Chapultepec Lupita

I was in the area and tried to go to another Tex Mex/Mexican restaurant that ended up being closed. I remembered a colleague telling me about this place and it was close by, so I decided to check it out. There is a huge parking lot right next to it, which you cannot park in. No points deducted for that but as a heads up, there's a narrow driveway on the left side that leads to a parking area around back, which is actually the entrance. Alternatively, if you go around the block there is another entrance to the parking area from a side street. For some reason, walking in was a bit awkward. Maybe it was the lack of any music ( which I don't think I consciously registered at the time), or the lack of greeting. It was so quiet in there. It was like a movie, when the new guy in town walks in a room and all heads turn and look but no one talks. I felt like Marty McFly walking into the saloon in 1885 for the first time. In the words of Tupac.."All Eyez On Me."After the awkward entrance and silence, I made my way to a seat. At this point, I'm just astounded at how quiet it is in this place. It was a Sunday but even church is louder than this. I couldn't decide if the outdated look of the place was by design or just ambivalence. Either way, what I'm really here is for good food, so judging by the looks, I am expecting some abuela level cuisine here. Growing up in a West Texas Mexican household, I have high expectations when it comes to "authentic Tex Mex/Mexican food" (don't get me started on this loaded phrase/label and debate). I'm not sure people in the USA, even Texas, understand how many regions and influences there are in Mexican food, Texas Mexican food being one of them. I digress, though, so let me step off my soapbox.The first time I'm coming to a new Texas Mexican restaurant I'm looking for a few things to standout. The salsa that comes with the chips. I'll give some leeway on the chips themselves although they can't be totally generic, but way less leeway on the salsa. This salsa was really good! This is the heat level that seems to be lacking in a lot of restaurants I've gone to in the area. When the salsa brings a tear to my eye, these are tears of happiness! Okay, salsas good. Let's check a few other things. Do they have Carne Guisada? Check! I'll order that. And let's see what those tortillas do. The waitress was very polite and gave us time to peruse the menu. On a side note, there is a dish called Chapulines on the menu, which means grasshopper in Mexican Spanish ( influenced by Nahuatl, a native Mexican language), and is a thing in Mexican, especially Oaxacan cuisine (again regional). I haven't found them outside of Hugo's (let me know Yelpers) in Houston. So I saw this and was excited as heck until I realized, it's just a chicken or beef burrito. Huh? New one to me. Never heard of burritos referred by that name before. Anyway, the Carne Guisada comes out. It looks a little different than what my mom and abuela cooked and almost every restaurant in west Texas. I'm used to a lot more gravy with my meat. Half of the fun is trying to soak up all the gravy with tortillas. This had very little. The meat was good. It had a good flavor and was tender and the serving size was good. The beans and rice were solid but not outstanding. The tortillas were a little meh to me. Just not as soft and pliable as I like. If you've ever had homemade abuela or mom tortillas, you know what I mean.Everything was ok and I'd like to try some other things out sometime but I'm not rushing back at the moment. I was going to give 2 stars but then I remembered the salsa, which I ordered a container to go. It was that good. I'd go back just for that. The waitress was very good. Attentive and polite. I'm still mystified about the quiet in there though. Play some music, please. Anything, Tejano, Norteño, Banda, Corridos. Even 80's or Country music. It's just weird listening to the table two booths away from me talk about how much they hate El Paso for 30 minutes. I'll give it a three for now. I hope to return in the future and have a better experience.

My wife and her sister were visiting family in Houston and my wife was taking a morning walk when a guy started following her.After he followed her for some time, my wife started getting suspicious and changed pace, direction, etc, all of which he matched. At one point she even started running and he ran after her to keep up. She tried confronting him, telling him to leave her alone, but he kept coming and even tried to get her to come closer to him by saying he was looking for something and maybe she could help him.She finally ducked into this restaurant, thinking she had lost him, only to have him come in and sit down at the table next to her. My wife asked for the owners and explained the situation to them.The owners IMMEDIATELY told the man he had to leave and didn't back down until he did, giving my wife a sense of safety and ending what was turning into a nightmare. I've never met the owners of this restaurant, but you can bet I will make a point of it the next time I'm in Houston. To the owners: Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving my wife!!!

