Tia Maria's

Everything about Tia Maria’s, a classic Tex-Mex spot on the border of Spring Branch and Garden Oaks, feels stuck in time—especially the neon chili lights and the thick plastic covering every table.  A single bite of the cheese enchiladas will make you feel like a kid again. Because when you’re craving classic Tex-Mex, you know what you really want: buckets of melted cheese. Conveniently, most dishes here are encased in a thick blanket of cheese, like the chile rellenos that get stuffed within an inch of their lives with spicy ground beef. So bask in the neon glow as you sip mind-erasing margaritas alone at Happy Hour, or share nachos with 20 or more of your closest friends. And don’t forget to load up at the free soft serve machine on the way out.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Food Rundown

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Chile Con Queso

When your queso resembles a shade of orange only seen in industrial-grade foodstuffs, you know you’re at the right place. This queso wraps a chip like clingy velvet. We won’t judge if you use your finger to scrape the bowl.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Cheese Enchiladas

With the perfect ratio of chile con queso to corn tortillas to gooey cheese, these taste exactly how Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas should.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Chile Rellenos

These poblano peppers, stuffed with slightly spicy ground beef, are nearly undetectable under a thick layer of melted cheese and chile con queso. Seriously, you can’t even see it, which is kind of amazing.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Margarita

One of these will have you sliding down the vinyl booth. We’re not sure exactly what Tia Maria’s puts in these things, but they’re definitely nuclear grade.