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Los Tios plans to bring its Tex-Mex fare to Houston’s Tanglewood neighborhood this week, crowning the latest Terracotta tile-lined location as the flagship.
The nearly 50-year-old brand’s fifth area eatery is scheduled to arrive Monday, August 26 at 5161 San Felipe Street, across from sister spot Adair Kitchen. Restaurant group Adair Concepts is also behind Eloise Nichols Grill & Liquors and Skeeter’s Mesquite Grill.
Customers can expect the same combination plates, puffy quesos, and sizzling fajitas Los Tios is long known for, alongside debut seafood and salad options. A newly expanded agave program, headquartered behind its towering central bar, will offer sips, shots and flights of over 50 different types of tequilas and mezcals.
New menu items call for a “Classic Chile Relleno 1970” (egg battered poblano pepper stuffed with picadillo), a snapper ceviche alongside mashed avocado, and Mexican spin on Adair Kitchen’s nearby Superfoods Bowl at lunch. There’s also weekend brunch — first rolled out across area locations last year. Daily hours are from 10 a.m (and 11 a.m. on Friday) to 11 p.m. and until 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Houston-based interior designer Aaron Rambo looked to Mexico City’s haciendas to craft a modern and airy desert vibe that integrates lots of velvet and vinyl elements. Metal cactus sculptures, vintage cutting boards, and Mexican textiles sourced from local vintage shops help dress up the dining room, illuminated with over 20 star-shaped pendant lights. A colorful Mexican oil cloth acts as wallpaper near the entrance.
The 14-foot-tall horseshoe-shaped bar, splashed with colorful tiling and a red marble counter, is the nucleus of the operation. From there bartenders will whip up new cocktails like a White Margarita with frothy egg white and paloma, and an Old Fashioned gets a Mexican twist thanks to Casamigos Anejo and agavero. Its destination frozen margaritas will be available in three sizes.
A local artist covered bar cabinets, doors, and windows with gold pinstriping, inspired by traditional low-rider car painting technique.
A large window-lined patio, overlooking a canopy of large oak trees, goes for a Mexican garden theme via plant-filled cement urns and a custom tiled fountain.
