Pappasito's Cantina

Pappasito’s is a place where you simply should feel pleased and satisfied. The restaurant is bustling, with a lovely atmosphere and a decent crowd of people on Saturday night; however, even though there is a sizable amount of people dining here, the noise is not obnoxious. Plus, the music (and this is around the Christmas season, so it may differ depending on when you come) is pretty calm and complements the atmosphere. My party received good service the whole time, and all of our needs (straws, refills, and new chip containers) were fulfilled in a timely manner. And the food is delicious as well. I ordered the chicken fajita quesadillas, a plate consisting of six quesadillas stuffed with well-cooked chicken and some good-quality cheese; the guacamole and sour cream on the side were good additions. My brother ate the tacos al carbon, and he remarked at how good the fajita beef was, saying “they’re really good”. My grandmother also enjoyed her order of the tacos al carbon, and my father enjoyed his Monterrey Combination, which consisted of a cheese enchilada, a chicken flauta, and a type of beef enchilada. My mother ordered the birria tacos; the birria itself was good, and on the whole the meal was tasty, though the peanut sauce that came with it seemed out of place to her. Keep in mind that these tacos do not come pre-prepared; you get a large bowl of birria and a separate bowl of tortillas, with various toppings and that peanut sauce that I mentioned. My mother was not significantly impressed with this meal. The prices at Pappasito’s are a bit higher than some other Mexican restaurants that I’ve reviewed (such as Chuy’s and, to a small degree, Red River Cantina), but in this current market they’re not uncommon. My chicken fajita enchiladas were a little over $22, for example. Overall, this is a very solid spot for dinner, and you should be pleased if you decide to come.

First-Time Visit Made Memorable! I had the pleasure of dining at Pappasito’s in Houston for the first time, and it was an experience worth sharing! From the moment we walked in, our waitress—an incredibly kind and friendly Christian woman—made us feel right at home. She greeted us with genuine warmth and even brought out salsa and queso to start, which was such a thoughtful touch and a delicious surprise! The food was fantastic—fresh, flavorful, and served with care. You can tell the staff takes pride in both the service and the kitchen. As a first-time visitor, I felt welcomed and appreciated, and that’s not something you find everywhere. Highly recommend for anyone looking for great Tex-Mex and even better hospitality. We’ll definitely be back!

It was my first time visiting, and I went with a group of friends who had reserved a table after a close friend of mine got baptized. I ordered the fajita special, and when I asked to switch something in my order, they had no problem fixing it right away. The staff made sure I was taken care of, and the service and atmosphere were excellent. Overall, the food was great and the experience even better!

Great service food is excellent and portion size is massive. Recommend the ribs and the sizzling fajitas.

Fantastic as always! Walked right in & got seated quickly on a Friday night, service was phenomenal & our food was incredible. Always stop at Pappasito’s whenever we’re in town, bonus: appreciate security provided in the parking lot!

Superb service! Our waiter was on it and very funny! The food is always fantastic. Can't go wrong with queso and beef fajitas!

Good food, nice atmosphere (a little loud in a festive way), and great service. Our server was Mikey and what a waiter! Even though the restaurant and he were quite busy, Mikey made time for us, was prompt, and met our every need and was very nice and friendly. We'll definitely be requesting Mikey as our waiter upon our return. Would recommend the Chipotle shrimp, but everything we had was good. House margaritas were great too.

It was great as usual. I was concerned for a while about the small food portions that was being brought to the table fir a high price tag, but pappasitos aren't again being on top of their game, by providing substantial portions of food for the price. Great job.

I have long wanted to try Pappasito's Cantina. It's an iconic restaurant in Houston along w/ Pappadeaux next door (and all the Pappa's establishments of course). I would say all things considered, Pappasito's deserves solid 4 stars. The food was a solid 4 star experience. The service was excellent, which really steps up the experience. It's a fun place -- you can't go wrong with most menu items here. Started with the guacamole which was -- a bit underwhelming. Chips and salsa are really good -- chips are so flaky and thin. I opted for the lunch chicken fajitas at $17. There were no bell peppers in the fajitas, just onions, cheese, chicken. The flour tortillas were really good (all made in house). Charro beans, rice, salsa, everything is solid. I did try the beef fajitas my coworker ordered and would have to say they're a step up compared to the chicken fajitas. I would absolutely visit here again and look forward to the next visit to Houston.

