Pappasito’s Cantina

First visit to Pappasito’s the other night. I’m happy to report that I enjoyed the best Tex-​Mex I’ve ever eaten. This place looks like an authentic Mexican cantina, but the food is pure joyous and delectable Tex-​Mex. Ambiance and seating was very, very comfortable; a bit on the loud side, but exactly what would one expect, as this is a place to eat and drink with gusto.
Server was the BOSS. She coached me expertly into picking the right tequila and correct mixer, for my amazing margarita (Grand Marnier or Cointreau? apparently there’s an optimal mixer depending on anéjo or reposado tequila). They have dozens of tequilas and you need to know the ropes on choosing the mixer. I’m relieved that I’m not a fan of tequila, b/​c I remember a couple hospital-​worthy hangovers, but this margarita was worth a little anéjo sweat the next morning.
Table-​prepared guacamole that is expertly made stole the show at every table. My Mixed Grill (tender chicken & filet of beef plus dry-​rubbed shrimp) with grilled veggies was absolutely over-​the-​top delicious, just bursting with flavor. Everything was cooked to perfection and LOADED with flavor. I also ordered a side of butterflied Adobo shrimp (dry rub with butter brushing, calorie splurge), and they were very large, and again amazing flavors, and 4 for $ 9.00.
My colleague had chicken enchiladas. They were also delectable, according to their appearance, his comments, and his disgusting moans and groans while eating them.
Last but not least: our trainee server Bianca was about as efficient and pleasant a server as I’ve had in years. She owned our table like a ten-​year vet and all smiles. Great meal, great service, great atmosphere to enjoy great Tex-​Mex. Next time in Houston I’m making a beeline for Little Pappasito’s.

Went there on a Saturday night. We were seated immediately. The service was ok. Took the waiter a while to come back with refills. The salsa and queso with the chips was good. The entrees were just ok. Not bad, but nothing too special. I got the beef brisket enchiladas. I just thought the food was overpriced for how it tasted. It was 15.95 for my dish.

I really like this place from a stand point of what it looks like when you walk inside. From the outside view it looks like a little whole in the wall but when you walk inside its full of life. You will be showed to your table by a very nice hostess and then showed a variety of great unique meals by your waiter or waitress. Overall I had a great experience and the food was amazing. You get a good meal for your buck.

I grew up in Houston and going to different Pappas family owned restaurants… I never had a bad experience or complaint about the food or service until now…
So last Sunday, my mom and I are in the neighborhood after going to a movie and decided to grab a bite at Little Pappasitos. The parking lot was small and very oddly set up with the small parking lot in front and another small parking lot in the back where you had to walk around the entire building to get to the front door. When we got in we were seated right away which was nice since it was the beginning of the dinner rush.
We had a younger guy as a waiter, who was very soft-​spoken and we had trouble hearing what he said over the noise of the restaurant… We ended up ordering the chicken fajitas for 2 and split them. (everything on the menu seems a bit overpriced for the most part.) When they came to the table, the chicken was cut into large slices with a lot of fat on it… So we basically had to cut it up more in order to eat it. When we asked for a bit of cheese to add to our fajitas, it came on a plate with the most bizarre and longest stem of parsley I’ve ever seen on top… But by the time we got it, we were almost done eating…
Why? Because our server was difficult to find… I asked for a refill on iced tea and did not get it until the check came… Speaking of the check… It turns out we were charged almost $ 2 ($ 1.65 i think) for that bizarre plate of shredded cheese we barely ate… We were never told that would be a charge for cheese, nor did we think there should be. I hesitate to think how much we might’ve been charged for sour cream if we had gotten it as well…
It felt a bit like we were being rushed out the door because we got there and were seated, eating and out the door in about half an hour… I appreciate quick service, but not to the point where they bring you the check before you even finished your wine.
If I was going to choose a Pappas owned restaurant in that area again, I would go with Pappadeux over Little Pappasitos… Because I don’t think I’ll be back to Little Pappasitos.

I’m a huge fan of Pappadeaux, so I thought this place would be really good given that it’s owned by the same chain. I was mistaken. I ordered the chicken nachos and they weren’t good at all… and my stomach hurt afterwards. Moreover, they were way overpriced for the quality of the product. Save your money and go elsewhere.

Apparently a waitress named Sydney took our order and another lady came to our table to tell us we were denied alchoholic beverages. …we have not even started to drink, and no we were not rude we just ordered food like any other table that was a there! How rude of Sydney she must not like her job to acuse people that just came in that was hungry after a hard day of work to order food and a drink!!! Ive had better customer service at the gas station !!

