Exploring Houston's Legendary Cafeteria with a 1940s Vibe

If you've ever had sizzling fajitas, this is the original. And in this video, we're going to be trying some of the most legendary and historic restaurants in Houston, Texas. She introduced Habitas to the United States to find out if they just have decades of history or if they still serve delicious food that's worth seeking out when you're in Houston. It really is Thanksgiving on a random day in Houston. Good morning, Christina. Hi, Mark. Very nice to meet you. So good to meet you. And so we're going to be hanging out with Christina today. She's from Houston Got Spice. She makes amazing videos. And we're starting at a place that's called

Langford Grocery. Langford Grocery and it has a very interesting history that dates back to 1937. Christine, are you ready? Ready for some food today? Yes. Awesome. We're starting in the kitchen. Good morning, Nathan. Yes, sir. Yeah. Cool to meet you, man. Nice to meet you. And we're going to be starting on some of the signature burgers that they serve here. And the fried egg is also for the That's for the Grimburg. Okay. The Grim Burger. Burger is going to have mac and cheese. Fresh homemade mac and cheese goes on. A fried egg, bacon, cheddar cheese. All the cheese goes on. It's a small mountain of cheese and bacon. And the

entire juicy patty goes on top. Okay. And next up for the firehouse burger. We're going to start with our firehouse sauce. Then we're going to throw some jalapenos right on top. Oh yes. Some lettuce, some fresh onion. Everything has to be fresh. So some pickles there. The third layer of spice is going to be our butter. Oh, amazing. All right. And then we'll put that on there. Oh, onto the burger. Cayenne butter. Oh, nice. Okay, cool. Okay. And you see the juiciness of that patty goes right on top of that mound of vegetables. Amazing. Thank you, Nathan.

Yes, sir. That was amazing to see the burgers being made. But before we go to sit down and eat, I think it's important to know a little bit of history about this place because it dates back to 1937. It was started and it's still owned by the Langford family. I think it's third generation run now. But it didn't start off as a burger restaurant. So actually in 1937 it started off as a ger and as kind of a farmers market selling fruits and vegetables. But as things progressed and Houston developed chain supermarkets came about. So in order to survive they decided to shift from selling groceries to selling burgers and drinks. And from there it stuck. They've been selling burgers ever since. And also, they're

serving some of the most legendary historical burgers in Houston as well. And I love this location. It's antique. It's historical. It's so cool. I love these bucket seat booths, but I think we'll probably head outside on the patio with the picnic tables, which is also a really nice place to eat. All right. Well, thank you. Yes, we got the firehouse, the green burger, bacon cheeseburger, and an onion rings. Ranch dressing. Thank you. Oh, the burgers are gigantic. Thank you very much. Yes, sir. Look at the size. It's like a small head- sized burger. Okay.

This one's the grim burger with the mac and cheese. Oh, jalapenos. Oh, look at that steam. The bacon. More cheese on top. And then Christina firehouse burger with the jalapenos and a lot of fresh ingredients. I think we'll slice this in half. You can see that cross-section as well with the mac and cheese. Oh wow, that's that's a lot of layers. Okay, here we go. I actually totally forgot about the egg. We're good. Yes, very good. Thank you very much. This place is still family run. It's so friendly as well. And yeah, all the staff are really friendly. Wow. So, this is our breakfast burger.

First meal. It's spitting, too, because it has an egg in it, too, right? What I noticed immediately is the freshness of the ground beef. Mhm. They're smashing out those patties. Fresh. Oh, nice. Nice technique. Very cool. Look at the size of that patty. You can taste the freshness of the beef, the crumbliness of it. It's seasoned nicely with pepper. The mac and cheese I was I wasn't sure if it would be like too rich and overpowering, but it's actually it's actually nice. It's almost like a macaroni cheese sauce that just kind of warms your stomach going down. You've

got the layers of cheese, the acidity of the jalapenos. I like that the jalapenos are also pickled. I think that adds like another layer to the flavor instead of just like fresh raw jalapenos. I think it really balances out with the egg, the creamy egg, and the creamy mac and cheese. The jalapenos are um a must for this sandwich for sure. It is hearty. It's rich. It really is like an entire buffet line all in one bun. And Nathan just walked out with a brisket sampler. This is so cool. Little bites of brisket. Look at that bark. Oo, this feels tender. Yeah. In Texas, you have to eat brisket. It is an absolute must. Yeah, it's required.

