TQLA

OFFICIALLY CLOSED.
For that, I’ll give this place 5 stars!
For not telling any of their staff, I’m removing 4 stars.
Source: A former TQLA Bartender

Bravo TQLA, bravo! You just became my go-​to spot… FOR EVERYTHING!
Went for the margaritas, but stayed for everything else! I mean once I saw the Happy Hour days and durations, I was glued to my seat!
The margaritas are the bomb. So sorry Café Adobe, you have been chopped! I ordered the House margarita with a mango purée and it was super strong and super good! For $ 4.50 it was a very nice size!
Half-​price apps during happy hour? Ceviche? What? This should be illegal! I would never go home if they were open ²⁴⁄₇!
The chips and salsa were very good as well, like Los Cucos good! And I also tried the street taco and the calamari and it’s on point!
The fact they have a patio makes it even more desirable though a full covered patio would be amazing!

I had theeeee BEST birthday celebration here a couple years back.
That was my first time there and I’ve been back a handful of times since and every time has been great.
Sundays all day happy hour is awesome.
But nothing beats that night ;)
TQLA knows how to celebrate a girl’s birthday!

This place should’ve been five stars, BUT due to the fact that they have happy hour all day on Sunday AND Houston Restaurant Week going on, the service was a bit slacking. It was busy, but not super packed. The bartender was a sweetheart, but I shouldn’t have had to wait almost 30 minutes to close my tab. Luckily, I’m not the type to walk out on a tab because my card wasn’t on file and I was waiting to hand over cash. Minus one star.
My second issue was with the ‘margarita of the month.’ What’s the purpose of using ‘top shelf liquor’ if you’re just going to drown it out with margarita mix? I’ve seriously had better margaritas at low-​end chain restaurants. When I brought it to the attention of the bartender, I was hoping he would step it up with my second drink, but it honestly tasted more watered down than the first. I’m not one to keep paying for drinks I don’t like, so I opted to close my tab and try again another day. Minus one star.
On the flip side, the complimentary chips and salsa were good. And parking was free (not just for two hours, like I’d heard).

This place is slowly becoming a favorite of mine. I’ve only been twice and each time I overly enjoy the drinks. One day I am sure I will try there food but for now let’s keep it about the drinks. It was Sunday and they have happy hour all day long… yes you read that right all day long. That’s basically like calling my name. There is a parking garage attached to this place so parking is rarely an issue. Just make sure to take proper precautions when parking in garages.
They have a small patio and I decided to sit out there since it was so cold on the inside for me. Our waiter was awesome and seems to be the favorite of this place. Everyone was happy to see him when they entered. This is definitely a good place to start off your brunch for a Sunday.

Hmm looking at this spot from the outside, I wouldn’t think I’d be rating this a 2-​er! Especially when it comes to HH!
Now the managerial staff seemed pretty nice but the waiters at or around our table seemed weird as hell. And we had the great misfortune of dealing with a seemingly nice, but nasty smart ass chick. We ordered drinks, they were ok! I’m not complaining but I wasn’t impressed with the food nor some of their portion sizes.
The oysters were good but they only give u like ⁴⁄₅ swimming in a sauce. Fail! The ceviche was a good size but it wasn’t good at all. Ms. smart ass asked me how I liked it and was so shocked when I told her I didn’t. She then assumed it was my first go round when it comes to this dish. No booboo it’s not but it’s my last time having it here. Too chunky but that wasn’t the bad part, it was extremely tart like it was sitting in lime juice for days. I couldn’t taste the seafood and could barely eat the dish w/​o pursing my lips. Argh!
Also had the carne asada dilla; that was the best thing we ordered. Crab cakes & crawfish fritters were decent.
I like the look of the spot, clientele but unlikely to return though we did get there in time for free parking. But be warned everybody is trying to make some money after 5 or 6 when it becomes $ 5/​spot.

Quick tips: Get the queso, eat the queso, bathe in the queso! Their queso blanco is so good with green chile and toasted pumpkin seeds. I was a skeptic when I first read they were adding seeds, but they converted me into a believer. House margaritas are good, but beware they are strongg. They have a parking garage in the back.
Happy Hour — ½ off delicious appetizers. 4.50 for house margaritas. Things are a little pricey regularly, so I would only recommend the happy hour. 3.50 for their street tacos. The one annoying thing is the glasses are a little small on the margaritas.
Food — Did I mention the queso? Also, the Santos Nachos ahhh soo good with jalapeño cheese, guacamole black beans and pico. A perfect veg snack.
Ambiance — Large dining area. Upscale ambiance.