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Candente - Museum District

4.1 (635 reviews)
ModerateTex-Mex
Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Updated 1 month ago

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CANDENTE - MUSEUM DISTRICT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Loud
Casual
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Candente - Museum District

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Fajitas
Lizz M.

The fajitas were cooked to perfection and to make it even better the tortillas tasted like they were homemade. Were they? No idea but they were so good. We got two de harina and two de maíz. I liked that they offered that option, I don't see that in many places. Everything was great and the margarita was huge. They have outdoor seating which is spacious and has fans throughout so you don't feel the heat as much. We sat inside as we watched the World Cup games. Decor was beautiful and our server was nice. They have parking, which is always a plus!

Some of the menu
Mallory L.

The food was pretty good but maybe a little expensive for what it was. Service was absolutely immaculate, everyone was so kind and helpful! They refilled our waters, offered more chips and salsa, and answered any questions we had. We were sat on the patio and it was nice other than the weather. Also, for some reason the parking garage couldn't be used so parking was a bit difficult.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Leena C.

Glowing red. Burning. Candente. Let me start by saying that I'm not into Mexican food unless it's an auntie or grandma making it at their house. I prefer traditional homemade Mexican food but here we are. (Oh I googled and suggested this place lol) Went in for a team lunch on a Friday. Coworker's birthday lunch and she wanted Mexican. Party of 9 and we were seated promptly. They have a lunch menu and a happy hour as well as a full menu and full bar. The interior was nicely decorated. And open. There is bar seating and patio seating as well. Our waitress was Aisha and she was amazing. Friendly, helpful and patient. And able handle our large group and a few more tables with a smile. There were a variety of options. Salads, fajitas, nachos, enchiladas, etc. Also complimentary chips and salsa. My Order: chicken tortilla soup, lunch fajitas combo - chicken and beef. Chicken tortilla soup (3.5/5) - it was a bit salty for me but I am not a salt person so most things are salty to me; everyone else said it was tasty, there were tons of shredded chicken, avocado pieces, tortilla strips Fajitas - combo (4/5) - chicken was seasoned well and the beef (medium rare) was perfection and so tender and juicy, mexican rice was fluffy, and normally I would pass on the beans and get extra rice but my coworker suggested the charro beans and wow, that was a win - the seasoning was great, there were chunks of meat and the texture was nice, the only thing that could have been done better is the flour tortillas - they over-charred them making them too crispy and left them with a burnt taste. A couple of people got the elote salad and raved about it. So that will be a next time try. Def will be back. Everyone enjoyed their meals and some even ordered food to go. Would recommend.

Birthday celebration
Charisse T.

Mother's Day dinner with the family. We got right in no wait at all, but the area we were sitting in had so many flies we finally bagged up our food and left. It was overwhelming for the kids and we left early and some food on the table because the flies were landing on it. This was my first bad experience with this restaurant, we did complain to staff but they didn't seem bothered no other tables were fighting like that. Might choose inside next time if we chose to return. We did ask for the table fans but that didn't help the situation. Also parking is always horrible they have security but they only sit there on the phones. The lot is already small and you allowed them to take over 2 spots there is a sports car in there all the time we have gone that takes over 2 spots

Alex W.

I'm a Tex-Mex hater so it means a lot when I say I thoroughly enjoyed this meal. We went on Tuesday where you can get a large fajita for the price of a medium. The skirt steak was extremely tender, smoky, and went well with the butter sauce; just a tiny bit more salt would have been perfect for me. The other one we got half beef half chicken - the chicken was surprisingly very juicy whilst being charred perfectly. That on top of the free unlimited chips (the white sauce was great) finally made me realize how people could enjoy Tex-Mex!

Cheese enchiladas
Sonia S.

I had an amazing experience at Candente! The patio seating, service, and food were all amazing: I ordered the cheese enchiladas and topped with queso and I ate the entire plate. My margarita was deliciously made. The patio is nice and spread out as well as tucked away from the road noise. Overall, a wonderful experience !,

Jordan W.

This is still one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Houston! It's always super busy, but usually they're able to seat you right away. This past visit I tried the birria tacos for the first time and now I have a new favorite. We also tried the brisket nachos. It could have used a little bit more cheese which we did ask our waiter for, but he never bought it out but I would stick to my usual queso with added ground beef. If you haven't tried Candente, I definitely recommend it you won't be disappointed.

Taco and beans
Sonia G.

