On The Border Mexican Grill and Cantina

CLOSED as of October 2009.
A pretty good place to get Tex-​Mex. I was partial to their hard taco shells. They just couldn’t hang with Gringo’s. Bummer!

It just closed!

40 of us came here for an end-​of-​school-​year celebration (yes, teachers plus after school alcohol is a scary thing). I was worried about what type of service a group of our size would get. When we arrived, the tables were set aside, the water glasses were there, the menus were at each seat. As soon as anyone sat down at a table chips and salsa were dropped. I was very impressed with the service as the rest of the restaurant was quite busy.
My Southwest Chicken Tacos were so good, I’ve thought about driving there just to have them (all the way from Sugar Land). A friend was arriving late, so I ordered her the Mahi Mahi and she absolutely loved it. My entire table of 6 teachers loved everything we had.
The service was attentive throughout the meal. I’ll definitely be going back once school start back up.

WORST SERVICE EVER. Went here on a Thursday around 1 PM with only a couple of tables besides us. The host sat us down and we did not receive any service until 20 minutes later when we STOPPED the server. His words were literally «what you want». Unbelievable right? Well after recovering from the shock he takes our order and 30 minutes later with my nephew hungry and crying the food finally comes out… wrong order. I was extremely disappointed and had to leave with my sister and her nephew. I have never had to ask for a manager before but being in the restaurant business for 4 years I felt that he had to know. The manager of course apologized and offered us a coupon. But, he failed to see the point. I was not looking for anything free. I wanted him to know the problem and address it. I ended up paying for the appetizer even though he wanted to comp it and left the coupon on the table. Managers have to really learn to hire the right staff and understand that we as consumers are not looking for anything free. We just want what we pay for.

I remember my first taste of Tex-​Mex. On The Border’s former location on Westheimer near The Galleria provided my late eighties introduction to Tex-​Mex. My circle of friends were so overwhelmed with the tasty margaritas and fajitas that we wondered if there was a Roman regurgitation room nearby. Our stomachs were giving out before we were ready to stop indulging.
Fast forward to 2007. The newest incarnation of On The Border is a shadow of its former self. The menu items sound better than they actually are and the amount of salt in everything reminds me of the day I tasted water from the Dead Sea. Take a menu item from OTB, dry it out and use a portion to flavor another dish. Saaaalteeeee!
I’m not sure why I’ve connected Roman decadence, a middle eastern landmark and Tex-​Mex, but there it is.
The Pearland location on this particular day was not full; however, the waitstaff and managers were disorganized. Too-​Much-​Travel Parents received their orders and fifteen minutes later I was told that my order had not been given to the kitchen. I received my entrée about the time my parents were finishing. The waiter told me he would comp my order, but ultimately did not. He comped two drinks and an enchilada saying it was almost the same. We had to get back to work and didn’t bother making an issue of it.
I doubt any of us will return.