I really enjoy the indoor/​outdoor atmosphere, cozy space, and bright colors. Today was my first brunch here and it was delicious. So much food! Loved the breakfast tacos, sopapillas, and mimosa (frozen) which was a neat twist. Our waiter was very attentive and an absolute professional. Great experience and great way to kickoff the new week.

I order chipotle chicken fajitas as per my bartender Alyssa recommendations. It comes with a side of pintos and jazzed up rice. The pintos have a nice smokey hearty flavor from the bacon. Tasty. The chipotle cheesy chicken fajitas not a lot of vegetables and a lot of chicken. The chicken is super tender and moist. I ask for a side of poco de galo. That was awesome. The habanero sauce is a little weak. The sweat version I may tasty great on a chick filet sandwich. Not on my fajitas. The menu is maybe not as intense as I would like. But what they do is well executed and tasty.

Had dinner last night at Pappasito’s, and I will likely come back. I’m sure a lot of locals are aware of their half-​priced fajitas (only on Wednesdays), but in case you are not, you should definitely take advantage of this special! I was a bit surprised by the regular pricing for fajitas (~$ 50 for a large order that feeds two, maybe 3 if you have smaller appetites).
Food: the chips and salsa are a simple staple, but do not compete with the best in town. A friend and I split the large order of fajitas (choice of beef, chicken, and a few assorted vegetables). The order also came with two sides of rice and beans (choice of charro or black). I thought all of the food was well prepared and nicely presented.
After a 20% tip, it came out to $ 16/​person.
In general, there was plenty of seating but parking was quite the pain. They had a small group walk around, sing/​play mariachi style music (by request/​donation), and I thought that was a nice touch!

I really enjoyed my first visit to Pappasito’s and surprisingly overwhelmed with things to try on the menu. I had delicious chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce and brisket enchilada in meat sauce with ranchero beans and spicy rice. There was also an order of chicken and steak fajitas which I’ll try next time as I’ve heard they’re famous for them and their margaritas.
We went on a Saturday night and had a half hour wait as the place was very busy. However it didn’t take very long for our order to arrive.
Price wise they are a bit expensive.
Can’t wait to visit again.

The salsa was fresh made with fire roasted peppers and fresh made tortilla chips. The queso was cheesy and creamy! The margarita was well made and the bartenders were amazing!

This place is pretty good, with only a few downsides. We ordered the large chicken fajitas. The sizes of the chicken pieces are pretty impressive and it did fill two people. The chips were just okay and I didn’t like either of the sauces. I was just bummed that if one person wanted to get fajitas it would be around $ 20, I think the prices here are pretty high. Their parking lot also basically is horrible. It’s pretty small and I think they offer more seats inside the restaurant than parking spots… Our waiter was super nice and it’s an interesting set up inside, sort of like a garage. So all in all, good food, just bad parking and prices.

I have never been disappointed with the food.
What I find overly annoying is the fact that the servers must sing a happy birthday thing to people. I would rather fry my own eyeballs and eat them than listen to that crap or have it sung to me.
I come from industry. I am so glad that my father never had his staff do something so humiliating. It is. Servers hate doing that crap. The people on the receiving end hate it too. No one likes that crap. Why does it go on? Because some GM thinks it is fun I suppose. Well let’s sit that dude in the center of the restaurant and sing this crap to them for hours on end and see how much they are entertained by it. It sucks balls. Stop that shit!
The food is consistent. Always has been and that is appreciated. A restaurant should have consistent food. If it is not then the restaurant blows.
The atmosphere is fun. We did not get our chips and salsa right away. This was the first time EVER at any Mexican restaurant that I did not get chips and salsa when I sat down. Someone dropped the ball on that one. My hubby said something to the server. Frankly, he should not have had to have done that. The server should have seen that we did not have any and been like oh wow table X does not have any and gone and gotten then stuff for us himself. Nope. We were told oh the bus boy is supposed to get that. I do not want to hear that. I do not want to be told it is someone else’s fault. It is because I was told this that I am giving a 3 star and not a 4 star rating. Word to the wise, stop with the blame game.

