Restaurant: AlCaliente
Address: 20210 Katy Freeway, Katy, Texas
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 7/24/16
Update 1/17/17: This place has closed down, thus ending the brief availability of halal Mexican food in Cypress/Katy
Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be talking about my experience in another restaurant that has started serving halal meat. This place is called Alcaliente. And it serves something that I've been waiting for in Houston for just over two years: Mexican food that is not inside 610 and is in Harris County (Family Kitchen is in Fort Bend county). Finally, I can no longer worry about either waiting to go to Dallas to get my Mexican food cravings satisfied (though I love the place in Dallas a lot), or have to wait to go to the Bullritos or Coreanos at UH to get my halal Mexican/Tex-Mex food cravings if I were to crave it here in Houston. I can finally get to try some Mexican food that's not far from my house. I first heard about the restaurant serving halal food on Facebook, when somebody posted on one of my Facebook friend's wall about the place serving halal chicken and beef. To clarify, I messaged them on Facebook, and they said the same thing. I also asked about the pork, and they said it was cooked separately. It was a while before I got to try it, mainly because of the fact that it was nearly impossible to try it during Ramadan since they close a little bit after sunset, and class that ended between 9 - 10 PM. I got to try it when I organized a goodbye party for my friend that was going to Philadelphia for medical school. Before the other people came, my friend and I arrived at the restaurant.
Let The Experience Begin!
Alcaliente is located off I-10 near Fry Rd. and can be accessed from the feeder. It's in the same are as the Home Depot. Inside, there is a bar, and a whole bunch of tables and booths. We were helped to a table, given menus, and then ordered.
Let's Eat!
We ordered the Alcaliente platter, an appetizer consisting of beef nachos, chili con queso, chicken flautas, and chicken quesadillas with guacamole, salad, and sour cream. We ordered that so that all of us could share. We were given free chips and salsa as well. For entrees, I ordered the combo chicken and beef fajita that came with refried beans (vegetarian), rice, salad, and sour cream. My friend ordered the beef enchiladas, and my other friend ordered the beef chimichanga. All of this costed $47, but with a Yelp deal, we got it down to $20. The waiting time was about 33 minutes in total, good enough for 5 people. After eating here, we went to BJs and devoured a party platter pizookie.
Menu: the options here are wonderful. So many things to choose from! This place has a lot more halal Mexican options than M&M Grill. Along with the fajitas, tacos, quesadillas, and chimichangas, they have 5 different enchilada options, tostadas, and Mexican plates like carne guisada and a chicken dish with poblano peppers. They also have a breakfast menu, but lesser halal options.
I took pictures of the menu because the website didn't even mention the menu prices and the menu on their Facebook page had not been updated.
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Breakfasts
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| Omelettes |
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Breakfast plates
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Hot of The Griddle
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Appetizers
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Soups and salads. Note the discount
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Enchiladas
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Tacos
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The fajitas
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Breakfast and sides. Refried beans are vegetarian
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Alcaliente Specialties
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Specialties continued
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Kids Menu
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Desserts and Beverages
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The Alcaliente Platter
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Combo beef and chicken fajita
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Spanish Rice and Refried Beans. Cilantro Rice also available
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Enchiladas with rice
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| Chimichanga, refried beans, and Spanish Rice |
The Verdict:
Everyone said that the food was actually good, and I agreed with them. The food was not at the same level as M&M's Mexican food, but the taste was still really good. Like M&M, the fajita meat comes in a sizzler. They give a few extra tortillas in a nice dish. It was worth the long wait for a halal Mexican place to open up that was actually a decent distance from my house.
No complaints about the service. The people were really nice.
Conclusion:
Alcaliente is a place that you should consider trying if you either want to not make the drive to M&M, if you want to eat Mexican food on a Sunday since M&M is closed on Sundays, or if you want to eat at an actual Mexican restaurant. I do wish that there were items like barbacoa, halal tamales (yes it is possible), beef chorizo, and empanadas. Nevertheless, the food here is good enough for me to say that I can come here and eat Mexican food without having to drive really far.
Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Total: 16/20 = 80% (B)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$
Restaurant Information:
Alcaliente
20210 Katy Freeway, Katy, Texas
Phone: (832) 321-5232
Timings: Mon-Sun: 7 AM - 9 PM
Caters: Yes
Feel free to comment below, send me an email, or message me on Facebook.
Cheers!
Zain Mohammed
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