Best Mexican and Tex-Mex Restaurants in La Porte, TX: 8 Picks

The best Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants in La Porte, Texas, are El Ranchero and El Toro on West Main Street, Gringo's Mexican Kitchen and Bullritos on Underwood Road, Tortilla's Mexican Restaurant on Spencer Highway, Pepe's Mexican Restaurant on Fairmont Parkway, Taquerias Arandas on Highway 146, and the Taqueria Mi Esperanza taco truck on West Main. All eight are inside La Porte city limits, and every one was checked against its own website or official page.

Here's the part most people don't know. La Porte Tex-Mex is largely one family's story. El Toro says its founder, Eugene Ybarra, opened his first restaurant in La Porte in the 1960s, and that his sons went on to run other Houston-area chains, Gringo's among them. Gringo's says its second-ever location opened in La Porte in 1996, in the town where founder Russell Ybarra and his family grew up. And Bullritos, the quick-casual chain Russell Ybarra founded, opened its very first location in La Porte in 2008. One family name runs through three of the eight picks, all in one small bayside city.

The quick list

• The family original: El Toro Mexican Restaurant, West Main Street.
• Breakfast before sunrise: El Ranchero, which says it opens at 4 a.m. and serves breakfast all day.
• The early-shift taqueria: Taquerias Arandas on Highway 146, typically open from 5:30 a.m.
• Happy hour margaritas: Tortilla's Mexican Restaurant on Spencer Highway.
• A big family dinner (with free ice cream): Gringo's Mexican Kitchen on Underwood Road.
• A fast burrito or bowl: Bullritos, at the chain's first-ever location.
• Old-school combination plates: Pepe's Mexican Restaurant on West Fairmont Parkway.
• A taco truck: Taqueria Mi Esperanza on West Main Street.

How we chose

We started with the restaurants listed under Mexican and food trucks in the City of La Porte's Visit La Porte dining guide, then added any we found elsewhere. Each pick had to be confirmed operating on its own website, its own ordering site or its official Facebook page in October 2026.

How we define La Porte: inside the City of La Porte's limits, not just the 77571 ZIP code. Spencer Highway and Fairmont Parkway run straight from Pasadena into La Porte, so a La Porte mailing address isn't proof. We checked each street address against the US Census Bureau's geocoder, which places all of them inside La Porte city. That leaves out Pasadena, Deer Park, Shoreacres, Morgan's Point and Seabrook. We also left out national fast-food chains.

Hours change, so treat every time below as "typically" and check the restaurant's own site before you go.

Historic Main Street

El Toro Mexican Restaurant

616 W. Main St., La Porte · Tex-Mex · family-owned

El Toro is where the La Porte story starts. In a 2024 account written for a restaurant trade publication, El Toro's leadership says founder Eugene Ybarra opened his first restaurant with his uncle in 1960, bought a closed barbecue place for $1,200, called it La Siesta, renamed it La Porte, and later renamed it again El Toro after buying a restaurant of that name in Clute in 1961. The family now runs six El Toro locations and calls the West Main Street restaurant "our original La Porte location." The family's El Matador business makes El Toro's tortillas and chips.

What to order: a classic Tex-Mex enchilada plate, with a basket of those family-made chips first.

Best for: anyone who wants the Tex-Mex restaurant La Porte grew up on.

El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant

308 W. Main St., La Porte · Mexican breakfast and plates · opens at 4 a.m.

El Ranchero says it has been family-owned and operated for more than 40 years, and it opens at 4 a.m. That makes it the place La Porte's early shifts eat. Breakfast runs all day, from breakfast tacos to menudo.

What to order: the Tommy Tacos, which the restaurant calls a local favorite, or Paula's Special, machacado con huevo (dried shredded beef scrambled with eggs). For lunch, El Ranchero points to its fajitas, tripitas and the Tampiqueña plate. Save room for a homemade dessert.

Insider tip: it's the rare Mexican kitchen where a 4:30 a.m. breakfast taco is a normal order. Carryout orders go through El Ranchero's own ordering site.

Taqueria Mi Esperanza

820 W. Main St., La Porte · taco truck

The City of La Porte's visitor guide lists Taqueria Mi Esperanza as a taco food truck on West Main Street, a few blocks west of El Toro. It's the quickest, most casual stop on this list.

What to order: tacos, straight from the truck's posted menu.

Good to know: trucks keep shorter, changeable hours than restaurants. Check the truck's Facebook page before you drive over.

Highway 146 and Fairmont Parkway

Taquerias Arandas

112 TX-146, Suite G, La Porte · taqueria · opens 5:30 a.m.

Taquerias Arandas is a Houston family chain that says it has been family-run since 1981, and its La Porte location typically opens at 5:30 a.m. every day and stays open until 9 or 10 p.m. The chain highlights its handmade flour tortillas and housemade horchata.

What to order: tacos al carbón, a chile relleno with a crispy taco, or the Plato Combinado. Get a horchata.

Insider tip: the City of La Porte's dining guide lists La Monarca, a shop for home-made ice cream, paletas and mangonadas, at the same 112 Highway 146 South address. That's dessert sorted.

