Rico's Mexican Grill - Spring — Restaurant in Texas

RICO’S MEXICAN GRILL 4.5 chili peppers out of 5.

We had already tried to visit two other Tex-Mex places on this particular Saturday before we rolled over to our neighborhood cantina, Rico’s. The previous two were so packed that I thought we must not be hip to the fact it was clearly some Spanish holiday or something. Plus, at the first place we tried, two separate, wobbly drunkards were being helped to the cars. We weren’t gonna wait in line to eat. Or watch people vomit in the parking lot. Off to Rico’s we went.

And I’m very glad we did. To be fair, I had eaten here a few times before (duh, it’s in my ‘hood) but never while I’ve had Google+ running, so Rico’s would do nicely as my inaugural Tex-Mex review. So with that said, let’s start reviewing!

For starters (pun intended), any Tex-Mex restaurant worth their (margarita) salt has a solid chip to salsa ratio. What does that mean? I’ll tell you. The thicker and heavier the salsa, the more sturdy the chip needs to be. Nothing’s worse than a thin, flaky tortilla chip that bends and breaks from the weight of a tomato chunk. Or a super thick chip with red water dip. I’m happy to report that Rico’s chip and salsa ration is wonderful. The chips are a great balance of medium-thick and crisp, while the salsa is warm, spicy and smooth. And for bonus? Their salsa verde is served slightly chilled and it’s awesome.

Another crux of the appetizer realm and one that can literally make or break a Mexican food joint is how their queso tastes – and what it’s really made out of. Here, the cheese consistency tells us that not only does Rico’s use real cheese, but it’s perfectly heated to where it clings to the chip like a old lady to her purse in the subway. No runny fake cheese here, my friends.

I would be remiss if I didn’t make mention of another staple of a good Tex-Mex restaurant: real, homemade tortillas. Any way you roll it, there is no better tortilla in the world than a fresh one from the oven. Store bought bags of pressed flour ruin the meal and I’ve had too many experiences at restaurants to back that up. Trust me when I say these tortillas will make a carb-o-phobe second-guess their lifestyle.

Moving on because I need to start wrapping things up, the steak fajitas – yes the entree, finally! – are a nice treat and a welcome difference from the tough, chewy meat chunks you typically get at a Tex-Mex joint. The meat here is marinated in spice and butter and every bite offers a tender and private enjoyment moment between you and your taste buds. This meat is juicy and succulent, not like your battling a piece of beef jerky on the trail somewhere. These fajitas are meant to be enjoyed, so shoving them in your mouth by the fistfuls is not recommended. Tex-Mex in Spring, Tex-Mex in Houston, Tex-Mex restaurant

A couple of other things to mention: The fajitas come with guacamole, sour cream and pico – something most restaurants charge extra for. Did it come with shredded cheese, too? Sadly, no. However, if you’re not into rice and beans, they will substitute a lovely, tender grilled chicken-stuffed tortilla soup at no extra charge.

Now here’s the part where I would normally write about the best dessert on the planet, commonly known as Tres Leches. Unfortunately, it’s not that Rico’s doesn’t serve this amazing dish, it’s that theirs is a sad representation of my cake of choice. I meant to bring it up to the manager that the last time I tried it, I likened it to eating a sponge. Like a sponge you clean cars with. I imagine the textures would be quite the same.

That aside, bottom line is that Rico’s is a great place to eat Tex-Mex any day of the week. Family-friendly, chill atmosphere. I’ll be going...

Every time we've eaten AT this restaurant, it has been very good. But today I placed an order online, and was told it would be ready in 20 minutes. It wasn't. The hostess didn't have my check at the register or any idea about my order. She went to the kitchen to check, and came back 5 minutes later and said "it will be right out."

Listen, I've worked in kitchens before folks. You're not fooling anyone. I know very well that you missed the order. I know the kitchen didn't even see my order until 90 seconds after I walked in the door. And I know "it will be right out" meant "it will be ready in 20 minutes."

So I sat in the empty restaurant for over 20 minutes until I finally got my order. At this point, I'm only slightly annoyed. Mistakes happen, right? God knows I've made my share. Benefit of the doubt, and all that, right?

Then I get home, and one of the meals I ordered is missing. And another of them is incorrect. So now I'm extremely unhappy. Then we begin to eat the food; the enchiladas are bone-dry, have barely any cheese, and are smothered in about a 1/4" of mole sauce, which has to be scraped off for them to be even edible. Of all the food I bought, only my chimichanga was good, so I gave it to my kids. So I paid $75 for this food and I didn't even get to eat my meal.

Look, I can excuse any of these things on their own. Putting them all together, in one experience, is almost intolerable. Sorry folks, but there is no way I'm ever eating here again. There are too many other options for Mexican food...

I rate 1 star since I can't make a review with less. Me and my wife have been eating at this restaurant for years with no problem. Tonight she decided to try something different. She ordered a Chile relleno. The menu says a lighlty breaded Chile stuffed with ground beef topped with Monterey jack cheese and ranchero sauce. My wife has an allergy to eating eggs. A little bit, like what would be used to bind a breading, is ok. Alot will make her sick. After eating the relleno, when she put it into the to go box, I looked at it and saw it was wrapped not in breading but pure egg. I tried to speak to a manager to inform them, but he's out on a catering job. Food allergies are real and menus must make true statements. This is a very bad situation which will lead to her spending most of the evening very sick. No credit or refund was offered. Only that if we wanted to wait till the manager got back we were welcome to.

UPDATE: We waited for the manager. All he would say is I'm sorry and everyone makes thing different. That it's really hard to keep the menus updated because they only do it every few years. When someone dies from a food allergy I HOPE YOUR HAPPY! By the way I paid the bill in full with a tip before we noticed the egg, so I'm not free seeking. Just wanted some...