Deep smokiness. It tastes briskety, but it almost tastes like corned beef or pastrami almost. That's true. It's like the meat and the fat has sort of just combined. Mhm. Oh, that's good. Yeah. It didn't disappoint on the tenderness either. Mhm. Okay. For the Firehouse Burger, you've got the patty. Oh, that was the cayenne butter that's melted into the bun and the patty. There's the jalapenos again. And then there's their special spiced mustard. So, three layers of spice going on. I'm excited for the cayenne butter.

Yeah. Again, I think you immediately taste the flavor of the freshness of the ground beef. Mhm. It is quality ground beef. You can taste the richness of that butter. Mhm. That cayenne butter, huh? Yeah. I think the spice and the mustard are the real defining factors of this one. Oh, delicious. I think what I love so much about Lenford, you taste the freshness of everything. It is a real freshlymade burger from the patties to the toppings and the ingredients. And you will notice that upon your first bite. Even the grim burger with the mac and cheese. Like it's like a lot going on, but everything works. This is the type of burger you can rely on. you can

keep coming back. You know you're going to get a good quality burger consistency and you know it's going to be everything you want it to be. I love that this feels like a little piece of the country like countryside like right next to downtown Houston. Yeah. We're like we're really in the heart of Houston here, right? Yeah. But we're tucked within a neighborhood. Mhm. So it feels really quiet and peaceful. Yeah. For the past since 1937.

Yep. Oh, Lanford Grocery. This place has everything you should be looking for when you think about a good place. It's historical, very friendly service and delicious food. Highly recommended. Langford Grocery. Yeah, it's a place you have to check out when you're in Houston. But from here, we're continuing with our Houston historical food tour. And wait till you see what's coming next. Actually, that was just about a 10-minute drive. We're at the next place. Christina, tell us about this Cleburn Cafeteria. This place is really iconic um in Houston and it's been here since 1941 and it's basically like Thanksgiving on a cafeteria line. You

can like literally pick from so many different things. Oh, cool. Um so you can go in really hungry and come out super satisfied. Very cool. Okay. Hello. Hi. How are Thank you. I'm jealous. Welcome to Clever Cafeteria. Thank you very much. This is a familyowned and operated cafeteria that was established in 1941 by Annabel Collins and Martha Kavanagh. My father immigrated from the island of Potmos, Greece. He met my mom here in Houston and together they bought the Cleburn Cafeteria in 1952. So, it's been in our family since 1952 and we're celebrating 85 years in business in Houston.

Amazing. And we specialize in southern homestyle cooking. We really love to serve great vegetables. If you get them in the morning and say, "Oh, I'd like a bowl of turnipss." Where are you going to go in Houston for turnip? You're going to come to Cleveland cafeteria. You know, that's so that's what we like to specialize in is delicious, wholesome, hearty items that we enjoy eating every day down here in the South. Incredible. If I were to get one tray of food, what would your top recommendation be? Okay. Well, you're going to start off by coming in and getting the kale salad. I just really love our kale salad. has become very popular.

Thank you very much. Then you're going to have the turkey and dressing, which is our specialty every day. Turkey and dressing. We have Thanksgiving every day of the year here at Cleveland. Can you believe that? And the gravy goes on. Okay. Thank you. Maybe that chicken fried steak. There you go. Okay. Enjoy. Mac and cheese, please. Thank you very much. Okay, keep going. Hello. Um, let me see. Famous for baked squash also.

Oh, yeah. The baked squash. Let's try the yellow. It's delicious. Okay. Yes, I did want to try that. Thank you very much. Can I get a colored green stew, please? Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Can we get into breads? We have about a half dozen different types of bread selections. Okay. Getting a piece of jalapeno cornbread. Uh-oh. My tray is filling up. It's It's way too easy to fill up your tray here. You could fill multiple trays here. And we haven't even gotten to dessert. Now, we're moving on to dessert. If I were to choose one dessert, what would you say? I know it's a hard choice.