Pepe's Mexican Restaurant

204 W. Fairmont Pkwy., La Porte · Tex-Mex and Mexican comfort food · closed Sundays

Pepe's calls itself a family-owned bistro, and the City of La Porte's visitor guide says it has served Mexican food for more than 45 years. It typically opens at 8 a.m., Monday through Saturday, and closes at 8 p.m. It's closed on Sundays.

What to order: the Danny Tacos, three tacos topped with grilled onions, grilled jalapeños and chile con queso. Or go old school with a combination plate of cheese enchilada, tamale and beef taco. Pepe's also serves menudo and quesabirria tacos.

Best for: a weekday breakfast or an old-school Tex-Mex lunch.

Underwood Road

Gringo's Mexican Kitchen (La Porte)

2631 Underwood Rd., La Porte · Tex-Mex · open daily

Gringo's founder Russell Ybarra opened the first Gringo's in Pearland on January 11, 1993. The second came to La Porte on July 2, 1996, "where Russell and his family grew up," according to the chain's timeline. The La Porte location typically opens at 10:45 a.m. daily and closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. You can join the wait list online.

What to order: fajitas or an enchilada plate. Then don't skip dessert: Gringo's says it gives free soft-serve ice cream to every guest.

Best for: a big group, a birthday or a family with kids.

Bullritos

2617 Underwood Rd., La Porte · quick-casual Tex-Mex

Bullritos says it opened its first location in La Porte in 2008, and this is it. The concept is a fast, build-your-own Tex-Mex counter.

What to order: a custom Bullrito with the restaurant's Cilantro Ranch sauce, plus a cup of the house chile con queso, which Bullritos says is made daily. The guacamole is made from scratch, too.

Best for: a fast lunch.

Spencer Highway

Tortilla's Mexican Restaurant

9602 Spencer Hwy., La Porte · Tex-Mex · since 1990

Tortilla's sums itself up as "Tex-mex food. Tex-mex fun. Tex-mex hospitality," and it has been serving the west side of La Porte since 1990. It typically opens at 11 a.m. daily, with the latest close on Fridays. Happy hour typically runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., which is unusually long, with house margaritas and draft beer on special.

What to order: the queso flameado with homemade flour tortillas, the bacon-wrapped shrimp brochette on a sizzling onion platter, or the brisket caldo. The Tampico Burrito comes with the kitchen's own house sauce.

Best for: margaritas and a long, slow dinner.

Save this: a La Porte Tex-Mex day

This route keeps you in La Porte from breakfast to dinner. Check each restaurant's hours the morning you go.

1. Breakfast: breakfast tacos at El Ranchero on West Main Street, or the tacos at Taquerias Arandas on Highway 146.
2. Morning: drive to the San Jacinto Monument, where Texas won its independence.
3. Lunch: the Danny Tacos at Pepe's (not on Sunday), or a fast Bullrito at Bullritos, the chain's first location.
4. Afternoon: an ice cream or mangonada at La Monarca, next to Taquerias Arandas.
5. Dinner: happy hour margaritas and queso flameado at Tortilla's, or fajitas and free soft serve at Gringo's.

Before you go: a quick checklist

• Check the hours on the restaurant's own site. Pepe's closes on Sundays, and food trucks keep shorter hours.
• Early riser? El Ranchero says it opens at 4 a.m., and Taquerias Arandas typically opens at 5:30 a.m.
• Going on Highway 146? Taquerias Arandas and La Monarca are at the same address.
• Bringing a group? Join the Gringo's wait list online before you leave home.
• Want margaritas? Tortilla's happy hour typically runs until 7 p.m.

More Mexican food around the bay

Heading west? See our best Mexican restaurants in Pasadena. Across the ship channel, try our Baytown Mexican restaurant guide, and to the south, the best Mexican restaurants in Clear Lake. For the bigger picture, read our guides to the best Tex-Mex in Houston, old-school Tex-Mex institutions and the best fajitas in Houston.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Which Mexican restaurant in La Porte, TX, has the longest history?

El Toro Mexican Restaurant on West Main Street traces its roots to 1960, when founder Eugene Ybarra opened his first restaurant in La Porte, the earliest start of any restaurant in this guide. The family still calls the West Main Street restaurant its original La Porte location.

Which Mexican restaurants in La Porte open early for breakfast?

El Ranchero on West Main Street says it opens at 4 a.m. and serves breakfast all day. Taquerias Arandas on Highway 146 typically opens at 5:30 a.m., and Pepe's on West Fairmont Parkway typically opens at 8 a.m., Monday through Saturday.

Where can I get margaritas in La Porte?

Tortilla's Mexican Restaurant on Spencer Highway has a happy hour that typically runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with house margaritas on special. Gringo's Mexican Kitchen on Underwood Road also has a cantina menu.

Was the first Bullritos in La Porte?

Yes. Bullritos says it opened its first location in La Porte, Texas, in 2008. That location is at 2617 Underwood Road.

Does Gringo's in La Porte really give free ice cream?

Yes. Gringo's Mexican Kitchen says it gives free soft-serve ice cream to every guest. The La Porte location, on Underwood Road, opened in 1996 and was the chain's second.

Which Mexican restaurants in La Porte are open on Sunday?

Gringo's, Tortilla's and Taquerias Arandas typically open on Sundays. Pepe's Mexican Restaurant is closed on Sundays. Check each restaurant's site for current hours.