By J.D. Herman
One of the best Tex-Mex restaurants in the Brays Oaks Management District is Teotihuacan Mexican Cafe on West Bellfort. A family affair, with the original Teotihuacan (or “Teo”) location in Lindale Park, they have been making fresh Mexican food for years. I walked in on a busy lunch shift and was greeted by sombreros hanging from the ceiling and miles of friendly smiles. The robust welcome made me feel comfortable before I even slid into the booth!
Despite a sizable lunch crowd, I had a menu, chips, and two different salsas in no time. The salsa verde is made with avocado and is served alongside a traditional red. The verde is warm and tangy but not too spicy–a great compliment to the crispy tortilla chips. It may well be one of the best verde sauces I have recently sampled.
My current hack for testing any Tex-Mex restaurant is to order the chicken nachos. It’s a simple dish but, for the nachos to be anywhere close to decent, they must have quality chicken and fresh ingredients. I am happy to say Teo passed my chicken nacho test with flying colors. Fresh made guacamole was piled high next to mounds of pico de gallo and sour cream. The chicken meat was cooked fajita style and seasoned well. Good nachos also mean good ratio of ingredients. Teo piles them high with the perfect balance of beans and cheese. These nachos are a great start, easy to share with friends, and would make a nice dent in your hunger if it were ordered as a meal.
My server, Ali, was extremely friendly and happy to field my questions about the menu. She suggested customer favorites like the La Silva (one cheese enchilada, one beef fajita taco and one crispy shredded chicken taco topped with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese ) or the La Paola (one beef fajita taco topped with chile con queso, and one shredded chicken enchilada topped with enchilada gravy and Monterey Jack cheese). I was indecisive as I had my eye on the inspired classic dish of Caliente Shrimp, but a flip of the coin finally nudged me towards Ali’s suggestion of the La Silva combination plate.
The first thing I noticed when my plate arrived was the fajita taco. The flour tortilla was perfect as all their locations make fresh, homemade tortillas. The beef fajita meat was an exquisite flavor combination of grilled smoke and a lime based marinade. My enchilada had a rich tomato sauce and had enough cheese to satisfy the hungriest of patrons. The Southwest flavors of refried beans and Spanish rice rounded out a traditional combination plate that was high quality food at an affordable price.
They are also famous for their parrillada meat plates. These feasts will stop you in your tracks with the quality and quantity of food that is served. Imagine pounds of beef and chicken fajitas, and mexican sausage, with generous shrimp festooned throughout. They are a family feast just waiting for you and yours. I hope to try one of the paradilla offerings on my next visit. Teotihuacan Mexican Restaurant is one of Brays Oaks best and should definitely be on your favorites list next time you are searching for a Tex-Mex fix in southwest Houston.
Teotihuacan Mexican Restaurants
6579 W Bellfort Blvd.
Houston, TX 77035
