Restaurant Review: Gringo's Mexican Kitchen in Stafford, Texas

I recently visited Gringo's Mexican Kitchen located in Stafford, Texas. There are six Gringo's Mexican Kitchens in the Houston area and one location in San Antonio. This chain of Mexican restaurants was established in 1993 in Pearland. The location in Stafford is a very large restaurant and seats approximately 260 people. It is a beautifully decorated establishment complete with Longhorn bull heads hanging on the walls. The bar area is very tastefully done with a window wall displaying all of the liquor bottles. Anyone would feel comfortable whether they were very dressed up or in jeans and a t-shirt. The wait staff is very prompt, courteous and they tend to help each other out. If your order is ready to be served to you and your wait person is not available someone else will bring your food to you. This ensures you will always receive your food hot and fresh.

They have an excellent menu with many things that you would not typically see at a Mexican restaurant. After your big bowl of tortilla chips with salsa and verde sauce I would suggest starting out with either the Nacho Su-primos, a large dish of corn tortilla chips loaded with refritos, seasoned 100% ground beef, melted cheddar and jack cheese, guacamole, sour cream and jalapenos on the side, or the Southwest Eggrolls, which is seasoned chicken tenders, corn, spinach, black beans and bell peppers rolled in a eggroll wrapper served with their signature GMK Amazon dip. Appetizers range in price from $4.19 to $8.99. If you are looking for a light lunch they have many salads to choose from and they have the best Homemade Tortilla Soup I have ever tasted. It is rich chicken broth flavored with large chunks of chicken, onions, garden vegetables, Pico de Gallo, Mexican rice, tortilla strips, chunks of avocado, and grated cheese. The price range for salads and soups is $3.49 to $8.59. On the day I was there the Daily Special was the Baja BBQ Ribs, which is pork ribs that are dry rubbed in a special blend of spices, smoked and then smothered in their special Baja sauce. These tasty ribs are served with Mexican rice, andouille boracho beans, fresh guacamole, and Pico de Gallo. The cost for this plate is $8.99 for a half rack and $14.99 for a full rack. One of my fellow diners tried this entrée and stated "The ribs just melt in your mouth. I am getting this every time we come here." It certainly was a wonderful looking plate. I choose one of there Mexican plate options, Plato Rosita, and it was delicious. The very large plate is considered their "meatless" platter. I was presented with guacamole salad, a bean chalupa, two cheese enchiladas topped with chile con queso, refritos and Mexican rice. I was extremely pleased and everything tasted wonderful. If you have children, you are presented with a child's menu and a handful of crayons at the door. The menu has cute items like "Aunt Chilada" and "Nacho Mama" and for the children that don't like the rice and beans you can substitute fries. They do have some wonderful deserts but what thrills the children (and some adults) the most is the free self serve soft ice cream machine. One of the young diners in our party said "I want to come here to eat the ice cream all the time."

I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves good traditional Mexican food as well as contemporary Tex-Mex. To view the entire menu you can go to the Gringo's Mexican Kitchen website. You can find this great restaurant located at 12330 Southwest Freeway, Stafford, Texas 77477 (281-980-7482).