Mexican and Tex-Mex food in Bellaire

Inside the city

The places we list inside the city sit on a few streets. One is on Bissonnet Street, two are on Cedar Street, one is on Bellaire Boulevard and one is on the West Loop, so a single afternoon of errands can reach most of them.

Momma's Tamales, at 5214 Cedar St., is the most specific place on the list. Its website says it makes handmade tamales from a secret family recipe, sells at farmers markets around Houston, takes preorders and keeps a storefront. The listing shows the shop open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays.

Casa Dominguez, at 5213 Cedar St., is a Mexican restaurant, and its own site lists 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.

COCO Deli-Mex, at 5909 W Loop S #170, posts hours that look like an office-park lunch counter: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed on weekends. If you work near the West Loop, that is the clue.

A mile or two out

The next few restaurants sit just outside the city and carry Houston addresses. They are close enough to treat as neighbors.

Tacos Pa Gordos, at 6208 S Rice Ave., lists hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed on Sunday. It is listed as a Mexican restaurant, and we have no menu for it.

Two of the Mexican kitchens inside Bellaire close before dinner, so check the hour before you set out.

Molina's Cantina, at 3801 Bellaire Blvd., is the old-school Tex-Mex answer. Its website lists sizzling fajitas, chili con carne, tacos it calls Insane Tacos, handmade tamales, enchiladas, butterfly shrimp, quesadillas and tostadas. It says it is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and its site lists three locations around Houston, Bellaire Boulevard among them.

Tacos El Jaibo, at 5821 Bellaire Blvd., says its food comes from Tampico. Its menu sections include tacos, parrilladas, micheladas, burritos, sopes, seafood, soups, caldos and desserts, with breakfast and daily specials. Its listing shows it open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the week, which makes it the one place on this page where breakfast and a late dinner both work.

Torchy's Tacos, at 5535 Weslayan St., is the taco-shop entry on this page, and its website leans on the Trailer Park taco, green chile queso and a breakfast burrito, along with Torched Bowls, salads and a kids menu. The listing shows 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. most days and later hours on Friday and Saturday.

Escalante's Fine Tex-Mex, at 590 Beechnut St., is listed as a Tex-Mex restaurant, and its listing shows it open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday and later through the week, with weekend hours from 10 a.m. We could not read its website, so we describe the category and nothing more.

Reading the menu

A few words come up on these menus. A tamale is corn dough, usually filled, steamed in a wrapper. A parrillada is a mixed grill, usually for sharing. A michelada is a beer served with lime and spice. Caldos are broths, sopes are thick corn cakes with toppings, and queso is melted cheese, which in Texas is a first course. Tex-Mex restaurants put fajitas, enchiladas and combination plates on one page, while taquerias tend to put the tacos first and let the rest follow.

Which kind of meal

The difference between a taqueria and a Tex-Mex dining room is mostly the clock and the table. Tacos El Jaibo and Tacos Pa Gordos suit a quick meal, and Molina's Cantina and Escalante's suit a long one with chips on the table. Momma's Tamales suits a bag to take home. If you are feeding a group with different tastes, Molina's Cantina lists fajitas, enchiladas, tostadas and quesadillas on one menu, and Torchy's Tacos lists bowls, salads and a kids menu, which answers most objections before they are made. A few of the places above are described only by category, because we will not guess at a dish we cannot cite.

Bellaire's own list is short, and the hours matter more than usual. Two of the Mexican kitchens inside Bellaire close before dinner, so check the hour before you set out. The wider ring, which reaches down Beechnut Street and out along Bellaire Boulevard, has dozens more, and the listings in the city's places file carry hours for most of them.

Before you go

- Momma's Tamales is closed on Mondays, and its storefront hours end at 6 p.m. on the other days. - COCO Deli-Mex posts weekday hours only, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and is closed on Saturday and Sunday. - Tacos Pa Gordos is closed on Sundays, so plan a Molina's Cantina or Tacos El Jaibo Sunday instead. - Several addresses on Bellaire Boulevard are Houston addresses and not Bellaire ones, which matters if you are asking for directions or delivery.

Sources

- Momma's Tamales: https://eattamales.com - Molina's Cantina: https://molinascantina.com - Tacos El Jaibo: https://tacoseljaibotx.com - Casa Dominguez: https://casadominguezbellaire.com - Torchy's Tacos: https://torchystacos.com - HERE Bellaire places file, open restaurant listings and hours (Casa Dominguez, COCO Deli-Mex, Tacos Pa Gordos, Escalante's Fine Tex-Mex)

En español

Dentro de Bellaire hay varios restaurantes mexicanos o tex-mex: Momma's Tamales, en 5214 Cedar St., que según su sitio hace tamales a mano y abre de martes a domingo; Casa Dominguez, en 5213 Cedar St., abierto de 11 a.m. a 9 p.m. todos los días; y COCO Deli-Mex, en 5909 W Loop S, que solo abre de lunes a viernes. A una o dos millas hay más: Tacos Pa Gordos, Molina's Cantina, con fajitas, tamales y enchiladas, Tacos El Jaibo, con cocina de Tampico, Torchy's Tacos y Escalante's Fine Tex-Mex. Algunas direcciones sobre Bellaire Boulevard son de Houston. Los horarios vienen de cada listado y pueden cambiar, así que confírmelos antes de ir.