It’s January 2025 and we mere mortals are all supposed to be fully immersed in our resolutions to be super beings who shed unwanted pounds, clean out the junk drawer and dedicate ourselves to “a new year, a new me.” And we decide to make all these changes in the coldest and dreariest month of the year. Well, we’re not quite ready to do that yet.
What we are ready to do is save a few bucks when it comes to dining out. And we’ve discovered that a longtime go-to Mexican restaurant has made the past year a little less expensive when we’ve dined out with friends, our adult children or just the usual combo of myself and my husband, Classic Rock Bob. You just have to know when to go.
Since the COVID pandemic, food costs have gone up. Way up. And it’s no surprise that restaurants have passed some of those food costs on to their guests. That’s perfectly reasonable but there have also been a number of added fees that have perturbed diners over the past couple of years, everything from credit card fees (even when the restaurant doesn’t take cash) to a ‘support local’ fee I paid recently that was in addition to gratuity. I thought ordering straight from the restaurant was supporting local enough.
We Houstonians are spoiled when it comes to restaurants, especially Mexican eateries. We have high-end versions with acclaimed chefs, authentic inexpensive taquerias and Tex-Mex that’ll do ya just fine. However, there’s something in we Texans that believes quality Mexican food should be had at a cheap price. We’ll pay $20 for a bougie burger (as one reader commented) but balk at the same price for a Tex-Mex combo plate.
We understood when steak fajitas went up in price, considering the cost of beef. Unfortunately, some of our local spots not only raised prices but lowered the quality and quantity. We began to winnow down our usual favorites. We ended up with El Palenque remaining in the top spot. Its prices only increased a little, the portions are still good and they haven’t added “fees.” And there are two locations to choose from.
The original in Spring has been part of my life and my husband’s since we were teenagers. We grew up in the area and I can remember when it was a teeny hole-in-the-wall before its current stand-alone hacienda was built. Over the decades, it was where we took visiting New England relatives, celebrated birthdays and even mourned together after funerals.
When CRB and I moved to our current home, we discovered the El Palenque off Tomball Parkway. Though it didn’t have the same ambiance as the Spring location, it did have the same menu and great margaritas. It became part of our family’s dining out rotation.
Recently, however, with kids grown and doing their own thing, we often find ourselves free on a Friday afternoon, duties done. One of us will convince the other that El Palenque happy hour is the thing to do. And it is, because the margaritas are cheap and a split order of fajitas is a bargain.
El Palenque’s happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. throughout the restaurant. And the Spring location sometimes has it from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
We’re basically there for the frozen margaritas. I have never had a house rita on the rocks at El Palenque and probably never will. I usually order margaritas on the rocks with certain tequilas. When I am watching the budget, a good frozen rita from the machine is my choice. It’s even my choice when I am not watching the budget. I love Slurpees, Slushies and Icees. Add some tequila and triple sec to the frozen drink equation and I am a happy camper.
The grande house rita is $6.50 for happy hour and the small is $3.75. Anyone who regularly orders margaritas knows that’s a great deal. We start with the grande and if we’re still able, we might have a small rita or even split one. The grande ritas are filling, though. And potent. El Palenque gets the right balance on lime and sweetness. The margaritas are almost always perfectly frozen unless the restaurant is super busy. Then, there may be a bit of meltiness by the time it arrives.
My husband and I recently did happy hour at the Tomball location post-Christmas. The weather was warm so we ventured out, tired of turkey and cranberry sauce. El Palenque was decked out in holiday decor. The Tomball location is brightly-painted inside with lots of neon lighting. The typical Spanish paintings had been replaced for the season with prints of Santa Claus.
CRB and I usually order grande margaritas and split an order of Mix Fajitas for One ($20.95) because it’s more than enough food. If I had my druthers, we would be getting only steak because El Palenque uses Black Angus for its beef fajitas and they are sublime, seared quickly with a little pink in the middle. I think they are some of the best steak fajitas in Houston. And reasonably priced at $21.95 for all beef. However, my husband prefers chicken so get the mix. And the juicy chicken breast strips are cooked well. However, the beef is the way to go in my opinion. One day, I will convince him that I’m right.
