Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen

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melissas2cents

Joined 3 years ago

margaritas fuerte casa. JAN 14, 2011~~must say...house margarita [the BIG one is $8.50] and it will definitely sneak up on you~~after 2, **wink wink** you will need a designated driver!!

fish taco's--tasty. hot sauce bland--could use more cilantro or jalapeno.

Prices are decent. If you live in the neighborhood, id freguent.

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The Katt

Joined 3 years ago

Simply the best. Sylvia's is simply the best. The kitchen doesn't rely on extra globs of cheese and butter to make it's food tasty. You will have your best Mexican meal ever and not feel like you've eaten a house afterward.

Doesn't Recommend

sammy g

Joined 3 years ago

got really sick after eating here. We went here after hearing rave reviews of how good it was. Our server was very very nice. Ordered chicken salad and my friend had the enchiladas. All was ok, til early the next morning ..my friend became very ill. SHE was ill for 5 days....It was just horrible. Will not return as something needs to be done to correct their food sanitation.

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SBOOTH

Joined 5 years ago

Awesome Food And Service. My husband and I have been to Sylvia's many time for their breakfasts on the weekend. Which, by the way is one of the best around!!! I work at the Fire Station near Sylvia's. The guys at the station are always teasing me about not "cooking" at the fire station. So, I decided to order take-out for my Fire Station for the day we had our "Muscular Dystrophy Fill The Boot" day, so no one would have to cook that day. I spoke with the manager, "Stephanie", who was very helpful with the ordering. I was sketical about the portions and what type of food to order. But, just as she said...there was plenty for all and everyone seemed to really enjoy the enchiladas. My daughters are attending a bridal shower later this month at Sylvia's. If their catering services are half as good as their take out or dine-in service....WOW...what more could you ask for?!!!! So, with the excellant food and service we got with Sylvia's...I think I'll be "cooking" more at the fire station!!!

Doesn't Recommend

TheBestCritic

Joined 8 years ago

Don't Waste Your Time or Money. We were very excited when we learned that Sylvia’s was opening a location near our house on Woodway, and couldn’t wait to try it. We had never eaten at the old location, although we had taken a cooking class instructed by Sylvia at Central Market about a year ago.

We arrived about 8:15 and the dining room was about at about 15% capacity which caused some concern but stayed anyway. The waiter was a complete dud; he had no personality and acted as if he was doing us a favor by waiting on us. My wife quizzed our semi-conscious waiter about their Sangria and after telling her how great they were she ordered one. Apparently the fruit was soured or someone mistakenly poured some vinegar in the glass; either way it was “undrinkable.” After asking the waiter twice he finally removed it from the table. (He did deduct it from the bill)

The chips and “hot” sauce served while we waited for dinner were nothing special and the sauces had very little flavor and NO heat. I had the “HIDALGO - ‘Enchiladas de Carnitas’ Grilled Pork Enchiladas served with either Verde Sauce or a Red Sauce & topped with Avocado Slices. Red Sauce is HOT!” I asked for their spiciest sauce and we directed to the Red Sauce so I had two enchiladas with four slices of avocado about 1/8” thick, a dab of refried beans fresh from the Old El Paso can, and the most tasteless Mexican rice I’ve ever eaten. The enchiladas had maybe one tablespoon of meat in each and it was “cooked down” to thick gravy. The red sauce tasted like they squeezed a packet of Taco Bell’s mild sauce onto my dwarf enchiladas. My wife ordered the “BROWNSVILLE - Cheese Enchilada, Crispy Beef Taco, Chile Con Queso Tastada served with Rice and Beans.” The chili gravy on the enchilada was tasteless and room temperature, the taco mimicked that of Jack-in-the-Box, the Chile Con Queso was the best thing on the plate (not hard to pour cheese on a tortilla) and the rice and beans were a duplicate of mine. She left over half of her meal (which was very small) as she didn’t care for anything but the Chile Con Queso. I finished my entire plate as the portions were very small, and after paying $12.00 for two enchiladas I certain was going to leave them.

Sylvia came by our table and noticed my wife’s plate only half gone and she inquired as to how she like it (not a good move) and she gave very descriptive account of each item on the Brownsville and explained why she didn’t like them. To which Sylvia replied, “That’s too bad, everyone really likes our sauce, the chili gravy is what we’re famous for.” Then she turned to me, and I told her it was the blandest Mexican food I’d ever eaten and had no flavor. She said “I’m sorry you didn’t care for it, but please come back again and try something else.” We certainly weren’t looking for a comp’d tab and would have refused if offered, but it wasn’t.

The next weekend we were visiting with some neighbors and they had all tried Sylvia’s (it’s in our neighborhood) and it was amazing how similar everyone’s comments were to ours. After that we all discussed what type of restaurant we wanted in the location once Sylvia’s closes down.

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ickynicky

Joined 5 years ago

Best enchilidas anywhere. Great food--been going there for 15 years now. Try the chili rellano--wonderful. And she (Sylvia) even teaches cooking classes now. Service is wonderful and you only need one frozen margarita.

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mas0226

Joined 5 years ago

Worth the drive!. Sylvia?s is my favorite restaurant. The food is always so fresh and the enchiladas are the best in the city. Her enchilada gravy alone takes 18 hours to make from scratch, and believe me, it?s worth it! I also recently tried her beef fajitas, and now that?s become my new favorite dish there. Be sure to try the margaritas! They?re fantastic and a great value for the price. I live in the Heights, and for me, the drive is definitely worth it, because nothing inside the loop even compares to Sylvia?s.

Doesn't Recommend

houston7071

Joined 5 years ago

The absolute worst Mexican Food I've ever had. The Most Authentic Horrible Mexican Food!!! We were first greeted by Ms. Sylvia herself and let me tell you, the pictures that show her smiling all the time, do not do her justice. She seemed to be irritated as she walked us to our table and unfortunately we didn't get the warm-and-fuzzies from the owner herself. I honestly believe that she trained her own staff...since we didn't feel the warm welcome from them, but felt rushed to place our order. Like the "Soup-Nazi" from Seinfield...you had to know exactly what you were ordering or you got THE LOOK! Getting to the food...well, the chips were greasy and our entree's had absolutely no taste, unless you think bland is a taste. You are much better off buying a Lean Cuisine enchilada platter. And no matter how much the waiter is selling this and says that "it's the best in Houston"...never, never, never order the Cabrito. Needless to say, we are never going back there again.

Doesn't Recommend

kimmy1998

Joined 6 years ago

TERRIBLE MEXICAN FOOD. I am Hispanic and consider myself a connoisseur of Mexican food and I must say that Sylvias was a disappointing dining experience to say the least. The chips were stale and the salsa had a metalic taste (they must be using canned tomatoes) the chicken enchiladas hardly had any chicken in them, the rice was bland and overcooked, and my boyfriend's fajitas were tough and generic. I will not ever return.

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teriharwood

Joined 6 years ago

Best Enchiladas in the Southwest!. My husband has been eating Tex-Mex Food and Enchiladas in particular for nearly 65 years from "true" West Texas to east of the Mississippi River and Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen ranks by far as the BEST in the southwest. We recently sampled the Crab Enchilada Plate and my husband swore he heard angels hovering around his head. For impeccable service, presentation and the ultimate Enchilada experience Sylvia's is not to be missed. And if you're really lucky - you may even get a hug from the beautiful and gracious owner herself.