Stopped by Pappasito’s for a work lunch last week with a party of 18. The hostess mentioned that she couldn’t seat us until enough of us arrived– I think the number was 8? An odd rule, but no big deal. The interior is extravagant and colorful, but we were seated in the indoor «patio» that’s enclosed but filled with natural sunlight.
The chips and salsa were fairly good, though not spicy at all. The creamy green salsa was my dip of choice. I wanted to eat fairly healthy, so I opted for the Seafood Enchiladas thinking they would be light and fresh. Big mistake… I should have known as a native Texan that «Tex-​Mex» and «healthy» seldom go in the same sentence. The platter that arrived was a decadent pile of tortilla and morsels of shrimp, scallops, and crawfish, completely doused in a thick layer of cream and cheese. But hey, at least I subbed grilled veggies on the side, right? Naturally, the dish was pretty good, although I felt like I needed to be rolled out in a wheelchair afterwards.
Pappasito’s won’t wow you with its offerings, but it’s a solid choice when you’re craving some hearty Tex-​Mex.

Dinner Feb 20
Have loved this place since Mr. Freeland took me in the old days. Hadn’t been back to this one in years.
2 things you must get if you go there.
Casa Blanco with NO MEAT in it! trust me, the cheese stands alone!
If you get fajitas or anything with a flour tortilla as the server for some «mantequilla de ajo»…that’s Mexican Garlic Butter… HOLY SMOKES. you pour some on your tortilla or dip it in the sauce and BAM, you just kicked that flavor up 10 notches. Incredible flavor, simply incredible.
I love the steak fajitas there and by the way a Medium size is plenty big for even the heartiest appetite!
If you’re in Houston are, this stop is a must! Only downside, it is a bit pricey.

Sooooo, I just got a to-​go order from here. I understand they were busy, but giving me 2 UNCOOKED tamales was inexcusable. And they didn’t give me any rice with my brochette shrimp. This is ridiculous, just thrown together!

Our server was cliff. We had a friend in town from California and she was dead set on queso! Cliff must have been in the weeds. It took 20 mins to get water, another 15 for our drinks from the bar. Mind you the bar was empty, our cocktails were watered down and the glasses covered in condensation. I never saw him run one tray of food, yet his tag says trainer. If you have him as a trainer, he should lead by example. As we were finishing lunch, our table was packed with plates. This is when Daniel, another trainer ran a stack of menus into the back of my girlfriends head. I was really offended and taken aback, when cliff would offer to box a females leftover salad, and wouldn’t offer to box up the other patrons food. Just because he was a male and possibly gay, doesn’t mean that he couldn’t offer to box the whole tables leftovers, not just the pretty blondes food.

Substandard service tonight at the bar. We waited half an hour for combination fajitas, unimpressed by the small (tail –off) shrimp… when did the menu change? We received much better service from the bartender working the well, checked on us twice and closed out our tab. Towards the end of our meal we ordered tortilla soup to go, apparently this was left off the ticket. Once notified, we stated we still wanted the soup. We ultimately left without the soup after waiting nearly 15 minutes for a $ 12 cup of soup. The Pappas brand isn’t what it used to be, what a shame.

Really good: Service. Ceviche.
Beyond terrible: House chips. House salsa. (Actually, the worst corn chips I’ve ever had, and independent of the corn chips, the worst salsa I’ve ever had.) I left there feeling confused because I was so happy with everything else (i.e. the service, the ceviche, and the order of BAKED chips they brought as a replacement for the fried ones…) Why would the house chips and salsa be so terrible? Apparently they fry the corn chips in coconut oil, which doesn’t sound like it should cause too much of a problem, but wow those were just … like damn how do you screw up corn chips???

Visited this place for the first time on Monday night. My husband had told me about this place before, said it was very popular because it’s fresh ingredients and trying to be pretty authentic. The décor is pretty cool. Wait staff is attentive and knowledgable. Food was pretty good, definitely not the best Mexican food I’ve ever had. Not to mention it is the most grossly over priced Mexican food on the face of the planet. Most likely won’t be stopping in again.

Really freakin good! I would tell you what I ate, but I can’t get past the fresh made guacamole and chips. Their homemade salsas are really good too.
I got the Pappasitos entrée on the back of the menu… near the fajitas. It was amazing… too bad I couldn’t finish all of it because I filled up on the chips

I went here for dinner last night and honestly I was really satisfied with the amazing quality of the food, the fun atmosphere, and the super friendly service. I never really gave this place a chance because I just assumed El Tiempo and Lupe Tortillas were better (I was wrong!). Our drinks were filled continuously and the food came out quick. I got the beef fajitas with the pork ribs. My other half got brisket enchiladas with both sauces (one on each). The beef fajitas melted in my mouth and they had a smokey mesquite flavor. The beans, pico, chips and salsa were all great. Her enchiladas were crazy cheesy and tasty, both sauces were awesome. If you love beef you can’t go wrong with the beef fajitas. I can not think of any place that does it better.