For some, an order for one may seem too chintzy but the Fajitas for One at El Palenque is large enough for two average eaters. We always get an extra order of the handmade flour tortillas. They are superb and best eaten within a day. At the Spring location, guests can even watch them being made.
The guacamole here is better than most because it doesn’t have the citric acid taste of pre-made guacamole. On this visit, there were chunks of avocados in the guac. The pico de gallo was mostly minced jalapenos and cilantro, with a little tomato and it’s a must for steak fajitas.
The menu states that sour cream and grated cheese are available on request but the Tomball location always includes it. On a recent visit to the Spring location, I had to ask.
Rice and charro beans also come with the fajitas. I gave CRB the rice and I enjoyed the delicious bean soup. El Palenque has some of the best charros. The beans are cooked all the way with a slight smokiness from the bacon. I like that there aren’t huge chunks of onions or peppers. Everything just melds into the tasty broth. I sometimes save them for later just to enjoy a warm cup of beans the next day for breakfast. If my daughter doesn’t discover them first.
For salsa connoisseurs, El Palenque delivers a warm, cooked tomato salsa that can vary in spicy heat. We like when it’s hot. For our post Christmas visit, it was very spicy, which was good because the restaurant was freezing that day. We had learned on an earlier visit with friends that there is a green sauce available on request, for a charge. I would recommend requesting it if you like salsa aguacate. This one has a bit of tomatillo and avocado but the flavor of jalapeno is prevalent. And so far, we’ve never actually been charged extra. It would be worth it, though.
Normally, CRB and I just split fajitas for happy hour but we were on a roll after the holidays and we were going to have to roll out of there anyway. We added an order of the Mini Chimichangas ($12.75). This is a good handheld appetizer for the table. The plate has six fried mini chimis filled with ground beef. It’s served with chile con queso for dipping. CRB loved them but I think it was because of the queso. I thought the fried tortilla shell was perfectly cooked but I found the ground beef filling a bit mealy and lacking seasoning. That was surprising considering the usually skillful use of spices at El Palenque.
This had been my fourth visit in the past two months to El Palenque, three times in Tomball and once in Spring. The visit to Spring coincided with a beautiful sunny, if breezy, day and I spent it on the patio with a friend. El Palenque’s Spring location has a gorgeous covered patio. Unfortunately, it nearly abuts Interstate 45 but the owners have it beautifully landscaped with lush plants that almost drown out the noise of the freeway.
While the menu is the same and the happy hour margaritas just as good as the Tomball spot, the fajitas were a little lacking on that particular visit. They were still tasty but the steak wasn’t up to the same level as the ones I’d had at the Tomball location. There seemed to be less meat than usual, though there were grilled bell peppers added. It was a special that week for $16.95.
My friend ordered an a la carte cheese enchilada with extra gravy. It came with quite a bit of gravy but also extra cheese. It was over-the-top cheesy and my friend could only eat half. Thankfully, she had a cold beer to wash it down. Beer on happy hour is $1 off, too.
With two locations to choose from, we’re more likely to go to the Tomball Parkway location because it’s closer and we like the staff. There’s a very on-the-ball young bartender, two female servers who are so efficient they make your head spin around and a couple of old-timers that aren’t fast on their feet but they can be jokesters.
However, come springtime (or a warm February), I am likely to make my way with a friend or two to the Spring location for a patio happy hour. While I love a well-made craft cocktail and a five-course meal, sometimes I just need a frozen rita, a steak fajita and the company of those who enjoy the same.
El Palenque Spring
1485 Spring Cypress
281-353-4055
gopalenque.com
El Palenque Tomball
21161 Tomball Parkway
281-376-6960
gopalenque.com
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.
