The Full Menu: Houston’s best places for Mexican food and Tex-Mex

In Greater Houston, you can find good Mexican food and Tex-Mex on almost every block. But where are the best places in the city?

In this month's installment of The Full Menu, food writers talk about their favorite places right now. In the audio above, we hear from Eric Sandler of CultureMap Houston, Felice Sloan of the Swanky Maven lifestyle blog, and David Leftwich of Houston Food Finder.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Sloan says if you go to Candente, just order the menu.

"Anything on the menu -- point," she said. "You can go anywhere on the menu."

The restaurant is owned by the same people who own The Pit Room, a barbecue joint next door. Sandler says their tortillas are particularly good because they take their rendered brisket fat from smoking meat and use it to make their tortillas.

"Which gives them a richness -- a little subtle smokiness -- that's distrinct from other people's flour tortillas," he said.

Leftwich highlighted Tatemó, which was a finalist for a James Beard Award for best new restaurant.

Sloan mentioned a classic favorite: the fajitas and carnitas at El Tiempo Cantina.

And Sandler drew attention to the work of chef Victoria Elizondo of Cochinita & co. and dishes like her cochinita pibil, pork pastor, and shrimp tacos.

"Everything she does is just so flavorful and so delicious," he said.

MORE: Victoria Elizondo discusses her taco cookbook, Taco-Tastic

Establishments Mentioned in this Edition:

Candente
Tatemó
El Tiempo Cantina
La Mexicana
Diego’s Famous Carnitas
Gerardo’s
El Topo
Alma Latina
Papalo Taqueria
Cochinita & co.
Verde Garden
Tacos Doña Lena
Belly of the Beast (coming soon!)
Xalisko