Blissing Out on Bingle

If you like Longhorn memorabilia and old-fashioned Tex-Mex, this Spring Branch coffee shop is a little slice of heaven.

Comments (0) By Robb Walsh Wednesday, Dec 2 2009

I figured out why the machacado tasted so good while admiring the photos on the walls near the cash register. There is a La Plaza logo with the words "since 1964" painted underneath. The logo is surrounded by a collection of photos of the Mexican mountains. I asked a waitress about them, and she said they were photos of the village where the Villareal family came from — a ranching town in the desert between Monterrey and Laredo — prime machacado territory.

On another visit, I sampled the migas. La Plaza doesn't serve the usual version with crushed tortilla chips and scrambled eggs. Instead, they make a delicious Mexican chilaquiles omelet with hand-torn corn tortillas lightly fried, then cooked in a spicy chile sauce. The Mexican egg dishes at La Plaza are spectacular.

Troy Fields

Skip the American fare and get the milanesa.

Location Info

Map

La Plaza Mexican Restaurant

1803 Bingle Road
Houston, TX 77055

Category: Restaurant > American

Region: Outer Loop - NW

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Details

Hours:6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 6 a.m. to 4 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Nachos: $3.50

Breakfast Special: $4.95

Migas: $7.70

Fajitas: $8.60

Milanesa: $7.75

1803 Bingle Rd., 713-468-9946.

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From the American side of the menu, I sampled eggs, bacon and hash browns with toast. The eggs were perfectly cooked, and the bacon was meaty. The hash browns were made from hand-cut potatoes, but they lacked seasoning and they weren't very crispy. I also had a thick waffle. It had a bitter aftertaste that reminded me of old cooking spray — maybe the waffle iron needed cleaning. The coffee was nothing special either. I wish Val would invest in some premium Mexican-grown fresh-roasted coffee beans.

Valdemar "Val" Villareal is proud that he has kept the American fare that his parents once served on the menu. But make no mistake. It's the Villareal family's wonderful Tex-Mex and Northern Mexican cooking that makes his little coffee shop a fabulous place to eat — that, and the Longhorns memorabilia. Tell Val that clueless guy from the Houston Press sent you. But bring cash; he doesn't take plastic.