Sunday, February 18, 2018

Anamia's Tex-Mex ~ Southlake, Texas


May 13, 2022 update: There are currently 6 locations in DFW: Southlake, Coppell, Plano, Trophy Club, Flower Mound, and McKinney. 

Latest visit: Feb 2018 (Southlake)

First visit: 2003 (Southlake)

As far as the RJG is concerned, Anamia's remains our favorite Mexican restaurant in NE Tarrant (as I update this post in 2018). And we award them with the very rare and coveted 5.0 rating! We've been going to Anamia's ever since we first moved back to the area in 2003, so this recommendation has some heft to it. Anamia's is not inexpensive, but it's worth the extra dollars for a consistent, high quality meal, every time!

Despite having "Tex-Mex" in their name, I would avoid the combo plates (they're average at best). We recommend you go straight for the Mexican specialties and never look back. Mr. RJG personally recommends Rickey's Tacos which features charbroiled white meat chicken in a homemade soft corn tortilla, heavily seasoned, that is served with rice and many condiments (onions, diced jalapeno's, and cilantro). Along with a wonderful, and entirely unique, fiery dark red pasilla sauce. Mrs. RJG gets a monthly craving for their shrimp enchiladas, which she says are the best she's ever had - any city, any place. And the few times she lets me sneak in a bite, I can see her point. One thing that Anamia's does, and it seems like such a simple concept but so few do it, is they season the meat / fish before rolling them in the tortilla. That is to say, the shrimp could be eaten ala carte and still be delicious. Most places will just add plain boiled shrimp and hope the enchilada ingredients take over from there. Not Anamia's. When looking for lighter fare, I recommend Pollo Cancun which is a heavily season chicken breast, and comes with rice and charro beans. This dish isn't always on their menu, but you can still ask for it. Mrs. RJG also recommends the Tortilla Soup, and she mentions to make it "super hot temperature", perfect for a cold winter day. And to think I'm this far into the review without discussing the chips. Once again, Anamia's does not skimp on quality. Homemade crispy chips with a great corn flavor on its own - and the salsa has a slight punch with a strong chili pepper / garlic taste. It's a one-of-a-kind salsa - I can give no better compliment than that. They also have what they call a "molcajete" sauce, which is in reality their fire burner, and it looking for extra heat, ask for it by name.  Also worth mentioning that Anamia's has dedicated servers for chips and salsa, so you never have to trun your heads looking for a refill! The tableside homemade guacamole is also a hit, and we see many families go for this option.

I have to say that Anamia's is tops when it comes to house margaritas. Mrs. RJG gets it on the rocks, and I always get it frozen. Always great - every time! They actually put tequila in them (imagine that?). Even their regular/small size packs a punch, And that's all we need to be satisfied. They have a full bar, with plenty of Mexican lagers and a wine selection as well.

Anamia's is a stand alone building on the NW corner of Southlake Blvd and Gateway (Commerce). It's just west of 114, so it's easy to get to if you are anywhere near DFW airport. The restaurant itself is cozy (or as cozy as a family Mexican restaurant can get). We like the bar area, where we can relax in the lounge chairs, and perhaps escape some of the screaming children, and also take a sneak peak at the games on the various televisions nearby. Also worth noting is the quality of the help staff. This was an issue in the early days for Anamia's, but strong management has obviously fixed this problem in the last 7 or 8 years. We see many of the same smiling faces each time we visit, and now know some of them on a first name basis. I also like that they wear sharp uniforms, adding to the professionalism. My dad was in the uniform business, so the RJG tends to notice those details... If you go during primetime (Fri/Sat dinner or Sun lunch especially), be prepared for Mr. RJG's personal nightmare: The long wait and the black ashtray buzzer. But we've never had issues getting in any other day of the week.

Anamia's started in Coppell in 1996 and has since branched out to Flower Mound, Southlake, and Plano. The RJG visited the Plano location in 2016 when meeting some business associates. It was just as good as our local Southlake branch.

10/27/08 (new entry); 5/22/17; 2/18/18

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