Review: Lupe Tortilla

Lupe Tortilla is a festive Tex-Mex restaurant that specializes in -surprise!- fajitas and margaritas and attracts the typical consumer mix.

In a town known for its Tex-Mex, Lupe Tortilla has established itself as one of the best fajita haunts in Houston. The dish in question tops the likes of the impressive-in-its-own-right El Tiempo Cantina and Pappasito's versions, both in terms of tenderness of the beef and flavor of the marinade, which is heavy on lime juice, adding a wonderful flavor to the tender, perfectly cooked skirt steak.

The Green Enchiladas and Steak Lupe are noteworthy dishes as well. Shredded chicken with a mild but piquant tomatillo sauce and Monterey jack cheese give the enchiladas their oomph while a tender portion of fajita steak, prepared with the aforementioned marinade then topped with Monterey jack cheese, tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro, make the SL a can't miss.

As with most Tex-Mex places in Houston, frozen margaritas are the bar's big draw, and Lupe's Platinum, which is slightly strong but without the bitter taste that often accompanies second-rate margaritas, is deceptively smooth.

For those that like to bring their kids along for their benders, Lupe's offers a playground for the ninos in full view from the bar. At the original location, the playground was actually built for their kids, who were underfoot but too young to work in the restaurant. The sandbox became a hit with parents and has been reproduced at each new location.

The menu features misspellings based on a stereotypical Latino enunciation ("cheeken" instead of "chicken," "leetle" instead of "little," etc.) that will either be very offensive or very funny based on how many margaritas you've consumed (I vote funny, by the way), but that, along with the other dishes, kid's playground, and hearty margaritas, is secondary. The reason to come to Lupe Tortilla's has been, and will continue to be, the fajitas.