Best Mexican and Tex-Mex Restaurants in Midtown Houston

Midtown Houston has eight Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants worth going out of your way for — from a wrestler-founded cantina that has fed the neighborhood for more than 50 years to a birria specialist open until 4 a.m. seven days a week.

This guide covers Midtown as the 1.24-square-mile neighborhood between Allen Parkway to the north, the Museum District to the south, Main Street to the east, and Montrose Boulevard to the west. Every restaurant on this list was confirmed open on its official website as of October 2026.

The quick list

• The classic combination plate: Cyclone Anaya's on Gray Street, founded by a man who became Champion of Mexico at 17 — as a wrestler.
• The fajita dynasty: El Tiempo Cantina on Westheimer, carrying the Laurenzo family recipe that helped establish Houston's fajita tradition.
• Mexico City street tacos: La Calle Tacos & Cantina at Bagby Park — no freezer, no microwave, no can opener.
• All-day breakfast tacos: Tacos A Go Go, the first location the chain ever opened, right on Main Street next to the Continental Club in 2006.
• Late-night birria: Dripped Birria on Bagby, open until 4 a.m. with 100% halal slow-cooked beef.
• Interior Mexican with hand-pressed tortillas: Mezcal Houston on Travis Street.
• Salvadoran-Mexican fusion: Gloria's Latin Cuisine on Louisiana, with live Salsa Night on Saturdays.
• Tropical coastal Mexican: TAGO on Dennis Street, a Tulum-inspired venue open Wednesday through Sunday.

How we chose

Each restaurant on this list is within Midtown's boundaries and was confirmed open on its official website or a current official listing as of October 2026. We left out closed restaurants — Stoked Tacos & Tequila and Fuzzy's Taco Shop both shuttered — and chains with no confirmed Midtown address. We aimed for variety: classic Tex-Mex combination plates, Mexico City-style street tacos, interior Mexican, and late-night birria are each a different genre, and all four are represented here.

Hours change. Treat every schedule below as approximate and verify on each restaurant's own site before you go.

The classic Tex-Mex anchors

Cyclone Anaya's

309 Gray St, Midtown · open daily

The founding story is genuinely surprising: Cyclone Anaya became Champion of Mexico as a professional wrestler before he retired and opened this restaurant with his wife Carolina. Carolina's original recipes are still the foundation — combination plates, enchiladas, sizzling fajitas, and margaritas that have made this one of the most recognized Tex-Mex names in the city.

The Gray Street Midtown location is the neighborhood anchor for this part of town. Hours typically run from 10 a.m. through 10 or 11 p.m. most days. Current schedule at cycloneanaya.com.

Order: The combination plate, sizzling fajitas, or a pitcher margarita to share.

El Tiempo Cantina

322 Westheimer Rd, Midtown/Fourth Ward edge · open daily

The Laurenzo family is behind Houston's fajita tradition. The family's original Navigation restaurant is credited with helping popularize the fajita in Houston, and El Tiempo Cantina carries those same recipes at its Westheimer Road location — the one closest to Midtown.

The chicken fajitas are marinated in a pechuga gravy, then mesquite grilled. The beef steak fajitas are basted with garlic butter. Both come in quarter-pound, half-pound, and full-pound orders. The green tomatillo enchiladas are the other item worth ordering. Hours are typically Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m., Sunday until 9 p.m. Check eltiempocantina.com before visiting.

Order: Chicken fajitas in pechuga marinade, or the green tomatillo enchiladas.

Street tacos and taquerias

La Calle Tacos & Cantina

401 W Gray St at Bagby Park, Midtown · open until 3 a.m. Fri–Sat

La Calle Tacos runs a no-freezer, no-microwave, no-can-opener kitchen — a standard they post on their own site. The result is Mexico City-style street food made fresh, every order. Street tacos are the foundation, but the quesabirria is the chef's pick and the dish most regulars order on every return visit. Pozole and tortas are on the menu for a more substantial meal.

The Bagby Park location is typically open until midnight Sunday through Wednesday and until 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, making it the best post-bar Mexican food option in Midtown. Full menu and hours at lacalletacos.com. For the best tacos in Houston across all neighborhoods, that guide has the full breakdown.

Order: Quesabirria, street tacos, or pozole.

Tacos A Go Go

3704 Main St, Midtown · open daily from 7 a.m.

This is where the chain started. Tacos A Go Go opened its first location on Main Street in 2006, next to the Continental Club, and it's still operating. Head Chef Maribel Gomez grew up in Hidalgo, Mexico, learning to cook with her father from the age of six — her recipes define what's on the menu.

Breakfast tacos run all day. The Migas Taco — scrambled eggs, crispy tortilla strips, pico de gallo, queso — is the most-ordered item. Later in the day, the Lamb Barbacoa Taco and Texas Brisket Taco are the moves. The restaurant is about a block from the MetroRail Red Line's Main Street Square stop, one of the few Midtown spots reachable without a car or rideshare. Hours are typically Monday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday until 10 p.m. Check tacosagogo.com for current times.

Order: Migas Taco at breakfast, Lamb Barbacoa Taco later in the day.

Late-night birria

Dripped Birria

2503 Bagby St, Midtown · open 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily

No other restaurant in Midtown stays open this late, every day. The beef is 100% halal and slow-cooked for hours in a custom marinade of dried chiles and fresh herbs. The Quesabirria Tacos — crispy cheese-dipped shells with consommé on the side for dipping — are what most people order on a first visit and keep ordering.

