Yelapa Playa Mexicana

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2303 Richmond Ave (at Kirby Drive)
Houston, TX 77098

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(281) 501-0391
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Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
Yelapa Playa Mexicana - Houston, TX
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Reviews
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Best

Horrible.! Just plain horrible.! My wife and I eat out every meal so we know restaurants and food. For $22 I couldn't even see my snapper and it stunk to high heaven. My wife ...

Worst

Bought a Groupon online and made a reservation to check this place out Friday 1/14/11. When we arrived, there was only one other set of customers, which I thought a little odd fo...

Yuck 1/18/2011

Bought a Groupon online and made a reservation to check this place out Friday 1/14/11. When we arrived, there was only one other set of customers, which I thought a little odd for 5pm on a Friday. I ordered their basic margarita, which tasted extra sour and a little salty, but since I like salt, I wasn't complaining. The chips and salsa weren't anything special, but 'The Real Guacamole' was pretty interesting and unique. I ordered the Pollo con Maiz ( I think that was the name)...and for a $20, it looked like they'd dropped two chicken breasts in a deep fry with some lime flavoring and a bunch of salt. Some type of gravy (again too salty) and mushrooms came on the side. It was disgusting and I was shocked by the amount of fat on the chicken pieces. My boyfriend ordered the barbacoa tacos, and they weren't much better.....too much smoked taste and overly salty. At least the rice and beans were good! Unfortunatly, I barely made it home before it all came back up. I don't know if the margartia mix may have been bad, or the chicken was bad, but in any case....I WOULD NOT recommend this place to anyone. more
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disappointing 12/19/2010

My husband and I have been to Yelapa twice, the first time it was great. We sat on the patio, watched a movie and had some really good food and a couple drinks. I fell in love with their guacamole and mango ceviche, and decided that's what I wanted for my birthday dinner. more
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Fresh Salads that Sing Summer 9/14/2010

I went to a Recipe for Success party and had their avocado salad and a peach tortilla salad. At parties, nobody ever eats salads. At this one, the salads were gone in seconds, and Yelapa had the longest line. Their salads tasted so healthy and fresh in this humid weather. more
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Avoid Yelapa at all cost!!! 9/10/2010

Horrible.! Just plain horrible.! My wife and I eat out every meal so we know restaurants and food. For $22 I couldn't even see my snapper and it stunk to high heaven. My wife chicken enchaladas were almost as bad. We threw some money on table and ran out. Let me save you from being sick and ripped off; scratch this one off your list to try! more
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Everything was Excellent! 9/10/2010

My ""foodie"" friend and I had drinks and dinner here last week and thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the experience. Service, very good -- attentive, knowledgeable, but not overbearing. Margaritas, excellent (both my friend and I believe our own Margaritas to be the best ever, so we're pretty discriminating judges). We shared the ""real guacamole"" for an appetizer -- awesome! I had the vegetarian Quesadilla, which was delicious - as good as any I've had; which being a native Houstonian, is a LOT (and had the leftovers for lunch, the following day)! My friend had a grilled fish dish (Mahi Mahi, perhaps?) and loved it. The atmosphere also gets high marks from both of us -- cozy, but light and airy at the same time - -festive, not fussy. I plan to return soon -- and often. more
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Yelapa, worth swimming for! 8/7/2010

This restaurant is themed after the small fishing village, Yelapa, close to Puerto Vallarta Mexico. To get to the city, most people take sail boats- I guess the really fit could always try swimming there, and if the food is anything like this restaurant, it would definitely be worth the agonizing swim. The food is incredibly innovative. It's not Tex Mex - so those going to the restaurant expecting cheese enchiladas are going to be sorely disappointed. This restaurant combines the flare of Yelapa into a fusion of asian, Spanish, and Mexican - and results in great foods. Definitely start the meal with one of the Chef's innovative guacamole plates - the seasonal fruits that he uses are wonderful and the combination of ingredients really become a party in your mouth. I definitely also would not miss out on the Sopas - they are so delicious and filling. For a dessert, we deviated from the norm and DRANK a shot of chocolate and a separate rice milk mixture - it was all full of flavor, light, yet filling. The restaurant also offers complimentary valet so parking should not be an issue. more
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Definitely not authentic 4/19/2010

