A Houston Tex-Mex institution is staking its future on two opposite corners of the Austin suburbs. Gringo's Mexican Kitchen, the Pearland-born chain known for budget-friendly fajitas and complimentary soft-serve ice cream, is building restaurants in Kyle and Leander, marking its most ambitious expansion in more than three decades of business.
The Kyle restaurant, a 9,500-square-foot building, is planned for the new Kyle Park development at Interstate 35 and Bebee Road, according to Austin Business Journal. The opening is slated for November 2027. Up north, state filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation show the Leander location will run about $5 million to build at 10101 183A Toll Frontage Road, as reported by Community Impact, with construction beginning in May 2027 and wrapping around February 2028.
Kyle's economic incentive considerations include capital investment and job creation.
A Legacy Chain's Rare Leap Beyond Houston
Gringo's traces back to January 11, 1993, when founder Russell Ybarra opened the original restaurant in a Pearland building that had already failed under four previous restaurant concepts, according to the company's own account on Gringo's Mexican Kitchen's website. Ybarra built the brand around serving quality Tex-Mex at affordable prices, a formula that has kept the chain almost entirely within Greater Houston for 33 years.
In fact, the company's only expansion outside its home market before this latest push was a single location in College Station, the trade publication's reporting notes. The Kyle and Leander projects put the chain in two Central Texas communities along the Interstate 35 corridor.
The I-35 strategy extends well past Austin. Gringo's is also planning a restaurant in Cibolo Crossing near San Antonio, expected to open in late 2026 and sitting directly next to a Willie's Grill & Icehouse, according to Community Impact's coverage of the San Antonio market.
Expanding Into Kyle and Leander
The Kyle location lands inside a development built specifically to solve a local problem. Kyle Park is a 101-acre mixed-use project that broke ground in early 2026, and the City of Kyle says it is designed to curb retail leakage and generate at least 800 full-time jobs. City studies had previously shown Kyle residents regularly left town just to find dining and retail options.
The Leander restaurant is planned for Northline, adding another Central Texas location for the chain.
Gringo's has a design partnership with Harrison for the new locations, the trade publication reported.
Joining an Already Crowded 183A Corridor
Gringo's isn't arriving in Leander alone. The restaurant follows a broader influx of dining concepts along the 183A Tollway corridor, including Willie's Grill moving onto Bright Lane, as Hoodline has previously reported.
Open questions remain around the exact tax incentive package Kyle's city council may ultimately approve for Gringo's, as well as whether supply chain or construction delays could push back the late-2027 and mid-2028 target openings. For now, the chain that spent three decades content to serve Houston is betting that Central Texas is ready for it.
