Always great service and great food. Enchiladas are the speciality so stick with one of them. Not a fan of the picamole or the queso. Love the tortilla soup and the Hidalgo enchiladas are great. Great salsa and love the red sauce on the enchiladas. read more

Great location, atmosphere and flavorful food! Mexican restaurant can be a misnomer for many establishments in Houston. However Sylvia's captures the essence of what Mexican food should be: -fresh , hot corn tortillas and chips -great fresh made sauces and salsas to accompany dishes -quality meats that satisfy the palate and appetite. -great peppers and spices used with the proper control and attention to detail to ensure dishes have flavor and heat without being a nuisance to the dining experience. We had enchiladas and steak tampiqueno. One word Perfect! We elected to sit outside on summer Friday evening and the atmosphere was calm and relaxed, great for our date night. We'll be back! read more

If I could give it a negative I would! this is an Overpriced food. And to top it off my server Laura decided to she needed to steal from me. My total bill was $16.72 I tipped her $4.00 she wasn't that great didn't come to check on us at all however I realize how much wait staff earn. To my surprise when I checked my bank account she took it upon herself to add a $1 in front of the $4 so a $4 tip became a $14 tip. When I called and spoke to the manager at first she claimed she couldn't find it until I said I can fax over the receipt. Which I did I was offered a discount on my return!!!! I refused and said I want my money back well here we are 2 weeks later and I am still waiting for my money. And I was told they would have a talk with her REALLY a talk Can you imagine how many other people she has done this to who have not caught it???? read more

We decided to eat out (pretty rare occasion) however we came across Sylvia's. The service was great. The food was excellent. The resturant was very authentic Mexican. FYI- the salsa & chips are served fresh hot, as they should always. read more

I tend to love Sylvia's. But when I need food at 9:45 and the sign says you close at 10:30 plus your door is open/unlocked, I'd like to be served. I've been a loyal patron of this establishment. But this is upsetting. read more

First time here! Service was impeccable!!! We tried the north of the border combo for enchiladas and it was awesome! The fajitas tasted like a really well prepared steak!! So tasty! Laura was oir server and she was adorable and very attentive! We'll be back!! read more

Great experience right from walking through the door. We were greeted by a sweet lady who I assume is Sylvia, the waitstaff was very friendly and attentive (ditto on the review that mentioned the water filling). The food came fast. The salsa was delicious, as was my meal, including beans and rice (I had the mexico city - chicken enchiladas with salsa verde and goat cheese, mmmm, still thinking about it). I cleaned my plate! I would have given it 5 stars, but it was expensive when compared to the places that we frequent in the Heights (Teotihuacan). read more

I have dined at Sylvia's once and will not be back. I tried it out of curiosity more than anything because I grew up in Arizona and have been searching for some good enchiladas that remind me of home here in Texas. The enchiladas were okay at Sylvia's but the atmosphere and pricing was way off for me. I was expecting a laid back atmosphere and cheap/affordable prices like I am used to when I go home to Arizona, but boy was I surprised that it costs about $30 for two people to eat some Mexican food that does not cost that much to make. Simply, I was not impressed and if I want enchiladas that remind me of home I will make them myself or just grab some when I visit Arizona next. read more

Delicioso! I had the North of the Border enchiladas, and they could not have been better. The mole was my favorite.

Good option. They have a sunday buffet brunch. 19 usd. 5 different types of enchiladas omelet stations . The Mexico city enchiladas the best ones. read more

The family and I decided to try this place out. I had read a few reviews about how good it is. I was worried they might have built this place up too much. It didn't. This place was fantastic. My Dad tagged along and he loved it as well. My dad and I had the South of the Boarder Sampler plate. Wife had the El Paso. Daughter the Guadalajara. The boy had the Alamo plate. We also started off with the Queso dip, and the Queso Flameado with chorizo. For dessert we shared a piece of the chocolate tres leches cake. The cake is the only thing I didn't love. It may have been because I was completely full. or it may have been too sweet for me. read more

Best tex mex in Houston. It's an obvious choice if you like enchiladas, but make sure to try the fajitas one day. The beef fajitas are the best I've had in the city. The salsa is also incredible, especially when it's brought out warm. read more

Sylvia's is a little higher priced than our usual NW Houston joints- except for the weekday lunches- but we loved our first visit and plan to go back. Service can make or break a restaurant and our waiter - wish I knew his name - was really helpful and friendly. He even comped our shared dessert, since it was our first visit, and brought extra chips to send home with the leftover queso. What a doll! My Enchiladas Morelia were a standout, filled with queso fresco (doesn't melt), onions and covered with a brick-red chili sauce and strips of greens. It proves that everything doesn't have to be covered under a blanket of melted cheese to be delicious! I loved it and will order it next time. Not that I have anything against melted cheese - the creamy queso was good enough to drink! The others in our family got the North and South samplers. All types were distinctive and tasty, but the favorites were the chocolate-y mole, the Sarita with calabasitas, and the verde sauce on the Hidalgo was great! And did I mention that the refritos (although I meant to order charro beans...) were great - no kidding, they were wonderful. Thanks and we will be back! read more

