The Original Ninfa's on Navigation is a popular Mexican

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

located at 2704 Navigation Boulevard in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. The restaurant serves both

Tex-Mex Tex-Mex cuisine (from the words ''Texan'' and ''Mexican'') is an American cuisine, American cuisine that derives from the culinary creations of the Tejanos, ''Tejano'' people of Texas. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others i ...

and

Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and M ...

. The Original Ninfa's was started by Ninfa Rodríguez Laurenzo, a

Mexican-American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

woman, in a tortilla factory. Ninfa Laurenzo became a full-time

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspec ...

and the tortilla factory closed. Mama Ninfa is widely credited with popularizing the

fajita A fajita (; ), in Tex-Mex cuisine, is any stripped grilled meat with stripped peppers and onions usually served on a flour or corn tortilla. The term originally referred to skirt steak, the cut of beef first used in the dish. Popular alternative ...

among Houstonians. Dai Huynh of the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

'' said that the Ninfa's locations opened after the first two restaurants "failed to attract the following of earlier restaurants."Huynh, Dai.
Restaurateur Mama Ninfa dies
" ''

''. Monday June 18, 2001. A1. Retrieved on February 5, 2012. Tom Laurenzo said that the Laurenzo family never became very wealthy while it controlled the Ninfa's restaurants. He said "Everything was put back into the business." When the Laurenzo family controlled the restaurant chain, it was managed by Ninfa's Inc., which became a subsidiary of the Laurenzo-controlled holding company

RioStar Corp. RioStar Corporation was an American restaurant holding corporation controlled by Ninfa Laurenzo and her family. The company controlled the Ninfa's, Bambolino's, and Atchafalaya River Cafe brands. In March 1990, RioStar had 22 employees working in ...

History

1970s

In 1973,

Ninfa Laurenzo Maria Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo (nicknamed Mama Ninfa,
." Ninfa Laurenzo Early Childhood Center. Retrieved on Febr ...

, a widow with five children, established Ninfa's, then a

taco stand A taco stand or taquería is a food stall, food cart or restaurant that specializes in tacos and other Mexican dishes. The food is typically prepared quickly and tends to be inexpensive. Many various ingredients may be used, and various taco st ...

, as a side business due to financial troubles with her original core business, a tortilla factory.Palmer, John and Sandy Gilmour.
Ninfa Laurenzo: Taco Maker Turned Millionaire
" NBC Learn. May 23, 1981. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. Laurenzo's factory was losing money, and she needed to update her equipment in order to comply with new regulations. When Laurenzo decided to establish a restaurant, she applied for loans at several banks. The banks turned her down, so a friend in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

loaned her several thousand dollars. Laurenzo divided the factory facility in half. The back of the factory continued to act as a tortilla factory, while the front had ten tables and 40 chairs. Laurenzo used discarded second hand furniture and pots and pans from her kitchen in the restaurant. The Ninfa's restaurant opened in July of that year. The cuisine at Ninfa's differed from the cuisine of

Tex Mex Tex-Mex cuisine (from the words ''Texan'' and ''Mexican'') is an American cuisine that derives from the culinary creations of the ''Tejano'' people of Texas. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern United ...

restaurants at the time. The restaurant almost closed after a fire struck one week after its initial opening.Hassel, Greg.
Sysco goes to court vs. RioStar/Chapter 7 sought for Ninfa's parent
" ''

''. Friday October 18, 1996. Business 1. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. - Article available from the

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in 18 ...

website, accessible with a library card. Dai Huynh of the ''

'' said "Word quickly spread about the East End restaurant with good, cheap food and an outgoing Mexican Mama who greeted diners with open arms." Laurenzo tripled the space of the original Ninfa's and closed the tortilla-making operations. The restaurant became a family-owned corporation.Linnee, Susan.
Poor Widow is Now Texas Taco Queen
" ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

'' at the '' Youngstown Daily Vindicator''. Wednesday April 26, 1978. Page 70. Retrieved on February 4, 2012. Around 1976 the restaurant was becoming popular among many groups of people, including employees in

Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45, ...

