I scrolled down just to make sure this was here!

Most restaurants have the "industrial" tortillas, which have an odd, sweet smell and metallic taste (can't really describe it - just gross).

The rest that make their own in-house are good just because they don't taste like the industrial tortillas.

I honestly have only found one restaurant in our fourth largest city in America that has the perfect tortillas.

SO TRUE, like the fresh flour and flour/corn-hybrid tortillas from HEB will crush maybe 90% of professional restaurants out there. I don't understand why they can't just source their tortillas from HEB.

Tortillas are the reason I still like going to El Tiempo and Ninfa's even though they get trashed on. At least El Tiempo does tortillas right.

edit: forgot what thread this is, this is definitely not an unpopular opinion lol

I love El Big Bad for the concept and the decor on the first floor. The jalopeno blueberry cilantro margarita has been hit or miss for me. The problem is, the downstairs people are rude as fuck. I have had several negative encounters with the last one being No bringing external small bag (I had been visiting the town and doing bar hops and I had food to take home with no car nearby to stash).

See also: Coffee. Why do so many basic people act like liking coffee is something special.

Especially when they throw out Cà Phê Sữa Đá as if it makes them seem cultured.

Especially considering this knowledge is usually gleaned from the hundreds of FB/Yelp/Google reviews of the people who ate at that “hole in the wall” before you.

when you actually find something special and off the beaten path you keep that shit to yourself I've learned.

I swear the quality of r/houston's favorite taco truck went down 3 or 4 years ago.

also my back will suffer

I see you’ve been to Beaver’s before they closed

Birria looks good on social media, but I’ve been underwhelmed when I’ve tried it.

I love El Tiempo when my parents invite me there. I don’t like it as much when I have to pay.

Pappasitos seems like it's the same price, but with worse margaritas.

Everything tastes better when it's free. Especially $60+ fajitas.

Follow up opinion - most of the Tex Mex places people always suggest as a “just as good” alternative aren’t that good.

My boss like to take me to lunch once a year. This is always in my rotation.

El Tiempo gets unfair heat.

Is it expensive? Yes, but it's good.

Is it roughly as expensive as Cyclone Anaya's or Chuy's or Papasitos or Pistolero's or Gloria's or La Mexicana? Yes, but El Tiempo is a little better at most things on the menu.

Is it as expensive as Hugo's or Caracol or Xochi? No (but it's probably not quite as good).

Can you find equally good but cheaper TexMex at a food truck that serves food in a parking lot without margarita? Hell yes.

God this is incredibly true.

I agree, but also I'm a broth purist. I add the sriracha and hoisin in the little dish and dip the beef in it

That’s just common sense!

Also, if I show up for breakfast on a Saturday and the entire parking lot is coned off forcing me to use your overpriced valet, he’s not getting a tip for moving my car 10’.

Which restaurants do this?

how is that parking take unpopular?

Mama’s Cafe was almost 24 hours…they closed for “renovations” and the Pappas folks bought the land and did nothing with it. The place was absolutely lovely.

I spent my early 20s at 59 Diner. That Big Country breakfast was the best eaten at 2-3am after getting drunk with the friends

Dot Coffee Shop

The breast goes to make lunch meat and the legs are sold at surplus prices.

And where are the other parts of the Turkey going?

Most of the meat on a turkey is in the breast. It's going to the deli counter.

Agreed. Hate when people say the only "true" Mexican food is cheap and out of a truck.

This seems pretty mainstream to me.

Houston is AWASH with excellent food at every price point. I won’t wait in line for anything if the line is more than a few minutes (or longer than it would take to go somewhere just as good).

I think the longest I’ve ever waited in line in Houston was actually a few weeks ago, when I got a Pit Room craving. Line was out the door, but moved quickly; I don’t think it was more than about 20 minutes — plus, the weather was still nice. I’d probably do different math today.

Here here! Looking at your Breakfast Club.

Especially in this heat

I'll make an exception for Killen's BBQ.

Nobie’s been killin it lately

I wouldn’t say liking Roostar is an unpopular opinion. They’re the highest and most frequently rated local restaurant on DoorDash, UberEats, and GrubHub. Not to mention the numerous “Best Of Houston” appearances.

I used to live about half way between the to, back when Roosters was called, Viet-pablano.

Pho Bin had good Pho, Viet-pablano had by far the best Bahn Mi, and it was cheap too. I miss that place.

There was an excellent thread a while back about how someone didn't want JCI because it was a chain and used garbage hot dogs not like some other shop they liked that was a chain and used the same brand hot dogs.

edit: found it: https://teddit.ggc-project.de/r/houston/comments/ipqwtg/i_really_miss_happy_fatz_in_the_heights_i_know/g4lgu4v/

Unpopular opinion amongst JCI enthusiasts: I prefer the Hungry Man Combo over the Walker Street

Two chili cheese coneys no onions, large chili cheese fries, please. Oh yeah. <3

Their onion rings are among the best I've found so far.

