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    Tacos La Bala

    3.8 (40 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Closed • 8:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Tacos La Bala Photos

    Business Info

    TACOS LA BALA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Next to a clothing store and a bakery
    Maria W.

    I have an idea let me find a nice tasty spot in a area like this one, eat the food, and rave about it to my boyfriend who claims there isn't anything good in his neighborhood except for fast food. Oh, wait that sounds like a superb idea! After searching around in the neighborhood. I have stopped at this taco spot..hint here I am no fan of tacos, so thank goodness they had other items. I ordered the flautas with chicken--surprisingly it looked just like the picture on the menu. It tasted good no joke. The flautas tasted fresh not like anything from Taco Cabana (not trying to bash that place), to me it tasted as if the flour tortillas were hand wrapped in chopped chicken fried to perfection and topped with cheese, lettuce, sliced tomatoes and avocados, two sides Spanish rice and refried beans. My only complaint is the sides portion size was way too limited. I aint no fatty or anything, but if I am paying $7 for a takeout meal..I better get my money's worth. The food was good, but the portion size was off. Anyways, the staff was nice. I am glad there was a girl there that spoke English. I was kinda feeling like oh god, I am going in a Hispanic restaurant in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood--these people aren't always friendly. I was so relieved to find that the girl there was nice, friendly, and spoke English well. She helped me decide what I wanted too. The dining room area was fairly big: two tv's playing Spanish speaking shows, tables everywhere, the back is narrow spaced. On a Friday around 5pm--the place wasn't packed at all. A family came in as I was leaving, but there was a guy with a cowboy hat there the whole time. Waiting time was minimum too. Its in the parking lot behind the McDonald's..try something new and skip fast food. It is so worth it.

    Not like it use to be. Waste of $24
    Dominique H.

    Use to be good. Now it's dry and nasty. Food wasn't even hot or fresh. Just barely warmed up

    Fajita tostada (huge tostada!)
    Carol C.

    During the stay-at-home order, the hubby called in our tacos order and picked up at the restaurant. We ordered 2 trumpo tacos (pork), 2 lengua tacos (cow tongue), and 2 tripa tacos (tripe). So fresh and as good as I remembered! The tacos and spicy salsa totally hit the spot. Sad they didn't have the charro beans that we love but glad that they are still open and serving. Can't wait to be able to go back and eat at the actual restaurant. STAY STRONG!

    Trompo and conchinita pibil
    Mike W.

    If you're in this part of town, there's a good chance tacos are in your future. But when you're a bit of a stranger in a strange land, it's raining, and your gringo copilot isn't doing any better job of navigating the quickly unfolding landscape than you are, you're happy to see a known commodity. La Bala #5 was that literal and proverbial respite from the storm that was brewing on the banks of Airline, and in the belly of yours truly. It seemed like days since I'd last eaten, and some trompo tacos would get that Uruguayan rugby taste out of my mouth. And to tell you the truth, I could swear that it was Paraguayan substitute anyway. I'd dined at the Bellaire location on a few occasions, and always left happy. I'm happy to report that this location brings the goods as well, but without all that pesky "space." La Bala is all about tacos and they have a wide assortment. I ordered 6 tacos w/ corn tortillas, which are topped with onions and cilantro by request, and two soft drinks for around $13. The main attraction on the menu is the trompo of classic pork pastor. Though I personally love the crispitty, crunchitty exterior that the meat gets with the vertical roasting, my partner in crime far preferred the slow roasted and sauced moistness of the conchinita pibil. I say both are winners and offer a good cross section of house specialties. Summation: good, cheap, and consistent variety of tacos - all in the size of a shoe box. Gringo Bonus - counter girl speaks English

    Inside

    Delicious tacos and burritos ! My favorite are the trompo and chicken aguas frescas are a must !

    Mark R.

    Good taco's de trompo and the menudo is on point. The people here are nice and always check if you need anything. I really recommend this place.

    Taylor W.

    The best authentic Mexican food ever!!! I believe they started out as a food truck and worked their way up to a permanent location! The authentic home made green salsa with the Barbacoa burrito is what I live for! And the pineapple sodas are made in Mexico!! It really feels like home and I will be coming here until the day I die!!

