Saturday, October 13, 2018

Discovering Historic And Affordable Mexican Food Houston

By Ronald Martin


When visiting any restaurant in the Houston warehouse district, it is often easy to get lost. While this is the case, the historic and Affordable Mexican Food Houston at Last Concert Cafe is well worth the search. For, while there have been many different stories as to the past businesses in the location, there are some which have been proved over time.

In most cases, patrons also find the history and traditions of the establishment quite interesting. In one case, legend tells that the cafe or house next door was once a busy bordello. While the house has now been torn down, the white picket fenced property originally hosted 8 bedrooms, one or two bathrooms and no kitchen. As such, most believe the house actually served as the bordello.

Mama Lopez, a local business woman purchased the building and turned it into a restaurant in 1949. Lopez, 69 years of age at the time declared it would be her last business. As such, the place became known as Last Concert Cafe. After which, Lopez operated the restaurant well into the 1ate 1980s.

While controversial, the business survived the largest marijuana bust in Houston history in the 1950s. Then, in the 1960s, it provided a home to the Houston gay community. After which, the business was threatened by the construction of Interstate 10E, though it seems Mama Lopez had connections with local city and state officials, so the freeway now runs along side the busy warehouse district rather than through where Last Concert, artist galleries and other businesses sit today.

With the somewhat interesting yet tainted history of the business, there are also some rather fun traditions which have carried over from owner to owner. These include, knocking on the red door twice for entry and having no sign on the building with regards to name or service. In most cases, it is believed that both these traditions date back to the time the business was believed to have been an operating bordello.

Another tradition is the lack of signage on the building. While there has been a sign posted down the street to assure new customers are on the right track, the owners still refuse to post a sign on the building in order to keep with these long standing traditions.

In recent years, the cafe has gone through some other changes. For example, in the 1990s, it became not only a Tex-Mex cafe but also a live music venue. Having been rated the best music venue more than once by the Houston Press, it is also a favorite among locals and musicians alike. In fact, in the 1990s, there were house bands whom played every Tuesday and Thursday, one for over 28 years. While those musicians are now involved in new interests, there is still live music either on the indoor, garden or outdoor stage most every night of the week.

Beyond the live music, there are other long standing traditions which have been started over the last few decades. These include, an annual Watermelon Social, a costume contest on Halloween and a New Years Eve party that is often hard to beat when it comes to looking for a great time in Houston.




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