fajita pete’s

Started in 2008 (just in time for Harvey), Fajita Pete’s is the progeny of Pedro “Pete” Mora of Houston. In 2015, Pete began selling franchises of a ghost version of his concept focused on delivery and catering. It’s a brilliant idea. If you think about it, fajitas are the perfect catering cuisine since everything comes separately and the customer assembles the parts as desired.

Since our Fajita Pete’s (called MOPAC) is a franchise, it does not have a dine-in option, something that caught us by surprise when we stopped by (combed my dang hair fer nuthin’!). Take-out and delivery are it. But you can order at the storefront and wait, which is what we did.

The menu is blissfully simple. You have to choose how many people the fajitas are for (one, two, four, La Familia [four to five], or 10), the fajita fillings (chicken, beef, shrimp, pork carnitas, veggies), the beans (refried, charro, mixed), and the tortillas (flour, corn, gluten-free, mixed). Fajita orders are also supplied with sides of grilled onions, grilled jalapeño(s), shredded cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, guacamole, and chips and salsa. Depending on your protein choices, the prices range from $16 to $18 for one, $28 to $34 for two, $48 to $63 for four, $79 to $106 for La Familia, or $130 to $161 for 10.

There’s also a Fajita Trio for $45 that serves as a taster of the menu as well as a couple kid items (lil fajita and lil quesadilla). There are also quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, flautas, and a fajita salad. For dessert, you can order a brownie, sopapillas, tres leches, and churro bites. Oh, and they have frozen margaritas.

We ordered the Fajitas for 2 with chicken and veggies ($29) and a 20-ounce frozen margarita ($11) and then carted the whole thing home for a devouring. We ordered the veggies since we were led to believe that orders did not come with veggies when they do, in fact, come with a bed of grilled onions. However, even that is a little strange since fajitas almost always come with grilled onions and peppers (although a standard order comes with a grilled jalapeno–this must be how it’s done in Houston). This left the bride and I fighting over the chicken and commenting that there wasn’t enough of it (although, on reflection, there was enough for two fajita tacos which, with two fajitas-worth of veggies, we each had two full fajita tacos).

We didn’t specify what type of tortillas we wanted, and the ones we got were a little strange: sticky, rubbery, and a bit shiny. On (further) reflection (and seeing, while writing this review, that they offer a GF option), it’s possible they gave us gluten-free tortillas (although maybe not since the photo of their tortillas looks like what we got). Regardless, the tensile strength offered by their rubbery bodies provided a powerful holder of ingredients–their were no tortilla failures. The refried beans seemed off, liquidy with a noticeable sour taste, perhaps from limes, perhaps not. The chips were thin, crispy, and (since we like them that way) fantastic. Everything else was OK.

All in all, I’d say we were not impressed with The Bride concluding that she didn’t want to eat there again (I’m willing to try the Fajita Trio to sample a bit more of the menu). There’s perhaps too much of a fast food vibe to the food for the price (for $2 more per head, you can them sizzling upon arrival at Trudy’s). But if you have a hankering for fajitas at home and want ’em fast, Fajita Pete’s may be for you.

web&where: interwebs; 5523 balcones road
what’s the deal? fajitas! (take-out and delivery)
overall: * (food*; service*; instagrammability-)
cost: $$

our scale:
–          meh [think twice]
*         OK [it’ll get the job done]
**       good [solid neighborhood joint]
***     damn good [we’ll definitely be back]
****   yippity-yikes that was amazeballs [fantastic; one of the best]
***** holy sh!t [transcendental; best of the best] each $ = $10; cost is based on a typical dinner entrée and appetizer (no drinks)

each $ = $10; cost is based on a typical dinner entrée and appetizer (no drinks)