Best Mexican and Tex-Mex Restaurants in Friendswood, TX: 7 Picks

The best Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants in Friendswood, TX are family-run places along West Parkwood Avenue (FM 528), with a few more on South Friendswood Drive (FM 518) and FM 2351. Our seven verified picks run from Luna's Mexican Restaurant and La Escondida Mexican Grill for sizzling fajitas, to La Catrina Taqueria & Cantina for dishes from San Luis Potosí, to Habaneros Tex-Mex Kitchen for hand-rolled tamales from 6:30 a.m.

Here's the line to send the group chat: Friendswood was founded by Quakers, and the Texas State Historical Association records that it became a dry town on April 8, 1963. Today one of its Tex-Mex kitchens advertises margaritas made with additive-free, 100% agave tequila. Times change.

How we define Friendswood

For this guide, Friendswood means restaurants that list a Friendswood address on their own official site, inside the city rather than the Baybrook Mall shopping district. The City of Friendswood straddles Galveston and Harris counties. Most of its restaurants sit on West Parkwood Avenue (FM 528) and South Friendswood Drive (FM 518), the two roads locals run errands on.

We left out Baybrook Mall. It has a Friendswood mailing address, but Wikipedia notes the mall itself sits inside Houston city limits, and its restaurants belong with our Clear Lake Mexican restaurant guide. Broadway (FM 518) in Pearland is covered by our Pearland Mexican restaurant guide.

How we chose

Every restaurant here was confirmed open on its own official website in November 2026, with a posted Friendswood address and current hours or live online ordering. We favored family-owned places with a clear reason to go: a signature dish, a regional specialty, a breakfast worth an alarm clock. We skipped national chains.

Hours change. Treat every schedule below as typical and check the restaurant's site before you go.

The quick list

• Best for regional Mexican: La Catrina Taqueria & Cantina, for enchiladas potosinas and asado de boda.
• Best sizzling fajitas: Luna's Mexican Restaurant, across from H-E-B on West Parkwood.
• Best for a dress-up family dinner: La Escondida Mexican Grill.
• Best early breakfast: Habaneros Tex-Mex Kitchen, typically open from 6:30 a.m.
• Best breakfast-to-happy-hour Tex-Mex: Moreno's Mexican Restaurant.
• Best tamales to go: Taquito & Co, inside Friendswood Grocery.
• Best easy weeknight Tex-Mex: Habanero Fresh Mex.

Which Friendswood restaurant has the most regional Mexican food?

La Catrina Taqueria & Cantina at 709 W Parkwood Ave, Suite G, has the most regional menu in Friendswood, built around specialties from San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas.

La Catrina Taqueria & Cantina

709 W Parkwood Ave, Suite G · taqueria and cantina · closed Mondays · [lacatrinataqueriatx.com](https://lacatrinataqueriatx.com/)

La Catrina says its menu is based on generations of family recipes, and it shows. You'll find enchiladas potosinas, named for San Luis Potosí, and asado de boda, a dish whose name means wedding roast and which the restaurant says is prepared in San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas. Tacos come on house-made corn tortillas, including tacos gobernador and beef-cheek barbacoa. For something playful, there's a birria pizza.

Insider tip: plan the weekend around the soups. Pozole is typically Friday and Saturday only, and menudo is Saturday and Sunday only. Happy hour typically runs Tuesday through Friday, 3 to 7 p.m.

Hours: typically Tuesday to Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Where to get classic Tex-Mex in Friendswood

For classic Tex-Mex in Friendswood, go to West Parkwood Avenue: Luna's, La Escondida, Moreno's and Habanero Fresh Mex are all on it.

Luna's Mexican Restaurant

704 W Parkwood Ave, across from H-E-B · Tex-Mex, fajitas and margaritas · open daily · [lunasmexicanrestaurant.com](https://www.lunasmexicanrestaurant.com/)

Luna's is a family business that opened its first restaurant in Baytown in 1986 and now runs four, including this one in Friendswood. The family says you'll find them in all four restaurants every day. Fajitas are the main event, from chicken and beef to shrimp, and fajita meat turns up all over the starters too, in the queso a la parrilla, the changitos and the nachos al carbon.

Order: shrimp fajitas and a house margarita. Happy hour typically runs Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., dine-in only.

Hours: typically Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

La Escondida Mexican Grill

400 W Parkwood Ave, Suite 124 · Mexican grill · closed Sundays · [laescondidagrill.com](https://www.laescondidagrill.com/)

La Escondida started in Missouri City in August 1999 and opened its Friendswood restaurant in 2016. It pitches itself as fine-dining Mexican in a welcoming room, which makes it the Friendswood pick for an anniversary, a graduation dinner or out-of-town parents. Come hungry for the fajitas and combination platters.

Insider tip: Saturday is the only day it opens for breakfast hours, typically at 8 a.m.

Hours: typically Monday to Wednesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Moreno's Mexican Restaurant

2407 W Parkwood Ave, #120 · family Tex-Mex, breakfast to dinner · open daily · [morenosmexicanrestaurant.com](https://www.morenosmexicanrestaurant.com/)

Moreno's is a family-owned Tex-Mex restaurant that says it has been a local favorite for almost 20 years, with a sister location on Broadway in Pearland. It covers breakfast, lunch, dinner and happy hour, and the menu runs from breakfast tacos to sizzling fajitas and homemade enchiladas.

