Mexican Food Sponsored by Tila's Restaurante and Bar Reviews     Profile     Website     Menu     Reservations

Spanish Village Restaurant

MY REVIEW: First and last visit. I am tired of paying high prices for average mexican food. We ordered the pork carnitas for $15.00. Very small portions for the price. All in all the bill was $30 for 2 teas, entree, and avocado salad. Similar to another review posted, we got a lecture about giving money to a panhandler. The layout of the restaurant is cute but the ceilings are pretty low if you are over 6ft tall.

How has this place stayed in business for 50 years???

NAME: ptharry
SUBMITTED: 1/21/2013   LAST VISIT WAS: January/2013
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Average food not much taste for a Tex Mex Restaurant, the place has not been remodel in let’s say a long time. The place is conveniently located, but the prices are very high for bland average Tex-Mex. I can’t give it a bad mark because the staff is friendly, but because of price I will not go back (can’t spend # 26 $12.00 for ground beef tacos). Can’t tell my co-worker that though because it is his favorite place.

NAME: tofineone
SUBMITTED: 9/18/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 09/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I can’t say anything great or bad about this restaurant. It is just your average Tex-Mex restaurant here in Houston. The decor is still out of the 60’s and it’s easy to see how many times they expanded the building throughout the years. Not the cleanest restaurant in town. The chips were very hard and hurt your mouth to eat them. (The owner said that they tried a new place to buy their tortillas and going back to their original ones). Made me wonder if you have been in business for over 50 years why change something now. The guacamole was fresh and tasted great. But other than that I had the big deluxe dinner and everything was just plain. Really nothing to write home about.

Pros: Been in business for over 50 years so there must be something good about this place.

Not crowded at all when I went for lunch. Only about 5 tables covered.

Service was very good.

Good guacamole.

I will try it again in the future and order something completely different.

Cons: Prices are way too high compared to other Mexican restaurants of this quality.

From what I hear I should have tried the margaritas, maybe the food would have tasted better.

NAME: Mrhouston
SUBMITTED: 8/20/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: The Taylor enchiladas are wonderful. I like the retro look and it reminds me of the way Mexican restaurants used to be. The salsa and chips are good, the ritas are just right and we find the service and the owners wonderful people. If you are used to the new and improved style of dining decor and experience, go somewhere else. We'll be back.

NAME: Suzanne Sellers
SUBMITTED: 6/12/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 06/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: I've tried this place twice for lunch and once for dinner.

Lunch: fairly average Tex-Mex. Acceptable and convenient, but nothing special.

Dinner: A strip steak came out crisp and massively overdone. Uniform gray color all the way through on an overheated platter that spattered grease.

Since this place is convenient, I'll probably try it again . . . but so far it hasn't shown me much.

NAME: RH
SUBMITTED: 3/30/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: March 2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: The newspaper mentioned this is the place to take out of town guests so we decided to check out the food. We ordered enchiladas and they were so greasy and no better than average. A previous reviewer stated the margaritas were wonderful and made with fresh lime juice. I love fresh margaritas but this one was so bad I didn't even finish it. It was well below average. It had a weird smell and taste to it. No smell of tequila. It must have been made with everclear. The salsa was hot but very good. The waitress was very nice and attentive but we won't be back.

NAME: que pasta
SUBMITTED: 12/11/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/09
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: We live in W. Houston and always go to Spanish Village when visiting the museum. We have been eating there since the late 70s. Yesterday we went for lunch and everything was great! I had #70 fajita taco, guac and puffy queso. The guac was the best I have ever had and the queso delicious. My husband got # 52 Alfonso's Chile Relleno which is always delicious. Of course we had to have the frozen margaritas. The service was excellent.

NAME: Cabanas C
SUBMITTED: 10/3/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/09
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: They have the best Margaritas in Texas, according to Texas Monthly. Freshly squeezed lime jiuce, tequilla and triple sec. That's it. No mixes, no Everclear like some other places add, and no sweet and sour. If you like sweet frozen margaritas, don't bother. Go somewhere else.