Great food, atmosphere, and prices. Our favorite Mexican food in houston! Excellent fresh chips and warm salsa. We love the enchiladas. Our favorites are the vegetable enchilada that comes with a creamy sauce (forgot the name already- each dish is named for a region in Mexico) and any enchilada with their signature house chili sauce. If we were in Houston longer, we'd sign up for their cooking class! read more

Service is mediocre at best., queso and margaritas are weak, and let's be real those are the 2 most important things! Won't be going back

Delicious food and great service! Anytime we have a problem it is fixed promptly.

We tried Sylvia's on Sunday. They offer a brunch buffet for $19.99 per person, with a variety of enchiladas, tacos, pancakes, omelettes, etc. Everything was good, but as with any buffet, the food wasn't as fresh as ordering off the menu. All in all we were satisfied. read more

Great food and service. Patio was very open and relaxing. Fajitas were YUMMY. Guam was AMAZING!!

Everything was just average and basic. Service was slow and food was pretty bland. I'd rather eat somewhere else if I was asked to go here again. read more

I love the food here. I wish it wan't so expensive ($12 for enchiladas) but they are as good as it gets. The service is great ... ask for Chance. read more

Went there on Sunday evening. Since we were three (having a 19 month old baby boy) and the weather was not too hot we decided to seat outside, being alone there. The only minus was due to the presence of the mosquitos... Apart from that, the food was excellent and the service amazingly attentioned. For Mexican food lovers this place is definitively a must. To conclude, the place was clean, except when my son left, sorry for that! read more

Sylvia's is my family's favorite place for Mexican food. The service has always been top-notch. I've never had a host, server, or bartender shoot an attitude. They are prompt and very friendly. I've seen Sylvia herself there almost every time I've eaten there and it's obvious she watches like a hawk to make sure things are done right. The food is excellent and the menu is pretty expansive. You can get everything from beef, to chicken, to seafood, to combos, to every variation of enchilada under the sun. The margaritas are the best in Houston. They are the most well-balanced margaritas I've ever had....even the non-top shelf ritas. The only complaint I have with the place is the pricing. I think it's a little too high for what you're getting. It's not that they nickel-and-dime you. And the food is great, but I think maybe they're just a little too proud of it. If they cut it back a little bit, they would easily get a 5-star rating. Regardless, when I want authentic mexican food and friendly service, Sylvia's is always our first choice. read more

I love this place! The food is delicious and the service is personal and professional at the same time. The margaritas are some of the best I've ever had. Can't wait to go back again and again! They have a great taco truck that I've experienced at a catered party. I want to rent it for my own party the next time I have a good excuse to do so. read more

I would have definitely given 5 stars a couple of months ago, but the happy hour margaritas that used to be great are now the smallest that I have ever seen and the large one no longer has a happy hour price as we sadly found out when our bill arrived. read more

Take can be a bitch. Tortilla soup is supposed to have chicken in it. Did not. Waited and waited for my order. Investiged. Order just sitting there. The waiter says where did you go. I was waiting at the host stand. No tip. No return. read more

Sylvia's is down the road from my office and my go to at least every other week. They have the BEST carne guisada I've had in the area by a landslide. The tortillas are so hot and fresh and perfect I could eat them all by themselves. I've honestly never had a bad meal here and would recommend to all my friends. Actually, I do. My only one minor complaint, and I mean small...I order in most days and have it delivered, every time I ask for 3 tortillas with my carne guisada and they only give me 2! I will pay for the extra just please give it to me! The plate of food is enough for 3 tortillas and using one from home out of my refrigerator is just NOT the same. Change that guys and you'll get 5 stars from me all day long!!!!! read more

Disappointed. They have half price fajitas on Wednesday's. But only if you dine in. I love their fajitas. What's the big difference? It's not like we would have spent a lot more money. Maybe a couple of dollars on some iced tea. So we had another coupon for half price with someone else. They got our business. So instead of Sylvia's getting our money for half price fajitas, they got nothing. read more

I love your restaurant!!! The smoke flavor on the fajitas is amazing and the manager Gabriel is a huge asset to the store his professionalism is outstanding!!! Keep up the good work!!! read more

