Houston's taco competition is about to get a little spicier. Tacos Frontera, the Houston-born taqueria known for its flame-kissed, Tijuana-style tacos, is gearing up to open a third storefront at the Marq-E Entertainment Center near I-10 and the West Loop.
Owners Erik and Maribel Leal say the Marq-E spot is expected to open before summer, bringing their asada, adobada, mulitas and quesabirrias to the Katy Freeway corridor. The new location arrives as the brand lines up its first franchised outpost in Pasadena later this year, signaling that the Leals are ready to stretch their reach beyond their early loyalists.
A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation project filing points to a Tacos Frontera renovation at 7620 Katy Fwy., Suite 430, describing a roughly 5,181-square-foot restaurant build-out with an estimated $200,000 cost and a projected completion in late 2025. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation records also list Erik Leal as the tenant on the permit.
"Tijuana style is all about making everything to order," Leal told local reporters, noting that the menu leans on handmade tortillas and guacamole included with nearly every taco. What Now Houston reported that the Marq-E opening is slated before summer and highlighted the separate franchise plans in Pasadena. The outlet adds that the Leals intend to expand slowly and deliberately, keeping a close eye on operations at each new store before greenlighting the next.
Why Marq-E?
The Marq-E Entertainment Center is a multi-anchor dining and entertainment complex along the Katy Freeway that reliably draws evening and weekend crowds. Marq-E lists a mix of restaurants, a cinema and family attractions that should help a newcomer tap into both dinner and late-night traffic. For a taqueria built on quick, made-to-order plates, landing in the middle of a steady movie and arcade crowd is not a bad play.
Menu And Houston Roots
Tacos Frontera focuses on trompo-grilled adobada, carne asada, quesabirrias, mulitas and aguas frescas, sticking close to a Tijuana-style template that has been gaining momentum around Houston. Tacos Frontera lists current locations in Houston and Katy and notes that the original shop opened in 2023, followed by a second outpost in Katy in 2025. As the concept picked up steam, the Leals' story and their Tijuana-inspired approach were profiled in the Houston Chronicle.
The menu, built around handmade tortillas and trompo meat, fits squarely into a broader wave of Tijuana-style taco spots that local critics and guides have been tracking. Many of those shops, including Tacos Frontera, emphasize fresh masa, vertical spits and guacamole as a given rather than an upcharge.
Pasadena Franchise Planned
State records show a separate filing for a planned Tacos Frontera build-out at 2536 Spencer Hwy in Pasadena, identified as the brand's first franchised location. The tenant on that project is listed as Alfred Clemesha, with a projected July–September 2026 timeline. According to Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation documents, the Pasadena conversion covers roughly 2,400 square feet.
Together, the Marq-E expansion and the Pasadena franchise underline a growing appetite in the Houston area for Tijuana-style tacos, where handmade tortillas and guacamole are part of the baseline experience. As the Leals move into a high-traffic entertainment hub and test the franchising waters, the real trick will be scaling up while preserving the familiar, family-run feel that drew their first customers to the counter.