After seeing a few good reviews I decided to check this place out. We ordered a campechana which was overly sweet. It was obvious the sauce was bottled and not homemade. After a few bites, I had enough. I ordered some pork tacos which sounded tasty on the menu. When they came it was another matter. The pork was overly salted to the point of being unedible. The tortillas weren't even homemade, but instead were prepacked and not were lukewarm. I ended up dumping the pork on a different place and left the tortillas there. The waiter asked if there was a problem and I said yes the packaged tortillas were horrible. I subsequently spoke to the manager who said ""we trying not to the the typical Tex Mex restaurant. "" And I said typical would be nice in this instance, instead I got bad food. Oh I forgot...all for the price of $80. Don't waste your money here. Pros: None. Cons: Items were prepackaged/bottled not homemade. more
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Innovative, rich and lusty seafood with latino-asian spice! 3/9/2010

After an accidental meeting with owner Chuck Bulnes, I made up my mind to try this new 'innovative Mexican' that everyone seemed to be talking about. I liked Chuck instantly and his obvious intolerance for b.s made it clear that he would run a good restaurant. When I heard that Chef Wiley had worked at Meatpacking's Spice Market during the days that I frequented it as one of my favorites, I knew I had to try Yelapa. more
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REAL mexican food with fine cuisine flair 2/12/2010

Im in love! the drinks are unique and awesome, service is down to earth, great ambience, cute decor, AMAZING food. I cant wait to go back, finally some REAL mexican food in Houston! more
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A Mostly Lovely Meal 2/7/2010

I went here with my husband and in-laws and had a lovely dinner despite a few minor flaws in service. I ordered an appetizer of chips and salsa which was interesting. It tasted like they used lemon juice in the salsa instead of lime juice, so it made for a welcome change of pace. There was much more salsa than chips and when I asked for just a few more chips to polish off the salsa, our waiter brought us out a whole order more of chips and salsa without checking with us. I'm not sure where the failure of communication was, however there were several other moments where the table collectively raised an eyebrow due to service (waiter taking our orders with his elbows on our table, not bringing back change from a $100 bill...). For entrees, I had lamb sopes which were presented beautifully. My husband and father in law both had cebiche (proclaimed marvelous) and mother in law had the fish tacos which she enjoyed. For dessert I had the chocolate cake (which happened to be a roulade) and the rest of the table ordered the rosewater flan. The flan entranced all who tasted it, however the cake was dry and unimpressive. Chocolate cake and minor service missteps aside, the quality and presentation of the food will bring us back to Yelapa in the future. It is a wonderful new restaurant in Houston. Pros: Presentation, price Cons: A few missteps from the waitstaff, chocolate cake more
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Fabulous Food 1/13/2010

Walking in the door you know this is not your Grand dad's Tex-Mex. It's like a trip to the place itself - rare and unusual - and on this my second visit - the food was consistent in its' excellence and ability to surprise. The ceviche sampler appetizer is a must for any ceviche lover. Forget the catsupy cocktail things with raw fish that pass for ceviche at one of the 14 other Mexican restaurants in the area - this ceviche floats on your palette with delicate flavors from surprising ingredients - and their nachos..OMG...their nachos. Can you say Nachos, Persimmons, and Watermelon radishes all in the same breath? Go for the nachos, split it with a couple of friends and try their happy hour from 11am until 7 pm....you'll be back ! Biggest surprise of all? When I walked out and remembered, ""oh yeah, I'm still in Houston""... Pros: Fresh, inventive twists with Triple Fresh ingredients Cons: Parking, but you'll want to carpool and bring your friends! more
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Delicious! 1/4/2010

so delicious! can't wait to go again! more
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Menu for Yelapa Playa Mexicana


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Beach-Fresh Seafood, Ceviche, Traditional Campechana

Owner Message

  • Come to Chuck Bulnes and Executive Chef L.J. Wiley's tropical oasis and enjor our Pacific coast-inspired Mexican fare. We feature a variety of ceviches and gazpachos and thoughtfully prepared grilled fish with refreshing twists! Our ambitious menu emphasizes the Jaliscan cuisine of the area such as tangy campechana with rock shrimp, crab claws, scallops, avocado lime and olive-laced white fish. Our traditional dishes are sure to please such as our grilled red snapper and grouper a la plancha! Sunday Brunch beginning in January! .50 cent Apalachacola oysters and Houston's only prickly pear michelada is only $4! Half price ceviche 7-10pm. Warm up near our two fireplaces and enjoy our patio fire nightly. Reverse happy hour 930pm.

Editorial

  • Chef L.J. Wiley and owner Chuck Bulnes of Berry Hill Tacos understand the element of surprise. From the gratis salted pumpkin seeds with dried fruit to the rosewater on the flan, each bite of this...

  • 12/13/2009 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon-Wed 11am-10pm; Fri, Sat 11am-12am
  • Neighborhoods: Central, Greenway/ Upper Kirby
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