Pappasito’s liquor-endowed margaritas and tender beef fajitas have a well-earned place in the hearts of Houstinites. So what if their char doesn’t have much of the wood smoke flavor we so cherish? Grilled quail comes out with a lot of flavor—it’s a great way to impress the out-of-towners with the sophistication of our Tex-Mex scene. Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy are just about flawless, spinning certain unwitting customers off into a nostalgic euphoria that takes them straight back to childhood outings with the family.

Generally, Pappasito’s also does the little things well, like charro beans that burst with pork-fat flavor from cubes of bacon, or chile con queso with more tomato-and-pepper texture to stand up to the creamy cheese than most versions have. It can be obnoxiously corporate, however, with peppy servers uttering cheeseball phrases like “Anyone save room for a delicious dessert?” and an over-studied Tex-Mex atmosphere.

Yet it’s exactly this sort of chain—with the culinary rigor required to execute one regional cuisine faithfully—that fails to produce anything truly sublime. Shrimp fajitas are only memorable because of their lemon butter; dry-rubbed baby back ribs are fine, but far from barbecue-joint excellence; soft tacos are relatively bland. We’ve also found troublesome consistency issues, like dry fajitas and soapy-sweet ’ritas, at certain branches. Upper Kirby seems to be the most reliable.