Wow! Eagerly went there on Easter at 11:30am with great anticipation after reading all the accolades about "Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen". Was promptly greeted and seated and was quickly served chips, dip and water along with an initial visit from our waitress. So far so good! Suddenly, all that was about to change...the waitress invited us to check out the "fabulous" buffet (which we all did). Very blah. The salad selection was unappealing and awful with wilted lettuce and discolored vegetables (that obviously were sitting out for a while). Moving along, there were remnants of breakfast offerings like pancakes, bacon etc. that were sitting there limpid and not very delectable looking. Then, (progressing to the reasons I went there in the first place), the "fabulous buffet", I gazed upon several closed chafing dishes filled with who knows what (none were marked with any designations) and, when I quizzed the person that was serving, she opened each one and to both our surprise, 4 out of 5 of them had no food in them and the last one had some concoction of a red sauce sloshed over a tortilla which she had no name for. Decided that eating from this mess would have been a bad mistake both money wise and gastronomically so we all ordered from the menu. Upon my recommendations that we all should order what this place was "famous" for, each of us ordered a different version of their "widely acclaimed" enchiladas. The food came out suspiciously pretty fast and, when I started eating, my suspicions were verified. The meals came out on a wooden tray that had two metal type plates countersunk into them that I suppose was supposed to be a way to keep the food hot but it is hard to keep food hot when it is served lukewarm to cold to begin with. The entree was lukewarm near the bottom with the cheese cloying, the chicken (precooked and left setting to dry out) and the verde sauce was uneventful. Moving to the second plate on the tray, which was supposed to mimic Mexican style rice, turned out to be a heap of old, cold tasteless overcooked rice. I eat out quite often and it never ceases to amaze me why these restaurants that charge so much money for these simple foods can't serve hot food or at least food with some sort of temperature. The other two meals were equally "fabulous" with the same redeeming qualities. The service was unassuming and probably average (but, when I was asked "how was everything?" and after responding very delicately but concisely voicing my displeasure and in no way making the waitress feel responsible, we never saw or heard from anyone "in charge"). In conclusion, I could make excuses that it was Easter Sunday and they probably had the second team working and no manager to watch over things BUT the amount of money that restaurants charge for these meals is not the same as going to a drive-thru hamburger joint and regardless of what day it is, how busy it is or what mood people are in the dining experience of these hyped restaurants MUST improve!!! P.S. with all that said, realizing it wasn't the waitresses fault, I left an 17% tip in CASH. Not great but not bad considering... read more

Went to Sylvia's for father's day and it was great!! The service was wonderful and the food was great! Our table had the North of the border, Mexico city, San Miguel, and Chile's Rellenos. The portions were a good size and we all took left overs. The margaritas were great! My dad a big gent was a bit tipsy after one. Not only is the atmosphere warm but so is the owner Sylvia. She chatted with us and was just very inviting! I will def be back. read more

This is literally the only place I will have beef fajitas. I actually don't like beef fajitas, but theirs are so flavourable and tender, even reheated. The staff is friendly, and though I have been there an average of 2x's a week for the past month, they recognize me now. You get that vibe from them that you only get when you go into a place where people enjoy their work. read more

The ad on the side of the truck said "one of the 10 best ... in the nation" The ad is what brought me in the door The food was OK,: Chilis Rellenos was greasy (did not drain the grease from the pepper after frying and it pooled on the plate) It was tasty though after we had it re plated. The Enchiladas Mexico City was fair. Skip the tiny optional salad, very few black beans and the tortilla strips were stale. The bowl of charro beans was mostly juice with a slim serving of beans, what was there was very good though. The service was great. The price was reasonable. The atmosphere was relaxing and pleasant. read more

$40 for lunch and it was not even good! My husband's El Paso enchiladas were swimming in grease. My red vegetarian enchiladas were disgusting. I substituted the Mexican salad to replace the rice and beans and that was pretty lack luster. It seems that Sylvia raises her prices as the quality slides downward. The service was very so-so. After several years , we are done with this place. Not worth it! read more

The service was great.However I genuinely feel that the food is overpriced for what it is. Although they offer a wide selection of enchiladas neither one of them is as delicious as it may sound. The food was cold, beans overdone, rice a bit to dry for my liking, and the enchiladas lacking flavor. The only thing I enjoyed was the queso as an apetizer. I've gone twice on different occasions and neither one of them has left me satisfied. I do not reccomend this place. read more

I have been wanting to eat here after all the reviews and publicity that I had read including being listed as one of the top 100 restaurants in Houston. And one of the top 20 Mexican restaurants in a recent issue of a magazine. I was super excited to try one of my favorite Mexican entrees when done right. The menu even said please allow extra time for the Chile Relleno because they make them from start to finish per being ordered. So I had to order it! They were soggy as if they were pre fried and put in the microwave or just put in the microwave to make sure they were hot on the inside. The beef one was flavorless except for the chile itself. I'm so glad I didn't order the goat cheese one for an extra couple dollars because it would have pushed my lunch entree up to almost $20. The refried beans were dry and hard on top as if stuck in a salamander to heat up instead of silky and smooth. The rice was a bit mushy and flavorless. Our meals lacked in flavor!!! The service was excellent and salsa was warm and pretty good. Sylvia was walking around thanking customers for dining at her restaurant which was a nice touch. We have had a lot better in Houston!! read more

