Ninfa’s

I’ve been a loyal customer since I was knee high to a grass hopper. However about 3 months ago I was sitting down to have my Rita and fajitas and to my surprise what do I see crawl across the bar and onto my silverware but a roach. I got up and walked out, haven’t been back since:(

So wish this was still in San Antonio — and that is saying something — SA has the best Mexican Food on the planet! Very few chains make it here. So I do make a point to stop at Ninfas in Houston EVERY time I am in town. The greens sauce that comes with the chips is amazing. They also will serve you the jalapeño/​carrot mix if you ask for it. The chicken fajitas are amazing. I try to stick to a paleo diet — but when I am at Ninfa’s, I cannot resist the homemade corn tortillas. We are spoiled in SA because homemade corn tortillas are pretty much the norm — but — Ninf’as homemade corn are still a stand out to me! The queso is also just amazing. Again — I stick to paleo normally — but I cannot resist Ninfa’s rice — wow — just typing that made my mouth water! Need to get to Houston!

Good for cheap apps and HH.

I am told there are a few Ninfa’s in Houston. Maybe the other one is good.
My irresponsible friend forgot to make a reservation at El Tiempo for our group of 17, and we were grateful that Ninfa’s had space. After eating there, it’s not a surprise that the place was barren. After sitting for a minute or two — a waiter came to take our drink order. He wrote everything down carefully. After a very long time, he came back with drinks — and had no idea where any of them went. Many of them were wrong, and he kept trying to insist that we had ordered something that we hadn’t. I’m not sure why he bothered to write it down… The drink fiasco literally took about 25 minutes to sort out. Positive — the Rico Rita was quite delicious. Negative — it did cost $ 10.50. I’d say it was worth it, but I’m financially irresponsible.
Our food order went a little more smoothly, or we were just more intoxicated when the food came out and we didn’t care as much. I’d say the food was «Meh» at best, and the 16 other people that were there agreed for the most part.
NOTICE — the man filling up the water should be promoted immediately. To what, I’m not sure — but I don’t think I’ve ever been more impressed with a water-​filler-​upper guy. Props to you, sir. You rehydrated me very well so I could proceed to the next bar to dehydrate. Thank you.

Took my mother here on the way to Miller Outdoor Theater — expecting it to be ALMOST as good as the original.
Good:
Outdoor seating
The green sauce — obviously.
Bad:
Bathrooms were almost unusable. I requested they clean them before my mom went in. She told me they were gross again — manager dismissed our comments and told us it was as clean as it could get. Gross.
Was given a bill without my itemized receipt. Had to wait 5 minutes just to get that — I like to know what I’m paying for.
Service was horrid — waiter spoke to us like we were idiots.
Told me the kitchen wouldn’t make a bean only enchilada. Yes, in fact, they will.
Margaritas are $ 8 each and composed mostly of ice.
I will never go back. I’ll try the original Ninfa’s — but only because it is a staple of Houston. If you are reading this — pick a different Mexican restaurant. There is a reason the other Ninfa’s are closing…

I’ve grown up on Ninfa’s, so I feel a sort of loyalty to it, but this location is not their best. I much prefer the Original on Navigation. The atmosphere of this location was kind of dark and depressing. And at the intersection of Kirby and Richmond I felt like my car was going to get broken into. Just being honest.
The service was great — very attentive and speedy. The food was so-​so. Not horrible, but not great. Chips and salsa were tasty. I got veggie empanadas (it was a special) and they were ok. The description was much better than the actual dish. The «veggies» were pretty much just spinach. Rice and black beans were mediocre. My friend got a cheese quesadilla, which he gave me some of and that was better than what I got.
I would go here again, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. If you want Tex Mex in the Richmond-​Kirby area go right across the street from Ninfa’s to Little Pappasito’s!

Ninta’s used to be an awesome small chain of Tex-​Mex restaurants in Houston. I wasn’t too thrilled when I ate here (the Richmond at Kirby location) recently. The chips (and green sauce) are very good but the house frozen margarita wasn’t blended well and tasted of cheapish booze. The fajitas — a specialty — I ordered were disappoingting: the Tampico Shrimp Fajitas with beef were ALL beef except for 2 small shrimp. Service was a bit too efficient (asking me if a I wanted another margarita when I had only drank ½ of the one in front if me…). A shame — perhaps the other locations in Houston are better (I know the College Station Ninfa’s is far better).