Excellent service and atmosphere. The servers were very attentive and bussers did not waste time in cleaning the area and providing straws and napkins. The complimentary chips and salsa were almost good and plentiful enough for a meal in and of themselves. Good for individuals, groups, and families. Three of us had lunch here, and the prices were very reasonable. The lunch menu featured a lot of standard favorites--enchiladas, tacos, fajitas. I had a combination platter of a taco, enchilada and burrito with rice and charro beans. Another companion had burria tacos. Spice level was good as well. Very attentive staff and they seem to understand customer's needs before they ask. Will return for Happy Hour.

Entrance
Walter M.

Close to museums, with interior and patio dining. Good atmosphere, food, and service.

Food
Brenda T.

Amazing Father's Day dinner 25 people the wait staff was on time food was delicious ,They made available for 4 more people will come again ,Prices were reasonable

Ashley O.

I really enjoyed my experience here on Cinco de Mayo this year. It also was kind of surprising how well things worked out because I'm definitely used to Cinco de Mayo being a crazy day to try to go to a Mexican restaurant especially since they do not take reservations. I originally planned to just go there for drinks and go somewhere else to actually eat because they were doing tequila tastings. However while we were there, we were seeing the food that was coming out and smelling the aroma of the food they were serving and all three of us decided we were willing to wait and stay. So this was specifically for Cinco de Mayo, but they had as I said tequila tastings so they had different tables where they were giving out tequila. I thought it was very generous and a nice touch on Cinco De Mayo and the fact that it was free was great. So I decided to put us on the waitlist and they told us it would be about an hour or so, which would not have been ideal at all, but thankfully they were able to seat us very quickly compared to what they told us, which was amazing. The service was really good and I felt like our waitress was really friendly and attentive. Even in the midst of the craziness, she was still very available for us. The food was really good and I enjoyed the queso. My only complaint was that the queso was kind of cold. I probably should've asked for them to heat it up but it still tasted good. I got my entrée after and the portion was HUGE so I definitely had a lot of food to take home and I also really enjoyed it. One of the items on the entrée was a steak taco and the steak was so good. I feel like it was seasoned to perfection and I absolutely loved it. I also enjoyed the enchiladas as well. I got a kiwi margarita and it was really good too. I would say this is the second best Mexican food that I've had in Houston and I've been to several Mexican restaurants for tacos Tuesday. I would for sure recommend this place and I would definitely come back especially on a day that's not as crazy as Cinco De Mayo because I'm sure everything will be even faster and smoother but again I'm impressed at how well everything went considering it was Cinco De Mayo and we didn't even have a reservation.

Menu as of 8/27/25
Jonathan V.

Candente is a Tex Mex restaurant located in the Montrose area of Houston. Candente is known for their margaritas, brisket queso and their fajitas. We visited Candente for dinner after happy hour ended on a Wednesday. Just an FYI that happy hour is Monday-Friday from 3-6 PM. Parking: there is a parking garage attached to Candente that has designated parking spots for diners. This parking is limited and there are signs that designate which spots are for Candente. There is also limited street parking around the restaurant. Ambiance: Candente has a bar, inside seating and an huge outdoor patio. We sat on the outdoor patio because there was a wait for an inside table. They were playing the Astros game at the bar TVs and they had a fun Loteria game going in the patio. This was a special event for that night. It was hot on the patio but that was just the natural Texas heat. The music inside was pretty loud when I went to use the restroom and I've seen that been a complaint from some diners on Yelp. Service: the service was fine. Being on the patio is tough because severs have a long way to travel to take care of the patio tables and inside tables. We had to ask for water refills a couple of times. The food came out in a timely matter so that was nice as we ordered appetizers and main entrees. Drinks: my brother got a mojito de coco which had rum, coconut, and lime. He enjoyed this mojito a lot and said it was refreshing in the heat. Food: the complementary chips and red and green salas were very good! We ate two baskets of these chips and asked for more salsa as well. We ordered two appetizers and three mains. Beef fajita quesadilla: the quesadilla was an appetizer for us and man this was good. The tortilla was crisped perfectly and the fajita beef was very tender. It came with a side of pico, sour cream and guacamole. It was $19 for 4 triangle pieces so a little pricey for a quesadilla. Smoked chicken flautas: this flauta appetizer came with 4 chicken flautas covered in avocado salsa, cream and queso fresco. The chicken in these flautas had great flavor! The chicken was moist and the shell on the flauta was thin and crispy. This was my favorite dish of the night! Carne Guisada: I ordered the carne guisada and it was delicious. It was stewed Mexican beef served with rice and beans and a side of three flour tortillas. The meat was tender and in a nice gravy sauce. It came with a side of cilantro, onions and tomatoes. The portion size was little lacking but it made up in flavor. Tacos birria de res: the birria tacos came with three tacos in one order. It came with a side of beef consume and rice and beans. The beef in the birria tacos was very tender and the consume had rich flavor. It was also a little pricey at $28 for the three tacos with rice and beans. Plato Epico: this combo plate came with a chicken taco, cheese enchilada, cheese chili relleno, and a crispy beef taco. This plate was your standard mixed Tex mex plate. It had all the staples on one plate. It also was only $25 so it was good value! Nothing stood out on this plate but it was an all around good Tex Mex plate. Overall, I'd say Candente brings the flavor on most of their food but at the price point of some items on their menu, it feels like I should have been more full. I subsidized the portions with their chips which is never an issue at Tex mex places. All of their beef dishes were good and their chicken flautas were the best dish of the night. The restaurant provided plenty of seating and the patio is a nice change of pace from an AC filled room. Come here for the food but don't expect it to be cheap!