I want to begin this review by saying that I REALLY REALLY wanted to like Sylvia's. I absolutely love enchiladas, but always avoided this place because the prices are so much higher than other similar Mexican food places. When I spotted a $12 for $25 deal I knew that it was time to give this place a try! My mom and I arrived at 1:35 on a Saturday afternoon. The parking lot was full, but when we walked in the ONLY people in the place were an elderly man in the actual restaurant and two people at the bar. We were so taken aback that we asked if they were open; we assumed that something had to be wrong since it was empty on a Saturday at lunch time. Since we basically had the place to ourselves, we requested to sit by a window since it was a beautiful day outside. Once we got settled, a woman came over to our table and told us "I'm sorry, she doesn't want you to sit here you will have to move," and grabbed our menus and walked us to a different table. So the place was completely empty but we were rudely told that "she" (who is "she"?) didn't want us sitting there ( why not? at least give us a reason). We thought it was rather rude that we were being TOLD where to sit rather than being able to choose where we'd like to be. Anyways we were moved away from the window, so much for enjoying the nice day. Upon reading the menu, I realized that it was dead quiet. There was none of the usual music, and since no one else was in the restaurant there was no background chatter, so it was really awkward sitting there in pure silence except for when my mom and I spoke. We were promptly brought chips and salsa. Another Yelper commented that the salsa tasted like Spaghettio sauce, and they were DEAD ON! This stuff was strange tasting, especially when it cooled down. I had higher hopes for my meal, but it was so much worse. I ordered chicken fajita enchiladas. They were brought out and I really thought the presentation was nice, however, when I took my first bite I nearly cried. It was just downright terrible. I don't think the chicken used was fresh at all, it tasted very strange like some super processed and frozen Tyson junk and it was insanely salty. Something else that weirded me out was that it was chopped into PERFECT little squares, it just didn't seem like something that was prepared freshly in a kitchen. The sauce on top was also extremely salty and basically just tasted like chili powder. The rice and beans were pure salt too, no actual seasonings or flavor. SYLVIA, LAY OFF THE SALT!! I tried a bite of my mom's Mexico City enchiladas and I admit they were better, but the shredded chicken in her's tasted more like tuna than it did chicken. Once again, I dunno what kind of weird chicken this place is using. I was so beyond disappointed in my meal that I didn't bother to finish it or ask for a to go box. This was by far the worse meal I have ever eaten at a restaurant and the hostess certainly could have been a bit more kind to us. I had SUCH high hopes for Sylvia's and was hoping I could add a new favorite to my fav. Mexican places around town, but after one try I never want to go again. Given the extremely lackluster food and unusually high prices, I do not think Sylvia's has a future. read more

Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen is one of the best "Tex-Mex" restaurants in Houston. The atmosphere is warm and friendly. The decor is festive, but not over bearing. Today, I went to lunch with my coworkers and we ate outside on the patio. It was breezy, the birds were chirping and the squirrels were a little close but they kept a good distance. Of course we had chips & salsa. Sylvia's salsa is served warm and it is bursting with flavor. The cilantros, onions and tomatoes are cooked to a purée. This homemade salsa will keep you coming back for more. I ordered Texas Fish Tacos and a side salad from the lunch menu. The tilapia was grilled with diced avocados, cilantros, jalapeños, onions, tomatoes and placed on a flour tortilla. Two tacos came with my order and yes I ate them both. My apologies yelpers, I forgot to take pictures. Please believe this restaurant will not disappoint you. It's also a great happy hour spot. read more

I was terribly disappointed. I've eaten Mexican food from Tucson, to Phoenix, to Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and other parts in Texas and let me say, Sylvia's was not that special. In fact, it was unfortunately, for me, overpriced. The wait for service was longer than most places. The salsa was bland and almost watery. When we finally got our dishes, they were lukewarm. I had the "South of the Border" and I was not very impressed. Where was the flavor? Where was the extra ummf that justified the high prices? Arrogantly making me wait a long time when the restaurant is more than half empty does not a good restaurant make. The place on San Felipe and Sage next to Flagship Randalls runs circles around Sylvia and her corn tortilla concoctions. read more

Mediocre at best. Tacos al carbon seemed like leftover fajitas that were chopped up and pan fried to warm the meat up, which resulted in tough, flavorless, overcooked meat. The cheese enchiladas were salty and bland, no flavor in the chili gravy. The corn tortillas in the enchiladas were good but the flour tortillas with the tacos al carbon were dry. Service was pretty fast, but I won't be back. read more

What used to be a stellar restaurant has now become a so-so diner. Too many good Mex-Tex restaurants in Houston to waste time on this one unless you just happen to be in the neighborhood. read more