Came for a quick dinner after church. Chicken fajitas were great. Server was AWESOME! Derek, our server, was so great and even asked if we wanted our iced tea to go! No one has ever asked that before. He was friendly, funny and on top of things.

If you are in a hurry this not the restaurant for you. That being said in spite of the slow service the staff has always been friendly and the food is always on point. I am one of those people that finds something I like and I order it every time. A friend was treating me to lunch and asked what I was in the mood for and it felt like a seafood kind of day. She said she knew just the place to go. When we pulled into Little Pappasito’s I was surprised and even more surprised by the seafood selections. The crab claws were amazing and we ordered the lobster ceviche and the crab ceviche. There was an error with one dish however it was corrected promptly and with a smile. We also enjoyed a couple of the specialty cocktails which were delicious! Aside from the service always being slow I am never disappointed.

This place is one of my favorite tex-​mex places in Houston. I usually get the combination fajitas or the fish tacos. Don’t forget to get an order of the queso!

It was a bad experience. No chips, no toilet paper in restroom for my kids. Long wait, bad service. I love Papasitios but as of late, this store service is going down.
Hope they don’t get to arrogant, we live close by our use to be 2^nd favorite El Tiempo

it felt so good and so wrong to have gone to this place.
epitome of tex-​mex. cheese EVERYWHERE. which is amazing at first, but then when your stomach starts churning you begin to doubt it.
there was plenty to take home after the meal, but i couldn’t figure out if it was because the portions were huge or i just stopped wanting to eat halfway through the overly rich saucy-​cheesy-​and carb heavy meal.
the margaritas were tooooooo sweet and not worth the price.

I had the soup and salad. Their mexico city soup comes in a huge portion and is delicious with rice.
The service was great. This original pappasito’s is a good location and I would come back.

The food was alright though I do not recommend getting the $ 20 fajita special unless you have at least 4 people eating. For the price, it’s really not worth it. Their drink specials were really good, I suggest the sangria/​margarita swirl or the skinny margarita (less sweet more tequila!). Happy Hour is usually packed but I would definitely comeback, for the drinks alone.

Pappasitos is not usually my first choice for Tex-​Mex, but it is definitely up there as one of the better places in Houston. We came as a group of six to celebrate a friend’s birthday. When it came time to order, we found out we all wanted fajitas. So the decision was made to order the family pack for 6 – 7 people. It included ribs, brochette style shrimp, and beef and chicken fajitas. Everyone got a to choose their own beans, which also came with rice. All the fixings such as cheese, guacamole, pico and tortillas all game with the platter as well. The food arrived quickly on a sizzling hot plate. The plate was huge and took up some space at the table. The ribs were fall off the bone tender. The shrimp was wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese and peppers, and served with butter. The fajitas were tender and seasoned perfectly. Everything tasted amazing!
The customer service was excellent as well. From the minute we walked in, till the time we left, everyone that worked there was super friendly. They also sang happy birthday and came out with dessert for the birthday girl. All in all… great experience!

Stopped at this place on a busy Sunday night, around the dinner rush hour.
First imppressions, the place itself appears to be cool and hippy with Mexican flag colors around the place, surrounded by ethnic décor and hanging objects around the place. Receptionist at the front was friendly, and I was also impressed that there is also another man at the center of the parking garage before I got to the entrance of the restaurant asking me if I needed my parking ticket to be validated if I parked on the other side. Given the amount of lighting in the dark colored walls, it may be helpful to dim the color of the walls or change the directions of the lighting.
Queso was delivered quickly, and it was fresh and delicious. Waitresses took the time to take our orders, despite the fact I wished that the waitress wouldn’t be so hard to find. With all the busy stations flying invoices to ten different directions, it appears to be that more cashier station was definitely needed. Despite it took longer than expected to wait on the waiter to take the orders, the food delivered fairly quickly.
We ordered the large combination fajitas for 2 – 3 person, but it came with the medium for 1 – 2 persons, although it was quickly corrected after we talked to the waitress, which I was pleased that she did not take our questions lightly. It was professional for sure. Knowing how large the food quantity it is, going in hungry is definitely a must. Otherwise, there is always the option of taking the food home.