Five stars + ... and a must! Service and atmosphere: I received fantastic service. The waitress was friendly, professional and super knowledgeable about food and drinks. She was very attentive too. The restaurant was clean, nicely decorated and had a great ambiance. Food and drinks: SUPER GOOD in both areas. They offer very good selection of traditional dishes. Please note that they cook in beef tallow! Thank you for not using seed oils!!! Our large fajita with beef and chicken was delicious. Meats were tender and cooked perfectly. All sides accompanied the meats very well and gave it extra depth and texture. Margaritas were outstanding. Make sure to ask for your favourite tequila to go with your margaritas. We finished the dinner with tasty ice cream coated with coconut. Pricing: $$/$ - super worth it!

I usually go alone and sit at the bar. I had the mini matador nachos and they were flavorful and filling. Farren and Alexis were super nice and helpful. The happy hour drink and food prices are great.

Ai Papi! The Pappas family has found a way to deliver consistently delicious TexMex for happy meals all along your Texan travels. This is my go-to destination for flame-broiled fajitas and platters (try surf & turf with the Shrimp Brochette - giant Gulf shrimp stuffed with cheese & jalapeño, wrapped in bacon crisped on the grill). Every element is perfect, every time. Thank you to the delightful Carri for taking great care of us, a pleasure!

My thoughts about Pappasitos it was a very good place to have margaritas, family orientated, and I love the fajitas Service is good and if you're looking for a good margarita, definitely say check it out. Papa's is always a great option if you're in the mood for Mexican food. Chicken fajitas.

The food was amazing, the service was splendid, it had a nice festive vibe to it, the drinks were swell, my drinks were cold, the chips were crispy and crunchy, even though we had dirty silverware, the employees went and gave us new ones right away, and condolences from the manager. 9/10, would recommend and definitely coming again.

Diego caught us off because we were having a good time and apparently too loud. I do have a loud voice and it tends to carry, but in no means was I out of control. I won't ever come back here as nothing was wrong nor were we out of control. Latin culture is Latin and loud. terrible pappas

I had family visiting from Ohio so before taking them to the airport we decided to stop by. I ordered the beef fajita with sausage and shrimp and a new drink that had prickly pear in it. Pappasitos is always a staple spot for Tex Mex food. Everything is so flavorful. The waitress helping us was so nice to my family and since they were visiting from Ohio and it was their first time, she gave them free dessert! I think that was awesome

I am gonna give them 5 starts bc Cat was an extraordinary waitress and the food was very very good... 100% recommended!!!

I was actually pleasantly surprised with my most recent trip to Pappas Mexican joint. The vibes here have been consistent since I was a kid, and there's always a comfortable familiarity coming to any location. It's like a grandparent's house with some dated decor and a water feature that is there for some reason. I've said it before and I'll say it again and Tex-Mex worth its salt is graded on a couple of key criteria: Fajitas, Salsas, Queso, and Margaritas. The service was fine, nothing to write about there. So let's get to the grading! Salsas 1/5: NO GREEN SAUCE? gtfoh until you whip up something green, verde or otherwise. Boring af red sauce won't cut it. Queso 3/5: they put this one in for Par. It's yellow and gooey. Nothing new here and it's wasn't bad. Can't complain, you know what you're getting. Margarita 3/5: I got the platinum (premium) Grande margarita which comes out to $17 before tax and really enjoyed the flavors. Went down smooth and wasn't too sweet or sour, nicely balanced. I don't think it was strong enough. I didn't feel even slightly buzzing after downing it. For double the price of a standard marg I think I should be feel a little more fun than usual. Fajitas 4/5: the mix chicken and beef fajitas were good. I'm a beef lover and was really happy with the cook temp of medium on the beef and thought the marinade/seasoning was really yummy. Chicken got over cooked and is the only thing holding it back from a higher rating. Overall; some good, some bad. It's kinda what you expect from a chain, but I'm not ruling out a repeat visit in a pinch!

Another one that never disappoints! Love pappasitos! I had the crab cake stuffed shrimp and let me tell you something, it was worth the cost. This place always seems to be crowded, but I must say I was seated promptly and everyone was nice. It was a little noisy but not unbearable. Definitely would recommend.

