Tequila and Tacos

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo 2025 at these Houston bars and restaurants

Picos has margaritas for $10 all day on Cinco de Mayo.

By Becca Wright

It’s Cinco de Mayo weekend in Houston, and this city knows how to celebrate Mexico's victory at the Battle of Puebla. From sizzling street tacos and refreshing margaritas to live mariachi music and cultural festivities, there’s no shortage of ways to join the fiesta. We’ve compiled a few of the festivities happening around the city. So, pour yourself a shot of tequila, grab a taco, and enjoy a reason to celebrate with friends.

Axelrad
This beloved Midtown beer garden is keeping it chill with all-day margarita specials on Monday, May 5. From 2 pm to midnight, enjoy house margaritas for $5 (add a flavor for $1). Then, settle into a comfy hammock in Axelrad’s spacious backyard to relax.

Candente
Cinco de Mayo celebrations at the Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex restaurant will span three days, from May 3–5. On Saturday and Sunday, enjoy all-day festivities including tequila tastings, a DJ, and a photo booth. On Monday, a traveling mariachi band will set the mood while diners feast on Tex-Mex favorites, paired with margaritas, micheladas, and other cocktails from multiple satellite bars. Seating is first-come, first-served.

Cyclone Anaya
All six Houston-area Cyclone Anaya’s locations are marking Cinco de Mayo with food and drink specials and live music. Stop by for $5 margaritas, two tacos for $5, and mariachi band performances throughout the day. Whether you’re in the mood to sip, snack, or dance, this classic Houston Tex-Mex joint is ready to party.

Late August
For Cinco de Mayo, executive chef Sergio Hidalgo presents a special three-course Taco Omakase menu, offering a refined take on tacos through an Afro-Mexican lens. Each course can be paired with wines selected by Level 3 Sommelier Danny Davis. This exclusive dining experience is available for dinner only on May 5. Reservations are highly recommended.

Maximo
This West U. Mexican restaurant from the team behind Local Foods and Milton's is going all out on Monday. From 5-8 pm, the restaurant's Cinco de Mayo Pachanga will feature a one-night-only collaboration menu from chef Adrian Torres and guest Joseph Boudreaux of Boo's Burgers, live painting by Houston artists Donkeeboy and Donkeemom, a market with local vendors, tequila tastings, and music by DJ Mexican Blackbird.

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Molina’s Cantina
Premium margs are just $8 at Molina’s all weekend. On Monday, mariachis will serenade guests at every outpost from 6-8 pm, while happy hour is on all day, including Molina’s margaritas for $9.50 and Mexican beers for $4.50.

The Original Ninfa’s
At Ninfa’s Uptown, the Tex-Mex favorite is partnering with Don Julio tequila for a twist on the Uptown Mezcal cocktail or the Ninfarita, Uptown, or Navigation margaritas. Don’t miss the Aguasol Tequila Jello shots for $3. Enjoy mariachi music Saturday from 5–6 pm, with a photo booth and giveaways from 5–7 pm.

At Ninfa’s on Navigation, celebrate with Patron-based cocktails and the same festive Jello shots. Sunday’s mariachi is from 2–3 pm, with a photo booth and giveaways from 2–4 pm.

Picos
Get your groove on at this restaurant in Upper Kirby with a live DJ mixing up music on Sunday from 12-3 pm outside, and a mariachi band performing inside from 12-4 pm. Feast on the Cinco de Mayo brunch buffet from 10 am-4 pm. On Monday, order $10 house margs from 11 am-3 pm, while an all-you-can-eat pastor cart will be available for $21 a person.

State Fare Kitchen and Bar
On Cinco de Mayo, all three locations (Memorial, Sugar Land, and The Woodlands) will serve up festive specials, including $5 State Fare margaritas (frozen or on the rocks) and oversized eats like the Big Tex Taco with a 12-inch puffy flour tortilla. Bring friends and dig into the Big Cinco Platter ($45), which includes the Big Tex Taco, quesabirria, guacamole, salsa, and tortilla chips.

Toca Madera
This stylish steakhouse is known for its lively vibes, and Cinco is no exception. The restaurant will be alive with music all weekend, with a DJ, guitarists, and baile folklorico performances. You won’t want to miss the fire dancers. On Cinco de Mayo, happy hour is extended from 2-6 pm, with a live mariachi band. Reservations are recommended.

Verde Garden
The Harlow District is pulling out all the stops with three days of Cinco de Mayo festivities. On Saturday, May 3, enjoy a lively lineup featuring a mariachi band at 2 pm, Folklorico dancers at 7 pm, and a DJ set starting at 10 pm. A paloma bar and photo booth add to the fun. On Sunday, May 4, customers can sip from a michelada bar and unwind at the unique cumbia and coffee bar. Then on Monday, May 5, enjoy food and drink specials all day long.

Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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