, area politicians, and other groups. Ninfa's became so popular that, in 1975, she opened a second location on

Westheimer Road Westheimer Road () is an arterial east–west road in Houston, Texas, United States. It runs from Bagby Street in Downtown and terminates at the Westpark Tollway on the southern edge of George Bush Park, stretching about long. The street was n ...

, one that was larger than the original.Schadewald, Bill. "'Mama Ninfa' the mother of all entrepreneurs." ''

Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...

''. Sunday June 25, 2001
2
Retrieved on February 6, 2012. In 1977 Richard West of the ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and is ...

'' said "no other Texas restaurant dictates the dining-out habits of so many of its city's inhabitants" and that the restaurant is "a favorite topic of conversation among Mexican food fanciers not just in Houston but all over the state." Around June 1977 the original Ninfa's on Navigation averaged 400 customers daily for lunch and 700 daily for dinner. During the same time the Ninfa's on Westheimer averaged 600 customers daily for lunch and 1,000 daily for dinner. The averages remained constant for all seven days of the week. In 1978 the restaurant chain had 500 employees, including 60 workers in the kitchens. Among the employees were members of Laurenzo's family. Laurenzo's five children, including four sons and one daughter, managed aspects of the Ninfa's business. Phyllis Mandola worked as the manager of the catering division. Jack Laurenzo, one son, and Ninfa Laurenzo held weekly cooking classes. Pilar Di Meo, Laurenzo's twin sister, worked in the restaurant's main office. Di Meo's son, Steve, worked as a personnel manager. Workers and municipal employees who had discovered restaurant chain took family members there. Throughout the restaurant's history, many celebrities, including

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...

Dyan Cannon Dyan Cannon (born Samille Diane Friesen; January 4, 1937) is an American actress, director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. Her accolades include a Saturn Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Academy Award nominations, and a star on the Ho ...

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...

Crystal Gayle Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb; January 9, 1951) is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Initially, Gayle's management and record label were the same as that of her oldest sist ...

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Golde ...

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...

Ben Vereen Benjamin Augustus Vereen (born October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Vereen gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', for which he received a To ...

, and

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

ate at Ninfa's. Travolta had a private corner at the Westheimer Ninfa's location while he filmed ''

Urban Cowboy ''Urban Cowboy'' is a 1980 American romantic Western film directed by James Bridges. The plot concerns the love-hate relationship between Buford Uan "Bud" Davis (John Travolta) and Sissy (Debra Winger). The film's success was credited for spur ...

'', and while flying in his private aircraft he often stopped in Houston to pick up Ninfa's food. Bill Schadewald of the ''

'' said that eating at Ninfa's became an integral routine of tourists in the Houston area.Schadewald, Bill. "'Mama Ninfa' the mother of all entrepreneurs." ''

''. Sunday June 25, 2001
1
Retrieved on February 6, 2012.

1980s

In 1980 Ninfa's had seven restaurants. Roland Laurenzo, the head of Ninfa's parent company, decided to expand the number of locations. In 1980 and 1981 Ninfa's opened four restaurants in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

.Elder, Laura Elizabeth. "Rapid expansion caused Ninfa's debt woes, says restaurant official." ''

''. Sunday November 3, 1996
2
Retrieved on February 6, 2012. In 1981 the chain grossed $30 million. In 1982 the chain had 13 restaurants. Because of problems with the business, Ninfa's ultimately had to close three of the four new Dallas locations. At later points in the 1980s Ninfa's closed another Dallas location and a

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

location. Greg Hassel of the ''

'' said that expanding Ninfa's "has not always been easy." In the early 1980s there were nine Ninfa's. The profits from the original two restaurants were used to open the other seven. By 1983 Ninfa's became the largest Hispanic-owned business in Houston. In 1987 there were nine Ninfa's locations in

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing nine counties along the Gulf Co ...

. In September 1987 the chain celebrated its tenth anniversary of the Westheimer restaurant, with a weeklong schedule of festivities.

