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La Tapatia Gessner

3.8 (86 reviews)
InexpensiveMexican, Bars
Open • 9:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
Updated over 3 months ago
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LA TAPATIA GESSNER ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Outdoor seating
Happy hour specials
Good for groups

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House Margarita on the rocks w/tajin
Mynika C.

Review update: it still slaps. I'll return. They have the best warm tortilla chips and I wish I was eating some now. Good customer service.

Platos Combinados
Rick W.

Went in again this afternoon after a long, lunch less all day business meeting. Had the Carne Asada Street Tacos which could stand for themselves, but I added the amazing, warm salsa which made them mouthwatering. The service and cleanliness of this restaurant is second to none. Trust me, I'm a Colorado Native transplant to Arizona 30 years ago and forever long for that one place, that Hits on all 8 cylinders and this is the place. Was the Beautiful bartender/server there, not the one from my first review, but all the staff were beautiful, cordial and perfect! See you in a few weeks when I travel back to Houston! Thank you!

Queso flameado ( queso poblano) :: highly recommend it
Hector F.

This spot was the backup because the first choice was an hour wait!! Good thing because I loved this spot!! The queso poblano was amazing one of the best I've tasted. And plus it comes with homemade flour tortillas!!! The best part of this restaurant is the stuffed jalapeños!! Wow just wow!!! Hands down the best stuff jalapeños out there!!! The Torta de carne asada was good! The fajita plate was good! Good favor on the meat! The carne asada burrito was good!! The wifey even liked the strawberry margarita () the price was not bad either! The service was great- she was on top of her game!! The only bad thing we had here was the micheladas!! But everything else was on point!! Next time I'm in Houston. I'm definitely going to stop here again. I miss those stuffed jalapeños already.

Chicken C
Areli F.

I was hooked the first time I went in. You know it's good when their salas is on firer. I have been three times and their food is always on point. They already know me!!! Just a friendly staff. It is super clean too! See my pictures...they do not disappoint.

Beef Gordita, no beans

I work around the corner from here and decided to try it out. As soon as you walk in you get a sewage smell right away that is very off putting. Anyway, I used to order Gorditas from the location on bellaire but I didn't see it on the menu. The waitress tells me they still serve them so I ordered one or chicken fajita and one of beef. As I start cutting into the chicken one the chicken looked half cooked, pink even and the whole Gordita was soaked in the juices. It was not what some consider to be juicy chicken it looked so undercooked I didn't risk it. The waitress didn't seem too happy that I returned it. On the other hand the beef in the other one had a very good flavor.

Lunch special
Emily H.

This restaurant has been in the corner of the strip center for as long as I can remember. Desperate for some really good Taqueria chicken soup (not the watered down Anglo tortilla version) we got some to go. Delicious with chunky vegetables and large pieces of chicken. This warranted a follow up visit especially since they had mole on the menu. So I took my mom (a not adventurous diner by any stretch) and it was amazing. I got the lunch special which satisfied my curiosity about the mole - I could eat this every day. Bonus? The fajita meat in the taco Al carbon was tender and well seasoned. Everyone is going with cheaper cuts these days and this may have been but proper care and prep is key. My mom had one of the lunch specials and all she could talk about was how fluffy the rice was!! This is close to us and I can't imagine why we've waited so long to go.

Weekday Lunch Special
Danny G.

A long time ago upon first opening on lower Richmond the table would get this dish of jalepeño garlic carrots along with chips and & salsas roja y verde. Things change and yet the food is still consistently great whether it's nachos, caldo, mole enchiladas, street tacos, tortas etc and served with friendly and attentive servers. To date we've not ever been disappointed at this or any location of La Tapatia. We meet family and all our friends here at his location. Check out the daily special offered on board as you walk in as well as Weekday Specials until 3:00pm. The variety included in these dishes will pique your curiousity, like adobe chicken did to me. Give a try. Fantastic staff and owners and I'm wxcited to be here twice a week sometimes... It's our go to place.

Una margarita!!
Maria G.

Este lugar se muy agradable, me encanta el servicio muy atente con nosotras. Y la comida muy rica.

Private section for Christmas party
Isaac M.

Ponce, the manager, & staff have fantastic service and attitude. Everyone is very welcoming and polite. I just had a family Christmas party, and it was 10/10. They catered to us in anything we needed. I would like to thank Ponce and his staff for great customer service to my family. Definitely recommend!

Parrillada Puebla and 4 street tacos
Cindy T.

Great customer service, the food was delicious, and pretty good micheladas. Definitely would recommend if you're looking for good Mexican food....

Taco meal combo
Embler I.

