The Original Ninfa’s Mexican food restaurant in Houston deserves a word of gratitude from all lovers of Tex-Mex food.
While Ninfa Laurenzo didn’t invent tacos al carbon, known as fajitas and made with well-seasoned skirt steak, she certainly helped popularize it enough for the dish to become a staple on menus around the world.
Although the original location east of downtown on Navigation Boulevard is no longer owned by the Laurenzo family, the restaurant carries on as a sacred site to Texas foodies.
The dining area is split into several rooms, a garden room, and a large covered patio. Most importantly, the margaritas are refreshing and the food is delightful. Tacos al carbon are still on the menu, and they come wrapped in handmade tortillas.
Ninfa Laurenzo, known as “Mama Ninfa,” started the restaurant with her four oldest children in 1973. The 10-table restaurant filled the front of the family’s struggling tortilla factory. The influence of real Mexican recipes became a major milestone on the landscape of American cuisine. She died in 2001 at age 77.
The Original Ninfa’s was honored with the title of “Best Restaurant in Texas” by Southern Living in 2017. Two years later it was a James Beard Award semifinalist.
By the early 1990s the family had expanded the business to a chain of 35 units. In bankruptcy by 1996, the restaurants were bought by Serranos Restaurant Group. Ninfa’s is now owned by Legacy Restaurants with locations in Uptown and Downtown Houston. Legacy also owns Antone’s Po’Boys, another Houston culinary legend.
The Original Ninfa’s is open daily at 2704 Navigation Blvd. The second location is at 1700 Post Oak Blvd. near the Galleria. Since 1998, Ninfa’s son, Roland, has carried on the family tradition at El Tiempo Cantina, a chain of 16 Mexican restaurants mostly in the Houston area.
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This article appears in July 19 • 2024.
