Mexican and Tex-Mex in Houston’s Chinatown: The Bellaire Blvd Guide

Houston’s Chinatown on Bellaire Boulevard is best known for its Chinese, Vietnamese, and pan-Asian restaurants — but the same strip malls and side streets hold one of the city’s most underrated concentrations of Mexican cooking. You’ll find Huastecan bocoles made with pre-Columbian techniques, Tampico-style seafood tacos named for a blue crab, and a Michelin Guide–listed Tex-Mex spot all within a two-mile stretch. The most surprising Mexican cooking in Houston is hiding in Chinatown.

Our boundary for this guide: The Bellaire Boulevard corridor from South Gessner Road west to the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8), plus adjacent streets including S. Fondren Road and Beechnut Street. This spans Houston zip codes 77036 and 77081 and the Bellaire city enclave (77401) along this stretch.

The quick list

• Best Tex-Mex sit-down: La Tapatia, open until midnight most nights and 1 a.m. on weekends
• Best Tampico-style seafood tacos: Tacos El Jaibo, named for the blue crab of Tamaulipas
• Best interior Mexican: Fonda Santa Rosa, Pueblan and Mexico City–style cooking on Beechnut
• Most unusual regional cooking: Taqueria El Campesino, which serves Huastecan bocoles and zacahuil
• Best mariscos and micheladas: La Cruderia, ceviche bar with an $8 lunch menu
• Best Tex-Mex with a credential: Candente, listed in the Michelin Guide’s Houston edition
• Longest-running spot on the strip: Taqueria Mexico, family-owned since 1982
• Best late-night taqueria: Taqueria El Herradero, open until 2 a.m. on weekends

How we chose

We included only restaurants within the boundary defined above, confirmed currently open via official website, official social page, or recent third-party sources as of October 2026. We covered all three traditions you’ll find on the corridor: Tex-Mex sit-downs, taqueria-style interior Mexican, and the regional cooking that Houston’s immigrant density makes possible. Hours change — check the official site before you go.

Tex-Mex

La Tapatia

5710 Bellaire Blvd · Houston, TX 77081 · full bar · open daily

La Tapatia has several Houston locations, and the Bellaire spot handles late-night Tex-Mex better than anything else on the corridor: the kitchen runs until midnight Sunday through Thursday and until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Weekend brunch starts at 9 a.m. The menu covers fajitas, enchiladas, and combination plates, with a full bar for margaritas. Call 713-995-9191 for current hours.

What to order: mixed fajitas; house margarita.

Best for: late dinners, groups who need a full bar, and Sunday mornings.

Candente

5101 Bellaire Blvd · Bellaire, TX 77401 · Michelin Guide–listed Tex-Mex · open daily 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

Candente’s Bellaire Town Center location sits at the eastern entrance to the Bellaire boulevard strip. The Michelin Guide’s Houston edition lists Candente; this is the second location of the Montrose original, run by Sambrooks Hospitality. The kitchen serves queso topped with brisket, wood-grilled fajitas, birria tacos, and chile gravy enchiladas. Weekend brunch runs from 10 a.m. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday, 3–6 p.m. Contact: (713) 590-7333 or candentehtx.com.

What to order: queso with brisket; wood-grilled fajitas; chile gravy enchiladas.

Best for: the Tex-Mex standard-bearer on this end of Bellaire.

Taquerias and interior Mexican

Tacos El Jaibo

5821 Bellaire Blvd · Houston, TX 77081 · open daily

The name comes from the jaibo — the blue crab native to Tampico, a port city in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The food is coastal and bold: seafood broths, birria tacos, and the Torta La Barda, a sandwich stacked with chorizo, ham, chicharón, shredded beef, and avocado. A full breakfast menu runs all morning. The official site (tacoseljaibotx.com) also lists a Gessner location with the same menu.

What to order: Torta La Barda; birria tacos; shrimp broth.

Best for: anyone who hasn’t eaten Tamaulipan coastal cooking.

Taqueria El Campesino

7710 Bellaire Blvd · Houston, TX 77036 · open daily

This is the most unusual stop on the list. Taqueria El Campesino serves Huastecan cuisine — the cooking tradition from the La Huasteca region spanning parts of northeastern and central Mexico (Veracruz, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Hidalgo). Look for bocoles, baked masa pockets stuffed with chicken and cheese; and the zacahuil, an enormous banana-leaf tamale that can weigh several pounds and is typically made on weekends. The menu also covers Huastecan moles and the Enchiladas Huasteca. Spots serving this regional style are rare even in major Mexican cities; finding them on Bellaire Blvd is one of Houston’s best food surprises. Call ahead on weekday mornings to ask about weekend zacahuil availability.

What to order: bocoles; Enchiladas Huasteca; zacahuil (weekends, call ahead).

Best for: food-curious diners and anyone who’s already eaten through the rest of the strip.

Taqueria Mexico

6219 Bellaire Blvd · Houston, TX 77081 · open daily

Taqueria Mexico is one of the longest-running restaurants on the Bellaire corridor — Asian or otherwise — and has been family-owned for decades. The kitchen draws on the flavors of Aguascalientes in central-western Mexico: clean, non-coastal cooking with well-seasoned meats, house-made charro beans, and a Filete Veracruzana that regulars recommend to newcomers. The barbacoa tacos and huevos rancheros hold up against any version in the city.

What to order: barbacoa tacos; charro beans; Filete Veracruzana.

Best for: a no-frills weekday lunch at one of the strip’s oldest spots.

