The Original Ninfa's on Navigation Reviews
Reviews from Citysearch
Overall Rating
- Houston's Worst Mexican Restaurant
Read More On Citysearch by danztillucry at Citysearch 4/14/2011 - Not Like It Use To Be
Read More On Citysearch by Crooky at Citysearch 3/12/2011 - Love this place!
Read More On Citysearch by looloo83 at Citysearch 2/5/2011 - On the Side Doesn't Pay Off.
Read More On Citysearch by 50538 at Menuism 2/5/2011 - Catering to a different palate...
Read More On Citysearch by El Pinolero at Citysearch 1/2/2011 - Overrated
Read More On Citysearch electric avocado 10/3/2010 - Delicious!
Read More On Citysearch margaret7778 8/5/2010 - Ninfa's Decline in Quality
Read More On Citysearch reschfe 6/20/2010 - Great food!Great food for a weekend afternoon! A picture of margaritas (just like in mexico!) I want to go now!!
Read More On Citysearch FatimaSB 2/20/2010 - great margaritasgreat place to get margs and good food
Read More On Citysearch kellie1994 2/19/2010 - ExellentNinfa specialty fajitas (not on menu) and the margaritas are always a treat! Makes you feel like your in Mexico while you are instead in the middle of the big city!
Read More On Citysearch whailey 12/29/2009 - DissappointingI used to go to Ninfa's on Navigation every Friday for margaritas and fajitas. I've been a customer of theirs for over 20 years. However, this past year has been dissappointing. Their level of service has dropped off. The quality and consistency of their menu offerings has also suffered. I don't visit them as much anymore.
Read More On Citysearch drh832 12/29/2009 - I Love It!!This was one of the best dining experiences I have ever had, at any price. Very unique, authentic flavors. The chef came over and visited our table and asked for our preferences. We had a chicken mole special, some great tamales and a large grilled platter with bacon wrapped shrimp, quail, ribs, fajitas and sausage.
The margaritas are great (no wonder they were picked as best in city) and...
Read More On Citysearch KentBens 12/14/2009 - The Original Ninfa's on Navigation good, butLove the food and the environment, but the prices are inflated when you consider there are so many great Mexican Food places in Houston. I love the fajita nachos, but the bill zapped the enjoyment after the meal. I have never had a bad experience at Ninfa's, but the prices will keep me away.
Read More On Citysearch Citysearch User 10/30/2009 - The Original Ninfa's on Navigation is the best.I never leave Ninfa's unsatisfied. My meal is always great and the margaritas top it off. They have done some major improvements to parking. Place is a tight squeeze inside but well worth it. Get there early if you are there for lunch. I recommend the carrots and jalepenos to go with the chips and salsa. This is the ONLY Ninfa's I will go to. The others don't cut it. Prices are steep. Bu...
Read More On Citysearch Citysearch User 9/29/2009 - Just average, but prices are WAY ABOVE averageI've been a Ninfa's on Navigation customer since the 70's, and I've seen the food, the service, and attitudes go down hill over the past 10 years. The food is average TexMex at best, the prices are very high relative to similar dishes in other TexMex restaurants. The wait staff is HORRIBLE; slow, poor, inattentive, and arrogant. They always push the "high dollar" margaritas so you'd better mak...
Read More On Citysearch TheBestCritic 8/26/2009 - good food, good margaritasWe always go eat at ninfas and eat the special alavery (sp) and awesome margaritas each time before we go to the Astros games.
Read More On Citysearch BarryS 8/16/2009 - Best Mexican foodAside from my abuela's cooking, this is my favorite place in Houston for Mexican food. I love, love, love it!
Read More On Citysearch peachburrito 7/26/2009 - Awesome Food, Poor Service !!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 appeti...
Read More On Citysearch edglor2009 7/7/2009 - WORST WAITER EVER!!!!!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...
Read More On Citysearch amywerst 6/25/2009 - Urban location...suburban prices.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...
