Staff was nice, food was fresh. The cilantro rice was the best! and they didn't charge me for an extra side. I had the combo plate which came with one taco and one enchilada. Only suggestion: since the enchiladas are cheesy and juicy, maybe put them on the other side of the plate instead of right next to the taco which made the tortilla soggy. read more

Amazing restaurant and the service was impeccable! Our server was so generous. He was not pleased with the way my husband's tortilla was cooked and he wanted them redone. He brought the other plates out and apologized over and over for the delay. He took care of the price of my husband's plate because he felt so bad for the delay! That is quality service. The food was absolutely delicious! We were very pleased with this whole experience! read more

Caliente - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

I've eaten here a few times and am so impressed with the high quality available in a quick serve concept. The light, crisp chips and queso are delicious and keep me coming back again to try different dishes that rival both the best high end and dive Mexican restaurants. The shrimp enchiladas are particularly delicious with a chipotle cream sauce that gives it a great flavor. And the nachos is a meal in itself and are made to order. Portions are generous and everything has always been super fresh. So far I haven't had a bad meal here and highly recommend it to anyone craving delicious Mexican food and enjoy a quick casual dining experience. read more

Walked in and the waiter looked at us like we were bothering them by coming in to the restaurant. We sat down and the guy that was working just kept going about his business without asking what we wanted. We didn't feel like eating here anymore so we just left. We came because the food looked good, but left because the environment. read more

Just so awful! Bad service and my husband and I came in to order. Sat here for a long time and waiter kept passing us like he's irritated and didn't want to serve us read more

Love their food... so flavorful and generous portions. The service was excellent!! Rene was very attentive as friendly!

My husband And I accidentally found this place on Yelp. When we drove up it looked small and empty we almost left. But so glad we didn't. Margaritas were very good. The cheese appetizer was excellent. We even ordered extra to take home. Service was good. Everything we are was prepared well. Really like their chips. Did not like loud music. Would rather heard soft Mexican music to go with Mexican meal and also a tablecloth on table. To add to some atmosphere. And softer lighting. Highly recommend for the food. We will go back. read more

Went there for lunch, had great service! The guy working there (I forgot his name) was so helpful in giving us suggestions, letting us try some of their sauces. Food was delicious, would definitely come back! read more

Came in for breakfast, had the Caliente omelette, it was awesome! Food is always great here. If you like spicy, gotta try their yellow habanero based sauce, it's really good! read more

Absolutely love this place! Great fresh food. It's not overly saucy. They also have a great catering service. The owner will go out of his way to help make your event special and smooth. This locally owned restaurant is such a great addition to city center. Plus the location it's at, parking is actually feasible. read more

Small, casual, kid friendly, nice wine options , beer, and good machine margs. Good, straight-forward Tex-Mex with a twist in spices and seasonings. Had cheese enchilada/taco al carbon combo plate. Cheese enchilada has beef chili sauce similar to Molina's which I really like. Beef in taco carbon is tender and simply flavorful. Lots of leafy greens for taco. Worth a try. I'll come back. read more

Food and customer service was exceptional! Brought out special food for our baby. I had fajitas, yum. Big portions! Good salsa and frozen margarita. Parking was easy. read more

I am so upset. I ordered lunch via a food delivery app at 11:10 am Thursday morning. I clocked out for lunch at 11:45 am based on the estimated food arrival time of 12:08. This restaurant is so unprofessional management did not have the balls to call or simply cancel the order via the food delivery app right after it was placed. The representative from the food delivery courier app called me at the food arrival time 12:08 pm ( almost a hour after the order was placed) and informed me the restaurant could not fulfill the order. The driver arrived to this restaurant only to be told the order could not be fulfilled. So no one has intelligence at this restaurant to call the consumer before the estimated food arrival time. Too bad I cant give them a negative five star rating after this negative experience. read more

This place has by far THE BEST FAJITAS I've ever had! Our waitress Maria was always right there when we needed something and thanks to her suggestion we also discovered they have amazing queso! This is the best kept secret in City Centre. Gracias Caliente! read more

This location has delicious flavored meals and has one of the best customer service! Friendly and enjoyable environment.

