Tex-Mex and I have a fraught history. Sometimes I love it, and sometimes it hates me. So I was optimistic when I heard about Candente. Not anymore! This restaurant is balanced in the best way. From the moment you enter, the service is attentive and warm. Our waiter was checking in on us and making sure we were all right and always had water, ships etc. The place itself is decorated elegantly and we were immediately seated at a booth when we requested one. The decor was vibrant and fun and we felt like we were perfectly spaced for privacy and interacting. The food. The food was amazing! The queso was light and rich at once, the only fault being how much I ate! The tacos were also wonderful, packed full of beef and seasonings. We ended the meal with an indulgent and delicious tres leches. Candente really changed my relationship with Tex-Mex! read more

Candente - Bellaire - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bellaire, Texas

Met some friends at Candente on Bellaire for a fun night out. Parking was so easy on a Sunday night. Started with shared appetizers. The Chile Con Queso and Guacamole with pico and sour cream were so good. The guacamole was so fresh. Had the jalapenos on the side. For dinner, I split an order of chicken fajitas with a friend. Loved the fresh, juicy perfectly marinated chicken fajitas. Our waiter recommended the large. It was huge! Enough for lunch the next day with the leftovers. The fajitas are served with grilled onions, pico de gallo, more guacamole, cheddar, sour cream, chile lime butter, handmade flour and/or corn tortillas, rice and a choice of beans. The vegetarian black beans were delicious. No room for dessert, but the choices looked promising. Would definitely come back with friends. Might check out their half-priced fajitas available all day on Tuesdays. read more

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Was visiting a friend in Houston and she recommended that we try Candente, the new Bellaire location for dinner. Candente is known for handcrafted Tex-Mex dishes. The vibe was lively and upscale and we did not have to have a reservation and were greeted and seated promptly. Service was attentive and friendly. We were seated at a two seater table by the bar that did get a bit crowded for space with all the food we ordered. They start the meal with complementary chips and two dips including salsa and a ranch. The dips were on the spicier side for my pallet. I ordered a Mezcal Rita cocktail with peach and a tajin rim. It was very refreshing with the smoky flavor and complemented my meal well. We ended up sharing the Prime Niman Ranch Ribeye that comes with grilled onions, pico de gallo, guacamole, cheddar, sour cream, chile lime butter, handmade flour or corn tortillas, rice & your choice of beans. The 1/2 pound of ribeye meat was plenty for us to share and they gave us 3 flour tortillas each. The fajita meat came sizzling to our table. The ribeye was incredibly tender, perfectly seasoned. I built my fajita tacos with all the fixings and it was very filling. Made 2 and 1/2 tacos each. Overall, enjoyed the experience and was satisfied with my food choices. Was a great restaurant to have a social meetup with friends. read more

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While in Texas last weekend, my best friend and I decided to check out this spot for Friday happy hour, and it did not disappoint. The atmosphere was lively and welcoming, making it the perfect place to kick off the weekend. The drinks were hitting and absolutely delicious--each one was well crafted and full of flavor. The service was friendly, and the overall vibe was great. We had a wonderful time catching up and enjoying happy hour. If you're looking for a fun place to unwind after a long week, this spot is definitely worth a visit. read more

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Candente is by far the best Tex Mex in Bellaire. We went on a Monday for the half-priced nachos and they did not disappoint. The brisket nachos were rich and paired perfectly with pickled red onions. Additionally, I got the shrimp fajita plate. The shrimp were so well seasoned and juicy. Everything was exceptional. Our waitress was Asia, who was a delight and very accommodating. We would come back just for her! Highly recommend. read more

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What a fun neighborhood tex-mex Bellaire spot. Even on a Thursday night was it a full house. Considering how many places there are in Houston, this lives up to the quality you expect in town. Great chips and salsa (creamy and red sauce) and plenty of share worthy apps and dishes. I love they have group meals ON the menu so you can order for the table family style or order your usual dishes like enchiladas, fajitas, tacos or combo meals. I had the La Bandera which had the greatest hits of enchiladas - you get the verde chicken, brisket and cheese varietys. Plenty to fill you up so go hungry. We also got the seafood enchiladas and they're loaded with crab and scallops in addition to shrimp, so they don't skimp on the fillings. The service was attentive and very quick to respond to refills and requests even while being busy. We'll be back! read more

Candente - Bellaire - La Bandera and Seafood Enchilada plates - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bellaire, Texas