Taqueria El Herradero

5862 S Gessner Dr · Houston, TX 77036 · open late

El Herradero is the late-night option in this corridor. Hours typically run until midnight Sunday through Thursday and until 2 a.m. on weekends. The menu covers carne asada, barbacoa, ceviche mixto, and breakfast tacos from early morning. Weekend menudo is a draw for the neighborhood crowd. Check hours before going — they vary.

What to order: carne asada tacos; weekend menudo; Ceviche Mixto.

Best for: a late-night taco stop after a Chinatown dinner.

Regional Mexican and mariscos

Fonda Santa Rosa

9908 Beechnut St, Ste H · Houston, TX 77036 · breakfast and lunch daily · dinner Friday–Saturday

Fonda Santa Rosa has operated out of a Beechnut strip mall one block south of Bellaire for years, and it remains the most complete interior Mexican kitchen in this part of town. The cooking draws on Puebla and Mexico City traditions: cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pork marinated in achiote and orange), squash blossom and corn truffle quesadillas, mole dishes, and a molcajete mixto. Hours are limited: typically 8 a.m.–2:30 p.m. weekdays, dinner service 5:30–9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and brunch through 3 p.m. on weekends. The dining room fills early on weekend mornings, so arrive before 9 a.m. if you want a table. Call (713) 777-7474 or visit fondasantarosa.com for current hours.

What to order: cochinita pibil; squash blossom quesadilla; mole; house Café de Olla.

Best for: interior Mexican cooking without leaving the Chinatown corridor. Pairs well with a walk through the Chinatown and Asiatown guide.

La Cruderia

8394 Bellaire Blvd · Houston, TX 77036 · open daily

La Cruderia is a ceviche bar and michelada house, with a second location in Spring Branch. The Bellaire location runs an $8 lunch menu of fresh seafood and classic street food, plus a $5 happy hour menu. The kitchen leans mariscos: ceviches, seafood cocktails, and the freshly made micheladas the name references (a cruderia is, informally, a hangover-cure spot). Full tequila and mezcal list. Call 832-623-7298 for current hours; they are not posted on the official site.

What to order: ceviche; house michelada; $8 lunch special.

Best for: a cheap weekday lunch or afternoon snacking along the strip.

Save this: the Bellaire Blvd Mexican food crawl

Never drive between stops after drinking. Use rideshare or pick a driver.

1. Lunch stop: La Cruderia (8394 Bellaire) — ceviche and a michelada for $8.
2. Afternoon: Taqueria El Campesino (7710 Bellaire) — bocoles and Enchiladas Huasteca.
3. Dinner: Tacos El Jaibo (5821 Bellaire) — Torta La Barda and birria tacos.
4. Late night: La Tapatia (5710 Bellaire) — open until 1 a.m. on weekends.

Shorter version: Fonda Santa Rosa (9908 Beechnut) for a weekend brunch, then Taqueria Mexico (6219 Bellaire) for a mid-afternoon plate of barbacoa and charro beans.

More Mexican cooking in Houston

For Mexican cooking across the full city, see our best Mexican restaurants in Houston guide and the best Tex-Mex in Houston. For regional cooking that goes even deeper — Oaxacan and Yucatecan in particular — see our guides to Hugo’s and Xochi. The full Bellaire Blvd corridor for Asian food is in our Houston Chinatown and Asiatown guide; the beyond BBQ food crawl guide connects this strip to others.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Are there Mexican restaurants in Houston’s Chinatown?

Yes. The Bellaire Boulevard corridor in Houston’s Chinatown has at least eight Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants, including Tacos El Jaibo (Tampico-style seafood), Fonda Santa Rosa (Pueblan and Mexico City cooking), La Cruderia (mariscos and micheladas), and Taqueria El Campesino (Huastecan cuisine). They share the strip with the area’s well-known Asian restaurants.

Where exactly is Houston’s Chinatown?

Houston’s Chinatown — also called Asiatown — runs along Bellaire Boulevard from South Gessner Road west to the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8), roughly between zip codes 77036 and 77081. It extends onto side streets including Beechnut Street and South Fondren Road.

What is Huastecan food and where can I find it in Houston?

Huastecan cuisine comes from La Huasteca, a region spanning parts of Veracruz, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Hidalgo in northeastern Mexico. Key dishes include bocoles (baked masa pockets filled with chicken or cheese) and zacahuil (an enormous banana-leaf tamale). In Houston, Taqueria El Campesino at 7710 Bellaire Blvd serves this regional style.

What is the best cheap lunch on Bellaire Blvd for Mexican food?

La Cruderia at 8394 Bellaire Blvd runs an $8 lunch menu of fresh ceviche and street food. Taqueria Mexico at 6219 Bellaire Blvd has been family-owned since 1982 and serves barbacoa tacos and charro beans at taqueria prices.

Is Fonda Santa Rosa still open in Houston?

As of October 2026, Fonda Santa Rosa at 9908 Beechnut St (77036) is open. Typical hours are 8 a.m.–2:30 p.m. weekdays, dinner 5:30–9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and brunch through 3 p.m. on weekends. Call (713) 777-7474 to confirm before you go.

Which Mexican restaurant on Bellaire Blvd is in the Michelin Guide?

Candente at 5101 Bellaire Blvd in Bellaire (77401) is listed in the Michelin Guide’s Houston edition. It serves Tex-Mex including queso with brisket, wood-grilled fajitas, and birria tacos. It is open daily from 11 a.m.