Ninfas is my go to spot for margaritas. They have a late night (8 – 10) happy hour mon-​thurs that is fantastic. $ 3 for a knock-​you-​on-​your-​ass margarita. Bottomless chips an salsa even if you just drink at the bar.
Food is unremarkable, but not bad by any means. Personally I recommend the shrimp empanada and sopapillas. Prices for food are pretty cheap too. 5 stars from me for being a great standby spot. Only wish they were open later.

I watched one of the bussers here lifting the lid to the bars condiment tray with his mouth. Meanwhile the bartender is watching him and saying nothing. I have no patience for this type of disgusting unsanitary behavior at any restaurant. I told the manger and they cleaned the tray. At least they did something about it but it’s obvious there standards are low. I won’t be back.
Food wise, There are many other better options in Houston. Try somewhere else.

*IF I COULD GIVE HALF STARS I WOULD GIVE A 3.5!* =)
I am giving this place a 3.5 and here is why: I believe it is basically the same as Chuy’s in terms of price, patrons, general feel, BUT the food is a lot better at Chuy’s and I just rated Chuy’s as a 4 so this place needs to be noted as down a notch in my opinion.
The reason I brought it up to a 3.5 is because our server, Jorje, was absolutely incredible. He was attentive, friendly, gladly offered us great recommendations when we asked even though the place was rather busy and he did not try to wave us away. He was really great and I suggest that anyone who tries out Ninfa’s ask to be seated in Jorje’s section.
Otherwise here is my breakdown:
I went here for a casual dinner on a week night in the summer. We were seated immediately upon arrival as walk-​ins around 7:30 pm.
On ambience, I give a 2 or 3 because it was spacious and not cramped but it still had your kitschy family tex-​mex feel though — and tons of kids, teenagers in sweatpants and families — that’s their crowd though, but just not mine.
Food like I said is a 3 — «A-​OK» as the star marking notes. If you want a mexican restaurant that’s great for families and kids, but the food does not matter to you quite as much but still tastes good, go to Ninfa’s and ask for Jorje.

So, while watching one of my favorite Food Network shows, «The Best Thing I Ever Ate,» I heard about the Queso Flameado – a tasty-​looking concoction prepared tableside.
Since I was soon going to Houston to see my best friend, I asked her to take me to Ninfa’s to try this «old school classic» (as the show labeled it). Unfortunately, I did not take the advice of the show and go to the original Ninfa’s, mostly because she was nearby to this one.
As other reviewers have noted, I was disappointed to find the kind of mexican food that most chains offer, with the exception of the self-​same Queso Flameado, which was delicious. It’s a cheese and chorizo concoction heated up and wrapped in flour tortillas tableside. Despite our waiter’s lack of flare, the app was great.
The fish tacos, on the other hand, were very unbalanced. Huge chunks of fishy-​tasting grilled fish, with too-​thick tortillas and not enough toppings. I ate a half of one. The beans and rice were also nothing to write home about.
The happy hour frozen margarita’s (for three bucks) were tasty and STRONG. I agree with a previous poster to just come here for drinks, and skip the dinner. Or, better yet, have drinks and the Queso Flameado!

The margaritas are the reason I come here. The flavors (there are a lot of them) are a little hit and miss (who orders a sangria margarita!!!) but the regular frozen and the strawberry are good. They are strong and cheap and I liked them a lot.
The entrees are hit or miss. For instance, chicken enchiladas had nothing but shredded chicken inside. The veggie fajitas are good.
Not my favorite Tex Mex but for those ritas, and a good ambience I like it here. Unilocal seems to hate it… I disagree. Furthermore I’ve never had trouble parking here. The prices are medium for the food, and the service is decent (but not exceptional). I will definitely be back.