    Location is great right in the neighborhood with good service
    Rene M.

    First time here and they didn't disappoint food was great as well as the service will defiantly be coming back

    Trompo, pibil, fajita y deshebrada

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    4 years ago

    Waited an hour and never got food , they forgot our order. We cancelled the food after that. Big waist of my time ‼

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    13 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Decent breakfast tacos. They provide quick service and reasonable prices. They also have a spicy green salsa that is a must try.

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    5 years ago

    dont recommend poor quality of food beans were watery tortillas were burnt and its over priced! poor service!

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    12 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Excellent Tacos with assortment of authentic Mexico City style tacos! Relaxed atmosphere.

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    The Original Ninfa's on Navigation - Steak

    The Original Ninfa's on Navigation

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

    Fast seating even when full. Enough time to walk to the bar order margaritas then be seatedread more

    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.

    Photos
    The Original Ninfa's on Navigation - Decor

    Decor

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

    Combo Fajitas - Large

    The Original Ninfa's on Navigation - Margarita

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    Margarita

    Maderas - Kitchen & Cantina - Barbacoa and Carnita Taco

    Maderas - Kitchen & Cantina

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

    Food was great, drinks were so good, vibes were so chill and service was great, definitely…read morereturning for brunch!!

    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

    Maderas - Kitchen & Cantina - Rice & Beans

    Rice & Beans

    Maderas - Kitchen & Cantina - Chicken Enchiladas

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    Chicken Enchiladas

    Mexican Sugar Houston Montrose - Brunch tacos

    Mexican Sugar Houston Montrose

    4.2(691 reviews)
    6.3 mi•Montrose, River Oaks
    •$$$

    Visited for Houston restaurant week…read more It was our first time trying this place out. After being seated, it took 20 minutes for the server to come to our table and take our drink order. It took another 20 minutes to get the restaurant week menu we had asked for. The food and drinks were good and the ambience was nice, however, the service really tainted the whole experience.

    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.

    Photos
    Mexican Sugar Houston Montrose - Machete Margarita

    Machete Margarita

    Mexican Sugar Houston Montrose - Arepas

    Arepas

    Mexican Sugar Houston Montrose - Mexican Sugar - beautiful lighting

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    Mexican Sugar - beautiful lighting

    Maximo - Tostada

    Maximo

    4.6(177 reviews)
    9.5 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.

    Photos
    Maximo
    Maximo - Tres Leches

    Tres Leches

    Maximo - Paloma Coconut Punch & a classic Margarita.

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    Paloma Coconut Punch & a classic Margarita.

    Dona Leti's - Mini fajita steak street tacos

    Dona Leti's

    4.0(681 reviews)
    5.4 mi•The Heights
    •$$

    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!

    Dona Leti's is truly one of Houston's absolute gems, and it will ALWAYS be my go-to! From the owner…read moreto every single member of the staff, the hospitality is unmatched. You are not simply served here--you are welcomed, appreciated, and treated like family. Three weeks ago, I was actually headed here wanting to celebrate, but life changed in an instant with the passing of my dad. Today, I finally made it back, and what a beautiful full-circle moment it was. One of the greatest gifts was being able to see Julio, the owner, celebrating his own special day. That made the experience even more meaningful. The food is consistently AMAZING, the atmosphere is warm and inviting, and the service goes above and beyond every single time. You can feel the love, pride, and genuine care that has been poured into this establishment. I love EVERYTHING about Dona Leti's--the food, the people, the energy, the hospitality, and the way they make every visit feel special. Five stars simply aren't enough. If you're looking for incredible food and an experience that feels like home, Dona Leti's is the place. Forever a customer and forever recommending this Houston favorite!

    Photos
    Dona Leti's - Bar

    Bar

    Dona Leti's - Street Taco

    Street Taco

    Dona Leti's - Passion fruit margarita with a shot of Grand Marnier.

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    Passion fruit margarita with a shot of Grand Marnier.

    Tacos La Bala - mexican - Updated October 2026

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