Don Raffas Mexican Restaurant

Had a really nice breakfast at Don Raffas. It's a small place right on the main drag, easy to find or overlook. All the breakfast things were excellent and our waitress was super nice. Of special now, the refried beans, patata fritas, and both kinds of tortillas.

Food is great. Snapper is awesome and so are Mexican plates. Breakfast is good as well. Service can be on slow side because everything is custom cooked.

I'm hooked. And it only took a single weeknight visit to this small family-run restaurant.

Don Raffas is unassuming from the outside, with pretty much a bright and plain interior. It's comfy and clean like the living room that my grandmother never allowed kids in, and my guess is everyone there is family. Service here is prompt and friendly with attention to detail. The food though ... delicioso!

First, the salsa passes every test in my funky salsa rule book. It's a cilantro-laced medium-thin ruby red bowl of spicy deliciousness that's served cold. (I'm sure they'd warm it if that's your thing.) This place also has some serious queso action, and I'm pretty sure that it was mixed with chiles, onions, and cilantro -- then warmed through and brought to the table. The warm crispy tortilla chips served as the perfect vessels for inhaling both of these wonderful sauces.

As is usually the case, I ordered a bean, lettuce, and cheese tostada to go with my meal. Topped with the wonderful salsa, it was very satisfying. Perhaps I'll ask for a few avocado slices during a future visit.

If you've read any of my Tex-Mex restaurant reviews, you know that my inaugural visit usually includes tamales or cheese enchiladas, or both. I opted for the tamale dinner this go-around and was pleased. If you're old school and remember El Chico or Monterrey House, this dinner reminded me so much of their versions. Institutional, but in a good way, with firm masa and moist filling (not sure whether it was beef or pork). The rice and refried beans were fairly standard but good.

My wife ordered the chicken and beef fajitas with corn tortillas instead of the traditional flour. (The corn tortillas are homemade.) I took a nibble and gave a thumbs up. She, on the other hand, gave two thumbs up and made sure to get a to-go box for leftovers. -- It's worthy of mention that this place offers plenty of authentic Mexican dishes, including homemade menudo.

Don Raffas is hardly the neon-busy Tex-Mex joint that you might find in a mall parking lot or along a busy freeway. They don't wear uniforms, and the TV was on a Spanish-language channel the whole time we were there. The service and food are legit ... genuine. And the prices aren't reflective of a restaurant that's paying a band or five years of payments to a palapas company.

It's simply a local joint with delicious food, cold beer, and wonderful service. If you like eating local, you'll love Don Raffas. I know we do.

10/10 restaurant great service and the food is amazing, I highly recommend Pescado al Chef.

Oh my! Possibly the best thing I've EVER eaten!!! This dish had a fried fish filet, shrimp, rice, peppers and onions and was covered with a heavy cream sauce. It was divine!! I was looking for a local place to eat after an afternoon at Galveston Beach with my dogs and happened to drive by. After a quick Yelp, I was still shocked at how delicious the meal was and how gracious the Owners were!

The food was good and the staff was eager to serve our party minutes prior to closing. Enchiladas were great!!

Excellent "Huevos A La Mexicana" Breakfast. Very Nice Service. The homemade corn tortillas were delicious!

I was very impressed by this restaurant. They have a great menu with a wide variety of dishes and the chef was able to accommodate my special request. The waitress was very polite and always made sure our every need was taken care of. I highly recommend this restaurant and I will be back.

Great food. The people are so kind and helpful! I had the redfish special at the suggestion of the server and it was super tasty!

Good food, nice folks! Great flan when the make it. I always have a to wait to close out, I like their tacos, beans, and cheese enchiladas ( they need onions)