Fonda Santa Rosa, Mexican cuisine, Houston

By honoring his family's Mexican recipes in everything from salsa to mole, Fonda Santa Rosa–owner David Reyes nurtures a passion for his native country's cuisine. The staff echoes this feeling in the care and attention they put into each dish. They marinate pork in a savory blend of achiote, orange, and garlic before slow-roasting it for their signature cochinita pibil. They fire-roast poblano peppers and grill tender beef for tampiqueña plates. And they spend hours on the mole sauce, which in accordance with Reyes' grandmother's recipe, has 25 separate ingredients.

Out in the dining room, guests sip fresh-fruit aguas frescas or Mexican Coca-Cola. Meanwhile, strings of colorful paper flags stretch across the ceiling and Mexican paintings, ceramics, and framed copies of Reyes family recipes speckle walls with a touch of history.