In 1983, Stan and Audrey Holt opened a tiny 45-seat restaurant in a converted 1940s frame house in Addicks, Texas. They had a simple idea: serve real Texas-Mex food with ingredients you could taste. No shortcuts. No pre-made mixes. No frozen tortillas.
More than four decades later, that idea has grown into 34 locations across Texas — and the Holts still haven't franchised a single one. Every Lupe Tortilla restaurant is family-owned and company-operated. Sons Judson and Peter Holt, both graduates of the Culinary Institute of America, took over operations in 1995 and have continued their parents' commitment to doing things the right way.
At every Lupe Tortilla location, flour tortillas are hand-rolled and corn tortillas are hand-pressed — multiple times a day. Margaritas are made from scratch with fresh-squeezed juices and premium tequilas. No pre-made mixes ever touch the glass. The family motto says it all: "Never give up integrity or quality for volume."
That commitment to quality has earned Lupe Tortilla the Houston Press "Best of Houston" readers' choice award, a profile in FSR Magazine, praise from Eater Houston, and TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice honors at multiple locations. Even comedian Jim Gaffigan weighed in, tweeting "Lunch made me want to move to Houston!" after eating there — reportedly earning himself a menu item named in his honor.
Lupe Tortilla brands their cuisine as "Texas-Mex" (not Tex-Mex) and proudly operates only within the state of Texas.