Okay, sure. This will blow you away. Let's do that. Thank you very much. Okay. Thank you Amazing. Nice selection. Okay. We got two massive gigantic trays and Christina and I tried to coordinate so that we didn't get any duplicates, right? I don't think we got any duplicates so that we can cross exchange our platters, but this place is awesome. I mean, this place is known across Houston as being a classic spot. So, it is. I love the owner, his passion, his energy, and you know, when the owner has so much passion, and it's still familyun that they take such care in what they serve to their customers. But let me tell you, that is going to be some of the hardest decisions you have

to make in your life. You'll want to eat everything, but you might be here for a month straight if you tried to eat everything, which might not be a bad idea, actually. So, he said you got to have the kale salad. So, that's what I went with. That does look so fresh. Radish in here. There's some nuts. There's some cabbage in here as well. Olive oil. That looks refreshing. M. That is fresh. I think George said it's organic vegetables, too. So, you taste the vibrancy of the kale and the crunch of the cabbage. Sesame oil in there. I think sweet, salty, nutty.

Yeah. I think the sauce that they make here, I think that really does it. Mhm. It's not a dry case kale salad. Mm-m. It's got a lot of flavor. Should we try the carrot salad? Yeah, let's try the carrot salad next. Shredded carrots. There's raisins in here. M the sweetness of the raisins, the crunch of that carrot. Mhm. It's like a pre- dessert salad. It's sweet but refreshing. Mhm. I do want to try the fried okra next, which is a classic on any southern menu.

Oh yeah. Crispy. It's not oily at all. And then you've got that creaminess, slightly sliminess of the okra that just kind of melts into your mouth with the crispiness and the saltiness. Yeah. The batter is seasoned enough that you don't feel like you need to dip it into something, per se. Right. All right. So, from here, maybe we should just jump straight into the turkey and dressing. And one of the things, one of their slogans here is that it's Thanksgiving every day. So, if you're ever craving turkey, dressing, gravy, you can come here. They'll have it all the time. They have all the sides. You can have a full cafeteria Thanksgiving that's extremely good

quality. Okay, so I'm going to get a slice of turkey, full of the gravy, get some of the dressing on top as well while we're at it. Look at the size of this portion as well. Here we go. The turkey is great. It's moist, salted to perfection, that thick creamy gravy, and then the flavor of the stuffing, that bread. The stuffing is really nice. It goes The texture goes really well with the turkey. They know how to do it perfectly. Mhm. This place is like the definition of home style.

Mhm. Like you Yeah. You could just get comfortable and you could probably lean back, take off your shoes, and probably nobody would even mind. It feels like you're at home. Mhm. Eating Thanksgiving here. Yes. Okay, let's try some more sides before we move on to the next main dish. Going for some mac and cheese next. That is warming, thick, and creamy. It's not overpoweringly cheesy, but just that perfect balance of cheesy, buttery, melt in-you mouth macaroni. Mhm. Another signature dish they have here is the squash, which I was excited to try. It's like a casserole of squash.

It's like a squasher roll. Oh, wow. I just bit down on like Are they like bacony? Are they bacon or crispy onions? Oh, okay. That's what it is. Crispy onions. Almost has a bacony flavor. And the texture of that squash is delicious. All that is quality. You can still think that you're eating healthy while you're Definitely. It doesn't feel too heavy. Nothing feels too heavy or greasy or oily. It really is quality homemade. Oh, I'm loving the squash, though. That's a It's a winning dish, side dish that you have to try when you're here.

Okay, we're moving on to Christina's main dish, the chicken fried steak. Literally the size of Texas. Chicken fried steak. It is. It takes up It's overflowing. Oh, with a puddle, a whole pool of gravy on top. We have the thin steak, the breading, then probably shallow fried right in oil or fat so that it gets crispy and then topped with gravy. A Texas classic tradition. Chicken fried steak is excellent. And that's significant as well. Like if you were to eat that entire tray of food, you would need a nap. Like it would be impossible not to nap maybe on spot. But that's hearty. That's tasty.

