get in line for the mambo taxi

Dallas Tex-Mex staple makes big Houston return near River Oaks District

Mambo taxis are coming to Houston.

Courtesy of Mi Cocina

One of Dallas’s most popular Tex-Mex restaurants is returning to the Houston area. Mi Cocina has claimed the former Seasons 52 location near River Oaks District (4410 Westheimer Rd.) for a new restaurant that will open this fall.

A Dallas staple for more than 30 years, Mi Cocina is known for its upscale Tex-Mex fare and the Mambo Taxi, a frozen margarita with a swirl of sangria. Signature items include the brisket tacos, Mama’s tacos, and the Rico salad that’s topped with sliced chicken fajitas. The Houston location will be the company’s 24th outpost, joining locations across Dallas-Fort Worth and Oklahoma.

“I’m a very conservative guy when it comes to real estate,” Edgar Guevara, president and CEO of Mi Cocina parent company M Crowd Restaurant Group, tells CultureMap. “We’ll put our best foot forward. We’re working with Droese Raney to create a space that’s consistent with our contemporary Mexican approach and building it to fit the neighborhood.”

The Houston location will feature an expansive dining room and a dedicated, adults-only bar area. Mi Cocina has commissioned artist Luis Sottil to create a large, custom painting for the restaurant.

Mi Cocina Houston rendering A rendering previews the new Mi Cocina.Courtesy of Mi Cocina

“We’ve started building upscale bars in these restaurants that are adults-only areas where people can enjoy Mambo Taxis. We started that with our Monkey Bar,” Guevara says. “River Oaks will have a big dining space for families. We’ll also have this upscale bar where adults can enjoy some light bites and premium drinks.”

Open for lunch and dinner daily, the restaurant expects to employ between 80 and 100 people. If all goes according to plan, Houstonians will be sipping Mambo Taxis by October.

Mi Cocina’s new location marks the company’s return to the Houston market. The company opened a location at Woodway and Voss in 2004 that’s now home to Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen. A location at the Woodlands Mall that closed in 2017 is now occupied by South African restaurant Mozambik.

Guevara, who joined the company almost six years ago, expresses optimism that this time Mi Cocina will stick in the Bayou City. He sees similarities between the River Oaks area the company selected and the restaurant’s successful restaurant in Dallas’s Highland Park neighborhood.

“I don’t know what happened with the past openings we had in Houston. I think when you’re going into a market you want to pick someplace that’s similar to where you operate,” Guevara says. “I happen to like the location we’re in. That’s why we landed there. It was data driven and then there were similarities to what we do in Dallas.”

Goldee's and Barbs Go North

2 Michelin-recognized pitmasters cooking up Texas barbecue joint in NYC

Photo by Will Milne

Kirbee's will stay true to the menus at the two barbecue joints that came before it. (Pictured: A tray at Goldee's Bar-B-Q)

Two important restaurants in the Texas barbecue scene have spawned a new project in a less-expected locale: New York City. Barbs B Q owner Chuck Charnichart and former Goldee's Bar-B-Q partner Jonny White will open Kirbee's, a restaurant combining classic dishes from both of its progenitors, at 55 McGuinness Blvd. South in Greenpoint (a neighborhood in Brooklyn) in about four to five months, White says.

Both White and Charnichart have led two of Texas's most well-regarded barbecue joints. Located in Fort Worth, Goldee's ranked No. 1 on Texas Monthly's list of the state's 50 best barbecue restaurants in 2021 and ranked No. 3 on the 2025 list. Charnichart, who worked at Goldee's, opened Barbs B Q in Lockhart in 2023. Earlier this week, Barbs earned an impressive three-star review in the New York Times. Both restaurants hold Bib Gourmand designations in the Michelin Guide.

Eater New York broke the news on February 24, and White caught CultureMap up with some additional written details.

As Eater points out, Charnichart brings creative dishes from her Lockhart restaurant like pork ribs with lime zest, Mexican-spiced brisket, and the famous "green spaghett" made with poblanos and cilantro. White brings lauded barbecue from Fort Worth that's more fit for purists, including smoked turkey, brisket, and classic sides.

For many, Barbs B Q represents the Texas barbecue vanguard. Now New Yorkers will be in on it, too.Photo by Bryce Gilbertson

White further tells CultureMap that the menu will probably be organized into plates and trays so that guests can sample one barbecue joint or the other.

White has been in New York for seven months after selling his shares of Goldee's. He's secured a building and is working with contractors to convert it for barbecue greatness. The two pitmasters will get to work together physically soon — although White doesn't spill the beans about whether Charnichart plans to move there or just visit.

Kirbee's exterior New York Kirbee's will take over this cheerful space.Photo by Jonny White

"Chuck is one of my best friends and an amazing chef," White says. "I’m super excited for us to be working together again and we are excited to be in New York!"

One of the adjustments the duo had to make to thrive in the Big Apple is to make do with a smaller smoker setup. Instead of traditional offset smokers — the large barrels Texas foodies are used to seeing out back at their favorite barbecue joints — Kirbee's will use smoker ovens. White confirms the decision was about space, but he's hopeful the more consistent cooking process will actually be better than the Texas norm. "I think it will be interesting for people to compare," he says.

The real question for barbecue-lovers who are in it for the culture: How will New Yorkers deal with the lines?

"I think they’re used to long lines and being served to order because of Katz," White says, referring to Katz's Delicatessen, an ultra-famous New York deli since 1888 that's known for its gigantic pastrami sandwiches. But if it's not the brisket that transports Yankees to the Southwest, the Texas pitmaster looks forward to introducing them to Waco's own Big Red.

openings pitmasters barbecue