THIS IS THE SPOT FOR ME AND MY GIRLS!! On Wednesdays they have happy hour until 11pm! They're frozen margaritas come in pretty much all the flavors. My favorite is their mango margarita. I also love their Pina Colada, it comes in a really long glass. My go to meal is their shrimp enchiladas platter that comes with Spanish rice and refried beans. Their shrimp quesadilla is also really good. Don't get me started on their street tacos. I took my dad there yesterday for the first time and he loved his tequila tilapia meal. The waiter accidentally spilled my first watermelon margarita all over the table and felt so bad about it that he gave my dad a Heineken on the house so I wasn't upset about the mishap, plus we got to switch boots. The people there we're watching a soccer game and seemed to really be into it so it added to the overall vibe. On some days they have live music but it gets pretty loud so be aware of that if you're looking to catch up with friends. Their parking is great so you don't have to worry about getting your car towed, they're lot is big enough. They also have multiple locations but I would say the Gessner location is my spot.

Feliz Navidad!!

We celebrated our work Christmas dinner and the service was amazing. The Manager Mr Ponce is the best. He made it all possible with minimal effort on our end. Very grateful... Highly recommend. Food was great and the margaritas are perfect!

An ample bar!
Roger C.

Followed yelp recommendations to this little place. It's been here since 1989 and that's saying something. If service/food was bad it wouldn't last. That being said, I found the menu to be extensive, and they have a lovely bar with much in supply. The food was amazing! Service highest quality. You can't beat the price either. If you are in Houston and needing authentic Mexican food, look no further. The guacamole green sauce is exceptional and is provided with chips free gratis.

Carne Asada con camarones y Margarita

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8 months ago

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11 months ago

The food had hardly any flavor. The portions were good, but nothing was seasoned. I was pretty disappointed overall.

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2 years ago

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8 years ago

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3 years ago

Super recomendado , la comida muy rica y el servicio al 100% Grilled Shrimp Tacos y Queso Flameado delicious

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Steve P.

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3 years ago

All time favorite location staff is always friendly and courteous and food is always amazing

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

Always great food at this place. Everything is well cooked, and most importantly flavorful. I definitely will keep going here.

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12 years ago

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The Original Ninfa's on Navigation - Steak

The Original Ninfa's on Navigation

3.9(2.3k reviews)
12.1 mi•Warehouse District, Second Ward
•$$
Private events
Catering service

First time in Houston, and I kept seeing people online say Ninfa's is overrated. But every local I…read moreasked told me to go, so I went. Glad I did. Service was great. Our server was super friendly and kept things moving. Free chips and salsa to start. The chips came out warm and crunchy, with a red and a green salsa. Easy way to kick off the meal. I got the enchiladas suizas. Packed with chicken and cheese, and the salsa verde on top gave it a nice bit of tang that kept it from feeling heavy. Solid Tex-Mex. Didn't disappoint.

FAJITAS 7. As a native Houstonian, I was 10 when Ninfa's opened (1973). Growing up, we ate there…read moreseveral times each month. We'd rotate with Los Tios or Chinese every Friday or Saturday. As there is not a location near me any longer, we traveled to the original location. It was bustling with an attentive waitstaff and lots of people watching. Complementary valet (of course we tip) is a great benefit as parking is slim. Our waitress was Kady. She's been there for 50 years! Talk about an original. She was attentive to our needs but all business. We started with guacamole and queso. Guac was a huge portion with all the add ins. Queso was delish and served with fried flour tortillas (my fav). The gratis green dip, red sauce, and thick, crisp chips were on par. The fajitas. Just so so. Honestly, it reminded me of Taco Cabana. Very disappointing. Very little flavor and tough. The rice was yucky, the refried beans were the worst! Reminded us of the frito lay bean dip in a can. Even the Borracho beans were bad. HEB's in the can are far better. We received 2 corn and 2 flour tortillas. Fajitas served with pico, guac, sour-sour cream (I didn't even like that). Iced tea was fair. All in all, Fajitas very disappointing. If we had not been on the best fajita quest, I most likely would have ordered the chicken caldo soup. That never disappoints.

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The Original Ninfa's on Navigation - Combo Fajitas - Large

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Maderas - Kitchen & Cantina - Barbacoa and Carnita Taco

Maderas - Kitchen & Cantina

4.2(296 reviews)
9.6 mi•Midtown, Fourth Ward, Montrose
•$$

We visited Madera's for the first time recently and overall had a great first impression. The…read moreserver was attentive when needed but didn't hover or rush us. For drinks, my husband and our friends tried some of the margaritas from their large and unique margaritas menu, as well as their hibiscus agua fresca. All of the drinks were very pretty and it seemed like everyone enjoyed them, too! We started with their chips and salsa trio, which we all really liked. The chips were on the thicker side, but were crispy and not stale or chewy at all. Each of the salsas were quite different, and two were served warm, which we really liked! For the price, I'd consider getting the chips and salsa as a non-negotiable, honestly. For entrees, we tried the enchilada rojas, chilaquiles verde w/ chicken and beef, birria barbacoa ramen, and huaraches. My husband felt like his ramen could have included more meat, but aside from that everyone really enjoyed what they ordered. The highlight was probably the desserts, though! We got a quatro leches and two ordered of their giant and amazing churros. Both were incredibly tasty and reason enough to return for another visit in the future!