Is so nice and buttery, too. Yeah, it is. Yeah. Oh, collarded greens. Oh, they're so juicy. Mhm. And again, tastes really clean, really natural. It's not oily or greasy at all. It's just really focused on the natural flavor of those collard greens. Cooked down till they kind of melt in your mouth. Mhm. I love it. Yeah. Lightly seasoned enough to make the natural flavors come out, I think. Okay. Going to circle back over to the turkey and dressing. And this time, let's add some of that cranberry sauce to it. Yeah.

Just so comforting. Mhm. You can't eat turkey and stuffing without cranberry sauce either. It's like the trinity. That balance of Yeah. That balance of sweetness and acidity, right? Goes so well together with the savory turkey. Okay, we are going to circle back and eat a lot more of the food, but I think we need a bite of dessert first. So, Christina, which dessert did you get? Coconut mering. Okay. The person behind me in line actually recommended it. He said he's been getting it for 20 years. Wow. So, it's like, all right, I'm going for that. Well, they are extremely well known for the desserts, too, because

just about everyone I talked to in the line said, "And they have the best desserts in Houston." A lot of people said that. Yeah. First of all, look at the size. This is not a whole pie. This is just one piece, but it is loaded with the mering. Oh, you feel the wobbliness of that mering, the jiggliness of it. Look at the on the bottom there. Wow. All right. Here we go. It's a mountain of meringue with the flavor of the coconut. And I like the dried coconut on top which intensifies the coconuty flavor of it.

I think it's still warm. I think they literally just made I think it is. Yeah, it's probably just came out of the kitchen. Yeah, if you like coconut, this is definitely a must. It's a wise use of your calories. And then George, he rattled off like 10 different desserts to try that are his favorites. Finally, he settled on buttermilk pie and George said, "This will blow you away." Let's do that. Oh. So, you've got this almost flaky looks like a caramelized sugar on top. It looks crispy. Then you have the pastry on the bottom with the buttermilk. Looks like custardy in the center.

Wow. That does taste like condensed buttermilk. Almost like creme brulee. Yeah, like a flan. Almost like a creème, but a little more textured. Not as smooth. Right. It does have a caramelly, roasted, milky, sugary flavor. Needs to be followed with coffee. But it's really good. Yeah, it is as satisfying as George mentioned. With coffee, it's perfect. Yeah. Oh, this is a feast. It really is Thanksgiving on a random day in Houston. And the squash. I think that's my favorite side. It may not look like much, but don't miss it. It is fantastic.

Thank you for your hospitality. That was amazing. So cool to meet you. Nice to have you. Glad you enjoyed your meal. Thank you so much. That was about a 15-minute drive to the next place, and I am extremely excited to eat what we're going to try next because they popularized a dish that influenced the entire country. So, welcome to the original Ninfas on Navigation. Hey, Mark. How are you? Thank you. Nice to meet you. So, right here right now, we are actually in the original dining room. This was Mama Ninka's house. This was part of her house. The history about Maminka is that she introduced fajitas to the United States. So, she took a

tortilla factory that unfortunately failed, but then turned it into an empire of restaurants. So, it started off as a tortilla factory, right? Yes. Okay. So from a tortilla factory to restaurants and starting to feed Houstononians and introducing fajitas to the world basically. Very cool. She's a pioneer for Texas cuisine. So when you first walk in the first thing you see is the action of the food being um made, produced and then served to the customers. And then here is the iconic tortilla station. So

So all the tortillas are made fresh by hand every day right here at the front. at the front when you first walk in. And they're made by hand. We don't use machines. We make our dough. And so this is where we make them daily. Cool. All guaranteed fresh tortillas right off the griddle. We're moving on to the main show, the main event. The original Ninfas is famous for their sizzling fajitas. Look at the size of the grill. A huge grill. Raging fire. You already smell the beef going, the steaks going. Oh, this is incredible. Okay, so fajitas all begin with the arachera, which is the skirt steak, right?

