So good! The tamales, flan, and ceviche are a must. Service is quick and good. Happy hour deal is a…read moresteal 3-6 Mon-Fri.

It was one of the great experience . Service was top notch , servers were well dressed and very…read moreattentive. Ambiance was great and well maintained . There is option of valet parking . We were five and half of them were vegetarian. Pan fried potatoes Tacos was very tasty . My son got two more . Presentation was awesome. Enchiladas was best . Fish was fresh and tasty . Churros was best I have ever had Cocktails were well thought .

We came to celebrate a birthday and the experience was one for the books! DJ was amazing! Super…read morefriendly, made sure that we were comfortable, and gave some excellent suggestions! The food was the delicious and and drinks were flowing! Definitely a hidden gem.

4/5 Stars | Delicious food, great vibes, but those PRICES?!…read more As a girlie who LOVES to eat and has no problem spending money on amazing food, Toca Madera definitely had me questioning some of these prices! I appreciate fine dining, beautiful ambiance, and a luxury experience, but WHEW! Maybe it's because I travel to Europe often, where I can practically buy two bottles of wine for the price of one glass here, but some of these prices felt like a reach. Let's start with the $44 truffle mac and cheese. FORTY-FOUR DOLLARS FOR A SIDE?! At that point, the mac and cheese better be the main character, come with its own reservation, and pay a portion of my mortgage. LMAO! I wanted to try it, but respectfully passed. Now, let's talk FOOD because they definitely know what they're doing in that kitchen! Fried Calamari: 10/10. WICKED delicious! I'm extremely picky about calamari, and they absolutely nailed it. Easily one of my favorites! Passion Fruit Fire Shots: 10/10. Of course, we had to try the trending fire shots! Delicious and such a fun addition to the experience. Salmon: My entrée, although I originally wanted the scallops. That changed REAL QUICK when I learned it was $59 for FOUR scallops. FOUR?! My bio literally says I'm a big back at heart. I came to EAT! For that price, I personally couldn't justify the portion. Sea Bass Tacos: My husband loved these! Generously sized with a nice spicy kick, but nothing overwhelming. Cilantro Lime Rice: 10/10. SO GOOD! We both ordered it, but honestly could've shared one side. Brown Butter Cake: 100/10. BABYYYY! This dessert deserves its own spotlight. Absolutely delicious! I'd genuinely return just for this cake. Might even attempt recreating it at home! Now, here's why I'm giving four stars. We were celebrating our nine-year wedding anniversary, and while the service was friendly and attentive, the dining experience felt rushed. It was very much, "Ready to order? Ready for your next course? Ready for dessert?" And I'm over here like, can a girlie enjoy her husband and her wine for a second?! Maybe European dining has spoiled me, but I appreciate taking my time, enjoying conversation, and savoring each course. Especially at this price point, I want to enjoy the experience without feeling like we're on a schedule. Then came the awkward anniversary dessert situation. We ordered the brown butter cake, but they brought out a brownie with ice cream that said "Happy Anniversary." Naturally, we assumed it was for us and started eating it. Our waitress realized the mistake and actually took it away from us MID-BITE! Having worked in the serving industry, I personally would've let the guests finish it, especially since the mistake wasn't ours. It was just awkward and unnecessary. And considering we were still charged for our anniversary dessert, the whole situation felt even stranger. For a restaurant positioned as luxury dining, a small complimentary anniversary dessert or champagne would've been a thoughtful touch. Not something I expect, but those little gestures elevate an experience. Also, this restaurant is DARK. And I mean dark as hell! Beautiful, sexy ambiance, but you might need a flashlight for that menu. I also witnessed drinks being spilled on guests at two different tables, so that was interesting! My final thoughts Food? Absolutely delicious! Ambiance? Beautiful, trendy, and definitely a vibe. Service? Friendly, but the pacing and attention to certain details could improve. Pricing? Definitely on the extreme side for what you're getting. For two people, we spent over $300, just FYI! Would I return? Yes, but preferably with a larger group so we could order different dishes and sides to share and experience more of the menu. I wish I could give Toca Madera 4.5 stars because the food deserves recognition. But between the pricing and a few service moments, I can't quite justify five. At the end of the day, I don't mind paying for luxury dining, but there's a difference between paying for quality and paying for the hype. Come for the food, stay for the vibes, and make sure your wallet has eaten before you arrive! Overall, a lovely anniversary dinner with some seriously delicious food, just a few things I wish had been different!

