Greater Heights fonda serves master class breakfast tacos, pambazos, and other cravings.

1010 N Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77008

(713) 869-8110

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8AM–8PM Mon–Sat; 9AM–5PM Sun

Two weeks after our extended stay in Mexico City, we are pining for the antojitos of Coyoacán, while reacquainting ourselves with those joys particular to Tejas like flour tortillas and beef barbacoa. So, when we heard of a place on North Shepherd who make their own wheat and corn tortillas and a sandwich that we thought we would never see outside of Mexico, we dragged ourselves out on a Saturday morning seeking starchy cures for excessive birthday drinks the night before. On our visit, La Fondita Michoacán was in the process of renovating, which made the exterior of its location in a humble strip mall look much rougher than the bright, friendly environment we found inside. (We promise to return to take a better picture of the facade.)

Pambazo ($6.50). A pambazo is a Mexican sandwich made with a soft roll that is dunked in a guajillo salsa and usually filled with mashed potatoes and chorizo before being crisped up on the griddle. The edges of La Fondita Michoacán’s pambazo lacked that satisfying crunch borne of caramelizing sauced and oiled-up bread, but we were distracted from that disappointment by the delicious filling, a layer of tangy chorizo, homey potato, and a good dollop of crema (and no wilted lettuce). For the historically-minded, the Spanish word pambazo is derived from the Ladino pan basso, or “low bread,” denoting a bread of low price and quality (that is to say, a perfect candidate for a salsa bath and griddling).

Sope con barbacoa ($4.25). Here we have a tender, homemade masa “cup” (think a thick tortilla with raised edges) loaded up with beans, barbacoa, crema, onions, cilantro, and grated cheese. La Fondita Michoacán’s dedication to making tortillas and other items in-house shines here, as the sope becomes a study in subtle textural contrasts between the girthy masa base, smooth beans and crema, unctuous barbacoa, and crunchy onions. There’s a lot going on in this humble antojito.

Tacos de machacado con huevo ($2.50 each). La Fondita Michoacán’s tortillas elevate a simple Tex-Mex breakfast taco to new heights. Despite what some central Texas-based chains specializing in quasi-gourmet tacos might have you believe, a taco is only as good as its tortilla. You can load all the slow-braised pork belly or dry-rubbed, grilled beef tenderloin you want into some random spongy Sysco flour tortilla and your taco still will never be as good as these homemade tortillas filled with scrambled eggs and shredded dry beef. Add a few squirts of salsa picante from the ever-present squeeze bottles of roja y verde and you are there, enjoying a perfect moment with your tacos.

To sum up, we love La Fondita Michoacán’s antojitos, and applaud their commitment to serving quality, house-made tortillas. We look forward to returning to sample gorditas and tortas, as well as their well-regarded enchilada plates.