Taquerias Arandas

They’re actually charging 15 $ for the California burrito now. Yea I don’t think so. It’s good but not for 15 $. Will not return.

Been eating the tortas here ever since the early 80’s (they were like 2 bucks at the time). Love their red salsa and chips. Their breakfast is pretty good, for the price, too.

I cut my taqueria teeth here, the food is cheap and greasy and reminds me of the valley. 2 nd best «green sauce» in houston

This place has horrible service. The waitresses are so forgetful. The man with suit has a little attitude. When I got my first batch of chips, as I digged through the chips, there was something burnt that looked like a baby rat and the guy with the suit said it was chicken. I doubt that. He then came back and said it was papa. Like, make up your mind?

For a Mexican food chain restaurant in Houston, this is a regular hangout for me. I like ordering their seafood dishes, very unique, and very Mexican style.
They also have great value for their menu items. The dining room is very, very casual yet cozy.
Good quality food on a consistent basis. This place is great for the entire family. Vámonos!

This was probably one of the worst meals I’ve had at a restaurant in years. The «salsa» tasted like someone just smashed a tomato up and put it in a bowl. Gross. The chips were cold and really stale. We had to ask twice for chile con queso.
We ordered fajitas for two and said we only wanted beef. We got fajitas alright, but they seemed like they came out of a microwave. No sizzle. Even worse, despite our request, mixed in was straight-​up American, Eckrich-​style sausage. WTF? Kind of like ordering a burger somewhere and getting fish to accompany your patty. It’s just not right. The beans were below average, but okay. The rice literally tasted sour. I don’t even want to know what they did to it. Around this time, I bit into something hard in the rice, and realized that my teeth started feeling weird/​gritty. I literally couldn’t finish my meal at this point.
The waitress either couldn’t or wouldn’t speak English to us. I’m Hispanic, but couldn’t believe they would hire someone as a waitress lacking that basic skill.
Other miscellaneous things that sucked: they only carry one straw size that are too short to reach outside of the glass, so you have to reach inside the drink to sip each time, dirty silverware, trash on the floor, and random ice cream cup (more trash?) inside the desserts fridge.
I won’t be eating here again. That’s for sure.

YUMMY! Everything Is Good Here! The Atmosphere Is Fun And Relaxed. You Can Bring The Kids.

great late night or breakfast! i’ve been coming here for years, not a fan of the renovations, it’s lost some of it’s charm, but its better than ever!

As the original poster observed, this is the Aranda’s that started it all. I grew up in this neighborhood and they were a staple of my childhood existence. While they still have great authentic Mexican food, I can’t help but feel that the quality has dwindled in recent years. Just this past Sunday, the salsa was completely watered down and the corn tortillas were just a bit dry. Still great for the price, but not quite up to par of what they were offering in the 90s. Also, the menu has been Tex-​Mexified in small ways, but generally, it’s still more South of the border than North of it. I enjoy coming here for sentimental reasons, but now that I don’t eat pork, and therefore can’t have their menudo, it’s very rare that I actually relish what I’m eating. Oh, by the way, their menudo is world-​class if anyone is so inclined. That and their horchata and homemade lemonade.

This is the original Taqueria Arandas that opened in 1981. While it’s not in the best neighborhood it does clearly show the roots that this chain of now 38 locations came from. Real Mexican food, not Tex Mex. We met the owners at this location and they were very friendly.