Have had better food at many places, like Pappasittos across the street.
Service is slow and food is mediocre TexMex. Only upside is they have cheap lunch specials from $ 6.50

I visited Ninfa’s during a work trip with my brother-​in-​law.
I’m from the North and our Mexican in Ohio is nothing even close to what we got at Ninfa’s.
First off, the tortillas are homemade (as is EVERYTHING) and come with 2 sauces… Green or Red. Personally I’m on Team RED SAUCE however both are sumptuous.
Next we ordered fajitas. Spectacular! The tortillas are homemade onsite and out of this world. I guess we are really close to M E X I C O after all.
We were too stuffed for dessert and had to run but all in all I hope I get to come back.

This location hands-​down wins my wild-​card award. I have had some of the best dining experiences here, and some of the worst.
The location is hard to beat if you are in Greenway, or you took a long break from downtown to go shop at the Galleria and you have even more time to dilly-​dally on the way back to the office. I would say those are the two reasons why I am most frequently in the area — not sure about you.
This is one of those restaurants where you can come with anyone. There are some people I just know would not feel comfortable at a place like Cyclone Anaya’s (Midtown) or Berry Hill (Montrose), so this is pretty much the white bread and water Plain Jane option for tex-​mex inside the loop.
I had one lunch here with a buddy where we were both in a rush. We told the waitress and she would have parted the Red Sea for us. She was refilling our drinks literally as we were taking sips, she rushed over extra salsa containers, and without even asking she gave my buddy a to-​go cup of his lemonade. We were in and out fast and fell in love with that waitress.
I was here another time on dinner and an order of queso (you know that melted delicious stuff you dip your tortilla chip in?) took fifteen minutes before a bewildered not-​our-​waiter-​IDK-​who-​he-​was brought over a bowl of shredded cheese. WTH? Yeah, un poco language barrier. We never got our queso. We also had a wrong dish. At that point you just angry, ask for the check, and go get some ice cream or gelato.
Other times run the gamut but are less extreme than those two examples. I never come here as a first choice but I would rather come here than Chipotle most days.

Stunning. And by stunning, I mean «stunningly mediocre». I was craving Mexican for lunch one day and somehow ended up here. With my favorite places tucked away in spots unreachable during the hour allotted for the noontime meal, I was inexorably and inexplicably drawn to this location. With its open plan, when I walked in I felt like I was in a giant cafeteria – and that’s about the level of service I received.
After perusing the menu I chose a lunch special – chicken enchiladas verdes with beans and rice. I was given a choice of three or four different types of beans, and I chose black beans because, ya know, healthy and all (said while consuming an entire basket of chips). And about those chips.
I know people go gaga over this green salsa – but to me it tastes like a more cilantro-​laden version of Casa Olé’s creamy green sauce, or the amazing salsa verde at Teotihuacan. I am one of the unfortunate few whose genetics have predisposed them to tasting cilantro as «soap». Seriously, this is real – read the New York Times article about it in «Curious Cook” – and I feel like a failed Latina because of this reality. But the fact that Ninfa’s salsa is heavier on the cilantro just makes it taste like someone’s pumped hand soap onto my chip. Deez-​gusting.
My food arrived and «uninspired» is the only way to describe it. The chicken hiding inside the enchilada was dry and completely unseasoned. The black beans were covered with (you guessed it) lots and lots of cilantro. I choked down an enchilada and some of the rice, which was inoffensive, and then bid farewell to this abortive attempt of a meal. Even though I paid less than $ 10, a low price doesn’t excuse low quality.
For the latter half of my meal, my server disappeared. Literally. Nobody seemed to know where he was, and he finally returned just as the sweat was starting to bead on my brow because my lunch hour was ticking away. He finally showed up in the nick of time and I took my leftovers with me, stuck them in the fridge at work, and then promptly forgot about them until fridge cleanout day. My subconscious was obviously trying to tell me something through omission.
Since the two are unrelated, I’m still looking forward to trying out the original Ninfa’s on Navigation (if I can ever convince my BF that we should), but with snoozeworthy fare at the more expansive chain of the same name, I can see how people might confuse the two. At any rate, I fear Mama Ninfa is spinning in her grave due to the bland, boring food that’s being served up at her eponymous restaurants.

