When I had dined in recently for a birthday celebration, I was made aware that this is the original location of the Pappasitos Cantina chain. And now that it's been a little over a week, I'm now being made aware that it's going to close on September 13th after 43 years in operation. What a sad turn of events. On the outside, the place looks dated. It reminds me of an old building that simply hasn't been updated in awhile, which is why it was so surprising to see such a spacious and well-maintained interior. It's such a large space that I wouldn't hesitate for a second to bring in a massive group of (any) size. Aside from the front sign that looks like it's falling apart, I really loved the archway leading into a fountain and rustic feel. There were a few things about the interior which called for a pause, such as the stacking of various beer boxes to act as a divider between the bar and the dining space, a tortilla making machine that reeked of a lingering flour / raw dough odor, and semi-smelly bathrooms. The food however, was on point. Their chicken tortilla soup had a very nice pollo caldo-esque flavor to the broth with tender chunks of meat. I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the mixed enchiladas were and how soft and tasty the heirloom corn tamales were, which were presented beautifully. The watermelon margarita deserves its own mention, along with a killer carajillo cocktail. Even the complimentary chips + salsa, along with a offering from the wonderful waiter (Shoutout Antonio!) were excellent. The only thing better than the food was the stellar service. Antonio was fabulous with the recommendations and did an incredible job of rallying the troops for a festive birthday shoutout for our group. We finished things off with a little churros + chocolate dessert that had the whole table in awe. Had I known about the upcoming closure, I would have tried to plan out future dates where I could take advantage of their weekly specials, which include drinks and fajitas at a discount. While I take some solace in knowing the chain isn't done, I will have fond memories of this OG location. read more

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I had a $100 gift card for any of the Pappas. We picked to go to Pappasitos Cantina to celebrate mothers day. We wanted to go a different location but we could not get the reservation we wanted at that location so this was next closest location. It is a good thing I was able to get a reservation because there were busy. Since we had reservation we use walk in and wait for them to get the table ready. Great service here and delicious Tex-Mex food. I love how fresh the tortilla are here. The servers here are always on top of things. It was a good time with the family. It is sad to see this location going away soon read more

Really friendly waitstaff. The tamales are really great. The beef taco is ok, the meat wasn't really marinated, so you need to add salsa. The rice is plentiful and very flavorful. The black beans are great too. They provide large portions. Chips and salsa are excellent! read more

I love this chain but had a horrible experience last night. Our server was Luis and whomever trained him should be fired. He was clearly lost, couldn't keep up with his tables. We ordered a queso with our drinks and my colleague had to track him down 20 mins later to ask him if he forgot to put it in? He said, "No, do you still want it?" Huh? Yeah, we ordered it buddy! Brings it out and of course our entrees are right behind it. No apology, nothing. Did he leave it on the bill? You bet! -2 for poor service read more

Brought our family of four to lunch for Father's Day and received top notch service from Luis. We all shared a giant plate of fajitas and trimmings, and portions are so generous that we walked out of there with full bellies and a bag with leftovers. I love the way they season their fajitas, they are hands down some of my favorites in town. The place was packed, and the ambiance was lively. In fact, we had such a great time that I signed the check and left my debit card with it. By the time I realized on Monday I called them hoping it would be there, and it was! We'll be back soon! read more

I ordered the 10 oz Steak Fajitas medium rare with double rice n more this past Memorial Day for dinner. One of my two favorite fajita spots along with Lupe T. The meat really had that nice steak vibe to it. Every pieces was very tender, meaty, uniquely marinated in their own style and very well-seasoned. The rice was great this time too, mild and yet addictive in a way. It really pairs well with the others. The tortillas were very fresh and good. The tomatoes were cool and refreshing. The guac was not my thing due to being full of hard avocado chunks instead of smooth all the way, but I don't like the taste or texture of avocado to begin with. Thus, no biggie. Great, welcoming service from my server as well. read more

Pappasitos Cantina - Original - Fantastic Steak Fajitas Meal on Memorial Day !!! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I used to love Pappasitos until I discovered a huge piece of tape in my food and I think it was planted! I had a male waiter then a female waiter came over. I told her I already gave my order. She said they were helping each other. I said I only wanted one server as I did not want to duplicate my requests the entire meal. Next thing I know the manager is digging an object out my rice, unrolls it and informs me he is embarrassed to tell me it's a huge piece of tape with red writing. To this day, no one can logically explain how it got there. Coincidence?! I don't know but it's ruined my mental health, I'm almost scared to eat out and I've stopped eating rice. I just play it back over and over. I ate rice that had been contaminated, I've never had such a terrible thing happen when dining out. Not to mention as I began to cry in the resteraunt after this took place, the same female waitress came near my table and gave me a blank stare and didn't acknowledge me, further fueling my suspicion. Kim in claims, who isn't the nicest, offered me $500. Absolutely not. read more

