The ten best restaurants for fajitas in Houston
Fajitas might not be as popular as in the past, and an order is certainly much more expensive – it’s not ordered as afterthought – but fajitas can still make for a very enjoyable meal here when done well. And Houston is where fajitas first attracted considerable attention, at Ninfa Laurenzo’s restaurant on Navigation Boulevard in the East End in the 1970s. There is a reason fajitas, made with skirt steak that was often marinated then grilled, became a restaurant sensation across the country and even in Europe during the 1980s – the biggest food item to ever come out of Texas – and remain found on menus throughout the area. An order is brought to the table dramatically and audibly sizzling on a cast iron platter preceded by aromas of wood smoke from the grill, of moist beef and sauteed onions and peppers, then quickly followed with small plates, baskets and cups of accompaniments – pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, charro beans, Spanish rice, and rolls of freshly made, sturdy flour tortillas – which result in a dish that is piquant, deeply savory, and absolutely delicious.
Fajitas properly refer to skirt steak in Spanish. Just like vodka shaken with vermouth and poured into a martini glass is not really a martini, grilled chicken breast cut into strips does make a fajita. Less discerning palates like each of these, though. But fajitas have come to mean not just beef but also chicken breast, shrimp and even vegetables served in the style of the original strips of grilled skirt steak. These can actually be tasty, too, if not as much as the steak, of course. And those beef fajitas on the menu can sometime be something other than skirt steak or really not steak at all; restaurants places aren’t recommended here.
As most know, most places also serve tacos al carbon, which are largely the same as fajitas; the fajita meat is already stuffed into a rolled flour tortilla. That’s a shortcut and lower tariff for the tasty fajita experience at many Tex-Mex spots. Named Tacos a la Ninfa that became a famous item at Ninfa’s. Fajita meat can also make it into quesadillas, enchiladas and even in salads; these are all good things.
Listed alphabetically.
Posted on February 25, 2023.
Candente – The offerings might be somewhat inconsistent at this attractive, slick Tex-Mex outpost, but does it shine with beef, befitting a sibling of The Pit Room, a terrific barbecue joint, a block away. Unusually but welcome, only top-notch Prime beef from Niman Ranch here, skirt steak and ribeye. The medium-sized portion of each – $36 and $42, respectively – should be enough for most. The larger sizes, suited for a couple, are $56 and $78. These are quite tasty, though. The fajitas come with grilled onions, pico de gallo, guacamole, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chile lime butter, flour or corn tortillas, which are made in house – go with the flour – Spanish rice and a choice of beans. Excellent jalapeño sausage, quail, a half-rack of pork ribs, chile lime shrimp and shrimp en brochette can be added to a platter if more protein is needed. Fajita treatment is also given to chicken, shrimp, portabella mushrooms and pepper, and pork carnitas. Montrose
El Patio – Maybe not among the very top fajita slingers, these can, nonetheless, help make for an even more enjoyable visit to this comfortable, quirky, longtime local favorite. It’s char-broiled here for a result that’s pretty good, if not quite as flavorful elsewhere. Served with freshly made flour tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, rice and charro beans. Also available on the platter in beef tenderloin – about $90 for two – marinated chicken breast, pork carnitas, shrimp and even a vegetable medley. Briargrove
El Tiempo – Grandly presented on small charcoal grills sitting atop a slew of burning embers, the mesquite-grilled fajitas here can be terrific, robustly flavored – and some very robustly priced. Maybe the best in the area, the regular beef from skirt steak is now $66 a pound and the more tender if less flavorful filet mignon are $80. You can get half and quarter pound versions, nicely, and much better for single orders. Tasty house-made tortillas with an unusually green-tinted rice, charro beans, pico de gallo, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Shrimp and jalapeño sausage can be added. Shrimp or chicken, red-centered ahi tuna, shrimp and even salmon get the fajita treatment, also. East End, Montrose, Greenway Plaza, Washington Corridor, Briargrove, Timbergrove, Westchase, Katy, Kingwood, Stafford, Clear Lake, Cypress, The Woodlands (2)
Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina – Like the other Goode Co. restaurants, mesquite is put to excellent use for the grill, and fajitas in one of its several iterations here is another crowd-pleasing order found on many tables at this crowd-pleasing place. For a grander platter, you can add their terrific jalapeño cheese-smoked sausage, bacon-wrapped shrimp, a trio of grilled jumbo Gulf shrimp, a Texas quail, or pork carnitas. Chicken breast, too. Memorial, Heights, The Woodlands
Goode Co. Taqueria – This long-standing counter-service spot and neighborhood favorite does fajitas in a lower key, no dramatics, and a smaller portion – with a smaller price – but the beef is still juicy, flavorful and expertly mesquite-grilled, as the folks at Goode Co. do quite well. Ingredients, and everything, are noticeably better than similarly priced restaurants. Served with rice, beans and either avocado or guacamole. West U
Lupe Tortilla – In the 1990s, it was fashionable for many Inner Loopers to drive out to Highway 6 for fajitas at the original location. That was high praise given that there were many noted fajita purveyors, much closer. The reputation endures. Available with beef, chicken and shrimp, or a combination, the fajitas are served with guacamole, pico de gallo, char-grilled green onions and unusually very thin, large, well-turned out freshly made flour tortillas. The beef is moist and quite flavorful. The beef fajitas, and the similar tacos and steaks are still a prime draw. Chicken and shrimp, too. Upper Kirby District, Washington Corridor, West Houston, Katy, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Clear Lake, Pearland, 1960 Area, Spring, Cypress, The Woodlands, Humble, Tomball
Picos – They really don’t seem to want to serve fajitas or anything Tex-Mex here – dishes from regional Mexican cuisines are the passion and focus – but those fajitas and similar tacos al carbon can be terrific. Picos is a really good restaurant. Roasted poblano peppers and caramelized onions on the platter add to the taste in the tortillas. Available for one or two, and with chicken breast, too. Upper Kirby
Soto’s Cantina – In Cypress and in an industrial park on W. Little Work, these brightly décor-ed places provide a lengthy menu of suburban favorite Tex-Mex preparations including well-done fajitas. Nicely, you are asked how you want the beef cooked, so you can get them well-done, but opt for medium-rare. Served on a cast iron comal with plenty of caramelized and nearly so slices of onion, the usual sides, and solid, excellent house-made flour tortillas, these are very enjoyable. Chicken, too. Jersey Village, Cypress
Superica – An easy place for Tex-Mex in the Heights, the fajitas are on point here, the marinated then grilled quality skirt steak is moist and flavorful and delicious when stuffed in a house-made flour tortilla and complimented with salsa along with one or more of the expected accompaniments. A slew of proteins like shrimp or sausage can be added on, and the similar, flavorful tacos al carbon, with smaller tacos than typical, can make for an order involving less effort. Chicken and mix vegetables, also. Heights
Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen – Enchiladas are in the name and might take prominence here, but the fajitas are really tasty, too – properly skirt steak and mesquite-grilled, as most of the best local fajitas are – and maybe even “Amazing” as described on the menu. Served on top of a bed of sauteed onions and bell peppers on a platter and with the usual accompaniments and also with chicken breast and can be bumped up with some grilled jumbo shrimp. Briargrove, Energy Corridor
At Lupe Tortilla
Fajitas properly refer to skirt steak in Spanish. Just like vodka shaken with vermouth and poured into a martini glass is not really a martini, grilled chicken breast cut into strips does make a fajita. Less discerning palates like each of these, though. But fajitas have come to mean not just beef but also chicken breast, shrimp and even vegetables served in the style of the original strips of grilled skirt steak. These can actually be tasty, too, if not as much as the steak, of course. And those beef fajitas on the menu can sometime be something other than skirt steak or really not steak at all; restaurants places aren’t recommended here.
As most know, most places also serve tacos al carbon, which are largely the same as fajitas; the fajita meat is already stuffed into a rolled flour tortilla. That’s a shortcut and lower tariff for the tasty fajita experience at many Tex-Mex spots. Named Tacos a la Ninfa that became a famous item at Ninfa’s. Fajita meat can also make it into quesadillas, enchiladas and even in salads; these are all good things.
Listed alphabetically.
Posted on February 25, 2023.