OMG! You have to visit this place! live music, beautiful atmosphere, lively music, the steaming hot food is delicious and the service is outstanding. Order was accurate and quick. FUN date night.

So the food isn't as great as it is in the Pics which are just lying to you . What I mean by that is the food isn't good just the meat can be cooked some more the queso and stuff has a weird texture to it . The staff here takes along time to get your food and drinks to you and they aren't in a rush when you are . The prices here the food ain't worth it to say the least . Overall there's much better tex mex restaurants this is just an after thought and a bad one to .

We ate here for dinner last week and enjoyed it. Getting seated was easy and without a wait, which was nice. The food was delicious! Their chicken fajitas were on point. Prices were pretty reasonable too. And their staff did a good job at taking care of us. Shout out to Brad who was our waiter and crushed it. We would eat here again for sure!

My families favorite restaurant. You are guaranteed to leave the restaurant full and with a smile on your face. We love coming here for birthdays or whenever someone comes in town. We ordered the large beef and chicken fajitas & added half a pound of ribs. we shared it amongst 4 of us and we were beyond full. Everything was cooked to perfection. Our waitress was extremely attentive and nice. Oh one more thing, pappasitos chips and salsa is unbeatable. You can get it to go and it is to die for. You will never catch this restaurant empty. There is always a line out the door!

Our party of four ate here on Tuesday night. We got there early to avoid the crowd. (5:30). We had great service and the food was excellent. We had guests from out of town and they loved the food they ordered.

My first Tex Mex experience in Houston and nephew picked this place which is It was so good we ordered extra beef.

This particular Pappasito's is a madhouse during lunch. I come here often enough for work lunches and it's typically the rule not the expectation that... A. parking is difficult B. there's a wait for a table and/or C. they're going to get something wrong with your order, especially if you're a larger group. If you pack your patience and maybe come down at the beginning or end of a normal dining time, you'll at least get a fast table and calmer more reliable service.

This is one of my favorite pappasito's locations. Service is great, the restaurant is clean, and I love their outside patio area. Also, request the green salsa if you come here. They typically only bring the red salsa out with the chips but they also have a green one and it is the bomb!!

We dined here for dinner, and as always it was great. I love the TexMex atmosphere. The servers were neatly dressed. The restaurant was clean, even the restrooms were clean. My servers name was Bryson. He was so attentive and thorough. He was very patient with the modifications to the order for my children. we didn't have to wait on anything. Our drinks were refilled in a timely manner, and our request was granted. The food was phenomenal. We got lamb chops, the family platter fajita, and the house margarita. I can't wait to come back.

My parents and I visited today to celebrate her ringing the bell at her last chemo treatment. Just a late lunch/early dinner to celebrate and enjoy each others company. Nothing big like cake or balloons or a party, just family. We each ordered a plate and an appetizer and dessert to share. At the end of the meal, we were presented a bill for $0. Management had decided to treat us for such a special day. Our server (beautiful name, starts with an A and I feel horrible that in the shock and joy of it all, her name escapes us), but she had recently lost a brother to cancer. She arranged the entire thing for us. What an amazing soul. Like you could just tell she brings the positive energy. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for treating us and showing us that humanity still exists. Thank you, thank you!

The food was very good!! One of the better quesos I've tried here in this area. Had the lunch chipotle shrimp and it was delicious. Hubby had the beef fajitas and they were really good. Everything had a nice flavor and the service was top notch. It's a big open space so it is super loud is my only real complaint.

I had a great Tex-Mex dinner named Coronado, consisting of an oversized beef hard shell taco, cheese enchilada and three grilled brioche shrimp. This was a delicious meal. I also had a side of guacamole, but it was the processed type, not made fresh so that was my only disappointment. Pappasito's always comes through and this visit was no different. Like the Terminator, I'll be back.

Flew in to meet friends for a cruise and spent 24 hours in Houston. We went to this restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was definitely busy and very noisy inside, however, plenty of parking. I ordered the guacamole and chicken quesadilla. Well...it was your standard tex-mex. It needed flavor and spice which brings me to service. I asked three times for some hot sauce - it never came. Waited for a water refill for quite a while. However, please remember, it was very busy. The "meh" flavor plus the poor service and noise, it's not a restaurant I would return for. I found out this is a Texas chain restaurant, so maybe another location would be a better choice?

