Southern Living Readers Name Houston Restaurant Their Favorite In Texas

The Texas dining scene has changed dramatically in the past five years or so, and Houston's even more so. Chef-driven restaurants have sprung up in the Bayou City by the dozens just in the past three years, and the PR machine (and good food, in some cases) has guided diners to their doors and made stars of a few chefs.

So when Southern Living readers in Texas were asked to name their favorite restaurant in Texas, one might imagine the honor would go to a Chris Shepherd property, or perhaps one belonging to Tim Love or Hugo Ortega. But no, readers of the publication gave the title to The Original Ninfa's on Navigation, a Tex-Mex destination that has a storied history in Houston.

"Whether you believe this to be the home of the first fajitas or not, there’s no denying Ninfa’s as the archetype of Tex-Mex food," Southern Living said of the restaurant.

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"For Southerners, food is equal parts flavor and emotion, connecting us with people and places we love," the magazine added. "That's what's so special about these Southern restaurants — they each have a story to tell. From Alabama to West Virginia, check out the restaurants that have made your favorites this year."

Based on the above statement, one could easily make an argument for the decision of Southern Living reader's to vote The Original Ninfa's on Navigation their favorite restaurant in Texas. Its namesake and founder, Ninfa Laurenzo, is a legend in the Houston dining scene, and her life definitely told a story. She was a dynamic businesswoman who blazed a trail in the city's dining scene and who went on to become a beloved member of the philanthropic community. She passed away in 2001.

The restaurant is no longer owned by the Laurenzo family — the Houston-based Legacy restaurant group bought the property in 2006 — but the food served there would be familiar to old-timers: fajitas, tacos, margaritas, and chips and salsa.

It seems that Tex-Mex still reigns in Texas, at least among readers of Southern Living.

— Image courtesy The Original Ninfa's on Navigation