Their cheese enchiladas are awsome, and they have what could be the best fried chicken in town, too. Just be sure to call ahead to order because they don't fry it up in advance. You can still order it when you get there, but they'll tell you the wait will be very, very long.

They fix real nachos here, not the ones where you pile a bunch of chips on a place and then pour melted velveeta cheese and jalepenos over them. These are made the old fashioned way. One-by-one, topped with grated cheddar/colby cheese (and beans if you like), jalepenos, beef or chicken if you like, then heated under the broiler to melt the cheese. Then they serve it hot.

They also have probably the best fried stuffed jalepenos anywhere, with cheese or chicken.

They promote a family atmosphere and are very friendly to the kids. If you're under age, don't bother ordering alchohol. I promise you, they will check ID's and they will challenge whether it is valid or not. They also don't care if you're with your parents or not, they don't serve drinks to minors. They also won't serve anyone who even appears to have had too much to drink.

It's a great place to go to have really good Tex-Mex and a very relaxing time.

NAME: Bill
SUBMITTED: 9/21/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/2008
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I have been dining at the Spanish Village since I was a child. A fair amount of the patrons have that history as well. Now we Boomers take the kids, and in some cases, they take theirs. This is a family upscale dive. Those of you who have eaten pizza at local joints in NY and Jersy know what I mean. The best food comes from places like this. Clean and safe, but not encumbered with expensive furnishings. Don't be put off by the decor. It's primarilly pictures of patrons and post cards sent from all over the world by people having Tex-Mex withdrawl and missing their favorite waitresses.

Their Margaritas are made from limes, not mixes. Please note that you will NOT BE SERVED ALCOHOL UNLESS YOU HAVE FOOD WITH IT. They don't want a bunch of drunks in the place, and drinking on an empty stomach will get you there pretty quick. As an aside, they won the "Best Margarita in the State" award from Texas Monthly for eight years in a row, before getting dislodged by some hip, trendy place that put parasols and lime wedges in thier frozen mix margaritas. Hint: Get yours on the rocks. You can thank me later.

The food is great (oddly enough, they have great fried chicken), but just like any other restuarant, you will find a minority of people that don't care for their style. Too bad for them. I have always judged restuarants by their simple fair. If you can screw up something as simple as cheese enchiladas, then I know the rest of the food will be bad. The enchiladas are great, as is the entire menu. I should know Tex-Mex; I'm a 7th generation native Texan, and I have dined all over this state for over 50 years.

The entire staff is very friendly, and if you become a regular, you will ultimately get a hug from Mama or Martha. Cherish this if bestowed; you have become royalty.

A few final notes: They don't split checks. Period. That is a policy that, like all policies, is one they stick to (like the no drinks without food policy). If you don't like that, then don't go.

They will not put up with rowdy drunks, so if you want that, go to Club No M*inors or some place that does not cater to families. Act up and you will be ejected faster then you can say Juan Robinson.

If you park in the lot across the street, make sure that it is the one with the Spanish Village signs. The R*eggae Hut and the Wig Shop will tow you in a heart beat. However, the attendant will direct you if you get lost.

This is a popular place, so get there early if you want to get in on most Fridays and Saturdays with out standing in line (albeit a short-ish line). They are also closed on all Holidays, as well as Sunday and Monday.

One final note, you are absolutely, positively gauranteed to see some sort of emergency vehicle race down Almeda while you are there.

NAME: Russ
SUBMITTED: 11/27/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: November 9, 2007
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: We live a few blocks away and have eaten here several times. We have lived in Brownsville, Corpus, Austin, etc and know good Tex-Mex and this ain't it. This is the most over-rated, over-priced, run-down, rude outfit we've ever seen.