Read More On Citysearch swyzlstyx 5/4/2009 - Awesome placeThe 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 furni...
Read More On Citysearch csn26 4/14/2009 - Used to be GoodQuality 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.
Read More On Citysearch TMary 2/16/2009 - Wow - wonderful food, powerful margaritasThis 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 s...
Read More On Citysearch pflore 1/30/2009 - Nice Patio/Good drinks/Average FoodPersonally, 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 w...
Read More On Citysearch jcrow29 1/14/2009 - NOT CHEAP EATS!!!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 N...
Read More On Citysearch thebestcritic 12/22/2008 - Best Mexican in Town!!!!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 sha...
Read More On Citysearch todo964 12/20/2008 - I want the "old" Ninfas back! They are going downhill.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 ...
Read More On Citysearch HollyMidtown 11/17/2008 - Ninfa's runined by birthdayNinfa's ruined my birthday. Not only did we have to wait 1 1/2 hours for a table, they ended up giving our 1st table away to another party. They offered us "free" drinks for waiting so long but then put them on the bill and refused to comp them. This downtown gal will never go back.
Read More On Citysearch downtowngirl1111 11/8/2008 - Avoid During LunchDuring our lunch break, we waited 15 minutes to get just our water. The waitress "Ericka" was too busy waiting on a table of 8 people to take care of us. By time we got there and left, it took us an hour and a half to get our meal, without waitress service, and leave. The bill for four people was placed on one bill, in which we told her in the beginning, we needed separate checks. Some of us were...
Read More On Citysearch uwork2win 9/24/2008 - Overrated beloved Houston landmarkCan we talk? The prices are skyhigh, the tables are crowded together, the lighting so dim I had to ask for matches to read the menu, drinks TERRIBLY expensive ... I'm exhausted, and I've just started.
Let's talk about the bathooms. PLEASE gut them & start over. Floor tiles missing, such a tight squeeze in the stalls, best to leave your purse at the table, et cetera.
Read More On Citysearch canwetalk 8/24/2008 - As good as its ever been and now they have weekend brunch!I've heard that the food and service changed with the new owners. I recently went there on a busy Friday night and the same staff since I was a kid was there. The restaurant was packed, and the food was better than ever. What a dinner, the queso, fajitas, and ritas was great. In fact Omar, our waiter mentioned that they new have weekend brunch, so my family and I came back Saturday morning to try...
Read More On Citysearch citi77 8/16/2008 - New Owners wont be back after fifteen years almost every fridayI have been going to Ninfa's for over 15 years the waiters and hostess know me by name but i have to tell you it's just not the same. The restautrant recently changed owners and I dont belive it will ever be the same. Tonight it took fifteen minutes before someone took my drink order then another ten minutes before I got it. Another waiter one that I've had for years took my order after he not...
Read More On Citysearch foruiWill 6/20/2008 - The OriginalThis is the original Ninfas location. From what I can tell the family is still involved. The food is better than the other locations. There is usually a line so you need to get there early.
Read More On Citysearch Citysearch User 2/10/2008 - Still the best Ninfa's resturantThe food is great and it is reflected in their prices. Their prices are high for any mexican food, especially in Houston where there are mexican resturants everywhere. The service is great and it's close to downtown.
Read More On Citysearch lola517 1/10/2008 - Worst Dining ExperienceWent to the Original Ninfa's last week for some Rita's & Fajita's. Rita's were good, however the fajita's were less to be desired. I found a complete thigh ( chicken ) mixed in the fajitas. When I brought this up to my waiter's attention, I was told that sometimes mistakes happen and that if I found it to be enedible, then just put it aside from the rest of the food. I asked to speak with a manag...
Read More On Citysearch momo48 12/11/2007 - Th Origianl is Still the BestIf you want Tex-Mex the way God intended, this is the place to get it. You haven't had good fajitas until you've had these fajitas. All the other "Ninfa's" franchise locations try to live up to this one . . . and ALWAYS fall WAY SHORT. ENJOY!