McFaddin Ventures

In 1985 Ninfa's established a joint venture with McFaddin Ventures, a nightclub operator, in order to reduce the family's risks in opening new restaurants. At the time opening a new restaurant would have a cost of $1.5 million.Elder, Laura Elizabeth. "Rapid expansion caused Ninfa's debt woes, says restaurant official." ''

''. Sunday November 3, 1996
3
Retrieved on February 6, 2012. In October of that year McFaddin paid Ninfa's $635,000 for the rights of the future use of the Ninfa's name, and Roland Laurenzo and another Ninfa's executive joined McFaddin; these actions began the joint venture. Roland became the senior vice president of the McFaddin restaurant group. McFaddin was required to pay a quarterly fee to Ninfa's based on the restaurant chain's sales. As part of the agreement, McFaddin was to open 12 Ninfa's locations by April 25, 1989. After the opening of the tenth restaurant, it was supposed to continually operate ten of the restaurants for a five-year period.Levinson, Brian.
Ninfa's to open chain of fast-food Italian restaurants
" ''

''. Tuesday February 17, 1987. Business 1. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. Less than nine months after the agreement was signed, Roland Laurenzo and six other McFaddin employees were terminated, and McFaddin sued Ninfa's and the Laurenzo family. In its suit, McFaddin said that Ninfa's and the Laurenzo family had threatened to picket the McFaddin restaurant and disrupt McFaddin restaurants, defamed McFaddin, and asked McFaddin employees to disrupt operations at the McFaddin restaurants. Ninfa's counter-sued McFaddin in the fall of 1986, saying that McFaddin changed the name of the Bandera division, an Austin, Texas-based home delivery Mexican food stores that opened and closed in 1986, in order to deprive Ninfa's of revenues. After civil action from both sides occurred, the parties agreed to a settlement.

1990s

In 1993 Ninfa's had 43 restaurants in Texas and Louisiana. In a one-year period ending on October 16, 1996, Ninfa's embarked on an expansion program, opening six new restaurants, with new locations in four Texas cities:

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

, Killeen,

Tyler Tyler may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name * Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer * John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...

, and

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

, and

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The new locations required large amounts of capital, and RioStar bought equipment, paper goods, and supplies from the company

Sysco Sysco Corporation (short for Systems and Services Company) is an American multinational corporation involved in marketing and distributing food products, smallwares, kitchen equipment and tabletop items to restaurants, healthcare and education ...

. This caused the company to accumulate a lot of debt quickly. When the chain expanded outside of Texas, people unfamiliar with the name did not understand what "Ninfa" meant, so the chain named restaurants outside of

and Greater Dallas "Mama Ninfa's Mexican Restaurants." In October 1996 the chain had 40 restaurants, including 36 in Texas, three in Louisiana, and one in

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

.Hassell, Greg.
Mama Ninfa's history lesson
" ''

''. Wednesday October 16, 1996. Business 1. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. - Article available from the

website, accessible with a library card. Its Shreveport, Louisiana location had opened in October 1996.

Germany restaurant

One individual, a Houston businessperson named Eckart Wieske, opened a 250-seat licensed Ninfa's restaurant in

. Due to higher than expected costs, Wieske was unable to cover his debts, and on October 16, 1996, the bank that lent him money took control of the restaurant. The Ninfa's in Leipzig remained open after the bank had taken possession of it.

Bankruptcy protection and settlement

In October 1996,

filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against RioStar in an attempt to force the company to pay $2.8 million ($ in today's money) in debts accumulated from the company's expansion. RioStar filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

.Elder, Laura Elizabeth. "Rapid expansion caused Ninfa's debt woes, says restaurant official." ''

''. Sunday November 3, 1996
1
Retrieved on February 6, 2012. In 1998 Serrano's Cafe, an

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

-based company, acquired RioStar as part of the bankruptcy protection settlement. The family was no longer involved in Ninfa's.

2000s and present

Ninfa Laurenzo Maria Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo (nicknamed Mama Ninfa,
." Ninfa Laurenzo Early Childhood Center. Retrieved on Febr ...

