First Look at Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen

Over the past year, the Vintage Park area has grown tremendously. There are ample choices when it comes to shopping and dining, giving consumers options for all tastes and budgets. Among the new restaurants to open is Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen.

Ambriza, as your server may point out, is not Tex-Mex. The menu and decor are a nice change of pace from your typical Mexican restaurant. Whimsical calaveras welcome you in the doorway as well as appear on the vibrant murals that adorn the walls. La Catrina, the iconic symbol of Día de los Muertos, is prominently on display, keeping a watchful eye on hungry diners.
Seating at Ambriza includes a casual dining area, bar seating, and a large, comfortable patio. The menu can be described as authentic Mexican cuisine with a bit of a twist. The food and flavors are reminiscent of Mexican home cooking; however, most abuelas don't typically make mole with duck confit.

Starters include a nice variety of shareable dishes such as empanadas, tostones and ceviches. The street corn comes with three mini roasted corn cobs topped with garlic aioli, queso fresco and Tajín. Another great shareable option is the table-side guacamole. The typical ingredients of tomatoes, onions, peppers and cilantro are available along with more interesting choices like roasted pineapple, charred corn and crumbled bacon.
Ambriza's entrées encompass an assortment of fajitas, enchiladas, tacos and quesadillas as well as vegetarian and seafood dishes. The Ambriza burger offers the choice of a ground chuck and chorizo patty dressed with tomatoes, guacamole and ancho chile aioli. The cochinita pibil, available as tacos or a quesadilla, consists of tender braised pork sprinkled with pickled red onions for a touch of acidity.
Ambriza has a full bar and its signature margaritas are good, but perhaps a bit on the sweet side. The restaurant does offer a unique variety of spicy margaritas with flavor combinations that include pineapple-serrano, passion fruit-habanero and cilantro-jalapeño. The tequila menu consists of a fair amount of silver, resposado and añejo agave spirits. The addition of mezcals in the future would definitely add some distinction to the list.
Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen is open every day for lunch and dinner. A new brunch menu starts this weekend that will tempt diners with breakfast tacos, migas, chilaquiles, huevos divorciados and pan dulce.

Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen
10115 Louetta Road
Houston, Texas 77070
281-205-1240