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A new taqueria is coming to town. Underbelly Hospitality, the restaurant group that operates restaurants like Georgia James and Pastore, will officially open Comalito in Houston’s Farmers Market this Friday, November 17, according to a release.
The new taco joint, which is inspired by taquerias in Mexico City, promises Mexican cuisine fueled by masa and tortillas made in-house. Helmed by chefs Luis Robledo Richards and Atzin Santos, Comalito imports its corn from Central Mexico and then processes it using a nixtamalization technique to create the masa. The result? Fresh tortillas and tostadas are used in tacos, quesadillas, and tostadas, and as complements to many other dishes like its grilled meats and proteins. A sneak peek at Comalito’s menu reveals a casual checklist that diners can use to mark the quantity of each item they’re ordering, which includes soups; crispy cheese costras stuffed with pork ribs, pastor, sirloin, skirt steak, or marinated chicken; and vegetarian options, like tacos stuffed with mushroom al pastor and a cactus and purslane salad.
Tacos, costas, quesadillas, volcanes, and Comalito’s parrilla dishes can run diners anywhere from $3 to $7, while larger dishes like its alambres are between $16 and $18.
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And just as they are in Mexico City, drinks will be an important fixture of Comalito. The restaurant, which will feature an in-house agave bar decorated with damajuanas, or special traditional vessels to store drinks like wine, will pour up refreshing aguas frescas, mojitos, and Mexican beer and spirits, which will appear in its tequila and mezcal-based cocktails.
Comalito takes the place of the Underbelly’s Texas cuisine-focused restaurant Wild Oats, which will relocate to Spring Branch later this year. Nina Quincy, director of Underbelly Hospitality, says Wild Oats would be more fitting for the neighborhood since both the restaurant and Spring Branch area are known to cater to families. Quincy says Comalito would be a more natural fit for the Houston Farmers Market, which has been a part of the city’s cultural fabric for more than 80 years and offers a celebration of Latin heritage, with various Latin-owned vendors.
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The restaurant reportedly has more plans to expand its menu. Breakfast will be offered in the coming months with a menu filled with breakfast tacos, fresh pastries, chilaquiles, and coffee, and its tortilla manufacturing site will eventually grow to produce at a larger scale. Until then, the restaurant will host its limited hours through Thursday. Following its official opening on Friday, it will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