I would say this is more of a 3.5 review vs a 4 and that is honestly only due to the service…read more We normally go to the El Toro off Garth, but were closer to this one today for lunch so we decided to go! This El Toro is right next to Exxon, so if you plan on going for lunch, plan to wait ... not for a table, but for a waitress and food ... which is what we did. We waited about 10-15 minutes for a drink order and overall we're there for over an hour for a meal that should have taken 30 minutes. Overall, the food was excellent, as always! I got a taco salad and my husband got the special which was ribeye chicharron ... both were great! Point being is that El Toro's food is great! If you go to this location during lunch, know what you want before you get there and/or plan to wait!

03.27.26 - Stopped by here today to have a late lunch with my gf. Place is always clean, and Staff…read moreis always friendly, Food is always fresh and great. The Chef(manager) did come out to our table and let us know that they were out of the Southwest Eggrolls, that we had ordered, very courteous of him, Thank you. Other than that everything else was great, we did have a different waitress than we usually do, Thank you to Tessa for waiting on us today. See you all next time ;)

In the heart of the art district off Texas Avenue is this family run restaurant. Service was great…read moreand a menu with there little twist on Tex Mex. Known for their Birria dishes this spot is a great place to explore something different. The food was excellent and full of flavor. Can't go wrong here. Next time you want something a little different, support this gem. Till we eat again

I probably won't revisit this place. Restaurant is in a good location, good vibes…read more The food was unimpressive in my opinion. I got the Mexican hot dog with cheese covered Cheetos and the birria ramen. The Cheetos were STALE. Completely stale, it was nasty. I tried some Cheetos without the cheese and it was the same. The broth in the birria ramen wasn't good. It tasted like mop water. I was a little disappointed they didn't sell micheladas to pair up with their topo chicos. I may try this place again but after that visit, I wouldn't recommend it.

10.09.26 - My Gf and I stopped by here today for a early dinner after work. Service is always great…read morehere, however, this time, our waitress had a little bit of a misunderstanding, as she didn't understand what we were saying sometimes. She also looked new, as we never seen her there before. When I made my order I said 'no beans, double rice please.' She replied, 'no beans double fries.' I repeated myself, until my Gf made it clear to her, "RICE,..." LOL. The Grande Quesadilla I ordered was super greasy. The place was really pack, and we accidentally sat under the speaker in the celling, and the music was playing loud, in addition to the noise of a packed place.

The food here isn't bad. Not great. The restaurant is usually pretty clean and the servers are…read moreusually decent. I have tried a lot of menu items but nothing really stands out.

Went for an earlier Friday date night with my husband during Houston Restaurant Week, and we had a…read moregreat time and were so impressed. We do not hear enough about this restaurant! We street parked without trouble finding a spot. The inside is upscale and sleek and transported us into vacation mode. It reminded us of some of the really nice resort restaurants that we tried in Mexico. We were seated right away without reservations. Our waiter was so helpful and made sure we were having a good time. Drinks We love mezcals, and they offer to tailor your drink if you have certain preferences. I wanted the spiced pluma, and they switched the tequila for a mezcal, which I loved. I also tried the masa menos as is and thought it was delicious. There were many native Oaxacan items on the menu, but they also had as a special an escamoles taco as an appetizer. Apparently escamoles (ant larvae) is only available in 2 restaurants in the US. This was definitely the highlight of the whole meal. It was nutty and delicious, grilled perfectly- really a must try if available! First course Tetela: delicious and unique Ceviche: compared to everything else, this was a little lack luster (should have gotten the memelita) Second course Tlayuda: interesting and fun to try once but wouldn't get again, kinda like a thin crust pizza Cachetes de Res: the meat was so tender and really enjoyed the mole (so perfect with a mezcal drink) Third course Helado de Elote: this was ok, would consider their other desserts Cacao: huge, a show stopper and tasty. So many textures! You can really appreciate the time and effort to create this dish. We will definitely be back, whether for their happy hour or to try their mole tasting menu.

