Cliantros/ RICO's! Mexican Grill

magnoliamam: We like that place plus the margaritas are pretty good. 4951

Txbutterfly: It was my little heart that said El Ranchero :o).  I'm from NJ and we don't have a ton of Mexican food places up there at least they didn't when I left 10 years ago so I'm not completely fond of it anyway.  It wasn't something that we went out and got on a date night.  We had awesome Italian food which is really hard to find here.  People always mention J. Christophers or Italiano's for Italian food and I'm not overly impressed with either.  I have gone to both but it is not like the Italian food back home.  I live here so I try to eat local and since Pappasito's is so expensive we never had it before.  Now I know that it is delicious but we won't be there often since our budget does not have a lot of extra to it to eat out.
4951

Weathergirl5: Yes! In fact, I need to drop a few pounds in preparation for that. I could eat at Torchys every day. 4951

I went to Rico's once and the food was so bland I never went back. I do like the good at El Ranchero, but the atmosphere is so gross...almost dirty. I do like Pappasito"s and Pueblo Viejo 4951

I went to Rico's a while back and ordered a house marg but the waiter was trying to talk me into their "Cadillac Margarita" (whatever it's called there). I told him I like the house better as I do not like all the "sweet" that comes with those. He kept on about how much I'd like theirs and then told me he was going to bring me one and if I didn't like it I didn't have to pay for it-was his guarantee they are exc. I agreed and after taking a cpl sips I called him over and told him I didn't like it and wanted to send it back for a house. He made a big deal about it..then the mgr came over asking me a bunch of questions about it. I don't enjoy conflict-not the type that sends food back or complains to the mgr about a bad meal. They were embarrassing me so I just told him to get the hell away from my table-put the expensive one on my bill-bring me a house marg and leave me alone.Still surprised it was on my bill when I paid. We had a group of about 10 and they all listened to the waiter sales pitch and guarantee. None of them including myself will ever be back. Food and marg were not very good anyway so we aren't missing anything. 4951

Rigo's: Ugh. We tried really hard to like that place but it is so sub-standard that it's hard to believe they're still in business. I'm not at all surprised to hear about Cador and his experience with the margarita and still being charged for the higher priced drink. BOTH times we went to Rigo's, about a month or so after they opened, we were overcharged on our bill. Once, okay. Twice? Uh-huh. Something funky is going on. We never went back. Service, food, ambiance -- nothing to like about that place.Pappasito's: Go there for lunch and split one of their lunch specials with another person. It's a really budget-friendly meal that way, since you get so much food. I don't care for their salsa but the green sauce is okay.El Ranchero: PUKE! When we walked out of there, my 16 yo daughter asked me, "What just happened?" and I said, "****. We were just served ****." We're from Phoenix and she's been eating awesome Mexican food since she was a baby. El Ranchero shouldn't even be allowed to be in business.Cilantro's: I've been there once when they were still Rico's, but the "Cilantro's" sign was posted on a wall inside the restaurant. My daughter ordered a salad as her entree, and it was a huge pile of iceberg lettuce with very few other ingredients. It was priced at $10 or more, and I remember being shocked at the low quality and high price. Other than that, I don't remember much else. If we had been impressed even a little bit, I'd remember it!Chuy's: We keep going here again and again. Recently, I discovered their bean and cheese burrito topped with queso. Oh my Lord. Now, whenever we drive down 59, I have to avert my gaze, lest I be tempted to indulge in that horrifically calorie laden dish. It's amazingly good. We like their salsa and green sauce. Their salads are pretty good.Gringo's: I'll add this one, even though the nearest one is on the 45. I have such a soft spot in my heart for this place. We discovered it about 3 years ago when we were driving through Houston to get to Galveston and my kids' first cruise. We were all in an awesome mood but quite hungry and weren't sure how long it would take to get on the ship. We saw Gringo's and said, "Hey, why not!" We loved everything about it -- the salsa, the green sauce, sopapillas, fajita nachos. Everything. Oh, and free soft-serve ice cream!Los Cuco's: Hubby and I went here for the first time just a couple of weeks ago. IMO, the ambiance isn't there. It's a huge, brightly lit room. Nothing cozy about it. I did like the chips, green sauce, and salsa. The fajitas were okay but the meat was kind of tough. I thought the prices were pretty high and menus with lots of photos are tacky. You get a lot of food, though. We took home plenty of leftovers. I'm in no hurry to go back.Lupe Tortilla: Okay. The highlight was the rainbow colored popsicle thing my son got at the end of the meal. I remember the beans were quite good. I think I may have ordered the enchiladas and, as Fallon said, they aren't so good. I'm willing to give this one a try, since it's been a couple of years now since we were there.For being in Kingwood only 2 years now, I think we've pretty well covered the Mexican food scene! LOL 4951

Chachis is pretty good, another place you have to get there early or you wait. It tends to be elbow to elbow and noisy in there.
Also, for a quick meal Fiesta Azteca, isn't bad. 4951

Never was a fan of that place.Way to bland except for the salt, service was always hit or miss. 4951

Fallon: Not what I see, the dining room is usually rocking with actual diners. Even eating at the bar.
I've had pretty decent food there. Not Pappasitos but better than the norm.
But I don't wait for Mexican food so I go early or move on. 4951

Ooops! I forgot about Chachi's. Been there 2 or 3 times and yes, it's usually pretty busy. The only thing I've ever ordered is a pork carnitas meal for 2 people. The carnitas are pretty good. We liked it well enough to go back but, again, end up at Chuy's. Usually. 4951

I love Pappasito's, anything with their fajita beef rocks.  I have only ever had the three pepper steak at Lupe Tortilla, and I love it, never had anything else on the menu because that's all I get.  4951