Read More On Citysearch rljiv 10/15/2007 - Unbelievable!!This place is the best! Every time I come here it gets better and better. They just enclosed their back patio and cooled it. The new menu items are awesome. Great quail, whole red snapper, ribs and ceviche were all enjoyed by our table tonight. Service is fabulous.
Read More On Citysearch kbenson2 9/15/2007 - Best Mexican Around!the original ninfa's was excellent. the food was great and the service was quick. queso is awesome! same with fajitas. if you love great tex mex, this place is one of the best
Read More On Citysearch holin1man 6/21/2007 - Still the BestThere 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!
Read More On Citysearch garywise 4/24/2007 - Event turned out great thanks to Ninfa's on Navigation!
Read More On Citysearch by laurienim at Citysearch 4/2/2007 - Great Experience!
Read More On Citysearch charter1 3/13/2007 - Still the same... Fantastic!Food.... Great.
Service... Great.
What more can you say? This place has the best enchiladas in town. The Ninfaritas never disappoint and the service is wonderful.
Read More On Citysearch charter1 3/13/2007 - Best Mexican Food In Town!!!ive been going to Ninfas since i was 12 years old, and im now 22 and i still go as often as i can. mostly every weekend. the food is great and service is just as good. at times there may be a long wait but trust me please.. trust me the food is worth it. standing in line conversating as the sizzling fajitas, cheesy enchiladas, or tasty tamlaes pass by just adds to the suspense of sitting down an...
Read More On Citysearch christo_360 1/28/2007 - Best in Houston!I must admit, I had eaten at several Ninfa's in Houston prior to eating at the original Ninfa's and I wasn't too impressed. I was kind of skeptical about going to the orginal Ninfa's on Navigation because I assummed that I'd get the same average tasting Mexican food from all the other Ninfa's.......WAS I WRONG!! This might be THE best Mexican food I've ever tasted in my life. The service was g...
Read More On Citysearch mrt205 3/5/2006 - User review by shisitsuGreat fajitas,great queso. Wonderful tortillas and great atmosphere. A must try
***** 5 stars
Read More On Citysearch shisitsu 1/30/2006 - Don't waste time with other loctionsThis is the original and the only location still owned and controled by Ninfa's family. And what a difference! The food is great (queso flamiado and flan) and the setting is what makes it a real adventure. Be prepared to wait a while on the weekends, but it is worth it.
Read More On Citysearch bdonaldson 10/3/2003 - A bit PriceyGood restaurant - maintains authenticity the food is consistently good but a bit pricey.
I always look forward to going. It's a treat
Read More On Citysearch wg43 3/2/2003 - alrightthe food was good....very small portions though for the price...i paid eight dollars and something for one beef taco (ground meat), one cheese enchilada, and rice and beans...several other places have much more food for the price
Read More On Citysearch shimbomboo 2/10/2003 - Over priced!!Ninfa's has always been the most over rated and over priced Mexican food restaurant in Houston. This original on Navigation is OK, but the other Ninfa locations caused the reputation of the original to go down. They also caused the company to nearly go out of business. Again, OVER PRICED AND OVER RATED!
Read More On Citysearch stretch 1/2/2003 - The very best in the worldI am so happy to be back in my native Texas after 10 years away. How marvelous to know I am back in the cradle of Ninfa's Mexican food. This is absoultely the best mexican food outside of Mexico City. The carnita's are the best. The Taco's Al Carbon just as good. You name it and it is well worth the trip the the original restaurant on Navigation.
Read More On Citysearch johargis 12/29/2002 - Tex-Mex's Signature RestaurantI have been eating at Ninfa's for years and years. When I moved to Chicago, Ninfa's was the one thing about Houston I really missed. I have been searching for something comparable up here, but to no avail. Now the only time I get to go to Ninfa's is when I visit Houston, and that's not nearly often enough.
