El Comalito Restaurant
Permanently Closed
Authentic Mexican cafe with handmade tortillas, tacos, chilaquiles
Authentic Mexican cafe with handmade tortillas, tacos, chilaquiles
"Opening a taqueria inside a marketplace full of Mexican dry goods and produce could feel like putting a hat on a hat. But thankfully Comalito and Houston Farmers Market are both cool hats, so it works. The Mexico City-style taco spot serves a long list of suaderos, quesadillas, and crispy cheese-slathered tostadas dim sum-style in the back of the market. And the food tastes so good, it's worth doubling back through the market again to eat there again. Like most dim sum spots, ordering starts by numbering items on a double-sided menu and sliding it to the edge of the table for someone to grab. Then, after a brief wait, hot plates of arrachera and thin pineapple-laced pastor arrive almost immediately. Depending on what gets ordered and how much, fleets of little plates arrive with wonderful handmade tortillas filled with charred chicharron or bistek, or smothered in sauteed cheese and onions. Normally, grabbing tacos behind a market often means a barebones dining situation. But Comalito is big, flashy, and not inexpensive, and the lack of direction might make you not sure who to talk to or how to get started. When you want more (which you will) you can just grab more paper, flag someone down, and start the entire dance all over again." - Chelsea Thomas
"I note that Comalito, a taqueria inspired by Mexico City, officially launched Friday at the Houston Farmers Market as another recent opening from Underbelly Hospitality." - Brittany Britto Garley
"This new taqueria from Underbelly Hospitality channels Mexico City street-style taquerias, emphasizing house-made masa and tortillas produced from corn imported from Central Mexico and processed via nixtamalization. Led by chefs Luis Robledo Richards and Atzin Santos, the menu features tacos, quesadillas, volcanes and parrilla dishes that use fresh tortillas and tostadas, as well as soups, crispy cheese costras stuffed with pork ribs, pastor, sirloin, skirt steak or marinated chicken, and vegetarian items like mushroom al pastor tacos and a cactus-and-purslane salad. Prices are generally $3–$7 for smaller items and $16–$18 for larger plates like alambres. Drinks are a focus too, with an in-house agave bar decorated with damajuanas offering aguas frescas, mojitos, Mexican beer and tequila- and mezcal-based cocktails. The spot replaces a previous Underbelly concept at the Houston Farmers Market, will officially open Friday with regular hours of 11 a.m.–8 p.m. daily, and plans to add breakfast (tacos, pastries, chilaquiles and coffee) and expand its tortilla production in the future." - Brittany Britto Garley
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