La Pepito sandwich at Tortas El Angel, an inexpensive taste of the not-too-distant past of the Heights

As you can expect from the name, the specialty at the tidy Heights area taqueria Tortas El Angel is their take on the ubiquitous Mexican sandwich, the torta. Located in a grungy, older strip center filled mostly with Hispanic business south of 11th Street nearly across N. Shepherd from the large Krogers, its menu has grown in the past few years, but it is the tortas that still seem to entice most customers. A consistent pleaser is the straightforward La Pepito ($7, large and $9, giant). Served on sturdy, sufficiently large telara bread, the sandwich features juicy pieces of steak, strands of both raw and deeply burnished onion, slices of quickly sautéed fresh jalapeño, along with a few wedges of avocado and pieces of tomato. It is piquant, flavorful and, given the comparative heft of the recently made bread, a lot less messy than the usual local torta.
 
Tortas el Angel
1018 N. Shepherd Houston, Texas 77008
713-862-9222
tortaselangel.com