Order: queso flameado, melted Monterey Jack topped with Mexican chorizo, then fajitas or enchiladas.

Hours: typically Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Habanero Fresh Mex

146 W Parkwood Ave · casual scratch Tex-Mex · open daily · [habanerofreshmx.com](https://www.habanerofreshmx.com/)

Habanero Fresh Mex is the easy weeknight answer near the FM 518 and FM 528 crossroads. It says its food is made from scratch every day by a team with more than 20 years of experience, and it keeps kids' plates, soups and salads on the menu for picky eaters. There's a sister restaurant in Alvin.

Don't mix it up: Habanero Fresh Mex on West Parkwood and Habaneros Tex-Mex Kitchen on FM 2351 are two different restaurants with different hours. Put the right one in your map app.

Hours: typically Monday to Thursday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.

Where to get Mexican breakfast in Friendswood

Habaneros Tex-Mex Kitchen opens earliest, typically at 6:30 a.m., and Taquito & Co is the morning stop for tamales.

Habaneros Tex-Mex Kitchen

5105 FM 2351 · from-scratch Tex-Mex · open daily, closes early Sunday and Monday · [7habaneros.com](https://7habaneros.com/)

Habaneros has been cooking for Friendswood since 2015. Its motto is nothing from a can, ever: the family makes the salsas and sauces and hand-rolls the tamales before the doors open each morning. The room is small, with a bar where you can watch the kitchen work. The margaritas are made with 100% agave tequila that the restaurant says is additive-free, mixed with alkaline water.

Order: handmade tamales, the poblano enchiladas or a street taco combo. Pollo Santiago and steak jalapeño are house favorites.

Hours: typically Tuesday to Saturday 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Taquito & Co

214 S Friendswood Dr, Building A, inside Friendswood Grocery · tamales, tacos and breakfast · closed Mondays · [taquitoandco.com](https://www.taquitoandco.com/)

Taquito & Co is a small family-run counter that blends Central American and classic American cooking, so it's the one Latin pick here that isn't strictly Mexican. It makes its own flour tortillas daily. Tamales are the draw, including a smoked brisket and pulled pork tamale, a sweet corn tamale and a Central American-style tamale.

Order: the tamale breakfast bowl and a side of plantain fries. Arroz con leche if you want dessert at 8 a.m.

Hours: typically Tuesday to Friday 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Save this: a Friendswood Mexican food day

This route hits five of our picks in one Saturday, with no stop more than a short drive from the next.

1. 8 a.m.: handmade tamales at Habaneros Tex-Mex Kitchen on FM 2351, or a tamale breakfast bowl at Taquito & Co on South Friendswood Drive.
2. Late morning: walk it off at a city park. Our things to do in Friendswood guide has options.
3. Lunch: tacos gobernador and barbacoa at La Catrina on West Parkwood. Get there by Saturday for the pozole.
4. Afternoon: queso flameado and a margarita at Moreno's.
5. Dinner: shrimp fajitas at Luna's, or a dress-up dinner at La Escondida.

Before you go: check hours on each official site, since three of our picks close on Mondays or Sundays.

More Friendswood and south-side food

For the rest of the town's dining scene, see our best restaurants in Friendswood, or our Friendswood area guide. Next door, try our best tacos in Pearland and the best Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants in League City. Our citywide best Tex-Mex in Houston and best Mexican restaurants in Houston guides cover the big names. Thinking about moving here? Start with living in Friendswood, TX.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Mexican restaurant in Friendswood, TX?

For regional Mexican food, La Catrina Taqueria & Cantina at 709 W Parkwood Ave serves San Luis Potosí specialties such as enchiladas potosinas on house-made corn tortillas. For classic Tex-Mex fajitas, Luna's Mexican Restaurant at 704 W Parkwood Ave is a family business that dates to 1986.

Which Friendswood Mexican restaurants serve breakfast?

Habaneros Tex-Mex Kitchen on FM 2351 typically opens at 6:30 a.m. daily. Taquito & Co opens at 7 a.m. Tuesday to Friday, Moreno's opens at 9 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends, and La Catrina and La Escondida open early on Saturdays.

Where can I get menudo or pozole in Friendswood?

La Catrina Taqueria & Cantina on West Parkwood Avenue typically serves pozole on Friday and Saturday and menudo on Saturday and Sunday. Check its official site before you go, since specials can change.

Are Habaneros and Habanero Fresh Mex the same restaurant?

No. Habaneros Tex-Mex Kitchen is at 5105 FM 2351 and opens at 6:30 a.m., while Habanero Fresh Mex is at 146 W Parkwood Ave and opens at 11 a.m. They are separate restaurants.

Which Friendswood Mexican restaurant is good for a family celebration?

La Escondida Mexican Grill at 400 W Parkwood Ave in Friendswood describes itself as fine-dining Mexican, which makes it a natural pick for anniversaries and graduation dinners. Call ahead for a large party.

Is Baybrook Mall in Friendswood?

Baybrook Mall has a Friendswood mailing address, but it sits inside Houston city limits, so its restaurants are not included in this Friendswood guide. They are covered in our Clear Lake guides.