Tried Candente Friday for lunch with a friend. First time there - I had been to its Bellaire predecessor and did like it, but it was normally empty at lunch. Not here - the place was packed with people - maybe because it is a new place, maybe because it is a holiday weekend and people taking off the Friday after New Year's Day - we'll just have to see. Lovely restaurant, clean, sat quickly, genuinely nice server who had only been there a few days, but she knew the restaurant menu well. We were brought chips and salsa quickly along with a green sauce, which was excellent and slightly spicy - loved it. Food came out quickly. We started off with the ceviche, and it was an ample appetizer for two and excellent. My friend got the tortilla soup - which was average, the tortilla were very soggy, really nothing special - not recommended. I had the chicken fajita tacos al carbon without beans - excellent. I took one of them home. We ordered a to-do lunch to take home - this took an exceedingly long time over 20 minutes and we followed up with our server (who disappeared as she was then running the bar). After we got her attention, she told us that they lost our order and we got the food after 10 minutes. The to-go order was well packed. The reasons that I didn't give them 5 stars is (1) there is no public Wi-Fi available at the restaurant and the signal is poor - this is a problem for those who need to send/check emails and (2) the lost to-go order. I'm hopeful that they'll fix the Wi-Fi situation - seems like an easy fix and we mentioned this to the server but not sure that management recognizes this flaw. read more

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I would give them 3.5 stars. The happy hour deal is pretty good. The drinks are tasty and they steak fajitas are well seasoned. The tortillas are very good and homemade. The service was a little slower here as compared to the original location. It's also a lot smaller. The shrimp brochette was not worth the money. It's $15 as an add on but$18 a la carte. There is bbq sauce on the button of the plate that doesn't really add to the dish. It's basically a huge jalapeño with a little cheese inside and a small shrimp at the top. It is very cute and open inside. Would come again when I have time for slow service and stay away from the shrimp. read more

Candente - Bellaire - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bellaire, Texas

The individual chicken fajitas with black charro beans and rice were really good. The beans were exceptional. We ordered and split the tres leches dessert on the waitress' recommendation. It was delicious and the best that I have ever had. My friend ordered the taco salad but was not as pleased as I was. She ordered with ground beef but received chicken instead. They quickly replaced it with the ground beef. It was too spicy for her taste. The service was friendly and efficient. Taylor was very helpful and provided excellent service. The restaurant was clean and well designed. Seating allowed for easy conversation. Parking was sufficient because it's located in a strip mall. read more

Candente - Bellaire - Individual chicken fajitas with rice and black beans - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bellaire, Texas

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Food is delicious and Stephanie is always on point with the drinks! This is my second time here, next will be graduation party for my son! Glad this location exists! Will be back! read more

Candente - Bellaire - Mini botana platter. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bellaire, Texas

Margaritas great! Soup no. Brisket enchiladas,share, very greasy. At the end, not that great. But help was awesome help!!!

Food is on the spicier side, which I like. Drinks are good and the service has been great each time we've been there.

Great food and drinks!! Ambiance was great and Patrick, our bartender, was attentive and steered us in the right direction with food!! Def will be back!! read more

Candente - Bellaire - Tres leches and ribeye fajitas were on point - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bellaire, Texas

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Tried the new neighborhood spot. I just don't give 5* because you never get great food and great service. Well as Gomer used to say surprise surprise surprise. Plenty of friendly help, hot tasty food and finally a convenient Bellaire restaurant. WELCOME TO THE HOOD. read more

Candente - Bellaire - El Director combo and Ceviche. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bellaire, Texas

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When you have bad service and then ask to speak to a manager, and the manager proceeds to not take interest in making things right. Kindness and good customer service goes a long way and this is something this restaurant truly l lacks. read more

Good food, great service. Feels like the previous restaurant, Manditios. Will return.

Yes absolutely recommend this place to anyone Very delicious and above and beyond in my eyes read more

Brisket nachos to die for. Excellently seasoned and tender meat. Cannot go wrong with this place!!

Wonderful food and good service. Great inside and outside Mexican dining. We'll be back for sure.

Tried this place for lunch since the other business didn't survive. Great service, though a little slow...we guessed due to them still finding their rhythm? Food was pretty yummy but since we frequent Tex-Mex places, this place hits about average overall for quality of food. But still - great that it's local and a good spot to put in rotation! read more

Went in for late lunch on a Tuesday, with a couple of family members. We saw that they had a "Tuesday Special" which consisted of getting the large fajitas plate for the price of the medium one, so we ordered it. Then the waitress came back and told us the special was not available, so we asked her to still bring the large plate since it was three of us. We received the medium fajitas plate, still got charged for the large one and even though we asked, they assured us we had gotten the correct portion. Little do they know, we had just been there the day before, so we actually knew better. We paid and left the establishment, but this is a heads up for everyone who goes to this location. read more

Food , drinks, chips and salsa were great. I also had the seafood enchiladas. Signature dish. Bartender really knows how to mix drinks.