Good not great We…read morewere staying at the Marriott Marquis and wanted to have a nice dinner without having to go far. Luckily Xochi was right downstairs. We started with the taquito appetizer. It was really good, had a solid mole, but the fresh green salsa and habanero salsa made it even better. After that, we tried the Barbacoa meal and the beef cheek meal. both were four out of five I preferred the Barbacoa of the two For a high-end pricier Mexican restaurant, I would say this was good not great. The food was authentic, which I love but I don't think it lived up to its price point and there are better high-end Mexican restaurants in Houston. Would I go back? Maybe but I wouldn't be in a rush to do so. Also, the restaurant has nice decor, but the windows are up against the valet parking lot, not the nicest scenery.

I'm visiting friends in Houston and they picked this restaurant for us to have dinner at. They…read moreraved about how good it was, so I had high expectations. I can tell you that they did not disappoint! Everything we ordered was so rich in flavor. The star of the show was the Enchilada Banderas. I could eat that every day it was so delicious. Will definitely be back when I'm in town next!

Friend had recommended to check the place out, so jumped on making reservations as I've gotten used…read moreto doing this to avoid instances of "no seating, or extended waits" Parking is a bit limited if you want to park in the area within the strip center (it shares a space next to Verizon). But you can park across the mall street and walk over, just be careful when crossing traffic. Inside the place is beautifully decorated with culture and colors. Enjoyed that about the place. We checked in and promptly got seated, our initial seating was next to a window, but also next to the waiter order entry computer. Between that and my friend sitting in a wicker chair that has seen better days because she was falling into it, we requested to be moved. Our next seating was better with standard seats, but definitely crowded all around between the tables and waiters squeezing thru, made you feel packed like sardines. I get they want more patrons, but it feels a bit suffocating having everyone so bunched up like that. So much so, that when the tables behind me requested their meal that comes with a fire presentation, I felt that on the back of my neck, I wondered, Am I having hot flashes? No, just the fire blazing closely behind me. Additionally, the noise level is loud where I could barely hear my friend across the table or the waiter talking to me, I had to ask to repeat what he said many times. Our waiter, Christian, was very friendly and attentive. Since it was our first time dining there, we had questions on some items since this wasn't TexMex nor Mexican food that I had tried. So much so that if you like grasshoppers, you can have them added to your guacamole or some other offerings. I wasn't feeling rebellious enough to have tried that, so we passed. As an FYI, chips and salsa are not complimentary, you have to order them as the Salsas & Tostadas, you're provided with 3 different salsas, each with its own spice level. The main thing for me is that our main meal lacked flavor/seasoning. I got the Enmoladas (Mole de Rancho) which were smoked chicken enchiladas. Served with a side of Swiss chard. They tasted fresh, but when it came to a punch of flavor, we got none. The chard was not specifically something I enjoyed nor finished eating. We requested salt, which we didn't want to do, but adding the salt to the Enmoladas helped bring some flavor. Saw they have a brunch offering and would like to return for that and try some of their other drinks.

