There are many Mexican food restaurants now in place in Houston, but some have been more influential than others in shaping the community and the cuisine of today.

One of these influential places is called Ninfa’s. It also happens to be known as the birthplace of the fajita. Ninfa’s was created by a woman named Ninfa Laurenzo in 1973. It started as a 10 table restaurant in front of a tortilla factory and Laurenzo opened it up in order to make some extra cash. 

Source: bootsintheoven.com

While the restaurant was first starting, Laurenzo would often sing to customers, prepare food, and socialize with everyone in the restaurant. According to Joe Pratt, a professor of business and history at the University of Houston, “Ninfa became a symbol of the city’s growing diversity and the opportunity for people who hadn’t always had opportunity here.”

The featured item on the menu at Ninfa’s was tacos al carbon which later became known as the fajita. The fajita then became very popular and was served in just about every Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston shortly after.

 

 

 

 

Source: yelp.com                                                                 Source: houstonisd.org

 

In 1979, Ninfa received the “Woman Restaurateur of the Year” award, in 1988 she was elected into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame, and she now has a school named after her. She died of bone cancer in 2001, but her memory and influence still resonates in Houston.

Another notable restaurant in Houston is Molina’s Cantina. Molina’s is known to be the oldest continually operating Mexican food restaurant in Houston.

It was opened in 1941 by Raul Molina Sr. and has remained in the family ever since. One of the key aspects of the Molina’s restaurant is its family friendly atmosphere. It has become a place of social gathering due to its delicious food and friendly environment.

Molina’s did not originally serve the Tex-Mex that we think of today. Back in 1941, they would serve crackers and butter as an appetizer instead of the tortilla chips and salsa of today. The main dish at Molina’s was Spaghetti with chili con carne that is now known as Cincinnati chili. Since then, the dishes have been ever evolving into the more traditional Tex-Mex of today.

Molina’s Cantina has been a pioneer in terms of the cuisine in Houston and has reshaped what the country thinks of Texas and more specifically, Houston food.

Both of these restaurants are notable for their different qualities: Ninfas for originating the fajita in Houston and Molina’s for its cutting edge atmosphere and cuisine, but both have significantly affected the culture of Houston. If not for the men and women that created restaurants such as these, Houston would not be known for the cultural diversity that it has today.