Mangonada
Kim N.

We dropped in for lunch on Sunday, party of four. Love that they have an attached garage for parking, kept the car cool even though it was in the 90's outside. The restaurant was still packed at 2:30 PM. We were seated in the last booth towards the back of the restaurant. Next time, I would opt out of sitting there as it's next to the kitchen and it's really loud with dishes and glasses banging around. It didn't help that our server forgot to put in our appetizer order. We waited to order the entree to give a little time for the brisket queso to arrive but it never showed up. We reminded the server that we never received it after the fajitas arrived, so that we would not get charged for it. We ordered the ceviche trio and a large prime Niman ranch skirt steak fajita for shared entrees. The ceviche was OK, the green one was a little bland. The fajita was the star of our lunch, cooked perfect to medium, very tender for skirt steak. We ordered extra flour tortillas and this took 15 mins to arrive. The mangonada was good. The cantaloupe and hibiscus Agua Frescas were good as well. I would come back again for the food, would love to try other things on the menu.

Ceviche Trio- Phenomenally Fresh and delicious

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1 month ago

This place is amazing! The food is great. The Margarita makes you want to go back daily.

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Candente - Museum District Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Candente - Museum District

How is the parking? Do they have their own parking lot?

They have a parking garage connected to the restaurant.

Do they serve their regular menu during lunchtime, or is only the lunch menu available?

Are the beans vegetarian ? (Or are they made with lard) thanks

They are made with lard. That's why they taste so good!!!😉

Does Candente accept reservations or have an online waitlist?

No reservations - first come, first served. 6 pm was good for no wait on a Saturday night.

Is the business open now?

They weren't last Wednesday at 5:30p when we tried to go, no lights were on inside. Just tried calling them too and nobody answered 😢

Is there a children's menu? Is it kid friendly?

Yes and yes!

Are dogs allowed on the patio?

"Service dogs" only.

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Maria Rita's Tex-Mex

Maria Rita's Tex-Mex

4.4
(194 reviews)
8.8 mi
$$

I was in a facility getting a minor procedure and I had to be lightly sedated which did not allow…read moreme to drive myself to and from my appointment, so my wife drove me there and hung out while I was getting the procedure done. Neither one of us had eaten and we were both starving. We had decided that when I was released we would just go to the restaurant that was in the same parking lot as the facility. I had been to the restaurant before, had fajitas and they were served bloody raw and was just disgusting so I Never went back. We mentioned where we were planning to go to some of the staff members and they said do not go there and that it was too expensive for the type of Mexican food that they serve you. Then they all suggested Maria Rita's. My wife and I had never heard of it before so we asked where it was and it was located 2min down the street. When we got there it was packed, but we decided to thug it out and wait for a table, this also gave us time to troll the parking lot and land a killer parking spot as people left. We finally got the notice that our table was ready. The inside was clean, awesome and had a savory aroma mixed with a Smokey grill Oder that just made us even more hungry than we already were. We both ordered this dish that came with fajitas and bacon wrapped shrimp with a cheese sauce that was Truly Amazing! When I finally was able to take a bite of one of the four gigantic shrimp after I completely destroyed my fajitas, I thought that I was going to pass out from the ecstasy that the flavor profile from that shrimp that overwhelmed my senses! We both enjoyed our meal,(obviously) and I can't end this review without mentioning how attentive, nice and unexpected table side manor that the staff had displayed despite being overwhelmed with a full house crowd. A truly epic experience. Please dig deep for a tip, they deserve it. Enjoy!!

The staff were very nice and welcoming. But the food was dry and flavorless, almost like everything…read morewas microwaved. I got chicken flautas and they were so dry my first bite took over a minute to chew enough to swallow.

