A staple Montrose Tex-Mex restaurant is coming to Garden Oaks. La Mex, a sister concept to La Mexicana, will open this September in the Stomping Grounds development (1207 W 34th St.).

Designed as a fast-casual version of the Montrose breakfast favorite, La Mex will occupy the former Cherry Block Smokehouse space. Zulema Gonzalez, the daughter of La Mexicana founders Eduardo and America Treviño, tells CultureMap that she’d been looking for an opportunity to work with Stomping Grounds developer Revive Development and its owner Bryan Danna ever since plans for the original La Mex fell through due to the pandemic. Being able to secure a fully built-out space that only needs cosmetic changes proved to be the right opportunity.

“Everything worked out really great. Bryan was very flexible,” Gonzalez says. “I feel professionally ready, mentally ready. The opportunity that presented itself is a unicorn.”

“Zulema has raised her family in the Greater Houston Heights and has been immersed in the community for well over a decade. She has wanted to grow the family business into her community for years,” Danna writes in an email “The space is our largest restaurant space in the project, which was ideal for this type of cuisine. They are experienced operators that have a proven track record, which was the single most important criteria in our search for a replacement.”

Gonzalez says most of her changes to the space will be cosmetic and are designed to match the look of La Mexicana in Montrose. They’ll include a fresh coat of paint, new banquettes, new chairs, and

“The decor will be pretty much the same,” she says. “We want it to be something people are familiar with and have good memories of being at. We want that connectivity between the restaurants.”

The other thing that will be the same between the two locations will be their food. Since La Mex has a much smaller kitchen than La Mexicana, it will focus on a greatest hits menu of that includes enchiladas, fajitas, tacos, queso, and other customer favorites.

Since La Mexicana is known for its breakfast service, La Mex will offer all of those items, including breakfast tacos, huevos rancheros, migas, and more. Just like the original, La Mex will serve alcohol beginning at 7 am, the earliest time its legally allowed to do so.

“We plan to have a happy hour in the morning — margarita machine and everything,” Gonzalez adds.

“A breakfast offering is important to our project and to the other operators,” Danna adds. “Once La Mex begins to serve in the morning, other operators will begin to offer the same or similar time AM service. This will create synergies for all.”

While plans for the original La Mex fell through, Gonzalez says she feels even more excited about this new location. The time is finally right to grow the business.

“I feel professionally prepared after working under my dad for the past 22 years, getting my foot in the door to be apart of the neighborhood, become a staple for the community; also, taking advantage of the unique opportunity that presented itself,” she says. “I am excited to be a part of what Bryan and Revive have created and can appreciate all the thought and care that has been put into the Stomping Grounds concept.”

Over the past couple years, the Stomping Grounds has emerged as a top dining destination for Garden Oaks and its surrounding neighborhoods. La Mex will join establishments that include Little Dreamer Coffee, Fat Cat Creamery, San Francisco-based Thai restaurant Rooster & Rice, and two restaurants with ties to CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Best New Restaurant Winners — LuLoo’s Day & Night from the owners of Blood Bros. BBQ and sushi restaurant Himari from the owners of Aiko. In the past couple of months, the project has welcomed three new tenants in Vietnamese restaurant Pho Fix, wine bar Sonoma Wine & Cheese, and a to-go only version of Upper Kirby pizzeria Bollo.

Courtesy of La Mexicana

Vibrant Montrose favorite La Mexicana is expanding to GOOF.