Not my first time at Maderas. That's why I came back because it was excellent and my friends heard…read moreme rave about it and they suggested we come here. Arrived on Sunday evening around 7:30. Was sat immediately. Not my first time here so I knew the menu, my friends did not. So they needed time to see what drinks they wanted because they like cocktails and the menu is not small and they had to choose which ones they wanted because the options are good. When they decided, the cocktails straggled out. Two came out but the other two did not, They just sat at the bar as my friends sat with there with their drinks in front of them waiting on ours so we can toast to a wonderful day with a new member of the group. You would have thought the other staff would step in or at least the bartender would see that the waiter was in the weeds and needed help. That's when I knew we should have not come. The food was all lukw warm. The appetizer of queso was like warm with chunks of cheese floating around and some of the chips were fresh and others stale. A mixed bag you can say. My Flautas where luke warm, so was the side of beans and rice. My friends said their tacos were okay. My friend who got the Caesar Salad, there was no dressing on the salad not was there a side of dressing that came with it. We had to ask for it. I did not have the energy to try to keep wrangling the waiter. If you want to shut the kitchen down early because the day was long I get it. Let the customer know, I get it. I used to wait tables to but I would never give people luke warm food or luke service. The staff seems not to have one anothers back. I did not eat my food, I took my food home to reheat it so I could eat it at the proper temperature. My friend took his salad home because he had more Caesar dressing at home. Left a bad taste in my mouth and very disappointed. The service and food from the last time compared to this visit was night and day. Total miss. $200.00 thrown away. I paid because I could not let my friends waiste there money on someplace I raved about. Maderas is really a small cute spot. It's rare I have bad service when I go out to eat because I am not a difficult customer and I know I am not the only one they are serving. I will wait for good food and sit back and enjoy the atmosphere and my friends until it arrives. I would not put pressure on the staff or the kitchen. Also I will not arrive just before closing and make a resteraunt and it's staff stay open late because I am hungry. I rather come when the staff and the restaurant wants to recieve customers.

Photos
Maderas - Kitchen & Cantina - Right side entry

Right side entry

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Mexican Sugar Houston Montrose - Brunch tacos

Mexican Sugar Houston Montrose

4.2(693 reviews)
8.6 mi•Montrose, River Oaks
•$$$

The world is full of Mexican restaurants…read more Most are some version of Tex-Mex in a family-friendly, relatively similar environment. Nothing wrong with that. Mexican Sugar breaks that mold completely. This is the most legit, wonderful, bougie, over-the-top Mexican restaurant I have ever been to, and I mean that as the highest compliment possible. This was my second trip to Mexican Sugar. The first was in Grapevine. After this visit to the Montrose location, I have officially decided that when I am in Texas, I will seek these places out. They are that good. First, dress up. I doubt there is an actual dress code, but this is not the place where I am showing up looking like I just finished mowing the yard. Come here to be seen. Come here to show out a little. The place is beautiful and has that kind of vibe. Second, the drinks. Hell yes. Fancy, creative, excellent, and impressive enough for even the person who has seen every ridiculous cocktail presentation imaginable. And then there is the food. My God, the food. The salsa and queso are legit AF. The street corn is heaven in a bowl. Get several orders. I am serious. One is not enough. The carne asada was amazing. Honestly, I could keep going, but at some point this review is just going to become me yelling about how much I love Mexican Sugar. I LOVE MEXICAN SUGAR. OK, YOU GET THE IDEA. WHY AM I YELLING? BACK TO THE REVIEW.... Service was excellent too. The place is huge and was absolutely packed, but our server stayed attentive and the food came out surprisingly quickly. Make a reservation. Park in the nearby garage. Dress nice. Order the drinks. Get the street corn. Then get more street corn. Who is ready for another trip to Houston? I'll book the reservation at Mexican Sugar.

This was my second time at Mexican Sugar and I loved it just as much as the first! Johnny was our…read morewaiter and he was phenomenal, super attentive and even refilled my drink several times without me having to ask. Sonia was also incredibly sweet. My daughter dropped some food and made a bit of a mess, and Sonia was so kind about it and cleaned everything up without making us feel uncomfortable at all. The food was amazing. I highly recommend the steak and eggs and the pancakes, both were delicious. Great food, amazing service, and another wonderful experience. We'll definitely be back!