Last visit, my little bro and I had a combo plate each, split one side of enchiladas, and took a small order home to the wife; total 4 Coors Lights (@ $4.50/ea); bill was just under $100.00. We questioned the total and was rudely told to pay up. OK; but, never, never goin' back.

Suggest F*elix's on Westheimer just east of Montrose or Lupita's C*hapultepec on Richmond 2 blocks east of Montrose.

NAME: le Vieux
SUBMITTED: 11/21/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 09/07
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Love the food here and don't know why I don't go there more often. My wife doesn't like Mexican food but she really likes the chile rellenos. They don't bread the chile so it is a little differnt than most places.

The person wanting to split the check must be blind because they definately have a sign stating that they won't split the check. I've never heard of them not allowing people to only drink margaritas. I've gone with a group on two different occasions and several people didn't eat. I don't doubt the conversation about the check because they seem like a place that will stick by their rules.

The service is hit or miss.

NAME: Tyler Durden
SUBMITTED: 5/29/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: February 2007
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: This is truly one of my favorite places to eat in all of Houston! Its got a great hole in the wall atmosphere, a friendly staff, and if one thing says how great it is above all other things, its the test of time. Its been there for over 50 years!

Its great on the basics, but this restaurant really shines in the items you wouldn't expect to see on the menu. My personal favorite is the southern fried chicken. No one makes a chicken like this! Be prepared to wait though, it takes 30-45 minutes to cook (I usually try and call ahead myself, they call me the chicken lady).

NAME: Christy
SUBMITTED: 11/10/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: november/2006
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I hadn't been here in a couple of years, but remembered liking the food and margs enough to suggest it as a lunch venue to a group of friends. And true to form, the waitstaff and the service was top-notch.

So here's why we won't ever go back: We tried to split the check, and the man at the register who I'll assume was the manager or owner scrutinizes the bill and says, "This is only $25 and there were 5 of you. We have a policy about splitting checks and we just won't do it."

"Well, okay sir, only three of us had entrees, as the other two in our party had already eaten and were just keeping us company."

Owner/Manager: "Well, didn't you read the sign?"

Us: "Uh, what sign?"

Owner/Manager: "There is a sign outside that states that all customers must order an entree; they cannot just consume beverages."

And Mr. Owner/Manager then gives us hassle about splitting the check. Never mind that was 2 pm when we came to the restaurant and it was virtually deserted. It was still an inconveiniance to the o/m that we wanted separate checks. And there is no sign with a printed rule to guide us here.

So we find ourselves apologizing profusely, until I realize that Mr. Owner/Manager is missing the whole point of customer service: he is LECTURING US, the customers, about what is troublesome to HIM, the restauranteur.

This was rude on his part, as sometimes people are with other people who aren't hungry and who are just keeping the others company while they eat. Normally, we are people who all purchase food and tip our servers handsomely for their efforts. To be lectured on how we are to behave in this establishment is just uncalled-for, as these folks earn a living by serving customers.

NAME: Karen
SUBMITTED: 8/6/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: August 2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: My husband and I refer to Spanish Village as "our neighborhood Mexican food place"....we live in Midtown. We are there a minimum of 3 times a month but have been known to eat there 3 times a week!! As most everyone has mentioned, the Margaritas are excellent, but no one has touched on our favorite...the chicken-stuffed jalepenos!! Usually they are lightly breaded (almost like a tempura batter) and served with home-made dressing (ranch/buttermilk). They have cheese stuffed as well, but we prefer the chicken mixture....truly tasty!! They also have awesome fried chicken, just be prepared to wait while it's prepared.

NAME: Margaritamimi
SUBMITTED: 3/28/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/06
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I liked the food. I always go arouund 3 after the lunch rush. The service is good. Beware: the guacamole is great, but mad expensive. Other than that, I give it a thumbs up.

NAME: lexi
SUBMITTED: 2/28/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/05
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

If you don't agree with these comments, agree with them or have additional comments,
click here to Add Your Review.