacos like the beef picadillo. Indecisive diners should order a Tex-Mex plate to get a well-rounded sample of the menu. The Las Vegas, comes with one cheese enchilada, one crispy beef taco, and fajitas. Craving breakfast tacos? Stop by El Tiempo’s taqueria on Washington Avenue.

At this storied Tex-Mex restaurant, family, friends, and customers are everything. Diners can enjoy menu staples that Molina's has served  since the 1970s, including the customer-inspired Berlys Burrito, which is loaded with beef or chicken fajita and smothered in chili con carne. Other worthy dishes inspired by real people include the C. W. Special (a taco al carbon and cheese enchilada with all the fixins) and the Williams Special, a hefty portion of tender carne asada, grilled onions, and two enchiladas topped with a special sauce and Chihuahua cheese. 

Credited with bringing tacos al carbon or fajitas into national consciousness, Mama Ninfa created a legacy in Houston's dining scene. To taste Houston history, order the two tacos a La Ninfa plate, which features fajitas enveloped in a flour tortilla, with pico de gallo, guacamole, and chile con queso (ask your server for a complimentary side of rice and beans). Don't forget the restaurant's signature Ninfarita.

Visit the Uptown Uptown location, which exclusively serves lunch specials, including milanedsa de pollo, tacos al pastor, and a pollo fresco bowl loaded with Napa cabbage, charro beans, roasted corn and cherry tomatoes, cotija, poblano rice, and avocado.

This taco truck is particularly popular among night owls and fans of Houston's late-night scene, which means there's bound to be a line after let-out. Don’t worry, it moves quickly, and there are plenty of interesting characters in line with whom to share the experience. Here, it's all about sticking to the tried and true essentials: fajita tacos con queso Oaxaca topped with fiery, creamy green salsa; a cup of frijoles; and a bubbly Mexican Coke to complete the meal. There is no seating, so find a spot on the sidewalk, use the hood of your car as a table, or enjoy your tacos with some tunes in the passenger seat of your ride.

With about two decades of service, this spot has turned into one of the most well-known food trucks in the city. Located just across the street from West Alabama Ice House, it's a prime option for anyone who wants a cold one alongside a fajita taco. Other top choices include the barbacoa, chicharron, and chicken tacos. This food truck is generous with its fillings, and offers a price point that can't be beat in this economy. Be sure to ask for a side of salsa before finding a spot at one of the ice house's picnic tables; then, dig in. 

It’s nice to dress up and splurge every now and then, and Hugo's is the place to do just that. Executive chef Hugo Ortega’s flagship has been a go-to for Mexican cuisine over the past two decades. Dinner offers a standout heart of palm aguachile and a ceviche verde, made with the catch of the day, avocado, cucumber, jalapeño, olive, cilantro, and lime. For an entree that'll leave you dumbfounded, order the cabrito. Roasted goat pulled from the bone, is served with tortillas,  nopales salad, refritos, guacamole, and salsa habanero. The arroz a la tumbada, made with brothy rice, chicken, chorizo, shrimp, calamari, mussels, and clams, is another meal to remember.

Although this isn't technically classified as fine-dining, this Autry Park newcomer by chef Luis Robledo Richards is definitely on the ritzier side. The menu is packed with flavor, with refreshing bluefin tuna tostada, slow-cooked carne asada, and the Tacos Mar y Tierra—tortillas filled with beef cheek confit, Gulf shrimp bathed in adobo, avocado, and a cheesy crust. Given its named for the Aztec goddess of agave and fertility, Mayahuel's cocktails are a must. All its signature agave drinks are made with additive-free spirits, including G4 Tequila, agave-based vodka, and Derrumbes mezcal. 

Three-time James Beard nominee Emmanuel Chavez began selling his tortillas during the pandemic via his Instagram DMs and at the farmers market. His dream has since blossomed into a one-of-a-kind tasting menu that focuses on heirloom corn and aims to showcase the diversity of Mexican cuisine beyond the taco. The menu regularly changes, but diners can expect something fried, something greasy, something refreshing, and something you can eat with your hands. Past dishes have included a bluefin tuna tostada, enmoladas, a plantain tortilla served with an irresistible mole, and its staple Mexico City–style quesadilla. Note: the restaurant only takes prepaid reservations ($175) through Tock.

Houstonians who drive on the uber-industrial stretch of Long Point Road know they're bound to find a gem or two in Spring Branch. El Hidalguense is one of them. Here, you'll find all the usual suspects, but be sure to turn to the menu's Hidalguense section, which features specialties from the state of Hidalgo. The fall-off-the-bone barbacoa de borrego is a must for any newcomer: chile-marinated lamb is cooked with maguey leaves in a barbecue pit and served with an irresistible consommé and refreshing cactus salad.

Welcome to Houston's enchilada destination. Enchilada Queen Sylvia Casares earns a mention here for her meticulously curated selections of the classic dish that are from North and South of the border. Try the McAllen (North) chicken enchiladas with chili gravy or the Hidalgo (South) carnitas enchiladas. Can’t decide? Go for an Enchilada Culinary Tour, a sampler of either four Northern or four Southern enchiladas for $21.

It’s tough to strike the balance when serving high-quality food in a high-volume restaurant in a mall, let alone, The Woodlands Mall, but Xalisko has done just that. Chef Beatriz Martines, a mentee of Hugo Ortega, explores the cuisine of her home state of Jalisco with on-point technique and bold flavors. The ceviche borracho of red snapper, served in tequila-citrus juice with smoked pineapple, is the perfect palate cleanser before moving onto more involved plates, including the birria tatemada; lamb shank slow-braised in an agave leaf with adobo; or the mini trompo al pastor that is lit aflame tableside. Best of all: tortillas and tostadas are made in-house with different varieties of heirloom corn, making every assembled taco a special experience.

Where Hugo’s is considered a place to experience Mexico cuisine's greatest hits, Xochi offers a more zoomed-in focus. Chef Hugo Ortega's Downtown restaurant celebrates Oaxacan cuisine with an emphasis on seafood. A highlight includes the grilled octopus, served with purple potatoes, green chorizo, and red tomatillo sauce. You can't go wrong with the catch of the day. A recent preparation featured expertly cooked fish served green chileatole with green beans and cilantro pesto.

In typical Houston fashion, several restaurateurs inspired by Mexican cuisine have gone on to create new dishes fused with their own culinary traditions. At Twisted Turban, tacos are merged with Indian food, with fillings wrapped in a paratha instead of a tortilla. That includes the Turban Tacos, which are filled with slow-cooked braised beef, fried onions, and coleslaw and mango slaw, plus veggie, chicken, beef, and shrimp quesadillas, and the Wrap-Chic, a taco that features chicken that's marinated for 48 hours, and a garnish of carrot slaw, tamarind chutney, and raita.