One Of America's Best Tex-Mex Restaurants Is A Historic, Beloved Houston Gem That Popularized Fajitas

Houston, Texas, is quite the foodie paradise. For example, its oldest restaurant is a Gulf Coast seafood gem. But another local favorite is Ninfa's On Navigation just a few minutes from downtown Houston, which has long been recognized for its amazing Tex-Mex cuisine, and for good reason. The restaurant is most known for popularizing fajitas (more on that later), but it also serves up a wide variety of classic and modern dishes. The joint's impressive menu includes such items as chile con queso, tostadas, enchiladas, tacos, and even an "award-winning" fajita burger, all prepared with high-quality ingredients. Ninfa's also makes exquisite desserts — like Kahlúa flan and Mexican chocolate cake — and equally delicious cocktails, including unique margaritas you won't find at a typical Mexican restaurant.

Ninfa's food has become so beloved over the years that it frequently appears on Houston tourist and restaurant guides, and has even garnered considerable attention outside of Houston. In fact, readers of Southern Living magazine voted for Ninfa's as the best restaurant in Texas in 2017. Its food is so iconic that another location was opened in 2019 in Uptown Houston. While the decor and atmosphere are more modern than the original Navigation Blvd.'s spot, its menu is still based on the culinary magic of its predecessor.

Fajitas can be found in many Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants around the U.S., but that probably wouldn't be the case if it weren't for Ninfa's. The legendary Houston eatery didn't invent the dish — its roots go back to at least the 1930s — but it did bring them to a wider audience. Ninfa's founder, Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo, revived the recipe when she opened up the restaurant in 1973, and it eventually became its signature dish. The simple yet effective combination of grilled meat served on homemade tortillas, with onions and peppers, has taken on a life of its own since then, but all of those variations owe a debt of gratitude to Ninfa's.

While fajitas are a staple on countless menus, it seems that few can hold a candle to this original version. Steve Klise stated in America's Test Kitchen, "I've eaten a lot of steak fajitas, and the version at Ninfa's is absolutely the best I have had. The grilled skirt steak came in slices that were much thicker than I'd imagined ... but were somehow incredibly tender and satisfyingly charred in spots, and came served on ... a sizzling platter of almost-caramelized onions and blackened peppers." Your mouth is watering right now, isn't it? But if Ninfa's fajitas still don't grab you, stop by Houston's famous Hobbit-heaven for some beer and burgers.

Like many great success stories, Ninfa's started with a humble origin. Ninfa Laurenzo, nicknamed "Mama Ninfa" because of her kind personality, moved to Houston with her husband Domenic Thomas Laurenzo in 1949 and opened up a factory that made tortillas. However, after Domenic passed away in 1969, Ninfa needed another way to support her family financially, so she started the now-iconic restaurant in 1973. It was very much a family-run business; Ninfa's daughter Phyllis Laurenzo Mandola told Chron, "I was the first server at Navigation. The food was so darn good because of all the talent in the kitchen — my mother, brothers Jack and Roland, and my husband Tony [Mandola]."

Eventually, the restaurant was popular enough to warrant opening up more locations in other cities, and Ninfa even started several Italian restaurants. However, financial difficulties forced Ninfa to sell her restaurant in 1997. After Ninfa died in 2001, Legacy Restaurants purchased the original Navigation Blvd. location, with Alex Padilla coming on as the executive chef. Luckily, Padilla already had a history with Ninfa's, telling Chron, "My mom worked for Mama Ninfa, and Mama always made us feel like a part of the family. Mama Ninfa would personally heat up a flour tortilla, and put some butter on it for me while we waited for my mom's shift to end. It's one of those smells and tastes that will always stick with you." With deep ties to the restaurant, it's safe to say that the culinary traditions established by Mama Ninfa are safe in Padilla's hands. (And if you want another local restaurant with deep family ties, check out one of America's best eateries that serves top-notch soul food near Houston.)