My girlfriend and I were out in the greater Houston area for a wedding two weekends ago. For part…read moreof our trip we wanted to try some Authentic Tex-Mex and Barcenas happened to be close by. I'm very glad we decided to give it a shot. We arrived around 2PM on a Saturday - we were promptly seated and placed our order. For food we shared an order of chips and queso, my girlfriend got a veggie quesadilla, and I got an order of Birria de Res. We also got two Cheladas for drinks. The Cheladas were very refreshing - they were a little different than the one's I am used to in the Bay Area. Normally, I'm used to beer+ lime+ salt rim but at Barcenas they have the addition of spices and Tajin (no tomato juice/ clamato) which was very enjoyable. The queso was an absolute delight - perfectly velvety and delicious. And our meals were spot on - the Birria was perfectly cooked and tender and tasted fantastic. It came along with fresh tortillas and consommé (which I would've drank if I could). My girlfriend's quesadilla was solid and she had no complaints. Service wise - we both found everyone we interacted with the be very pleasant. Our waitress was very kind and took time to answer any questions we had about items on the menu. One thing of note - the number of vegetarian entrees here is a little limited. The refried beans and pinto beans both have meat products in them (either bacon, or lard) and the selection of vegetarian items is few. But the ones they do have seem great. All in all, we found our experience at Barcenas be enjoyable - glad we were able to get a taste of some Tex Mex straight from the motherland while we were in town. 5/5

Why 4 stars? Because my fajitas did the trick…read more --- --- --- I grew up near the original Barcenas location, and it was my best friend's favorite restaurant. Both of us moved away from the area for many years, but now we're both back, so where else did he have his 40th birthday party? Barcenas. Now, did he not clarify that it was this location instead of the original? Yeah. But if that okay? Yeah. I arrived much later than everyone else, and kudos to them for waiting for me to arrive for quite a while before ordering. The biggest downside of my late arrival is that all of the queso had been demolished before I got there, so I wasn't able to sample that. But I did order the beef fajitas and thought everything was the definition of 4-stars: good. Not bad, not amazing, just good. The steak meat was not as visually appealing as some other places, but it was fine. The grilled onions were a bit above average though. And the rice, beans and all the fixins' were pretty typical. For my friend's birthday, they brought him a giant sombrero while we sang the song. Any time a sombrero is involved, it's a good time.

Came to celebrate my husband's birthday and had a blast, especially the way our waitress was very…read moreattentive to everything we ordered and handled all our drinks perfectly . We did not wait at all, especially when it was time to sing happy birthday. She went out her way and made it the best experience here. Definitely will be coming back and asking for her again. Shout out Lorena!!!!!!!

This was our first time here, we went for dinner on a Friday night, the restaurant was packed which…read moreto me, that is a good sign! Since it was only my husband and I we sat at the bar, who am I kidding, we love sitting at the bar! We had excellent service from start to finish from every bar maid! We have also been on the hunt for an amazing margarita especially since El Tiempo in Webster closed their doors. Welp, I believe we might have found our place! The perfect margarita was actually perfect, not sweet like La Brisa's We ordered the Auguas Chili with the green sauce and man, oh, man! It was delicious, not overly spicy either! Served with tostadas that seemed store bought, I would have preferred a fried fresh corn tortilla, but that's my preference. Nonetheless, it was delicious! We also had the beef quesadillas which I forgot to get a photo of because when those bad boys came out, they looked so good and we dug right in! The beef was tender, ooey gooey with cheese and it came with some green sauce that was delicious! They had a mariachi band that would go around the restaurant and perform! Also, when it's someone's Birthday they have a whole performance that they put on! This restaurant is huge, it is loud, tons of TV's, lots of entertainment, and an incredible vibe! Overall we had an amazing experience and we will be back!

Presentation was exquisite! Staff was extremely kind and polite!…read more Food was extremely beautifully presented, authentic, and full of flavors! Just how authentic should be... We are talking family next time.

Chiludos is the real deal--authentic, badass tacos and absolutely worth the stop. They've got just…read moreabout every kind of street taco you could imagine, and the elote is delicious. The mushroom-and-squash veggie taco on a blue corn tortilla was amazing. Highly recommend this place to anybody passing through Texas. Don't drive by hungry!