Tacos Doña Lena ( Spring Branch ) — Restaurant in Houston

This a phenomenal place for Birria tacos. Even on a Sunday it still seems slightly busy. But there are other days of the week where there will be a line out the door!

For being a small restaurant with only eight or so tables, I wish the prices were a dollar for three cheaper, the food is so damn good I guess it's okay.

It's definitely one of those hole in the wall spots where if you don't know, you don't know. I tried to come up here two times before and the first time there was a line out the door and I literally could not wait because I had to be at work in 20 minutes.

The next time I came back there was a sign on the door that said to go to their other location.

So this third time I went they were actually open and by noon on Sunday it was already slightly busy but not quite as bad as the first time. The food is DEFINITELY great, but given the fact that it's a hole in the wall restaurant with tiny tables, (and not many of them) I would have to recommend that this is a takeout place.

You don't really want to eat here unless you're on your lunch break and you want awesome food.

I think the food is their strong point, but given the fact that they don't have many tables and it's pretty much self-serve, it's just hard to justify spending almost $16ish (w/tax) for a, (delicious) quesadilla.

There are plenty of other places that are DIRT CHEAP that serve just as amazing food as this place has, and the price matches everything else.

That being said, the birria tacos is what makes this place stand out; not a lot of restaurants serve birria tacos, but I still don't think that's quite enough.

All in all, I probably will come back, but there are other places that have better value and better seating for your money.

I hope the owners don't take offense to my review! I'm simply trying to give the most concise and honest review that I can. I hope this is more helpful for everyone that reads it more...

Instagram reel sent us here. The decor is beautiful, lots of plants and flowers. There's a patio dining area if you wish to sit outside and enjoy the weather. We walked in and there were hardly any customers inside, but we quickly noticed that despite there not being that many customers dining in, there were several orders coming out for Uber, Door Dash and customers walking in, placing their orders and taking to go. This is an order at the counter restaurant so if you've never been here before, I suggest taking a peek at the menu to give you an idea of their dishes. They have a variety of hot sauces. From right to left, from least spicy to spicy "Tomatillo, Salsa Verde, Salsa de la Casa, Salsa Molcajete, Mocosa, Llorona". We tried each one and the salsas that are supposed to be the hottest, Mocosa & Llorona left much to be desired. I ordered the green chilaquiles and one barbacoa taco. My chilaquiles were served with two over medium eggs, refried beans and potatoes. The tortilla chips were perfectly cooked, the right amount of crisp. The eggs were runny, just like I like. The beans could have used a little more seasoning, but overall they were good. The barbacoa taco was served on a flour tortilla, they have corn as well. The tortilla was freshly made. The barbacoa lacked flavor, but I still ate it. My husband ordered a torta and a gordita. The torta was egg, chorizo, potatoes, beans, cheese and avocado. He said it was ok, nothing special. The gordita was barbacoa and he thought the same, lacked flavor. I ordered a coffee, which was good. We both ordered an agua fresca, Piña Pepino (Pineapple & Cucumber). In my opinion, it was too sweet. I prefer an agua fresca without adding sugar to it, but since we paid for it, I drank it. Overall, we did like the food and the environment. Customer service was great. There are other things on the menu we would like to try so yes, we will be...

I finally got to see what all the ranting and raving about Tacos Dona Lena was all about. I had read a article the day before online and it stated they were rated one of the top 100 restaurants in the nation by yelp. For me I give Tacos Dona Lana a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I got 3 vegetarian tacos with refried beans and rice. I got the el pastor, the mexican squash and the cactus taco. The portion size on the rice and beans were a little on the anorexic side to me. I felt like I was at my grandmother's house and I wanted seconds but I had been a bad kid so she wouldn't give them to me. I was hoping for more because the flavors were so good and the rice and beans were so authentic. My stomach was left wanting more and my taste buds to. I felt like the server may have stole some of my food off my plate before bringing me my order. Lol Since I didnt get enough I had to purchase more to take with me. Getting past that slight detail I met me some friends while I was in the line placing my order who I decided to eat lunch with. They were visiting Texas from Peru. The cashier at the register was very nice, very friendly, and very welcoming into the establishment. She answered questions I had as it was my first time in. I met other customers who always frequent the restaurant as well and they were so congenial. I talked with one of the owners and he was nice enough to show me pictures and tell me the background of how they started the restaurant. It is in Spring Branch Texas. I'm a native of Spring Branch. I grew up here and graduated from North Brook HS and practically raised my children in Spring Branch. Spring Branch is where this restaurant has decided to open its doors so I'm very elated and I'm very thankful and I really hope them the best and I hope that they do well. Go check them out. The food is soo...