I was very tempted by a UYE event going on last night at Doghouse Tavern (
). I hadn’t been to a UYE yet (one elite event, and one OH event), so I wanted to check in with some more Unilocalers. Unfortunately, I had already committed to another event my building was hosting at Ninfa’s… poor choice…
Our building finagled the restaurant to give us a bunch of tables (not that hard considering it was mostly empty) and give us happy hour prices for drinks/​apps and let us order off the lunch menu (for lunch prices). Good idea? Yes. Execution of said idea? Not so good.
Our tables were oddly arrange into three different long sections – when Kelly S and I arrived, we quickly thought of how they easily could have arranged us in a rectangular block that we would all be at one «table». Because of the whole «special» price service, everything took incredibly long to get done – apparently they needed to input items in a special way and get manager approval… oi… On to the food and drink!
First up was chips and salsa. So far, I’d easily rate them at the bottom of all chips and salsa I’ve had in Houston. Tasted like it could have come straight off of the Tostitos factory line. We ordered the Appetizer sampler plate (quesadillas, jalapeño rellenos, something with chicken something with beef)… yes it was THAT memorable… I think the quesadillas may have been made with american cheese. The rest of it I don’t really remember… except that it was all fried.
We also order the chicken enchiladas. The chicken actually had decent flavor, however the rest of the dish was subpar. Very little verde sauce. Charro beans… just meh. Little flavor in the tortilla.
Considering the service and the quality of food, it would probably be a one-​star joint for me. However, Kelly S actually liked the house margaritas (still just tasted like sour mix to me) and the happy hour prices are good – $ 2.50 for margaritas, $ 2 for draft beer and some premium liquors.
Ninfa’s you are a two at best in my humble opinion… and with so many options I probably won’t be back.

Went here for a party, so the mood was right and the price was right (someone else paid!). To bad everything else didn’t mesh.
The margarita I had here was just plain awful. Very watery, had a taste of fake lime juice, and the tequila that was in it tasted like it was refurbished.
Food was ok, but nothing special. They had a green salsa that I ate, but it was really bad. It is just like getting nachos at a baseball game and they give you that gross nacho cheese. you eat it and love it, but yet you know the cheese is gross and has no redeeming values. As it was with their salsa, it just tasted poor, but tasty in a bad way.
The chicken, pork, steak, and shrimp fajitas platters were nice, but nothing special other than the extra large shrimp. Steak was dry and chewy, chicken needed more flavor, and the pork while good was scarce.
Nothing special here.

OK so this isnt the best tex-​mex… i dont even know if I would say it is great tex-​mex. BUT by principal I feel like I have to give it 4 stars.
why?
Because I came here every monday of my life until I kissed my parents goodbye and left for college. We went through waiters such as Hugo, Esther, Phanny, and a John… They left, we stayed. If you are wondering, why monday? It’s bc kids ate free and I have cheapskates for parents. #6 chicken fajita taco was my go-​to… taco cheese puff if I was feeling crazy. Making homemade tortillas out of balls of dough and playing Ms. Pacman are just a few of the pleasant memories.
Back in the day it was PACKED… like hoppin. flash forward 15 years and well… ya know. Mama’s nephew opened el tiempo and this little ninfas on kirby was hit hard (and papasitos is across the street).
Anyway, in my opinion the food is still pretty good, the ninfaritas are strong, and there isnt an hour long wait like some of the others. SO yes I can see how it has lost alot of its charm… meaning the lorenzo fam doesnt even own it anymore, mama is no longer alive, and it has lost clientele, BUT the food still seems pretty A-​OK to me. OH and Esther still works here (the last waitress I had before leaving for school)!!!
Safe bets:
fajitas
ninfaritas
cheesy puff
PS. I know way to much about this place

Dear Ninfas, it truly pains me to do this.
I had a friend come in town and I asked a houstonian friend of mine where I should take this yank to have a good mexican food experience. His reply, «I mean, Ninfas is where fajitas were created.» I agreed and this NInfas was in the closest proximity to us, though I had never tried it.
Service sucked, the ambiance is terrible and I got a touch of food poisoning. Barf. No pun intended.