Ask anyone in Houston about the one Tex-Mex place everyone should try at least once, and they’ll point you to the Original Ninfa’s On Navigation. This classic spot in the Second Ward is the birthplace of fajitas, and the blueprint for so much of Houston's Tex-Mex culture. There's hardly a better bite in the city than the soy-marinated beef fajitas, which arrive at the table on a sizzling skillet loaded with butter after being smoked on the grills.

You can see why Sylvia’s has plenty of regulars. This place is relaxed and familial, with accommodating servers who will bend the menu to meet your needs and likings. But really, everyone is here for the massive selection of enchiladas. Try the mini enchilada sampler so you can work your way through the menu and narrow down your favorite.

This Montrose spot from the folks behind The Pit Room twirls both Tex-Mex and Texas BBQ into its DNA. Candente has stellar smoked chicken verde enchiladas, and the brisket nachos (and enchiladas) are about as good as they sound on paper. Inside, the smell of smoke from the meats grilling over oak in the open kitchen wafts around the dining room. And there's a sprawling patio where folks sit with big pitchers of margaritas and watch the surprisingly pretty view onto Richmond Avenue.

Teotihuacan is an institution. Greater Heights residents have been packing out the parking lot of this bright pink Tex-Mex restaurant for decades. The chile con queso is a necessary accomplice to any order. It’s always the perfect, drippy consistency for dredging beef fajitas, flautas, or tacos al carbon. Service is quick, and so is the effect of their boozy margaritas.

The Pappas family restaurant empire is so intertwined with Houston identity that the two fit together like guacamole and chips. We come to any location of Pappasito's for the very large and terrifically strong margaritas, the tortilla machines that roll out fresh material all day and every day, and its unbeatable shrimp brochette served on a sizzling skillet.

Los Tios claims to be the first place in Houston to ever serve frozen margaritas. Los Tios is also one of the best Tex-Mex spots for throwing parties, with a sprawling indoor patio that gets absolutely packed with friend groups and families in the evenings. Order the dense pork tamales with gravy, a puffy queso—a take on San Antonio’s famous puffy tacos—and beef tacos that come in a unique C-curve shell that allows them to pack even more meat in.

The original location of El Tiempo in Upper Kirby is a great reminder to fear your successors. Started by the son of Mama Ninfa (of Ninfa’s On Navigation), El Tiempo has been a Tex-Mex institution for 25 years. And the Houstonian debate about which spot is better has raged on for about the same amount of time. Only El Tiempo serves smoking hot carnitas over a bed of coals. Let them sizzle while the table knocks back pitcher after pitcher of house margaritas and bowls of queso.

Molina’s menu is full of lore. The restaurant has been going for three generations, with plenty of dishes dedicated in honor of family members and favored customers. The go-to order here is Nancy Ames’ Nachos, which stacks everything neatly on each individual chip, so every bite is perfectly engineered with ground beef, refried beans, and guacamole. And the Cajun shrimp platter marries East Texas spices with bacon and jalapeño, served on a sizzling cast iron skillet.

Dating back to 1964, El Patio in the Galleria is a classic spot that guarantees a good time. Come here for caramelized beef fajitas with heat that sneaks up on you, ice blue margaritas that pack a serious punch, and their Felix queso, a creamier, chunkier version of chile con queso. If there isn’t a live mariachi band playing in the dining area, waltz into their connected 21+ club, aptly named “Club No Minors,” for live music and maybe another one of those margaritas.

Maybe it’s the cheeky sign exclaiming “Bienvenidos y’all” at the front of the restaurant, but Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina feels like an effortless Tex-Mex blend. The Heights joint has some of the strongest margaritas on the Northside, guacamole served plain or dressed up with pickled onions and jalepeño, sizzling skirt steak fajitas, and crispy tortilla chips. Come for the cozy and proudly rustic energy that screams Texas ranch, and stay for the queso-smothered enchiladas.

The original of Houston's three Spanish Flowers restaurants is in an old adobe building on Main Street. The rustic interior reminds us of a version of Mexico City long past, with a bar covered in river rocks and a courtyard lined with concrete pillars. The shrimp fajitas are the major highlight here, featuring generously seasoned Gulf shrimp served in an equally generous portion with excellent freshly made tortillas, but we also go for the enchilada plates.

El Charro in the Jersey Village area is one of those places that everyone considers their own secret spot. It’s ideal for that Wednesday night when you can’t get it together to cook for yourself, or a lazy Sunday afternoon watching football and having a late lunch. We love the fajita platter, which boosts cheaper cuts of meat with intense marination and even more intense grilling. The charro beans are also incredible, and the big chunks of pork fat floating in them are an explosive flavor bomb.

This West Houston spot is one of two restaurants opened by Rodrigo Lopez, an immigrant from Mexico with a dream of supporting his family. And families are who you’ll see eating here. The relatively inexpensive menu attracts seniors for lunch and big families at dinner, when there's typically a wait to land a table. Cheese fajitas are our go-to here, served with a killer, tangy cumin-spiced gravy, but the fajita tacos are also solid, with well-made tortillas that nearly steal the spotlight.