The food and service are always great here. The place has a fun vibe, though the music can get a little loud sometimes, especially when there's mariachi or parties going on. Overall, it's a solid spot with delicious food and friendly service. read more

Pappasitos Cantina - Original - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Another Father's Day with the family at Pappasito's. So lucky to be able to share a special family dinner with four generations including my daughter and her cousin who both came home to celebrate with their grandpa and dad. When the girls were little this was a popular Sunday family dinner choice, so it was fun to hear them reminisce about when they were young. Grabbing baskets of steamy hot fresh tortillas while we waited for the fajitas. Table-side guacamole and chips. Making little sculpture masterpieces out of tortilla dough. Wearing the big sombrero as the staff sang Happy Birthday Pappasito's style over a delicious slice of Tres Leches or a scoop of ice cream. Creating more special memories over fajitas, salads, quesadillas and, of course, guacamole. For the carnivores, the mixed chicken and beef fajitas are a solid choice. Love how they still do the $29.99 fajita special on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after 4. For my vegetarian/pescatarian daughters, their vegetarian fajitas are delicious, too. Get the black beans which are vegetarian friendly. Although our family always tries not to fill up on chips, the guacamole is sooo fresh and so good. Hard not to order to start our meal. The salad with a lime vinaigrette is good, but seems a lot smaller than I remember. My in-laws also enjoyed their quesadillas. Buy a gift card for $50 and get a bonus $10 or $20 gift card for your next visit specials happen several times throughout the year. Thanks to Brian for taking care of our growing family. We will be back to make more special memories. read more

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I frequently visit this location--it's actually one of my favorites. While I've had a few not‑so‑great experiences in the past, overall it's usually very good. Last night, my server was just okay, not very attentive, but still fine. What truly made my visit stand out was meeting the nicest, kindest lady, Meligria (apologies if I'm spelling her name incorrectly). I don't believe she's a server, but she greeted me with a warm "hello, how are you," checked on me several times as she passed by, and asked if I needed anything. She even cleared my table and gathered my leftovers for me. This was a GREAT experience. She took the time to acknowledge me and make sure I was taken care of--even though it wasn't her job. Honestly, I would have preferred to tip her instead of my actual waiter. Thank you, Ms. Meligria, for the wonderful customer service. I truly appreciate you. read more

Great food! I love that they let you make a reservation. The food took awhile to get to us; but I think we got a new server and he was just learning; which was fine: we all have been in that position! The portions were really large: we all took food home and had it the next day and shared with my husband! It's a little pricey but every place is pricey these days! read more

Pappasitos is the norm as long as the norm doesn't sway from the norm. It's always good. I did try something new for once which was the fajita and bacon wrap shrimp plate. It was delicious. I actually went back and got it the second time the next week, the watermelon margarita is Untouchable and my service at the bar was great. read more

Pappasito's is always a great, fun stop for Tex-Mex cuisine. Service is quick and dependable, and you know that you will be taking home leftovers because the portions are so generous. The complimentary chips and salsa are light and delicious - thankfully the appetizers and entrees arrive swiftly so that you do not consume the entire basket of chips. Because everything on the menu looks so tempting, we opted for combination plates to try different items. Both the Plato Reynosa and Plato Mariachi came with Spanish rice and refried or charro beans, with different combinations of enchiladas, crispy tacos and tamales. The food is savory and satisfying, and a great value. read more

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My brother wanted to celebrate his birthday here so we visited on a Saturday at 11 am opening time. The parking lot is plentiful and the pathway to the entrance is nicely decorated with greenery & plants. There was a security guard present as well. Everyone greeted us as we walked in which was nice! Our waiter Jaylon was friendly and attentive throughout the whole time & the manager/supervisor stopped by to check on us too. They provide complimentary chips & salsa but I wasn't a big fan. My toddler loved it despite it having a kick. We ordered the beef/chicken fajitas, fajita beef quesadillas, plato mariachi (2 tamales & very large crispy ixtapa beef taco), chicken tenderloins/fries & Mac & cheese for the kids. Everyone enjoyed their food overall & the portions were large. For me, the crispy ixtapa beef taco was decent but not great. I enjoyed the tamales better but one of them was a little dry as well as the rice. I would probably ordered a different entree next time. The bathrooms were clean and had a changing table in both. Overall, it was a good experience and appreciated the great service! read more

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There's only four words I can tell you about this place, and probably the only reason why I come to this place: Half priced Fajita Wednesdays. That's it! End of review. Thanks for your time! Jk Over all these years of coming to any Pappasito's, the only reason why I come to Pappasito's is the half priced fajita wednesdays. What place can you go to and enjoy their delicious fajitas... for half price! You can get all chicken, all beef, or half chicken and half beef, along with the mexican rice, beans any way you like it, the guacamole, pico de gallo, butter on the side, shredded cheese, chips, salsa, all the good stuff! read more

