Two Mama Ninfa legacies, side by side

The Laurenzo family's El Tiempo Cantina is going up next to the original Ninfa's restaurant on Navigation. Officials at both restaurants say that being neighbors will be good for business - for them and the East End. less The Laurenzo family's El Tiempo Cantina is going up next to the original Ninfa's restaurant on Navigation. Officials at both restaurants say that being neighbors will be good for business - for them and the ... more Photo: Cody Duty, Staff Photo: Cody Duty, Staff Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Two Mama Ninfa legacies, side by side 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

The first thing diners see upon entering the original Ninfa's on Navigation is a framed portrait of its founder, Ninfa Laurenzo.

It's a nostalgic touch for the place where a generation of Houstonians learned to love fajitas. The cozy eastside restaurant remains a touchstone for many, even though it had already left the Laurenzos' control by the time "Mama Ninfa" died in 2001.

But now, the family is back on Navigation - building a huge new restaurant next to the iconic original. Grandson Domenic Laurenzo is overseeing construction of an El Tiempo scheduled to open in March. The new place will have seating for 400 and such grand features as a 12-foot-tall fountain and a 16-foot-tall clock tower.

"An original East End family is returning to its roots," Laurenzo said. "We had success here in the past."

Officials from each restaurant had gracious words for the other. Referring to Ninfa's on Navigation, Laurenzo said his grandmother "left an amazing legacy, and I'm glad to see it alive and well. I hope to see it go on forever."

Promenade plans

Bobby Heugel, managing partner of Legacy Restaurants, which owns Ninfa's on Navigation, had a brief statement.

"We wish our new neighbors all the best with their restaurant," he said, "and look forward to having them in the neighborhood."

No matter how the relationship evolves, both restaurants are likely to anchor an emerging East End entertainment district.

In a few months, a three-block stretch of Navigation adjacent to the restaurants will be transformed into a pedestrian-oriented promenade with landscaping, benches, two small restaurant pads and shaded structures to house scores of vendors.

Diane Schenke, president of the Greater East End District, said "The Esplanade at Navigation" project is inspired by Santana Row in San Jose, Calif. Initially, she said, most of the vendors will sell food.

Construction, between Delano and St. Charles, begins in December and is scheduled to be completed September 2013.

El Tiempo will have its own parklike setting. The long front lawn of the restaurant will contain a meandering path, benches, cacti, a longhorn sculpture, a four-faced clock tower and a water fountain featuring horse sculptures carved in Mexico. An enclosed open-air dining space on the east side will overlook a row of oaks. Laurenzo is spending just under $2 million on the restaurant.

Ninfa's on Navigation and El Tiempo are both likely to thrive, said Betsy Gelb, professor of marketing at the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.

"In a sense, they're doing each other a favor," she said. "It's going to create a conversation, and anything that makes you think of a restaurant is usually good. People will want to try both to compare."

'Will be the new kid'

Most consumers won't care which owner shares the bloodline with Ninfa Laurenzo, she said.

Chris Tripoli, president of A'la Carte Foodservice Consulting Group, believes Ninfa's on Navigation may initially have a slight advantage in that people are used to going to it when traveling to Navigation.

"El Tiempo will be the new kid," he said.

Legacy Restaurants has modified the Ninfa's on Navigation menu and the building for today's tastes while preserving the original concept, he said.

For many locals of a certain age, Tripoli said, the original Ninfa's is the source of authentic local Tex-Mex - the place where they first saw tortillas being made in front of them, first sampled chips with both red and green sauce and first tried fajitas.

The menus at Ninfa's on Navigation and El Tiempo do have their differences.

Along with his grandmother's culinary heritage, Laurenzo draws on his Italian-American grandfather's. Many of his Mexican dishes make use of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, olive oil and Italian sausage.

There are currently four El Tiempo restaurants in Houston, along with an El Tiempo Market, which serves as a grocery store, butcher shop and taqueria.

Laurenzo said he refrains from using his grandmother's likeness or name inside El Tiempos.

Other restaurants

Laurenzo said the Esplanade at Navigation "should be a very positive thing and beautify the area and be a continuation of all the good things happening in the East End. It will have a big impact as far as bringing people down here."

Other nearby eateries on Navigation include Merida, Dona Maria and the taqueria Villa Arcos, which has been open since 1977.

"This is the way my mother started, and it's worked," said Villa Arcos owner Dena Duran Gutierres.

Guitierres said the arrival of both El Tiempo and the esplanade project will likely transform Navigation.

"I just hope taxes don't go so high and people will have to sell their houses," she said. "I hope small businesses here can still thrive."

david.kaplan@chron.com twitter.com/davkap