My dinner consisted of a small queso appetizer, beef fajitas, and a Pura Vida «hand crafted» Margarita.
Queso was good. Never got to that cold/​hard point where your chips start breaking and you have to send a recon chip in for rescue. Paired well also with the fajitas, which was nice. You always end up making some weird bean-​rice-​guac hybrid taco anyway, so why not throw in the queso too?
Beef fajitas were cooked to perfection. Medium rare. Melted in my mouth honestly. They weren’t overly seasoned (that tends to happen at a lot of Tex-​Mex restaurants). Some cuts didn’t even make it from the sizzling skillet to my hybrid taco. They rerouted to my mouth.
The margarita was nice. Larger than I anticipated so I was very surprised. Then I realized there was more ice than cocktail soooo, back to reality. It consisted of your choice of over 20 tequilas (all of which were listed on the menu WITH PRICES NEXT TO EACH ONE, THANK YOU!), Grand Marnier or Contreau, organic agave nectar, and lime juice. The prices were reasonable.
If the food was nice, why only 3 stars?
#1 Our server was very spotty. Did his job, but no charisma. I don’t think I saw him smile once. Honestly though, he never forgot anything and he never disappeared.
#2 At this price, things should be expected to be at that level. Granted, I can’t find anything wrong with the food but nothing was extraordinary. Everything was how it should’ve been. I just wouldn’t go if the fajitas weren’t half off.

Ok here we go folks get ready
Here’s the skinny they have the best 99. cent mimosas in town and getvthisforballnof you mimosa lovers they are FROZEN YES I SAID FROZEN AND ONLY AVAILble on Sunday’s from 9:30 to 2 get them while you can

Every dish was sort of a disappointment. Even the tortilla chips lacked salt. And I wasn’t won over by the salsa (I have a strong preference for raw not roasted chilies in my salsa). The tinga enchiladas were ok — the chicken was kind of dry, and the red sauce, beans and rice lacked flavor. The saving grace was super attentive service, hefty portions, and they never let the baker of chips or glass of coke go less than half full without a speedy refill.

I had a craving for Tex-​Mex and since I mentioned to my husband that we always seem to frequent the same places, we decided to branch out and try Little Pappasito’s instead of our usual go-​to.
We called ahead and there was no wait (hooray!) so we drove over and even managed to snag a self park spot in their ridiculously tiny lot. Be prepared to valet.
They stuck us at a table in the middle of the restaurant, right next to the service area, in a highly trafficked passageway. I get it restaurants, you want to squeeze every last inch out of the place by cramming people in. I, however, do NOT want to sit in your way. We asked to be moved, but the best our hostess was willing to do was move us 1 over. It smelled like cleaning fluid throughout our meal.
Onto the chips and dip. Chips were excellent. Thin, crispy, crunchy, yum! The salsa had a nice smoky flavor as well. I wasn’t sure about the cilantro dip which seemed like a less exciting version of Chuy’s creamy jalapeño.
We ordered the medium fajitas which said it fed 1 – 2. I was a little worried because I was hungry but I don’t know if it was the chips or just a large portion for 1 – 2 but it ended up being plenty of food! The steak was perfectly cooked — absolutely delicious. It didn’t have fajita veggies like peppers but there were a few onions. It was served with pico and guac. (Sour cream and cheese extra.) The tortillas seemed really large (like burrito size) which was my only complaint about the dish. The beans and rice that came with the dish were delicious as well.
I think if we had been seated in another section this might have been a different experience because the food and service were both good, but I’d give 1 star for ambiance. I’ll try again another time.

Friends and I went here for a Friday lunch around 3:00. There were five of us and it was a decent lunch. Chips and salsa came out pretty quickly. This was was the only thing we got quickly all day.
We order our first round of drinks and it took about 15 minutes for them to come out we stayed for several more rounds, realizing to late that it took 15 to 20 minutes for each round to come out. With a restaurant of 4 tables we thought it would be a little quicker. Pretty sure it was our waiter as he would not be seen except to bring drinks or food.
The food was really good. All of the other folks who worked there were great. The lunch specials are really good.
They even gave me ballon when I left.

Dernier jour à Houston: il est encore temps de gouter au TexMex chez le roi de ce type de nourriture: Pappasito’s!
La déco est assez typique, il y a du monde, mais une table nous attend.
En apéro on apporte tout de suite les chips de tortilla à volonté, avec la salsa qui est faite maison: on sent bien le goût des poivrons grillés.
On prend en plus la sauce au fromage, et le guacamole fait devant nois! Il faut dire que ça vaut le coup!
On prend plusieurs plats à partager dont des fajitas de crevette, de poulet et boeuf grillé, des enchiladas au fromage et crevettes.
Tout est bon, mais le meilleur: les fajitas de poulet et boeuf: la viande est succulente!!! C’est servi avec des légumes grillés, du guacamole et des galettes de maïs bien chaudes.
Pour faire descendre le tout, on prend des cocktails, très bien preparés dont des margaritas merveilleuses.
Ce resto est un must-​do au Texas!