The food is good but the service is extremely slow. At a table of 8, my cousin was the only one who didn't get his order and this was after a long wait for our food to arrive. The manager did apologize but the server's inattentiveness was unacceptable. And every time we go the restaurant is less and less crowded. Generally we have started to visit other places.but my aunt loves the food here. read more

The food was delicious! The San Juan Plato came with pork ribs, huge shrimp, rice, bean and avocado. Fall off the bones tasty kind of ribs - sooo yummy! The chicken tingo platter had an option of sour cream sauce instead of the red sauce and it was the best ever! It came with rice and beans and of course, tortillas. Service was outstanding. The manager, Jorge, visited with us as he heard it was our first experience at Pappasito's and our server, Ava, was so attentive, kind and fun! The hostess, Susan, went out of her way to tell us about the restaurant and some of her favorites (loved the sizzlin ribs and shrimp! Thank you!). Thank you for such an amazing first visit to Pappacito's! read more

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This is my favorite Pappasito's in ALL of Houston Texas. This is also the original Pappasito's. Lots of free parking here. The bar here is a bit small BUT this restaurant has a HH Monday-Friday, so go. I recently did a week BDay celebration and husband and I went to this restaurant on. Tuesday for dinner. Guess what this Pappasito's currently has a Tuesday and Wednesday Fajitas special that is dine in ONLY. Beef & Chicken fajitas, beans, rice guacamole and flour tortillas for $29.95. !! That and a frozen margarita for $3.95 was a great dinner. Then all the servers came and sang Happy Birthday to me and gave me a complimentary dessert!! Wow, what a great dinner. I highly recommend this place. read more

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This location on Richmond Avenue is my favorite. Huge Bar area which is always fully staffed. FROZEN Margaritas are always ready. Check out the daily specials. They serve every combination when it comes to plates and will make a special order just for you. My favorite includes Quesadillas with Grilled Chicken or Beef Fajitas. Parking is always easy and they have dedicated to-go parking spots. read more

Pretty nut-allergy friendly, but I'd let your server know just in case. I'm not sure what Kody is saying below - half price fajitas are still a thing for Tuesdays AND Wednesdays at this location. It's only the two-person $30 size, though. Arrived at 7PM on a Tuesday evening. Relatively empty but they seemed short staffed because it still took 5-10 minutes for a hostess to return and I was still delayed because there were no clean menus. After being seated, chips and salsa were quickly served (3 servings for 5 people, nice!). However, we never got the last two sets of utensils as they ran out and never came back. We had to go hunt some down. Ordered two of the half price fajitas for five people (one light eater). They came out relatively quickly (15ish minutes?). Sour cream and cheese cost extra. Two orders of fajitas only came out with one order of beans and rice, but this was sufficient for us and our server said they'd bring more if we needed it (I like this - saving food waste). Food was decent. The steak was a bit burned at the end. One might say nicely charred. Tortillas were a bit small. There were some misses in service - water took a long time to be refilled; we asked for salsa once (they took our chips and salsa away when we got the fajitas) and it never came back; and the utensils problem I wrote about earlier. Overall, I'd come back for half price fajitas but at menu price, I don't know if I'd recommend it. There was also a very loud corporate event going on in the main area while we were there. read more

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Service is great, food is always great! One of our favorites is the rack of ribs, although lately it feels as if they are just reheated and end up having more burnt parts all around, the glaze is hardenend on the ribs, & the ribs dont rip apart as smoothly as they usually do. Seems like they just get reheated read more

I dont write reviews, but this was a Horrible experience. Went to celebrate my girl friends birthday. Had to ask the waiter 2 times for them to sing hb day. Which we never got them to sing bc it took so MF long, the waiter never brought out the chip and salsa and we had to ask over and over, what sht show, got tired of waiting and just went to ask the hostess for the check, worst bday experience at a restaurant in my life. Never again. read more

I'm from Houston - so I know good Mexican food. I am a Stan for Pappasito's - it's a chain but I love it. I didn't know that this is the original location so I was happy to go! We sat at the bar and watched the game. We ordered the fajitas - but little did I know on Tuesday they have a deal - so I know we were in for a good time. Literally there was so much food it wasn't even funny. The food was so fresh and the steak & chicken were extra juicy. Let me tell you I definitely took left overs and took them for lunch the next day. This location, did not disappoint. Will definitely be visiting again! read more

Pappasitos Cantina - Original - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Tk's customer service is A++! He was the absolute best and on point. He made the dining experience for my friends and I 10/10. He was very knowledgeable on the menu and was able to direct us on what we should order. The fajitas were a chefs kiss! I love going out to a restaurant and getting my expectations exceeded! We will be back! read more