Awesome place to have dinner and celebrate a birthdays. Have an awesome waitress. Fajitas were so good.

Fantastic as always! Walked right in & got seated quickly on a Friday night. Service was phenomenal, drinks were cold, fun atmosphere, & our food was incredible. We always stop at Pappasito's whenever we're in town, bonus: appreciate security provided in the parking lot!

We came in early Saturday afternoon and was served by a wonderful waiter! Eldon was so polite and beyond helpful! We really appreciated his positive attitude!

There was no wait to be seated. The seating is really strange table are practically on top of each other but there are VERY large walkways. The restaurant had a lot of entry tables but I was sat right next to two families, proximity being the issue. The chips and salsa came out right away. The salsa is made with fire roasted tomatoes and it had a slight kick to it. My entree two enchiladas was far from spectacular. The enchiladas were ok they were really thin. The chili con carne was bland. The beans were really thin. Not impressed with the food that came highly recommended. My waiter was nice.

Located in the westside near City Centre. Pappasito's is always a solid choice for Tex Mex in terms of being a chain restaurant; the food is dependable and pretty consistent although inflation has really made everything too expensive. Their queso is spot on and their beef fajitas are tender and cooked nicely. Sure, it is a bit of a manufactured operation being part of a large chain, but it's always delivered a decent meal. Service is prompt and on point. Not much to say about the ambiance besides that they do have both indoors and outdoor seating, which is a nice touch.

The beef fajitas are so tender and cooked to perfection! The garlic butter takes it to the next level, the freshly made tortillas smell as good as they taste, and the warm salsa- need I say more?! Service was good. Plenty of seating, casual attire works great here or dress up for a date- works either way!

We just moved here & got family visiting from out of state. We ordered family steak fajitas & steak chicken fajitas! Mind you, each items supposedly serve 3-5 & costs a lot of money. How could fajitas have no peppers? Only onions & rice? Maybe beans? Idk bc we're all ordering different side items in addition to them expensive family meals!!!! Steak & chicken were dry! Hard & chewy! I tasted better fajitas that are 1/2 price lower than Pappasito's! Will not return to this establishment in the future. I'm being kind to rate with 3*...... it should be 1 but I'm feeling great today!!!

The food tasted great, I had a good waiter she gave great Recs so the service was good. Ambiance of the place was lively, I liked it. I wished they played the music they played outside inside however! But it was a good experience

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE PLACE IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY FOR MEXICAN FOOD! Unfortunately, I only get to enjoy this fantastic restaurant when I go to Houston to visit. Although they do have locations in New Mexico, Illinois Ohio, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and of course Texas!!! The pictures of our food will speak for itself. The ambience matches. Lively, fun, bustling! The waiters are on queue! I have eaten here on over 200 occasions! I don't need to tell you anymore! If you see if Pappasito's - take the day off work and go! You won't regret it! The margaritas are like no other!

First time coming to this location, and the food was amazing! I got the Chipotle chicken fajita taco with black beans and rice. The tacos were so fresh, and the chicken was seasoned well. Make sure to try their strawberry lemonade, which is made in-house. The only con is the wait time. This is a busy location however, it was worth it.

Y'all go see T at the bar!! I haven't had service that good in a very long time! Also, the bacon wrapped shrimp is the best thing EVAAAA!!!!! 10/10. Frozen margarita mix is also 10/10. What a great experience

Three of us had dinner here on 4/6/23. Overall, the ambience, setting, and service were all very good. The food was good as well. We had: Chile con queso - 4/5: Very good. The server brought is out for us complementary as we told her this was our first time dining at this restaurant. The complementary chips were very good as well. Very thin and crispy, and not all greasy. My only complaint was the house salsa. I thought it had a funky, almost "gamey" aftertaste that I did not care fore. Another person at the table tasted the same thing and didn't care for it as well. The 3rd person at dinner didn't mind. Given how many people seem to love Pappasito's salsa, I'll chalk it up to personal taste/opinion, but it's a shame as I love to put the house salsa (when it's good) on all my food at a restaurant like this. Chicken Fajita Quesadillas - 4/5: Very good. Good amount of flavorful chicken, cheese and perfectly cooked. Beef Fajita Nachos - 3/5: Good. Not a traditional style nacho where all the toppings are put on top of the chips. Here, the meat and the cheese are baked onto individually cut, large tortilla chips. Good flavor although the meat did not have as much flavor as the same "fajita beef" from the next dish. Beef Fajita, Quail & Shrimp Brochette - 4/5: Very good. This dish is packed with flavor. The shrimps are wrapped in bacon which did slightly overpower the flavor of the shrimp. The fajita beef on this dish was very flavorful as was the quail. Dessert - Sopapillas - 4/5: Light, fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon, powdered sugar and honey. Not greasy at all, maybe a bit too sweet, but overall very good dessert to end a nice meal. I can see why people like this restaurant. As a direct comparison, I did think the food (and decor) overall was a bit better at Goode Company Kitchen & Cantina.

