Texas Eats · checked by hand, fall 2026
Texas Tex-Mex
30 restaurants across Texas for Tex-Mex: cheese enchiladas in chili gravy, fajitas, queso, puffy tacos and the combination plate, each checked in fall 2026 against a 2025–26 source.
The combination plate
Tex-Mex is the Texas cooking that grew from Tejano kitchens: yellow cheese enchiladas under chili con carne gravy, crispy tacos, rice and refried beans on one hot plate, chips with salsa and a bowl of queso. Fajitas came out of the South Texas ranch country, and San Antonio claims the puffy taco.
The list at a glance
Towns with the most: Houston (10), San Antonio (9), Austin (3), Fort Worth (3), Dallas (3), El Paso (2). The dishes we found most often: enchiladas (6), fajitas (4), nachos (3), queso (3), cheese enchiladas (3), puffy tacos (3).
Our method: a place made the list only if a 2025 or 2026 source backed it up (its own site or menu, a dated local news story or an official tourism listing) and its street address matched. No current source, or a website gone dark, and it stayed off. Review sites played no part, and places run by region and town rather than by anybody's score. Barbecue joints sell out and keep short hours, so check before you drive.
On your phone, Texas Eats orders this list by how far each place is from you, and a tap opens Apple Maps' live card with hours, photos and directions.
Other guides: Barbecue joints, Taquerías, Kolaches, Chicken-fried steak, Oldest restaurants, MICHELIN & James Beard, Restaurant inspections. City pages: Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, El Paso.
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Houston & Gulf Coast
10 restaurants, by town.
Candente
4306 Yoakum Blvd, Houston
MICHELIN RecommendedTex-Mex On the menu: enchiladas, fajitas, crispy beef taco, Texas red chili
Montrose Tex-Mex from the team behind The Pit Room, with smoky, barbecue-influenced plates such as brisket enchiladas; Houston Press named it Best Tex-Mex in 2025.
El Patio
6444 Westheimer Rd, Houston
Tex-Mex On the menu: queso, Sunrise Enchiladas
Briargrove Tex-Mex with 1960s-era signage, known for its queso and Sunrise Enchiladas.
El Tiempo Cantina
2814 Navigation Blvd, Houston
Tex-Mex On the menu: beef fajitas, beef picadillo tacos, ancho-honey-glazed quail, queso flameado
East End Tex-Mex on Navigation from the Ninfa's family offshoot founded in 1998, known for beef fajitas and picadillo tacos.
Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina
2002 W Gray St, Houston
Tex-Mex On the menu: carnitas, smoked chicken flautas, parrillada familiar
River Oaks Tex-Mex cantina from the Goode Company family, known for carnitas and smoked chicken flautas.
Johnny Ritas Cocina y Cantina
5602 Fulton St, Houston
Tex-Mex On the menu: sopes with trompo pastor, carnitas, tlayudas, fajitas, chocoflan
Northside cocina with sopes, tlayudas and fajitas.
Molina's Cantina
7901 Westheimer Rd, Houston
Tex-Mex On the menu: chili cheese enchiladas with fried egg, Berlys Burrito, C.W. Special, Williams Special
Houston's long-running family Tex-Mex (in business since 1941, at other addresses first); its Westheimer restaurant serves the chili cheese enchiladas and Berlys Burrito.
Pappasito's Cantina
2536 Richmond Ave, Houston
Tex-Mex On the menu: fajitas, tableside guacamole, beef fajita nachos, tres leches
Upper Kirby branch of the Pappas family's Tex-Mex cantina, known for fajitas and tableside guacamole.
Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen
6401 Woodway Dr, Houston
Tex-Mex On the menu: enchiladas, fideo soup, mesquite-grilled quail
Uptown Tex-Mex with enchiladas named after South Texas towns and mesquite-grilled quail.
Teotihuacan Mexican Cafe
1511 Airline Dr, Houston
Tex-Mex On the menu: parrilladas, snapper al cilantro meunière
The original Airline Drive location of this family Tex-Mex café, known for parrilladas.
Dallas–Fort Worth
6 restaurants, by town.
E Bar Tex-Mex
1901 N Haskell Ave., Dallas
Tex-Mex On the menu: fajitas, enchiladas, tortilla soup, queso
Old East Dallas Tex-Mex opened in 2013 for fajitas, enchiladas and queso.
El Fenix
1601 McKinney Ave Downtown #1, Dallas
Tex-Mex On the menu: cheese enchiladas, beef tamales with chile con carne
Downtown McKinney Avenue flagship of the Dallas Tex-Mex chain founded in 1918; known for cheese enchiladas and beef tamales with chile con carne.