I don't know what happened to this place, but it's gone way down hill. Horrible service - and it wasn't just me! I could see several tables were grumpy over the service. The server got our order wrong after repeatedly clarifying. Multiple in- bussed tables both inside and on the patio. It' was a sh*tshow. Food was still pretty good, but I don't think I'm going back again. I guess others feel similarly because the place was maybe 20% capacity on a Sunday at dinner time. read more

Loved it. Have not been to a full Pappasito's in a while. Ordered beef enchiladas and the house margarita. So was very happy and thought the bartender was very professional. He might have been the trainer there. Thanks for the great ambiance and meal. read more

I ordered beef nachos and they were the worst ever. I had to stop eating them and just leave them on the plate. If I had been alone or just with one person, I would've returned them and ordered something else, but I was with three people and it would've been awkward to do that. Plus we didn't have time. read more

Yuck. The food wasn't good. The service was not good and the place feels old and dirty.

Is this place delicious? Yes. Is it expensive? Very. Fajita prices have been soaring in Houston and Pappasito's was no exception. Service and food was amazing as always though. I haven't been here in years and had a gift card so I took a friend to lunch. We got enchilada, fajitas, and queso. The queso was nothing special but my friend wanted it. The fajitas were outstanding (steak buttery and chicken moist) and the tortillas were the softest things ever. We ended up taking half the food home which could be another meal in itself. Next time I'm getting a margarita! read more

Pappasitos Cantina - Original - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

The fajitas were amazing and we had an amazing waiter Gwen who was on top of every detail. You would think this is his restaurant!!

Awesome place huge portions Little pricey but worth every penny You won't be disappointed read more

The food is always good here. The service was prompt, friendly and professional. I highly recommend

Honestly, I only went in to get a luchador mug. I couldn't decide on the color. Macario at the bar was so patient with me. I kept changing my mind. Then I decided on the red one and as he was getting ready to ring it up, I said, "Wait, you're going to kill me." I had changed my mind again. I chose a two-color mug that has in writing "dos caras" or "two faces" in the back. The mugs are $10 each. I asked also for chips and salsa to go. Macario said there's no charge for them since I made a purchase. He exudes an utmost patience. read more

Pappasitos Cantina - Original - I got my luchador mug. It was hard to decide on the color. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

I'm not sure I'm a fan of TexMex being a Cali girl but this was pretty good...the salsa was nice and fresh and sweet with a nice kick to it..their flour tortillas were made in house so they were hot and fresh...our servers took care our large group with grace and great service...our fajitas said for 2 and it was large enough for 3....but it was delicious...the guacamole was definitely different from California...but still delicious...I totally enjoyed this place and you can not go wrong eating here... read more

Pappasitos Cantina - Original - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I used to eat at Pappasito's once a week for years and it is one of my favorite places. Covid has been a bit hard on this chain and not sure I like it as much as I used to. The menu has changed a bit and doesn't seem as good. This particular place was very good though and and was nice to be there. It is very consistent from place to place and I like that. The service was OK, but not great. The food was good and I enjoyed it. If you haven't been to a Pappasito's, it is worth trying and you can't go wrong. read more

Pappasitos Cantina - Original - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

Pappasito's Cantina beautiful setting and delicious food - 6445 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77057, United States - Local guides: https://goo.gl/maps/RYM4LGaEYFs5mJwp9 read more

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The beef fajitas were delicious, the rice and beans were standard. I would recommend getting the cheese dip with a side of fajitas, goes well with the complimentary thin and crispy tortilla chips. My kids ordered enchiladas and they were delicious. The lemonade it homemade and is delicious. read more

Pappasitos Cantina - Original - Beef fajita for two, guacamole and salsa - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Probably my favorite Mexican restaurant. The food quality is excellent. Prices are a bit much for what you expect in a Mexican joint. The shrimp brochette are amazing. First off, the shrimp are huge and wrapped in bacon. Then the shrimp are stuff with pepper and cheese. Try it along with steak fajitas. read more

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Went over the weekend and the queso is so so good. The chips were cooked and salted perfectly. I usually get the carne asada enchiladas and they are delicious every single time. Much better than lupe tortilla in my opinion. Service is iffy, but never bad. Definitely a good choice. read more

Not the best Mexican food and not the worst either. I ordered take out and was angered when I opened my bag only to see they had forgotten the following items: guacamole, sour cream, and my beans! What ever happened to checking orders for accuracy? Apparently that doesn't happen at this location. Value 2/5 $23 and change for a kabob and rice Taste 3/5. The beef, veggies, and shrimp were tasty. However, as you can see in the picture, the chicken was down right bland and tasteless. It reminded me of plain, boiled chicken. It was succulent but had absolutely no seasoning. It had the appearance of rotisserie chicken instead of chicken fajita. Service 2/5 Needs serious improvement. Too much of my order was incorrect. read more