Lauren Drewes Daniels
Audio By Carbonatix
RIP to one of Houston’s alleged best Tex-Mex restaurants and its presence in North Texas. El Tiempo lived for less than two years in the hollow bottoms of Choctaw Stadium (former home of the Texas Rangers). It is now being replaced by the first full-service restaurant created by Hurtado Barbecue owner and pitmaster Brandon Hurtado, along with his partner, Hannah.
In a Facebook post, Brandon wrote, “Elevated Tex-Mex is coming to the mound,” and revealed the restaurant will be called Loma, which means “hill” in Spanish, after the pitcher’s mound. He told Bud Kennedy at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the menu will include wagyu beef fajitas and that diners can expect a brunch menu on weekends and date-night vibes with low lighting in the evening.
Hurtado Barbecue, an Arlington-based barbecue spot, is on Texas Monthly’s honorable mentions for the state’s best barbecue spots and on Southern Living’s 2025 list of the best barbecue spots in the South. Brandon Hurtado released his first cookbook, Barbacoa: The Heart of Tex-Mex Barbecue, last year.
This restaurant space, across from Loews Arlington Hotel and Globe Life Field, is being vacated by El Tiempo, a Houston export that Dallas Observer editor Lauren Drewes Daniels disliked so much she labeled her meal “an overall bland and disappointing feast.” The review caused an interstate dispute with Houston-based Chron.com, prompting its food reporter to say, “our neighbors up north can’t be trusted with Tex-Mex.” Yikes. Apparently, they were both right.
El Tiempo never took off, but we can’t say for certain whether it’s because the people of North Texas didn’t get it. Houston’s Tex-Mex favorites have a history of not translating to Dallas — just look to the dour state of Pappasito’s here. Having grown up in Houston myself, it’s clear that the food isn’t the same in DFW restaurants as it is in Houston. It’s not as good. Maybe it’s the water?