, the restaurant's founder, died of

bone cancer A bone tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in bone, traditionally classified as noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Cancerous bone tumors usually originate from a cancer in another part of the body such as from lung, breast, thyro ...

at the age of 77, on Sunday June 17, 2001.Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo, restaurant pioneer, dies at 77 'Mama' credited with bringing tacos al carbon, fajitas to U.S.
''

'' at ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

''. June 19, 2001. Retrieved on February 4, 2012. In 2001 there were 55 Ninfa's locations controlled by Serrano's. The restaurants in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

were independent franchises. In 2005 Ninfa's continued to have locations in Texas,

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

, and Georgia. In 2006,Kaplan, David.
RESTAURANTS / New directions for 2 institutions / Owner alters course at Antone's, tweaks Ninfa's on Navigation
" ''

''. Thursday March 13, 2008. Business 1. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. Niel Morgan, the owner of the Antone's po boy chain,Cook, Allison.
Big news at Ninfa’s
" ''

''. August 6, 2007. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. started the new firm Legacy Restaurants, then proceeded to make a deal with Serrano's. Morgan acquired the rights to the original Ninfa's and took direct control, while Serrano's began to license the Ninfa's name for eight other locations. After Morgan took control of the original restaurants, he proceeded to begin renovations, which added potted plants and a colonial Spanish-style bench. As part of Morgan's overhaul, a VIP parking service was added. Morgan also had the restrooms upgraded and added an outdoor deck and a parking lot. The Original Ninfa's on Navigation has been owned and operated by Legacy Restaurants since mid-2006. The Executive Chef is Alex Padilla whose mother worked for Laurenzo when he was growing up in Houston. Legacy has made a number of improvements including a lighted

parking lot A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...

and covered outdoor seating. There are still "Ninfa's Mexican Restaurants" in Houston and elsewhere operated by independent owners who previously received

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

s to use the name from the Laurenzo family. None of these are affiliated with the Original Ninfa's on Navigation. In 2008, there were 14 independently licensed Ninfa's locations. In 2012, several licensed Ninfa's locations were converted into " Maggie Rita's Tex-Mex Grill & Bar," a restaurant chain co-owned by

Carlos Mencia Ned Arnel "Carlos" Mencía (born October 22, 1967) is a Honduran-American comedian, writer, and actor. His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race relations, Latin American culture, criminal justice, and social class. He i ...

. Katharine Shilcutt of the ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

'' rated the food at the new restaurants negatively and said that " represents a new nadir for a once-respected and beloved Houston Tex-Mex institution."Shilcutt, Katharine. "Maggie Rita's Takes Over Ninfa's." ''

''. Wednesday August 15, 2012
1
Retrieved on August 22, 2012. Shilcutt further added that the takeover caused an "uproar" in Houston and that "but to many longtime Houstonians (me included), the deal with interloper Maggie Rita's may as well have been a pact with the devil."Shilcutt, Katharine.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: Ninfa's Finds Its Nadir with Maggie Rita's
" ''

''. Wednesday August 15, 2012. Retrieved on August 22, 2012. In 2012 Shilcutt said that overall, "Ninfa's hadn't been that great in a long time". She explained that the original location was "still reflective of the restaurant chain when it was in its prime," while the other locations "have varying levels of food and service, although most have fallen away significantly from the high-quality cuisine offered at the Original and last of the true Ninfa's empire." In November 2013 an enclosed patio opened at the original Ninfa's. The owners of the original Ninfa's plan to open another branch at

BLVD Place BLVD Place is a mixed-use development located in Uptown Houston, Houston, Texas, United States, encompassing 20 acres at the intersection of Post Oak Boulevard and San Felipe. The development is the largest in Uptown with over 1.8 million square ...

Uptown Houston Uptown (more commonly called The Galleria Area) is a business district in Houston, located west of Downtown and is centered along Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road (Farm to Market Road 1093). The Uptown District is roughly bounded by W ...

in 2019.

Cuisine

Ninfa's historically specialized in

and ''Norteño'' style Mexican dishes.West, Richard. "From Mexico With Love." ''

''.