The Birria Ramen is the most unusual item on the menu and one of the most popular. The Dripped Nachos are the best choice for a group. For late-night food in Houston across all neighborhoods, that guide covers the city. For Midtown after midnight, Dripped Birria is the answer. Menu and hours at drippedbirria.com.

Order: Quesabirria Tacos, Birria Ramen, or Dripped Nachos.

Interior Mexican

Mezcal Houston

2600 Travis St Suite 104, Midtown · open daily

Mezcal Houston leads with traditional family recipes and tortillas pressed by hand. The menu centers on slow-cooked birria, mole, and enchiladas — the interior Mexican dishes you don't usually find on Tex-Mex menus in this neighborhood. The mezcal program is substantial enough to justify the name.

Hours are typically Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Check mezcalhou.com before visiting.

Order: Slow-cooked birria, mole, or enchiladas with a mezcal cocktail.

Gloria's Latin Cuisine

2616 Louisiana St, Midtown · open daily

Gloria's was founded by Chef Gloria Fuentes, whose cooking blends her Salvadoran roots with Mexican and Tex-Mex traditions. At the Midtown Louisiana Street location, the menu covers enchiladas, tacos, fajitas, and Salvadoran plates. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday 2 to 6:30 p.m.

On Saturday nights, Gloria's Midtown hosts Salsa Night with live Latin music and DJs starting at 11 p.m. — a full evening option if you're already in the neighborhood. Hours are typically Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday until 11 p.m. Check gloriascuisine.com for the current schedule.

Order: Fajitas, enchiladas, or the pupusas.

Coastal and atmosphere-forward

TAGO

1120 Dennis St, Midtown · Wednesday through Sunday

TAGO is the most atmosphere-forward pick on this list: a Tulum-inspired indoor-outdoor venue with an open-air lounge called El Patio, live DJs and performers, and a menu of tropical coastal Mexican food. The focus is on a full evening rather than a quick meal.

Hours are Wednesday and Thursday 7 to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday noon to midnight. Closed Monday and Tuesday. The signature item is a 112-ounce shareable tropical spritz, which gives a clear picture of the vibe. See tagohtx.com for the current event calendar.

Best for: dinner that turns into a late night, best on Friday or Saturday.

Save this: two Midtown Mexican routes

Never drive between stops after drinking. MetroRail's Red Line stops at Main Street Square and Museum District, both useful for this area.

Daytime route (lunch into afternoon):

1. Tacos A Go Go on Main Street for breakfast tacos from 7 a.m.
2. Cyclone Anaya's on Gray Street for a combination plate at lunch.
3. La Calle Tacos at Bagby Park for street tacos or quesabirria in the afternoon.

Dinner and late-night route:

1. Fajitas at El Tiempo Cantina on Westheimer for dinner.
2. Mole and a mezcal cocktail at Mezcal Houston on Travis Street.
3. Dripped Birria on Bagby to close — open until 4 a.m.

More eating and drinking in Midtown

For the full restaurant picture in the neighborhood, see our best restaurants in Midtown Houston guide. For the bar scene, the best bars in Midtown Houston guide covers where to drink. For a date night in Midtown, that guide focuses on dinner-and-drinks combinations.

For Mexican food across the whole city, the best Mexican restaurants in Houston and best Tex-Mex in Houston guides go well beyond Midtown. For weekend mornings, our best brunch in Midtown Houston covers the neighborhood.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Mexican restaurant in Midtown Houston?

The answer depends on what you want. For classic Tex-Mex combination plates, Cyclone Anaya's at 309 Gray St has been a Midtown anchor for more than 50 years. For Mexico City-style street tacos, La Calle Tacos & Cantina at 401 W Gray St (Bagby Park) runs a no-freezer kitchen and is open until 3 a.m. on weekends. For interior Mexican with hand-pressed tortillas and mole, Mezcal Houston at 2600 Travis St is the pick.

What Mexican restaurants in Midtown Houston are open late?

Dripped Birria at 2503 Bagby St stays open until 4 a.m. every day of the week and is the latest kitchen in Midtown. La Calle Tacos & Cantina at 401 W Gray St is typically open until 3 a.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays. Mezcal Houston at 2600 Travis St is typically open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Is there a Mexican restaurant in Midtown Houston near the MetroRail?

Yes. Tacos A Go Go at 3704 Main Street is about one block from the MetroRail Red Line's Main Street Square stop. It opened in 2006 as the chain's original location and serves all-day breakfast tacos from 7 a.m.

What are the boundaries of Midtown Houston used in this guide?

This guide uses Midtown as the 1.24-square-mile neighborhood defined by the Midtown Management District: Allen Parkway to the north, the Museum District to the south, Main Street to the east, and Montrose Boulevard to the west.

What Tex-Mex restaurants are in Midtown Houston?

Cyclone Anaya's (309 Gray St) and El Tiempo Cantina (322 Westheimer Rd) are the classic Tex-Mex options in Midtown. Cyclone Anaya's was founded by a professional wrestler who became Champion of Mexico; El Tiempo Cantina carries the Laurenzo family's pechuga-marinated fajita recipe. Tacos A Go Go (3704 Main St) offers Tex-Mex-style tacos all day.

Does Midtown Houston have birria?

Yes. Dripped Birria at 2503 Bagby St specializes in 100% halal slow-cooked beef birria and is open 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily. The Quesabirria Tacos and Birria Ramen are the most-ordered items. Mezcal Houston at 2600 Travis St also serves slow-cooked birria as part of its interior Mexican menu.