I just skimmed through the reviews and I'm stunned there are any that are less than 5 star. My best friend and I are Tex-Mex lovers and we're always on the lookout for a great place to add to our repertoire. If it's Tex-Mex in Houston, likely we've tried it. Yesterday we were across the belt getting our Christmas trees and one of the employees there recommended Caliente. We were super excited to try a new-to-us spot and we were not disappointed!! Oh My Lord. Every single thing we ate was incredible! The queso.....I mean......I'm speechless. Best I've ever eaten and I'm a queso freak. Cilantro lime rice....what?!?! Rice is never anything for me to rave about, its basic and boring. I usually eat a couple bites with the beans and throw the rest out. But THIS rice was magnificent. The tortillas were warm and comforting,,,,,everything you want a flour tortilla to be. Everything we ate was so fresh and delicious and the staff acted like long lost friends. I can't wait to go back and try another menu item! I had the Award Winning Pork and my bff had the sour cream steak fajitas. Both of them were drool worthy. I started thinking about my leftovers as soon as I woke up this morning and it took all my willpower to wait til the civilized hour of 11:00am to eat them. If you haven't eaten here yet, go RIGHT NOW!!!! read more

We've been here a bunch and the food is never less than great! Love the beef fajitas and create-your-own bowls. The lunch plate with enchilada and taco al carbon is very tasty. Above all else, the $25 Tuesday night fajita special for 4 is the best deal in town! Highly recommended! The owner, Chris Smith, is a stand-up guy that is always first in line to help out with school fundraisers and events. We love to support great places like this! read more

My boyfriend works in the Memorial City area, and Chris Smith was one of his customers. He told my boyfriend about the restaurant that he worked at, and it turned out to be Caliente. I had no expectations, except that I love Mexican food and trying new things. First things first, the atmosphere is casual yet really outstanding. The lighting in the restaurant was very artsy and modern, there was original artwork lining the walls, and there was a very large amount of seating area. When we arrived the manager, Chris, greeted both my boyfriend and me by shaking our hands and offering us a seat anywhere. I told the manager that I was very interested in trying their wines, and he turned out to be an expert in wines, even letting me sample three wines before I settled on Gran Moraine. Everyone was extremely attentive, from waitstaff to the cooks. The employees were all very friendly and welcoming. The food--I did not come prepared for this, but they make all of their food, including their tortilla chips, from scratch. We ordered white cheddar queso as an appetizer, my boyfriend ordered beef fajitas, and I ordered crawfish quesadillas. Everything was absolutely delicious. Between three glasses of wine, one beer, a single serving of beef fajitas, crawfish quesadillas, and white cheddar queso, our total was only sixty dollars. Needless to say, the food is not only delicious but inexpensive, as well. I've told my boyfriend that we are going to go back once every (or every other week). I'm so glad that we were introduced to this restaurant, and I would recommend it to absolutely anyone. read more

Everything is fresh to order and sooo yumm!!! Travis provided EXCEPTIONAL service throughout our time and the establishment is very well clean and maintain! We got to meet the owner briefly who seemef very engaged with the businesd and the food was Amazing!! We will defintely be back when in town! read more

Caliente - My lunch cabo combo!! Sooo good!! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

Amazing Tex mex!!! I'm super picky when it comes to Mexican food. But this place was simply amazing and fresh. Their chips & salsa were also really good. read more

Randomly stopped in on a Thursday during lunch. The prices were great, yummy margaritas for only $6. The food was really good, different from the usual quesadilla or enchilada. We tried the shrimp, habanero, and pineapple tacos. The Cabo combo fajita really surprised us with lots of flavor. Other honorable mentions are the green chili and street tacos! read more

I've been to Caliente twice now. The first time I was pleased, today not so much. The food was so cold. Like ridiculously cold. From the salsa to the fajita beef. The (cold) cilantro rice is flavorless and just a space filler on the plate. I will say my quesadillas were good, probably because the were the warmest thing. Disappointed as I was hoping for great food. read more

This place is in a very nice area and offers good tex mex for a decent price. Service was great. I ordered the Sour Cream Fajitas and it was alright. I love cheese, so because the whole dish was covered in cheese, it was good. But the chicken had some fatty inedible bits. The chicken also didnt have much flavor. But the veggies and the sides were all good. read more

Food was ok, service was subpar, for a restaurant that was empty . This would have been a good review except when we finished and walked out, the personnel came out after us to tell us we had not paid, except they did not bother to look in the bill folio at the cash plus a too generous of a tip for slow service and then being publicly humiliated . read more

Good prices and great fresh food. Had the new classic enchilada and wife had the shrimp fajita, both were excellent

Friendly and unassuming, casual atmosphere, fam friendly and OMG such great food!! Fresh, warm salsa and perfect chips to start! Queso was so good and we tore through it in a minute :) I got the veggie taco and enchilada lunch special and loved it. You could tell the veggies were fresh and the tortillas and sauces were all great. The rice was so garlicy and yummy! Nice folks working as well and the kids loved their meals :) Will def be back to try out those brunch items! read more