Yes. And look at that fat. Oh, that looks quality. Then that goes on to the hot fire burning over oak wood. Oh, and you can immediately hear it sizzle and hiss on that extremely hot fire. That skirt steak, it is so long. It smells so good. And this is the beginning process how the original fajitas are and were made and the smoke because it's grilled over such a hot fire. It's so intense. The heat coming off the grill and that's going to scorch and just embed into all of that meat and let that fat kind of melt out increasing enhancing the flavor. So just a good layer of salt goes on. And then the final step is that garlic butter on Oh, it's their whole belt of meat. Wow.

Look at how long that is. It's a one meter one m steak. Wow. Oh, embedding all that flavor, scorching the garlic butter, that smokiness. Wow. Chef, you have iron hands, man. You have iron hands. And those are the beef ribs. Look at the way they're sizzling. Okay. Oh, another drizzle of the garlic butter. You can never have enough. It just melts into the beef. So, that's just the grilling of the steak. Now, we're going to see the next process for the fajitas. So, you take that steak. Wow. That one

is a one meter. And they've got to be sliced precisely. Wow. Look at the juiciness, the fattiness. It's cooked perfectly. Those go into the tortillas. Directly into those fresh tortillas right off the griddle. Oh, wow. All those tacos alone look incredible. And now we're going to see the sizzling fajitas. So for the sizzling fajitas, it begins with the hot iron pan sizzling here. All the onions go on. Oh, that sizzle, that hiss is incredible. Then again with the same beef, which is going to be sliced the same way. The same way against the grain. Oh, that same extremely juicy skirt steak. And directly onto that bed of onions over the fire. Wow, that's hot.

Oh, wow. This is the plate of the sizzling fajitas. That smells unbelievable. That garlic butter, those caramelized onions, and that steak. What a creation. I can't even wait to go to the table. Getting a first taste test right in the kitchen. Oh. Oh, wow. Oh, that is incredible flavor. It's juicy. It's tender. And yet, it still has texture to it. That's what I love about it. Very good. Muian. Amazing. All right, the table is completely full. All the different sides, everything is so vibrant. And this really is one of the original TMEX restaurants in Texas. Really an honor to be here. We have everything that we're

going to try, but I think we should start with the original fajitas. Let's go. Flower tortillas. Flour tortillas would be the classic for Texas. Thank you, Christina. What's your favorite way to build a fajita? Let's go for a good solid piece of meat. So tender. Yeah. Look at that steak. And then all those onions and peppers at the bottom. This stuff is like gold. Sauteed. I'm going to scoop in that bottom there. Get those the juiciness of those onions loaded in. And then get some of that juicy steak. Juicy hydrated. Oh, it's so good. Put that right on top. That's beautiful. Yeah. And you can just kind of put on whatever makes you happy.

Happy. The salsas, the guacamole, pico deayo, a little pour of salsa. Oh, yes. That is huge and hearty. Oh wow. That is unbelievable. the tenderness of the steak. I love skirt steak because it's tender and buttery, yet it still retains the meaty texture. It's so natural tasting. It's engulfed and absorbed all of that fire and the flame and the smoke. Oh, that's just phenomenal. Yeah, it's balanced so well with the fresh ingredients and the tortilla also. I taste the freshness of the tortilla, the quality of that tortilla, and with that actual garlic butter on it, too. You taste the garlicky like richness of it, but at the

same time, it's subtle. It doesn't overpower the beef. But if you don't want it to be subtle, you can pour some on top. Douse it in more butter if you like. Again, one of the original places. And I'd say that they still are easily the best for fajitas. Doesn't get better than that. And fajitas are such a staple meal in Houston. Like literally for any occasion. Yeah, I love it. We got a few more salsas to try. This one is the salsa moahete, which is made in a stone mortar and pestle. And then this one is their spicy salsa habanero. Oh, we got to try some of this. Let's get a little pour of the habanero on there. Oh,

I love habanero. The fruity flavor, not too spicy, but just a great well-rounded flavor. Yeah. It's really nice with that added citrus. Mhm. That's perfect for this. This is the best fajitas you'll ever try. It's perfection. While it's still hot, let's try the enchiladas. And I love the ratio. All that sauce, all that melted cheese. And I'm not sure. Let's see what's inside. Oh, maybe just cheese. Layers of cheese. Those fresh tortillas. You want to swipe up as much of that sauce as you can get.

