big mambo taxi

Dallas Tex-Mex staple reveals opening date for largest locale to date in River Oaks

The time has come for Houstonians to catch a Mambo Taxi. Mi Cocina will open its doors next Wednesday, November 29.

Earlier this year, the Dallas-based Tex-Mex restaurant claimed the former Seasons 52 space near River Oaks District (4410 Westheimer Rd.) for its return to the Houston market. The restaurant had two previous Houston-area outposts, including a location in The Woodlands that closed in 2017.

Edgar Guevara, president and CEO of Mi Cocina parent company M Crowd Restaurant Group, told CultureMap in February that the company plans to become a fixture in Houston. Its location near River Oaks District is similar to its most successful Dallas outposts.

“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 said at the time. “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.”

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. Overall, the restaurant operates 23 locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Oklahoma, which makes Houston the 24th.

Mi Cocina worked with design firm Droese Raney on an interior that’s inspired by contemporary Mexican design. The result is Mi Cocina’s largest location to date with a 10,000-square-foot interior that includes a private dining room and an adults-only bar area. Details include artwork by Luis Sotil and custom furniture created by Peter Glassford.

With final details still being completed, the restaurant provided this updated rendering to preview the interior.

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

“We strive to treat every Mi Cocina location with a unique touch while maintaining consistency in the brand’s identity across spaces,” Droese Raney vice president Christine Howitt said in a statement. “Every facet of the restaurant, from the parota wood tables sourced from Guadalajara to the incorporation of steel edge band wrappings, draws inspiration from modern Mexican design, encapsulating the essence of Mi Cocina’s culture.”

Open for lunch and dinner daily, the restaurant expects to employ more than 100 people.

“We are thrilled to soon open our doors here in Houston,” Guevara added in a statement. “Mi Cocina is, above all, a family-oriented establishment. This new location will provide us with another fantastic opportunity to cater to a beloved neighborhood, while extending our commitment to a fresh set of employees.”

Mi Cocina joins an area around River Oaks and Upper Kirby with lots of choices for Tex-Mex. Nearby options include Escalante’s in Highland Village, Chuy’s on Westheimer near Kirby, Valencia’s Tex-Mex Garage in Greenway Plaza, and three popular restaurants near the intersection of Kirby and Richmond — Picos, Little Pappasito’s, and El Tiempo Cantina. Cyclone Anaya’s will open its seventh Houston-area location just down the street from Mi Cocina in the former Frank’s Americana Revival space at 3736 Westheimer.

Courtesy of Mi Cocina

Mi Cocina is known for its brisket tacos.

head east

Eagerly-anticipated Houston barbecue joint hosts weekend preview pop-ups

Courtesy of Eastbound Barbecue

Get a first taste of Eastbound Barbecue this weekend.

One of Houston’s most eagerly anticipated new barbecue joints is giving diners a preview of what’s to come. Eastbound Barbecue will host “Sneak Peak Weekends” every Saturday and Sunday beginning this Saturday, December 20, until the restaurant opens in early 2026.

Held at the restaurant’s location in the East End (1105 Sampson Street) from 12-4 pm (or sold out), the weekend service gives diners their first chance to try Eastbound Barbecue’s smoked meats, sides, and desserts. That includes, smoked brisket, baby back ribs, jalapeno & cheese sausage, hatch chili lasagna mac & cheese, herbed potato salad, and more. Save room for the two dessert offerings, salted caramel banana pudding and cookie butter cake.

To distinguish Eastbound’s barbecue, chefs Lopez and Granville use different seasonings than other restaurants, such as rosemary salt in the brisket rub and a miso-caramel sauce that gives its ribs a sweet and savory bite. During the preview, Eastbound’s prices are noticeably lower than many other Houston barbecue joints, with brisket priced at $29 per pound, ribs at $26 per pound, and pulled pork at $22 per pound.

As CultureMap reported in August, Eastbound unites four friends, Ryan Penn, Ryan Powell, Luis Lopez, and Jake Granville, who also held senior roles at various restaurants owned by prominent Houston chef Ronnie Killen. Since then, the four partners have finished many of the improvements they needed to make prior to opening, including closing in the patio and installing offset smokers on the property.

For Penn, leaving the Killen’s organization after almost 20 years was a difficult decision, but one he felt he had to make. “I could have worked for [Killen] forever and been happy. It was more along the lines of, if I don’t do this now, I don’t want to be 70 and wish that I had,” he said at the time.

Courtesy of Eastbound Barbecue

Get a first taste of Eastbound Barbecue this weekend.

news-you-can-eat barbecue openings