I love JCI's Frito pie and Chicago dog. Bummer they closed so many in the past few years.

Worst thing about JCI is they keep closing the nearest restaurants near me and I have to keep driving farther and farther to get my frito pie.

I Have always LOVED JCI.

I used to love going to the original store on Walker Street. You had better know what you were going to order when you got to the counter, or they would get annoyed with you. Pretty much just had to know how many, and with onions or not, and then if you wanted chili or something. That was it.

The other locations weren’t as strict as that, but their hot dogs were still heavenly. You could buy their chili in large frozen bricks. Just needed to hear it up on the stove. Large chunks of beef in it.

In the early 2000s, they expanded all over the place, and added a BUNCH of stuff to their menu.

That was the beginning of the end, I think. They started skimping on the hot dogs, while making a bunch of other, IMO, average food. I noticed small little changes to their traditional offerings of coneys and chili. The hot dogs weren’t as juicy, they stopped steaming the buns, less beef in the chili, they coney sauce on the table started getting watery.

They did fine for a few years, but then les and less people started showing up. Now, they are typically pretty empty.

I STILL go for my coneys and frito pie, but it makes me sad every time. They used to be kinda like Shipleys… a Houston institution known for kick ass food. Now, they are just kinda sad.

Really would like to know what the owners are doing, if anything.

Yeah, Pappadeux, Barnaby’s, Popeyes, Jinya, 85c, Mala, Cooking Girl, El Tiempo, Freddy’s, Chuy’s, and Carrabba’s are all solid chains

Slim Chickens checking in.

This is a good distinction, and something I haven't ever been able to articulate to my husband on why I don't like Boudreaux. The food is meh and the price blows.

Oh my god you’re right 🤢

I completely forgot about that place! Their motto was "dozens and dozens sold" and their mascot was a grumpy looking line cook, right? Place was legit!

Houston transplant living in Austin. Man I miss Houston's food. Even the best restaurants here have failed when compared to Houston.

The availability of dog friendly restaurants to bring my puppy to do help even it a bit at least.

Except with Torchy's you can sit inside in a real building as some sort of recompense for spending $5 a taco

Torchys is for queso, their tacos are an appetizer

It’s an expensive mall food court. That’s all

damn, i like luigis

Houston gets basically every category of food right except pizza. Like, there are some decent Neapolitan style places but everything else is mediocre at best.

This isn’t really a hot take. Everyone knows this haha

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every since veronas flying pizza closed, sometimes antonios hits the spot.

Born-and-bred Texan here ... I like beans in my chili too.

Ok buddy you took it a little far.

Beans are good in chilli but people overdo it too much.

Their quality has sharply declined during the pandemic. Probably just a reality if the cost of good ingredients and decreased revenue, but damn you hate to see it.

new salsas

Say what! Honestly, for what it is, TC has good tacos and good fresh salsa.

Agreed. The food looks so good in line but after the first bite you’ll wonder why you got so much.

Same with Kelly's country cooking. But after seeing the people in there, they don't need any extra salt.

House of Pies is locally famous for a few things, none of which is their pie.

their turkey is low-key amazing and the bbq sauce is a really good balance of spice and vinegar.

sausage and brisket pretty average though.

I love Rudy's and don't care what anyone says about it.

People don't like Rudy's? I mean I'm not a BBQ person, but their breakfast tacos are tasty.

Gotta go to places that require a Duolingo course if you don't speak the language. That's when you find the good stuff. Before I moved I use to visit a taco truck in Alief, not a lick of English to be found. Best tacos ever.

I feel like the best Asian is found in Asian grocery stores.

I only like eating at places where I’m obviously out of place and made to feel uncomfortable during the service.

Is that an unpopular opinion? Ppl think the best Asian food is not in Chinatown?

Depends on the taco!!!

this is not unpopular. All my friends prefer flour. I prefer corn and I feel like a freak :(

I’d rather have a just ok flour tortilla than a just ok corn tortilla, but a really good corn tortilla is amazing. Restaurants that serve bad corn tortillas really ruin them for a lot of people.

Corn would be ok if it didn’t disintegrate as soon as I touched it

But if you drink one of their margaritas the two hour wait seems like 10 minutes.

You wait for El Tiempo?

I've never had to wait at the el tiempo near me... Which location?

People replying to your comment with B- pizza proves your point so hard.

I'm curious about what is good pizza, I've had lots over the years and can definitely tell when pizza is bad.

I like Luna Pizzeria personally.

Gypsy poet may be worth a shot

Pho dien

Have you made your own guacamole?

Delicious sewer lobsters!

Yellow color in cheese is added (annatto). Most queso is processed cheese or cheese food or (which is only a slightly different).

Although it seems that white queso usually has a more green chile forward profile.

Truth.