Mia's Tex-Mex
4334 Lemmon Ave, Dallas
Tex-Mex On the menu: brisket tacos, chimichangas, flautas
Lemmon Avenue Tex-Mex opened in 1981, known for its brisket tacos.
Dos Molinos
404 NW 25th St, Fort Worth
Tex-Mex On the menu: chile con carne enchiladas, nachos, fajitas with house-made flour tortillas
Family-run north side Tex-Mex just west of the Stockyards, with chile con carne enchiladas and live mariachis on weekends.
Maria's Mexican Kitchen
1712 S University Dr, Fort Worth
Tex-Mex On the menu: seafood enchiladas
Chef Felipe Armenta's restaurant near TCU, an homage to his mother; known for seafood enchiladas.
The Original del Norte
1400 N Main St, Fort Worth
Tex-Mex On the menu: puffy tacos, enchiladas, Roosevelt Special, nachos
North Main Street Tex-Mex with puffy tacos, enchiladas and the Roosevelt Special.
Austin & Central Texas
3 restaurants, by town.
El Patio
2938 Guadalupe St, Austin
Tex-Mex On the menu: cheese enchiladas, nachos, crispy beef tacos, queso
Guadalupe Street Tex-Mex near campus, serving since 1954, known for cheese enchiladas and bean-and-cheese nachos.
Joe's Bakery & Coffee Shop
2305 E 7th St, Austin
MICHELIN RecommendedAmerica's ClassicTex-Mex On the menu: bacon and egg taco, migas tacos, barbacoa, conchas
East Seventh Street Tex-Mex bakery-café run by the Avila family since 1962, famous for bacon and egg tacos and migas; a James Beard America's Classic (2023).
Matt's El Rancho
2613 S Lamar Blvd, Austin
Tex-Mex On the menu: Bob Armstrong dip, cheese enchiladas, beef fajitas, carne guisada, pork tamales
South Lamar Tex-Mex institution, "Austin's Original Tex-Mex since 1952" (it began as a small café on East 1st Street), home of the Bob Armstrong dip.
San Antonio & Hill Country
9 restaurants, by town.
Don Pedro Mexican Restaurant
1526 SW Military Dr, San Antonio
Tex-Mex
South Side restaurant opened in 1968 with a huge menu of Mexican favorites.
El Milagrito Cafe
521 E Woodlawn Ave, San Antonio
Tex-Mex On the menu: breakfast tacos, migas, menudo
Café just off North St. Mary's, open since 1969, for breakfast tacos, migas and menudo.
Garcia's Mexican Food
842 Fredericksburg Rd, San Antonio
MICHELIN RecommendedTex-Mex On the menu: enchiladas, chili con carne, hard-shell taco, brisket taco, tamale
Fredericksburg Road Tex-Mex café opened in 1962, known for its brisket tacos and breakfast plates.
Jacala Mexican Restaurant
606 West Ave, San Antonio
Tex-Mex Since 1949
Near-North Side Mexican restaurant on West Avenue, opened in 1949 in a tiny building.
La Fonda on Main
2415 N Main Ave, San Antonio
Tex-Mex On the menu: queso toreado, alambre pastor, chile en nogada, margaritas
Monte Vista restaurant serving Tex-Mex and interior Mexican food; it bills itself as San Antonio's oldest Mexican restaurant, since 1932.
Mexican Manhattan
110 Soledad St, San Antonio
Tex-Mex Since 1958
Downtown Soledad Street Mexican restaurant opened in 1958 that has expanded several times in place.
Mi Tierra Café y Panadería
218 Produce Row, San Antonio
Tex-Mex On the menu: pan dulce, comida corrida lunch specials
Market Square restaurant and bakery that began as a three-table café in 1941, with a bakery for pan dulce and comida corrida lunch specials.
Ray's Drive Inn
822 SW 19th St, San Antonio
Tex-Mex On the menu: puffy tacos, enchiladas, carne guisada
West Side drive-in known for puffy tacos, enchiladas and carne guisada.
Teka Molino
7231 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio
Tex-Mex On the menu: puffy tacos, bean cups, guacamole cups, beef enchiladas
San Antonio Tex-Mex serving since 1937, the self-described "Home of the Puffy Taco and Bean Cup" (several locations).
El Paso & West Texas
2 restaurants, by town.
Kiki's Mexican Restaurant
2719 N Piedras St, El Paso
Tex-Mex On the menu: brisket machaca, green chile enchiladas, chile rellenos, chicken mole
Family restaurant on North Piedras known for machaca (brisket, chicken and crab) and green chile enchiladas.
L & J Cafe
3622 E Missouri Ave, El Paso
Tex-Mex On the menu: chile rellenos, green chile enchiladas, combination plates
Long-running El Paso café on East Missouri Avenue known for chile rellenos and green chile enchiladas.