Ah my go-to after hour spot! Besides being short staff, the food is incredible, and i love that they close very late; I've been coming here for more than 16 + years :)

I came here with a friend for a Saturday morning brunch. This was my first time here and will be my last. Let me explain...The service was horrible. The restaurant was nearly empty. There were only two other tables when we arrived. Upon them bringing us our food, I asked them for a salsa for my breakfast tacos (not the table salsa, something spicier). We also asked for utensils since they didn't bring any with our food. At least 10 minutes passed and nothing... finally one of the other waitresses comes out to clean a table and after a few minutes we got her attention. Once again we requested silverware and salsa which she did bring, but at this point our food had started to get cold. The eggs in the breakfast tacos tasted off, not sure if it's because cold eggs or they were spoiled. The restaurant itself seemed dirty. The ceiling tiles were moldy and looked like they were retaining water. Although the food is extremely cheap, it's definitely not worth the quality of food and the service. I would not recommend this place.

These low reviews seem nuts. More than serviceable comfort food available late night. In a city with a dearth of options for its size, Chapultepec is dependable and satisfying. And, I didn't learn this until my most recent visit, they will do milanesa de polla for the tortas, which is very cool

Ahh so many great memories at Chapultepec. Absolutely love this place (and have for many years), and glad it is still going strong!The food here is delicious, and the people who run this place are the absolute nicest. Some of my favorites are the tortas, tacos el carbon, and the queso. The caldo de res is so good when you're feeling under the weather. Tortilla chips are killer too. This is some good ole Tex-Mex, and will definitely satisfy your fix.Now that Ruchi's on West Alabama and Shepherd is closed, my go-to for late night Mexican bites is at Chapultepec or La Tapatia.Hope everyone comes out and continues to support this business!

They charged 1.50 for cilantro, which is EXTREME. I only asked for it bc the pico de gallo was pretty bad. I didn't even dare ask for a to go cup for the rest of my drink, i just left it. The chile relleno was good, but it made my taco soggy. They should have put it on a different plate. They also don't have typical guisados like bistec a la mexicana. I asked the waitress and she said they only have sizzling fajitas. Not what i asked, but ok. The menu is extremely disorganized and difficult to read. The chips are hard as hell. I had high hopes since there aren't a lot of Mexican places nearby, but I'll just keep going to Picos. It came out to be about the same price, with much LOWER quality and less nicer ambiance.

The food here is AMAZING. Service is always phenomenal, whether it's a full house or a few stragglers the quality of the service and food never waivers. Its a quaint spot to eat with friends or maybe alone. The lunch specuals are great, really there are no complaints about this spot.

Excellent late night spot when craving Tex Mex. Great service for placing pick up/take out order. Reasonably priced with a nice variety of food & drink options on menu.

I can't believe this place doesn't have many good reviews! This is one of my favorite frequented late night spots in the area, especially for a late night meal. This is perfect for night shift workers, college students, partiers, or just everyday people who don't have the most accomodating schedules.The ambiance can be pretty hit or miss at times. Sometimes it's dead quiet and almost like a liminal space and the walk up to the bathrooms can be scary, but othertimes, when the jukebox is going or the music is on, it's almost too loud to hear. The restaurant is akin to a house or two turned into a restaurant, but I count it as part of the personality and charm. I can't personally discount it for what it is. This is my third or fourth time coming here, and the staff have always been so friendly and helpful towards everyone I come to visit with. They have been tolerant and offer a variety of options to customize your order. As for the food, I am in love with their menudo, and that's what keeps bringing me back! The last waitress I had even commented that I was the only person that clears the plate and picks the bones clean, just like her. I'd one hundred percent recommend towards anyone who's into adventurous foods or also grew up from an ethnic background. I got the menudo, fries, flour tortillas, my friend got the shrimp burrito, and we had the sopapillas for dessert. Like always, we left very happy!