Emmis Communications Emmis Communications is an American media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Emmis, based on the Hebrew word for Truth (Emet) was founded by Jeff Smulyan in 1980. Emmis has owned many radio stations, including KPWR and WQHT, which hav ...

, June 1977. Vol. 5, No. 6
175
ISSN 0148-7736. Retrieved from

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...

on December 11, 2011. Ninfa Laurenzo drew inspiration from the cooking of her mother, who was a Mexican, and from Laurenzo's own travels to

. The food had an Italian influence because Laurenzo's deceased husband, Domenic Thomas Laurenzo, was an

Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

Mozzarella Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method. Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the anim ...

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...

, and

parmesan Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months. It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' is ...

were used as ingredients. The signature dish was "tacos al carbon," which later became called "

fajitas A fajita (; ), in Tex-Mex cuisine, is any stripped grilled meat with stripped peppers and onions usually served on a flour or corn tortilla. The term originally referred to skirt steak, the cut of beef first used in the dish. Popular alternative ...

." The Ninfa's fajitas included chopped, char-grilled beef fillets placed in handmade flour tortillas. Ninfa's used a smoky marinade in the beef fajitas.Sharpe, Patricia.
Some Like It Picante
"

''

''. December 1, 2004. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. The restaurant popularized fajitas in the Houston area. This dish was so influential that, by 2001, just about all Tex-Mex restaurants in Houston served a version of the Ninfa's fajitas. Ninfasfajitameat

The second most popular dish was the "Green Sauce," an avocado and tomatillo sauce. When a customer had asked for "

salsa verde Salsa verde () is a type of spicy, green sauce in Mexican cuisine based on tomatillo and green chili peppers. The tomatillo-based Mexican ''salsa verde'' dates to the Aztec Empire, as documented by the Spanish physician Francisco Hernández, a ...

," Ninfa Laurenzo created the "Green Sauce" at the spur of the moment. Ninfa Laurenzo's son Roland later offered a modified version of this dish at his own restaurant, using pureed avocados, tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, and jalapeños. Patricia Sharpe of ''

'' said that Roland's version was a "creamier, more luxurious potion" than his mother's original recipe. Ninfa's also offered stuffed jalapeños. The stuffed jalapeños became a menu item at Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen, operated by Phyllis Laurenzo Mandola, one of Ninfa Laurenzo's daughters, and her husband Tony.Vuong, Mary.
Matriarch of Tex-Mex
" ''

''. Thursday November 10, 2005. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. In 2004 Sharpe said that, at the original Ninfa's, the beef fajitas "still have their old magic" and that the flour tortillas, still made to order in-house, "are truly carb-addictive." She said that the chicken fajitas "have lost their luster." After Neil Morgan took over the chain in 2006, chef Alex Padilla added some new menu items including crab cakes with poblano sauce and Spanish lobster in tequila butter sauce. Padilla also said that the restaurant would grind its own beef brisket for its crispy tacos and use fresh tomatillo in the green sauce. The original Ninfa's includes several torta sandwiches, including the fajita burger, which consistently is positively reviewed. By July 2012 the restaurant introduced three new tortas, Al Pastor, Chicken Adobo, and Puerca (Pork).O'Leary, Joanna.
New Tortas at Ninfa's Hardly Torturous
" ''

''. Monday July 9, 2012. Retrieved on August 22, 2012.

References

External links

Ninfa's in College Station

Ninfa's in Baton Rouge

Legacy Restaurants
*
Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo Papers, 1971-2001
"

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

Libraries. *
The Original Ninfa's
" ''

'' (Dining Guide)
Mama Ninfa's
(Archive) {{Restaurants in Houston Restaurant chains in the United States Mexican-American cuisine Mexican restaurants Restaurants in Houston Restaurants established in 1973 Mexican-American culture in Houston Tex-Mex restaurants 1973 establishments in Texas

History

1970s

1980s

McFaddin Ventures

1990s

Germany restaurant

Bankruptcy protection and settlement

2000s and present

Cuisine

See also

References

Further reading

External links