Constantly getting asked if the seat next to me is taken along with getting a 3/4 full beer with a lot of foam will turn you off a place

This place is phenomenal very good steak and bacon wrapped shrimp. Delicious / highly recommend ! Great job to this store team.

We stopped in with a group of seven for lunch. I was eager to try some "authentic" (?) TexMex. I had the crunchy tacos. I ordered chicken, but they brought beef. The tacos were huge, like the limousine of tacos. They were quite good. They were like a mega Taco Bell taco (I love Taco Bell, so that it is not a knock). The plate also had a huge helping of shredded lettuce and Mexican rice. I was not sure what to do with this heap of lettuce. The rice was ok. I did like the accompanying cup of beans. I had a margarita on the rocks. It was fine. People at our table had the fajitas, which had a fresh made tortilla. The atmosphere is what you would expect of TexMex. They sat us at a giant table, so conversation was a tough because we were all so far apart. Our service was very good.

The Pappas family has really got the fajitas and margaritas down for this locally owned chain. Although they are perpetually busy at all times , I can always call for takeout for fajitas and tortillas.I know my food will be ready when promised and taste is reminiscent of the TEX MEX I remember from college days in San Antonio. Their takeout crew has great service and always with a smile no matter how slammed they are in the restaurant. Parking to go: They send a text when food is ready and do not even have to exit your car

Food and services outstanding Sara excellent service and attitude kind helpful just super Andrew and Alexis awesome and great service too Staff great Appetizers beyond here one so good

So I went to Pappasito's with a work colleague. He like the Coronado. I'm more of a taco guy. Well I was talking to the waitress she said they don't do any Carna Asada unless I get Fajitas. Well so I got another dish enchiladas were ok not bad. The tamale was dry as could be. I didn't eat the taco because it looked like it was wilted. Our waitress was awesome. The manager was awesome. I just know that Texas Mexican food is very sup-bar to Southern California.

The beef enchiladas were SOOOO GOOD!!! It had the perfect ratio of cheese to meat. The fajitas are great as always. Served hot and fresh. The grilled onions and garlic butter are such a nice touch to the meal. Service was top notch!

Andrew is the greatest. Heck everybody in Pappasito's is amazing. Robert, the Manager took the time to hear about our enjoyable experience They changed the recipe for the Quail meal and it has gotten even better. The lamb chops were also quite pleasing Andrew made some sweet but strong and good, margarita. Sweet meaning toooo good Great sis-giving celebratio

I hadn't visited a pappasitos in so long but as I drove by it I remembered how much I used to like it so I decided to stop by with my mom. We came around lunch time and it was busy but we were seating right away. We ordered fajitas and queso to share. The queso was really good and the complementary salsa was fantastic, fresh, and spicy! The order of fajitas was quite large. We had the chicken and beef combo which were juicy, fresh and delicious. We each got a side of beans and rice both good. Absolutely enjoyed our lunch, but it's definitely quite pricey.

Get the garlic butter for the fajitas. ALL of the margs are good. My favorite spot for our mom's night out.

I don't typically eat at chain restaurants but met a group here. The service was great and the Plato Del Mar was pretty good. Someone ordered a salad and was the last to get their food. The drawn butter makes everything better.

Portions were hugs. It can get a bit pricey but we enjoyed the steak fajitas, margaritas, and queso.

Loved this place! The margarita was perfect as was my shrimp entree. Tasted great later when I took it home for leftovers. The other person in my party was not a fan of the red fish he ordered since it does have the shell, but it does state that on the menu, so just be aware. I do recommend the shrimp diablo! Over all, lots of options to choose from