This was my first time here and the service was AMAZING they were very friendly and checked on us often and the food and margaritas were outstanding I can't wait to come back!!!! read more

Caliente - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

Very good place. Service was exceptional and the food was very good. We had chicken poblano, steak burrito and tortilla - all great choices. Nice decor and setting. Definitely a place to visit again. read more

The overall experience I had dinning at Caliente was exceptional. I was very pleased with the service that I received. I was able to enjoy my food shortly after placing my order and the food was fantastic! The server that assisted us throughout the meal was wonderful. Definitely a 10 out of 10 and I will be returning. read more

One of my new favorites in the Houston area! The queso to start was delicious and just the right amount of spice. For our meal, I had the beef fajitas and my husband had an enchilada combo with one pork enchilada and one Texas chili enchilada. Hands-down some of the best beef I've had, tender and juicy...I barely got to it though because of the rice. I am not a fan of cilantro, however, I could eat this rice as a meal - delicious!!! As for the enchiladas, my husband had a clean plate at the end of the meal! His favorite was the pork and he also loved the black beans. Super friendly and attentive staff made our first visit to Caliente an awesome one (Steven took great care of us) and we look forward to our next meal there! read more

Amazing service. The waitress attending us was so kind! The queso is to delicious along with some good margaritas. The ribs are a must have along with the enchiladas. When the waitress mentioned that their enchiladas were their most popular dish I had to get it! The enchilada itself did not disappoint what so ever! read more

We tried it for lunch and the food was amazing with great service. Lucky to be closed to my work. Definitely will be back. read more

Caliente - Great lunch bowl!! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

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After checking off my long list of errand running, I stopped by one of my favorite places Caliente to grab some lunch. This restaurant is in City Centre near numerous restaurant choices. This is not the first time I have been to this establishment, typically service is fast and the employees are pleasant. However, this day was different. Typical Caliente style for ordering is you walk up to the counter, order your meal if it is to go, and pay. When I walked in, the female chef who was behind the counter did not greet me and she hurried off to the back without asking me for my order. Two employees who were sitting down at a bench yelled across the restaurant to a young man who was rolling up silverware to assist me. He finally gets up and I ask him for a menu. He hands it to me and returns to silverware wrapping and texting on his phone. 10 minutes in, I still have not placed my order and the female chef did not return to the counter. The only patrons of the restaurant were a family of four and myself so they were not their usual busy Caliente.  In walks Travis, another Caliente employee, who was so kind to ask me if I had placed my order. I ordered the "Cowboy Taco with black beans" which are amazing. 7 minutes top and I had my order and I received a complimentary drink for my trouble. I gave Caliente 4 stars based on the customer service I received today. However, everyone is entitled to a bad day, but don't make it a habit Caliente you have the potential to grow. I would recommend this restaurant for anyone who would like a fresh taste and alternative style to Mexican food. read more

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We came tonight for an early dinner and to try something new. It was DELICIOUS. I had the combo fajitas, hubby had fish tacos, and the MIL had the cowboy tacos. No one complained about anything. The servers were nice and the food great. I'm a salsa snob who judges restaurants by their salsa. I give their red an A! read more

Caliente - Fish tacos - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Great food at a great price! Best Mexican food in the area by far... Gene took care of ya.. great service! Will be our "go-to" for Mexican food from now on! read more

The sour cream enchilada is the best one I have ever had. I will definitely be coming back. This place is amazing and actually reasonable prices and affordable for everyone read more

Steak quesadilla appetizer is hands down amazing. Service is fairly quick and polite. Hit or miss on how busy it is from my experience. Open seating plan with outside seating as well. read more

I ordered to go taco and single enchilada lunch combo and My cheese did not melt , the food was so salty, the black beans were horrible ! I would not go back ! read more

The best Mexican Restaurant in city center/Town & Country you haven't tried! Farm to kitchen fresh! I love the pork enchiladas. Best Breakfast Tacos in the area. Tuesday's Fajitas for four 40$. I promise, we've easily fed more than four. And they now have beer taps. (will have to work on a better selection though. I suggest Saloon Door guys. Local and Tasty AF) Great Wine based margaritas! Ask for Pedro as your Waiter!!! read more

I had a great first experience! I ordered takeout and wanted to try a variety of items to get a feel for the menu. There is a nice laid back vibe inside the restaurant, the staff was helpful and friendly, and tables were distanced due to covid. The queso is the amazing but I was a little disappointed with the flavor of the black beans. Overall, I recommend Caliente and will be back! read more