The Original Ninfa's on Navigation
The original Ninfa's in Houston Serving Authentic Mexican Cuisine
(713) 228-1175
2704 Navigation Blvd
(at Canal Street)
Houston,
TX
77003
29.757213
-95.34266
Neighborhoods: Second Ward, South Central
Reviews & Ratings for The Original Ninfa's on Navigation
44 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 44 reviews
Still the Best
by garywise
April 24, 2007
There is something about the food that just makes it *better* than any other Mexican place we have tried. Fresh, tasty with great service by servers with over 20 yrs service. Ask for Jose Cruz!
Fajitas are some of the best you will ever have, grilled quail are sublime.
Far too many good things to mention!
- Pros: Great Food, Service, Tradition
- Cons: Parking, bathrooms
Awesome Food, Poor Service !!
by edglor2009
July 07, 2009
A very kind hotel driver recomended this place to us as one of the kind restaurant, so it seemed like a good idea until we met Jose L. our waiter who I think he knew we were from out of town, well long story short , when we place our order for individual drinks (original margaritas) he in fact got us 2 pitchers with some sweet syrup shoots, we just said oh well, but suddenly unrequested appetizers arrived to our table at that point when we ordered with him our main meal things only got worst specially because we follow his recommendations and got food for 12 people when in fact we were only 5, which at the end got 20% grattuity added,service overall was ok, I noticed that you only get water if you ask for it, go figured that one...
I will be having second thoughts about coming back there again unless I get the guy on the video to wait on me.
- Pros: Best Fajitas, Fresh Tortillas and Sauces
- Cons: A/c Doesn't cool well and Slippery Floors
WORST WAITER EVER!!!!!
by amywerst
June 25, 2009
If you end up with "Ernesto" for your waiter, turn around and leave immediately. My family went out for a nice meal and ended up with probably the worst restaurant experience ever. We didn't even see our waiter until he showed up with another table's food. We sat their waiting for him to notice the NINE new people in his section for about 20 minutes before my husband finally flagged him down and told him we were ready to order. He NEVER asked about beverages, forcing us to beg him twice to bring us glaaes of WATER!!!! Thank goodness the food arrived quicly, though he never even asked what kind of dressing I wanted for my salad, so I had to use the green salsa. Once the food arrived we literally never saw him again. IF GRATUITY IS GOING TO BE MANDATORY FOR PARTIES OVER 6, THE WAITER CAN'T BE INCOMPETENT!!!!!
- Cons: Terrible service, mediocre food
Urban location...suburban prices.
by swyzlstyx
May 04, 2009
I've been a few times over the years (usually not by my choice), and with each visit it seemed to go a little downhill . Last time we were in a group of eight, which I knew would be a mistake, but I figured my family members from the suburbs knew of the place and wouldn't be scared to eat there. The dining room was so cramped, we could hardly get up to use the bathroom...which would probably be a good thing since the bathroom was so disgusting I felt like I was at an old truck stop. The floor of the dining room was so slippery with grease that I nearly fell. Service was not good. Food was average....I mean...it's just tex-mex. The prices last time I went were WAY more than what most Mexican food places in that area charge. The prices would be expensive even if it were a fancy place in the 'burbs! It's pretty obvious why. The parking lot was filled with high-end SUV's and I didn't actually see any Mexicans eating there. This place is purely a "ghetto-chic" trandy place for out-of-towners to get the Tex-Mex food they know from the suburbs. If you're wanting to impress your friends by taking them to a Mexican place in a neighborhood where they wouldn't normally go to, try any of the countless other places in the area. Don't be scared...just pick any one of them and simply stop in...most of them have more authentic food, and WAY better prices. I mean, really, $18 for some beef rolled up in a tortilla and some refried beans and rice?
- Pros: Food is not bad.
- Cons: Dirty and cramped.
Awesome place
by csn26
April 14, 2009
The flour tortillas are hand made at the restaurant which is a nice plus. The perfect margaritas are the best in town in my opinion. I love getting the taco al carbon plate- just so that I can have one beef fajita taco and not eat too much. We live by the warehouse district, so it's really close by our location. They added an outdoor patio, which is nice- although the arrangement of the furniture isn't optimum. The cost adds up, especially with the drinks- but that's anywhere you go.