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Maria Rita's Tex-Mex
Maria Rita's Tex-Mex
Hibiscus margarita

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Hibiscus margarita
Superica

Superica

4.1
(562 reviews)
4.8 mi
$$

Incredible spot in Houston - the queso fundido is excellent, and the combination lunch plates knock…read moreit out of the park. I could drink the green salsa they have enjoyed the outdoor seating on an unseasonably warm winter day. One note: the waiter told us they're transitioning to a steak house soon. If so, super disappointed!!

Superica didn't impress me on a first dinner visit, but since then I've been back multiple times…read morefor weekend brunch, and each time has been consistently good. Parking can be challenging on weekends, but there is complimentary valet and a few extra spots in a lot across the street. There's interior and exterior seating, with cozy booths and tables. Service is friendly. Chips and salsa: Superica has some of my favorite chips, crispy and thin and perfectly fried. The avocado crema salsa and warm serrano pepper salsas are delicious with a mild kick. The bottled red salsa is fresh and green salsa packs a nice punch. Migas: Scrambled eggs with tortilla chips and cheese, choice of chicken versus chorizo on top, finished with fresh avocado. I really enjoyed this combination and the generous portion for the price. The eggs are well scrambled without being dry, and the pairing with cheese is proportional. The chicken was a touch dry, but some salsa solved that well. I enjoyed stuffing each component into a fresh tortilla and devouring it as a breakfast taco. Refried beans and rice: Really delicious. The refried beans are of the smoother variety without as much chunkiness, which I prefer, and topped with creamy cheese. I could have used a touch more tomato in the rice, but overall enjoyed the texture and flavor. Patatas with salsa roja, topped with egg: I enjoyed the flavors in this dish, but there was sooo much salsa. The potatoes were thus a little soggy, though still cooked well. The over medium egg was cooked nicely and complemented the potatoes with creamy yolk. Bacon: Really generous portion for $7 as a side, and cooked well. Crispy potatoes: I enjoy that these are fingerling potatoes smashed and roasted, but they could be crispier. They seem to be on the blander side on purpose to allow seasoning to taste, and I really like pairing them with the red bottled salsa provided at each table (probably due to their association with ketchup). Hotcakes: The literal star of every brunch, these hotcakes are consistently delicious. They're massive yet somehow cooked perfectly through so that they're fluffy and soft on the inside and just with a slight crunch on the outside. The pairing of the creamy warm (!!!) maple syrup is heavenly. Because of how huge these are, usually one is enough to share between two people, although they also come in stacks of two and three. For reference, we finished 3/4 of three between four healthy and hungry people and it wasn't for lack of trying. Whenever I crave weekend brunch, Superica is always a top option.

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Superica
Superica
Amazing Sauces! The salsa was my favorite! Flavorful with a nice kick!

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Amazing Sauces! The salsa was my favorite! Flavorful with a nice kick!
Teotihuacan Mexican Cafe

Teotihuacan Mexican Cafe

3.9
(891 reviews)
4.5 mi
$$

When they say "everything is bigger in Texas," they weren't kidding. The size of the margarita was…read morebigger than my hand. If you want leftovers, this is your place to go. It was my first time trying out Tex mex style. It was so busy on a Saturday evening. The chips that were given to each table was incredibly warm and the sauces paired so well. I ordered the el manarco which is this giant piece of steak that was well charred, included this avacado and seafood grit sauce, rice + soup + gauconole/salsa. They gave me 4 giant house made tortillas which was also fresh and warm. This meal can be finished by two people. Definitely come here on an empty stomach and the portions are absolutely massive.

Guys, you know I dont post a review unless a dish is a straight 10/10…read more The breakfast I just had warrants a 10/10 review at the Airline blvd location. I just had the Machacado con Huevo breakfast dish here and it was so incredibly good-So good! it was one of the best breakfasts Ive ever had. seriously.I will definitely be back for this breakfast. I recommend getting it with red and green sauce on the side and a side of tortillas ro make your own tacos with the eggs, salsa and refried beans. just wow! And that tamale needs its own menu. That tamale was amazing. I would get several orders of that soft white tamale by itself to go. And the service was a 10/10. They kept refilling my red and green sauce and kept checking up on me throughout. Ambience was great as always. Its a life changing dish. Thanks Teotihuacan for the great breakfast and great service! Yall deserve a well-earned review!

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Teotihuacan Mexican Cafe
Queso + Beef
Queso + Beef
Fajita Salad

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Fajita Salad

Candente - Museum District - tex-mex - Updated July 2026

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