Tour:Smart - Martin Atkins at Avant Garden Tonight.
H-Town Rock
Missed Connections: November 2 - 5
Daily-ist Thursday: River Oaks Theater 70th Anniversary Celebration
Get sticky at Lawndale's Sugar Skull workshop
The next stop on our path to identify Houston's best margarita was El Pueblito Place. Before arriving we were told to make reservations for one of the three primary cabana locations in the patio. Upon our arrival, we were delighted by this recommendation, as the patio was packed with people, save for one corner cabana which had been saved for our party. Bring on the 'ritas!
Taste
What enticed us about El Pueblito Place was the wide range of margarita offerings. From strawberry to coconut, every fruit-filled concoction that one’s mind could imagine appeared on the menu. We decided to kick off the evening's festivities with a traditional house margarita. Unfortunately the beverage tasted very weak and watered down. Perhaps our previous visit to El Patio had set a new standard for the "strength of margarita" category, but we found ourselves very dissatisfied with our drink selection. As we openly discussed our lack of delight with our margarita, the kind waitress, having overheard our discussion, offered us an extra shot of tequila on the side, gratis. The additional alcohol gave the drink just the kick we were in search of. Unfortunately, the free shot of tequila was a one time offer and we were forced to pony up extra cash if we wanted to fortify our beverages for the rest of the night.
Another problem we encountered was the salt to beverage ratio. Now we don’t know about you, but we like a hefty amount of salt on the rim of our margarita glass to complement each sip of our beverage. Regrettably, El Pueblito Place didn’t appear to agree with our thoughts on sodium chloride, as nary a crystal adorned our cup. We devoured each particle of salt on our rim after only a quarter of beverage consumption, and we were forced to polish off the rest of our drinks sans salt.
We also tried the coconut-flavored margarita, which was served inside of a hollowed-out coconut. Besides its presentation, the drink offered nothing memorable and our taste buds spent much of the night yearning for El Patio’s “Blue Margaritas.”
Taste - Score: 15 of 25 points
Restaurant Ambiance
The outdoor patio was the most jovial atmosphere we’ve come across on our search to date. Our party spent the evening in a cabana, which on a cool and crisp Spring evening was just the remedy we needed to unwind from a stressful day of work, deadlines, and unhappy clients. Unfortunately, the restaurant closes for business at 11pm on weeknights, and without a “last call” warning, we found ourselves out on the street just as the party was getting started. Of course, being the lushes that we are, we moseyed over to another bar to keep the fiesta rolling. As for our waitress’ recommendation, she told us to try the house margarita, which as you read above did not go over as well as hoped.
Restaurant Ambiance - Score: 13 of 15 points
Miscellaneous
Because the drinks were not strong, and we didn’t want to spend an exorbitant amount of cash supplementing each cocktail with an extra shot of tequila, we found ourselves with nary a sign of a hangover the next morning. Furthermore, since we’re not tequila snobs, it was unbeknownst to us that the tequila used in our initial drinks was substandard swill. One of our buddies requested a better tequila alternative for every beverage after our first margarita, all of which tasted much smoother. Of course that could have simply been a case of mind games.
Miscellaneous - Score: 9 of 15 points
El Pueblito Place earned a final score of 37 out of a possible 55 points.
El Pueblito Place
1423 Richmond Ave
Houston, TX 77006
The next stop on our journey is Kobain. Stay tuned!
As always, please use a designated driver or “cab it.” Stay safe and smart out there, Houston.
Houston's Best Margarita Archive
Houston's Best Margarita - Introduction
Houston's Best Margarita - Installment #1 - Las Alamedas (39 of 55 points)
Houston's Best Margarita - Installment #2 - Pico's Mex Mex (38 of 55 points)
Houston's Best Margarita - Installment #3 – Armando’s (34 of 55 points)
Houston's Best Margarita - Installment #4 – Canyon Cafe (21 of 55 points)
Houston's Best Margarita - Installment #5 – El Patio (41 of 55 points)
Houston's Best Margarita - Installment #6 – El Pueblito Place (37 of 55 points)
Houston's Best Margarita - Installment #7 – Kobain (22 out of 55 points)
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I haven't tried the 'ritas, but this has to be one of my favorite restaurants. The service has always been EXCELLENT and everything I've eaten there was delicious. Favorite dish: El Conquistador. Favorite side dish: fried plantains.