15 Great Tacos in Houston

Fiesta Loma Linda

Tacos a la Martin

This is one of the last of the old-school Houston Tex-Mex joints dating from the fifties and the Felix Tijerina era. Tucked into a standard-issue Tex-Mex menu of fajitas and enchiladas are the “beef tacos a la Martin,” featuring Houston’s own version of a San Antonio puffy taco. A corn tortilla is flash-fried in oil so it becomes puffed up and imminently crunchy. It’s then filled with ground beef and drenched in queso, shredded iceberg lettuce, and diced tomatoes. An inquiry with the staff suggested the originator of this dish is long gone—no one knew who Martin was.
2111 Telephone Rd, 713-924-6074. Open Sun 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Mon–Wed 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m., Thu–Sat 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m.