- Pros: Wonderful fajitas and margaritas
- Cons: a little pricey
Used to be Good
by TMary
February 16, 2009
Quality and Quantity down, prices up. I guess the customer is paying for the outdoor addition, which is not a great place to sit with the flys and stray dogs.
Wow - wonderful food, powerful margaritas
by pflore
January 30, 2009
This restaurant really was terrific. You can tell that they care about all of the details. It was SOOOO much better than the other tex mex places in town. Everything we had at our table was exceptional, including the service. Great tacos, a really good seafood enchilada, the best Caesar salad I have ever had, and a carne steak that melted in your mouth. If anything, the margaritas were too strong. Omar was our waiter, I would highly recommend asking for him when you go in. (He gave us his card, but I lost it)
It's good to know that there are Mexican restaurants that really care about the guest experience.
- Pros: Strong Tasty Margaritas
- Cons: Strong Tasty Margaritas
Nice Patio/Good drinks/Average Food
by jcrow29
January 14, 2009
Personally, I think it's hard to find "bad" mexican food in Houston. I go to Ninfa's when in the following situation a) The weather is nice and I want eat mexican food outdoors b) I'm in the area and want margaritas and want to sit outside c) a native Houstonian wants to relive the glory days of Ninfas and I tag along. The food really is nothing to write home about. I thought the refried beans were horrific the last time I had them- tasted like too much lard- with a hint of bacon greese. There is a better family run mexican restaurant across the street that seems to use much more fresh ingredients, but the atmosphere is more family oriented and not as "fun" if you're out with a young group.
- Pros: Patio/History
- Cons: Not the best part of town/average food/not worth the wait on the weekends
NOT CHEAP EATS!!!
by thebestcritic
December 22, 2008
It'll never be the same after Ninfa left, but its "OK." Nothing to brag about any more.... The new owners have cleaned the place up a bit and the parking is greatly improved, but the food just isn't the same. The prices reflect the changes and are a bit pricy relative to comparable restaurants. Service was very slow the last time we were there. I guess I'm just lost in time. Having been a Ninfa's on Navigation customer since the 70's it makes me sad to see the changes, but that's the way it goes. Other Ninfa locations have better food and more reasonable prices, but just isn't the same. Oh well..
- Pros: Some old building, Parking
- Cons: Changes, Food Quality, Prices
Response from this business
Ninfas– January 06, 2009 at 09:42:54 PST
I appreciate your comments, but I'd have to say I would put our food up against just about anybody - and we totally stand behind it. We take no shortcuts. We grind fresh beef daily for all of our tacos, make our own chorizo, make both our red and green salsas twice daily, everyone of our tortillas is handmade. In addition to our famous fajitas, we've added many new items with authentic recipes. BBQ'd TexasQuail - Lamb Shank Mole - Chili Pasilla Rellenos - Cochinita Pibil - Daily made ceviche with gulf shrimp - and much, much more.
Please ask for me when you come in and I will make sure you have a delightful experience.
Alex Padilla - Chef/Partner
Best Mexican in Town!!!!
by todo964
December 20, 2008
Oh my god,,, I can't believe how great this restaurant is, and how different from the other Tex Mex places in town. We had 8 people last night and couldn't stop passing around plates because it was all so good. They have great tacos and enchiladas, but the cool things were bacon wrapped quail, redfish with a great green sauce (think it was tomatillos), crabcakes, and my dad even had a lamb shank with mole sauce. We all loved it. Service was A+... Can't wait to go back.
- Pros: Really authentic food - great service
- Cons: Little far from my house
I want the "old" Ninfas back! They are going downhill.
by HollyMidtown
November 17, 2008
The food isn't nearly as good as it used to be and the service is worse. Our waiter was rude, never even looked at us! He got our order wrong twice and I never did receive my queso appetizer. He charged me for it and at the end when it was on the bill, I had to remind him I never got it. He said I should have said something and it was too late to remove it. I told him he brought the meal to us and at that point I wouldn't have wanted it anyway (that's the point of an "appetizer"!) When we asked to speak to a manager, he came back instead with a new bill, queso removed. We gave him a 15% which I shouldn't have done but it didn't matter because he padded his tip to over 20%.
- Cons: terrible service, waiters change the tip amount,