Candente – The offerings might be somewhat inconsistent at this attractive, slick Tex-Mex outpost, but does it shine with beef, befitting a sibling of The Pit Room, a terrific barbecue joint, a block away. Unusually but welcome, only top-notch Prime beef from Niman Ranch here, skirt steak and ribeye. The medium-sized portion of each – $36 and $42, respectively – should be enough for most. The larger sizes, suited for a couple, are $56 and $78. These are quite tasty, though. The fajitas come with grilled onions, pico de gallo, guacamole, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chile lime butter, flour or corn tortillas, which are made in house – go with the flour – Spanish rice and a choice of beans. Excellent jalapeño sausage, quail, a half-rack of pork ribs, chile lime shrimp and shrimp en brochette can be added to a platter if more protein is needed. Fajita treatment is also given to chicken, shrimp, portabella mushrooms and pepper, and pork carnitas. Montrose
El Patio – Maybe not among the very top fajita slingers, these can, nonetheless, help make for an even more enjoyable visit to this comfortable, quirky, longtime local favorite. It’s char-broiled here for a result that’s pretty good, if not quite as flavorful elsewhere. Served with freshly made flour tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, rice and charro beans. Also available on the platter in beef tenderloin – about $90 for two – marinated chicken breast, pork carnitas, shrimp and even a vegetable medley. Briargrove
El Tiempo – Grandly presented on small charcoal grills sitting atop a slew of burning embers, the mesquite-grilled fajitas here can be terrific, robustly flavored – and some very robustly priced. Maybe the best in the area, the regular beef from skirt steak is now $66 a pound and the more tender if less flavorful filet mignon are $80. You can get half and quarter pound versions, nicely, and much better for single orders. Tasty house-made tortillas with an unusually green-tinted rice, charro beans, pico de gallo, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Shrimp and jalapeño sausage can be added. Shrimp or chicken, red-centered ahi tuna, shrimp and even salmon get the fajita treatment, also. East End, Montrose, Greenway Plaza, Washington Corridor, Briargrove, Timbergrove, Westchase, Katy, Kingwood, Stafford, Clear Lake, Cypress, The Woodlands (2)
Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina – Like the other Goode Co. restaurants, mesquite is put to excellent use for the grill, and fajitas in one of its several iterations here is another crowd-pleasing order found on many tables at this crowd-pleasing place. For a grander platter, you can add their terrific jalapeño cheese-smoked sausage, bacon-wrapped shrimp, a trio of grilled jumbo Gulf shrimp, a Texas quail, or pork carnitas. Chicken breast, too. Memorial, Heights, The Woodlands
Goode Co. Taqueria – This long-standing counter-service spot and neighborhood favorite does fajitas in a lower key, no dramatics, and a smaller portion – with a smaller price – but the beef is still juicy, flavorful and expertly mesquite-grilled, as the folks at Goode Co. do quite well. Ingredients, and everything, are noticeably better than similarly priced restaurants. Served with rice, beans and either avocado or guacamole. West U
Lupe Tortilla – In the 1990s, it was fashionable for many Inner Loopers to drive out to Highway 6 for fajitas at the original location. That was high praise given that there were many noted fajita purveyors, much closer. The reputation endures. Available with beef, chicken and shrimp, or a combination, the fajitas are served with guacamole, pico de gallo, char-grilled green onions and unusually very thin, large, well-turned out freshly made flour tortillas. The beef is moist and quite flavorful. The beef fajitas, and the similar tacos and steaks are still a prime draw. Chicken and shrimp, too. Upper Kirby District, Washington Corridor, West Houston, Katy, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Clear Lake, Pearland, 1960 Area, Spring, Cypress, The Woodlands, Humble, Tomball
Picos – They really don’t seem to want to serve fajitas or anything Tex-Mex here – dishes from regional Mexican cuisines are the passion and focus – but those fajitas and similar tacos al carbon can be terrific. Picos is a really good restaurant. Roasted poblano peppers and caramelized onions on the platter add to the taste in the tortillas. Available for one or two, and with chicken breast, too. Upper Kirby
Soto’s Cantina – In Cypress and in an industrial park on W. Little Work, these brightly décor-ed places provide a lengthy menu of suburban favorite Tex-Mex preparations including well-done fajitas. Nicely, you are asked how you want the beef cooked, so you can get them well-done, but opt for medium-rare. Served on a cast iron comal with plenty of caramelized and nearly so slices of onion, the usual sides, and solid, excellent house-made flour tortillas, these are very enjoyable. Chicken, too. Jersey Village, Cypress
Superica – An easy place for Tex-Mex in the Heights, the fajitas are on point here, the marinated then grilled quality skirt steak is moist and flavorful and delicious when stuffed in a house-made flour tortilla and complimented with salsa along with one or more of the expected accompaniments. A slew of proteins like shrimp or sausage can be added on, and the similar, flavorful tacos al carbon, with smaller tacos than typical, can make for an order involving less effort. Chicken and mix vegetables, also. Heights
Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen – Enchiladas are in the name and might take prominence here, but the fajitas are really tasty, too – properly skirt steak and mesquite-grilled, as most of the best local fajitas are – and maybe even “Amazing” as described on the menu. Served on top of a bed of sauteed onions and bell peppers on a platter and with the usual accompaniments and also with chicken breast and can be bumped up with some grilled jumbo shrimp. Briargrove, Energy Corridor
At Lupe Tortilla