Very cheesy. And I like the smokiness of the chiles that they're using in that sauce, right? Has this roasted toasty chili flavor in that sauce. It's incredible. Yeah. Yeah. The sauce is really rich. You don't just taste cheese. No, it kind of balances the richness of the cheese. Excellent. Okay. This one is the queso flame. So she mixed this all up, put it into tortillas, and that's chisso inside of there, too, with melted cheese. Yes, sir. The mushrooms go in. And cilantro. Oh, okay. Cool. Mhm. So, that goes into the tortilla. Yes, I agree.

All right. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Oh, you can see the red oil of the chiso oozing out. That's a good sign. cheese mixed in with the mushrooms and the I think they were publano chilis as well. And that cheese is kind of it's melted but kind of hardened. The saltiness of the toiso, the freshness of the tortillas that they make here. The soft tortillas really make a big difference. And the saltiness of the cheese too has that stringy texture to it. And I think for this one, I'm going to try the salsa moet for this one. Everything is made for drenching in salsas, for adding ingredients and toppings. That salsa is really good, too. More like limey, sour.

Mhm. Has a nice acidity to it and a smokiness. I'm going to try one of the bacon wrapped jalapenos next. So, it's like a whole stuffed with cheese and meat wrapped in bacon. Oh, wow. the cheese stuffed inside. The jalapeno is nice and soft, and you got that crunchy bacon on the outside and that saltiness. That's something you'd want to be snacking on late into the night all night long. In Texas, we wrap everything in bacon. Yes, everything is gigantic and wrapped in bacon. Oh, that's awesome. My next bite, I think I'll just dip it into the guacamole. Yes. That's phenomenal. Next up on the meat mountain tray are the beef ribs.

Oh. Oh, look. Oh, jalapeno head stuck to my beef rib. Heavily seasoned and just flame grilled. They smell amazing. All right. Oh, wow. That meat is so moist and tender. I think beef ribs are also some of the most flavorful meat. Juicy and fatty and just great texture as well. Just completely saturated with the fire and its own fat and juices. We knew these were going to taste amazing the minute we walked into the kitchen and smelled as they were flaming in the back. It smelled amazing. Yeah.

Oh, these are I like this is going to be good. Another thing you have to try. Yeah, that's really good. Okay, I'll try some of the queso. Another classic on the menu at a TexMex restaurant, the cheese that just sticks. Melted. Okay, that queso, it's melted. It's creamy. It's thick and sticky. It's infused with the like the flavor of the jalapenos, I think, in there as well. Very, very tasty. And I do want to try Mama Ninfa's original rice, which has been on the menu forever. They said I think he said it came with the furniture.

Yeah. It is really good. It has a fluffy texture. A little bit of acidity maybe from tomatoes. The yellowess could be coming from turmeric. Tasty. The flavor keeps on building. It's really good. Okay. And then not forgetting the margarita. So, what are you making first? I'm going to make a navigation margarita. Okay. Tequila, fresh lime juice. All right. I gota orange leor. Wow. Nice fresh navigation. Looks amazing. Thank you very much.

Okay. Oh, that hits the spot. Oh, that's refreshing. And then you can come get some of that salty side as well. Oh, yeah. The lime juice. The mix, the salty, the acidity. Cheers to Ninfa for an outstanding meal and for preserving the heritage of TMEX food in Houston. One of the originals and the fajitas. Today we've eaten some of the most historical some institution restaurants that you have to try when you come to Houston. And along with the delicious food, it's about the hospitality, the service, the friendliness, and the

passion. And that Texas hospitality is what really shines. I also want to say a big thank you to my friend Christina for joining us on this tour today. She's Houston's Got Spice and I'll have her links in the description box below, but go check out her videos. And a big thank you also to you for watching this video. Remember to give it a thumbs up, leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you. And be sure to check out the next video. We're eating some of the best food in Houston. You're not going to want to miss any of the videos. See you on the next video. So, thanks again for watching.