When your service is awful starting from the waitstaff to the leadership team it changes the entire dynamic of the experience. The food was decent but didn't even come out warm or hot; almost room temp. read more

According to our server, since they've only been open a few days, the lunch menu has not been put into play yet, so there's only the regular dinner menu for now. Chips, salsa, and some really tasty creamy white dip they bring to the table are all great. The chili con queso tastes fairly decent, but it's frickin' WHITE, and as a matter of principle, I hate that (queso is supposed to be yellow!). The grilled fajitas are delicious--some of the best in town. Enchiladas have chopped raw onions on top, so if you hate that (as I do), be sure to tell them to leave it off when you order. Rice is nice here, but has too many green peas. Strangely, they make refried beans from pintos as well as from black beans; they also make charro beans from pintos as well as from black beans. This seems unnecessary, but if you prefer black beans for God knows what reason, then you're gonna be happy (I have NO use for black beans--they are ugly). Tortillas are well-made in house. The tap water tastes like it came from a very old pipe (consider a filter?). Prices here are higher than most restaurants in this category, but I'm sure they would say that they use higher quality ingredients and have more critical accolades, so they are justified (perhaps they would be right). read more

We have long hoped for a good Mexican restaurant in Bellaire and finally it has arrived. Ate lunch here on a Sunday and was very happy with the food. We had the fajita tacos al carbon and the birria tacos (one of the specialties of the house). The fajitas were very good - although not overly generous on amount of meat - but vert tasty - the birria tacos were amazing - probably best we have ever eaten. Only criticism is serving tap water when filtered water is so inexpensive was a bit shocking. But that had nothing to do with the food which again was excellent. read more

Their was 5 of us and 3 of us ate different enchiladas. My mom had the brisket enchiladas she says she gives it 2.5 out of 5 not much flavor. Loved the ambiance and waitress was very friendly and always checked on us to make sure we were good. read more

Everything we ordered was delicious. The service was great and our waiter was on point with his recommendations. The carnitas were tender and flavorful. Salsa, yummy and the queso topped with BBQ brisket was crave worthy!! The brisket is sourced from a well know Houston BBQ joint, ask your waiter about it. This is the place for exceptional Tex-Mex food and drinks; elevated Tex-Mex in an atmosphere that does not give off any dusty Sombreros, guitars on the walls vibes... It's all fresh and hot at Candante. read more

Went to Candente 12/22. We've never been to their other location, so had no expectations other than hoping it would be better than Mandito's. It was pretty crowded for a Monday, but that's likely because it was opening night (which we didn't realize). We liked their jalapeno dip (fav), the salsa and the queso. Got the extra premium margarita on the rocks with salt - excellent. My husband got the pork carnitas -- he would def order that again! I got the La Bandera, which allowed me to try different enchiladas (cheese, chicken verde, black bean, brisket). My favorite was the chicken verde - but I would order any one of them again. It's great to see a good Mexican restaurant open in Bellaire. Our waiter was Kayson D - very helpful! read more

We loved Candente! We ordered the brisket nachos and the campechana, and it was more than enough food for the two of us. The atmosphere, food, and drinks were all fantastic. Damion was our server and he was wonderful! 10/10 recommend read more

Walked in. Greeted and brought to a table. Then told the table, empty, was unavailable. Walked back past another empty table. Then told wait would be 30 minutes. They need to get their stuff together. Too bad - was looking forward to trying it but 0 stars for service. read more

Dinner started with the waiter dumping four large glasses of ice water on the table and all over four of us seated at the table. Had to laugh it off - accidents happen and waiter was very apologetic. Took 5-10 minutes to wipe up all the water and reset the table. The waiter quickly took our order, but then we saw very little of him or any wait staff for most of the meal. Wife and I split skirt steak fajitas that were requested medium rare, but came well done. I don't like wasting food by sending it back and by that time we had already been there 45 minutes. Charro beans and rice were also average. Wait staff made no effort to adjust our price or throw in any side dishes or dessert. Bad first experience with this restaurant. read more

Candente Bellaire now has wi-fi! It's now my favorite Tex-Mex. Great food, great margaritas and great service. Ebony and Stephanie are outstanding behind the bar. read more

They honestly seemed to hire any body off the streets to get staffed for the opening. SERVICE WAS AWFUL NOT ONLY BY THE WAITRESS BUT BY MANAGEMENT. After waiting for the manager to swing by he said " I'm sorry but there isn't anything I can do for you." WE WONT BE BACK AGAIN. I work to the fox 26 news staff and was very disappointed with customer service. I'd give ZERO stars if I could. read more

Food is great the steak is so good my kids love it and so do my husband and I. The chips and salsa are and the nachos are delicious. We will be back. read more

Went to the soft opening on Friday, I have been to the other location and happy this one opened right around the coner. 1st for a soft opening the service and food was great. Food came out fast and was delicious (brisket nachos). Ordered the skinny marg and mexican martini, both were great, hit the spot. Bartenders Toni and Eboni were awesome. read more

Tried this restaurant on January 2, 2026 for lunch, and we were very impressed. Nice calm ambiance, the waiter (I forgot his name) extremely attentive (but not overly so), friendly, professional, food was extremely good. I got the Candente Ceviche and it was fresh, and yummy. Hubby got the Brisket enchiladas and he was astonished as he doesn't like brisket enchiladas usually, but decided to try them here and he found them delicious!. We will return, I'm sure. read more

We visited yesterday (Sunday) evening. We came early (5 pm) because we had heard it gets busy, and boy does it get busy. But, our waiter did a great job. Son and hubby ordered large chicken fajitas which they devoured. I had the spinach, mushroom, poblano quesadillas- tasty, but a bit greasy. The chips and dips/ salsa were excellent. So excited to have a new good restaurant in the neighborhood! Will definitely return. read more