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Mexican Sugar Houston Montrose - Machete Margarita

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Mexican Sugar Houston Montrose - Arepas

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Maximo - Tostada

Maximo

4.6(178 reviews)
6.4 mi•West University
•$$$

Maximo looks like someone invited the desert inside and poured it a drink. The room is colorful,…read morewarm, and genuinely inviting--pots of cactus, cowboy paintings, and Mexican art. At brunch, the papas bravas come as small cubes of fried potato with an airy crunch that gives way to a soft, pillowy center - the kind of deeply satisfying bite that makes conversation briefly irrelevant. Crisp prosciutto adds salt, aioli brings richness, and smoky chile sauce keeps it lively. They're served with cactus-handled toothpicks, which are almost offensively adorable. The chilaquiles divorciados are another hit. The chips are dressed with salsa rather than drowned beneath it, so each one arrives ready for the perfect bite. It's a small distinction, but an important one. Then there are the enfrijoladas: rolled quesadillas in fluffy tortillas, covered in creamy black bean sauce and plated with more care than bean and cheese might seem to warrant. The dish is fundamentally simple, but that's the point. Soft tortilla, savory beans, melted cheese, bright salsa. Familiar ingredients transformed into something deeply comforting--the culinary equivalent of curling up beneath a warm blanket on a cold morning, even if Houston rarely provides one. Dinner shifts into another gear. The crudos are sensational, especially the tuna tiradito - a rolling wave of flavor and texture. The tacos are excellent across the board, but the crispy maitake mushrooms are unmatched. The short ribs arrive juicy and tender on a mole negro that doesn't sit politely in the background. It lands dark, complex, and full of flavor. And then there's the masa cornbread, a masterpiece of unapologetic indulgence. Humble cornbread meets savory-sweet mole, smoky, earthy butter, and caviar. It sounds like too much. It isn't. Every element earns its place. The cocktails deserve their own warning. They're the kind that convince you to keep ordering the same drink all night. By the end, you may have forgotten what was in it. What you'll remember is that it was refreshing, perfectly balanced, and exactly what you needed. Maximo makes ambitious food feel generous rather than fussy. Come hungry.

Honestly I am fairly disappointed in this place as I had been anticipating it for the longest time…read more I was able to snag reservations about 1 month in advance for a Saturday dinner. The restaurant is located in a quiet area in West University with a good amount of street parking. The restaurant itself is decorated with a lot of character and personality and they have seating inside and outside on their covered patio. Don't get me wrong, the service here is amazing. The servers are very attentive, and I appreciate the chefs coming out to explain their dish. However, the dishes themselves were basic and lacked specialty. My boyfriend and I got the Chef's Tasting Menu. I got the drink pairing. As a Chef's tasting menu, I would expect the restaurants' most precious meals. The short rib was dry and the rest of the other dishes were unmemorable. The only dish that truly caught my eye was their Tres Leches, but this was given on the house as it was our anniversary. The drink pairing I got was well worth and all of the drinks were flavorful and paired well. Overall, I'd hope that their chef's tasting menu would improve as they rotate their dishes. I would try to come back to give it another chance.

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Maximo - Tres Leches

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Dona Leti's - Mini fajita steak street tacos

Dona Leti's

4.0(686 reviews)
7.7 mi•The Heights
•$$

The food at Doña Leti's was AMAZING! Definitely worth the wait…read more I went around 1 PM and it was BUSY. They honestly have more customers than they have space, which is a great problem for them to have . Parking was also hard to find, and I waited about 30 minutes just to be seated. But once I got my food and tasted it... I was IN LOVE! The food made all of the inconveniences completely worth it. Customer service was cool, the atmosphere was nice, but the FOOD was definitely the star of the show. I would absolutely go back... just be prepared to wait and hunt for parking. Worth it!

Dona Leti's was everything we thought it would be!…read more Upon arriving there was a 30 min wait but thats ok because we were given chips and salsa to hold us over. Once we were seated the waiter we had was super helpful. If we had questions, he had answers and pictures to go with them. The food was phenomenal and huge. We ordered the skillet burrito, surf and turf eggrols, and birria sampler. So much food and so flavorful. Honestly you have to try the alfredo on the eggrolls. That was different but so good. The asada was flavorful on the burrito and eggrolls. The birria was great and then consume hit the spot dipping wise. The burrito was jam.packed with meat and rice. Very good! Its exactly what I want in my burrito. We ordered margaritas for drinks and those were pretty good. The strawberry margarita has to be mixed once brought to the table, but thats ok. Needless to say we had to take leftovers home for sure. Great food and a great time!

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La Tapatia Gessner - mexican - Updated October 2026

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