Read More On Citysearch pbbrown1116 12/25/2002 - The Original = The BestHaving eaten at the original Ninfa's on Navigation once a week for the last ten years, I feel somewhat qualified to unreservedly recommend this location as the best Mexican restaurant in town. The menu provides great variety--tacos a la ninfa, enchiladas, combination plates, appetizers, and grilled items. An absolute sleeper item is the Pescado--grilled fish (usually tilapia) topped with a chip...
Read More On Citysearch uncsig 12/11/2002 - Over-ratedMaybe "back in the day" this was a nice place with good food but let's face it - today, Ninfa's on Navigation is old, over-priced, and with nothing special going for it other than it was the original restaurant of a now unsuccessful chain of mexican\american food restaurants. The Ninfa's chain has failed because the food quality doesn't match the (high) price. The service doesn't stack up eithe...
Read More On Citysearch DFinnegan 11/27/2002 - Muy Bueno!As a hispanic with Mexican heritage raised in Texas, there couldn't be better, more authentic Tex-Mex than Ninfa's on Navigation! There are few Ninfa's in Houston that meet the same standards as the original. It's a great blend of my momma's cooking, with great Texas taste! And the margaritas! WHOO! They are the best!
Read More On Citysearch Femy80 11/25/2002 - Bad news Bad news
Review of The Original Ninfa's on Navigation by LarryBrown
October 05, 2002
I've been to Ninfa's various times over 20 years, I've never liked it much. Tex-Mex is my fave food tho. Around 2000 we went to Ninfa's in the Galleria and it was great. Later we went there and it was awful. I heard all the fuss about Navigation, so we tried that in 2001 and it was no good. Why bother? We...
Read More On Citysearch LarryBrown 10/5/2002 - Still Great!This place provides great food and adequate service. Even the beer seems better here.
Read More On Citysearch houstonian2000 9/14/2002 - The OriginalThis is the only place to eat TexMex in this city. The other resturants in this chain don't hold up unfortunately. I can't believe Adobes is rated so high on this list. Thats place is about as original as Taco Bell.
Read More On Citysearch blakerussell 8/27/2002 - absolutely heavenlyI enjoyed this experience more than anywhere i have been in the last year! They are wonderful there, they make you feel like family and the food is to die for, so fresh and so the taste everyone is looking for in Mexican Food.
Read More On Citysearch PBHoneydo 8/16/2002 - bad, bad, bad, boo, hiss
Went to Ninfa's on Navigation with some family members, 4 and a high chair. Asked for non-smoking and all they wanted to do was seat us in a crowded corner or smoking. No one was waiting and there were empty tables that could accomodate a high chair, but everyone of them just happened to be reserved. This was at 6:00 in the evening. Left and went to another restaurant, probably won't go back, not...
Read More On Citysearch buddyat 8/8/2002 - muy buenoNinfa's like I always remember it - great tortillas, great green sause and great queso. It is a fun place and good for groups. thanks.
Read More On Citysearch food_EEE 8/5/2002 - The bestThe waitstaff have been working there for years and have always been extremely friendly. The food can not be beat through do not consider this a cheap mexican restaurant. Margaritas are great. Always an intresting crowd esp. on Sat. evening. For GREAT mexican food you cant beat it!!!! I give this rating ONLY to the Navigation location.
Read More On Citysearch jhs0675 7/24/2002 - "Atlanta Food Critic"I live in Atlanta, GA and was coaxed in to trying this mexican restraunt in downtown Houston. Ninfa's on Navigation is a true treat. The food is fantastic for those of you that enjoy the ultimate "Tex-Mex". I would reccomend ordering the fajiatas because they are out of this world. I have eaten Mexican food all over the U.S. and in Mexico and this place tops the rest. By the way, ask for Kady as ...
Read More On Citysearch mmatloff 7/5/2002
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