When Jorge Sneider opened Las Alamedas in Houston in 1980, he said diners were afraid to try the restaurant's menu of authentic Mexican dishes because their tastes were accustomed to the milder flavors of Tex-Mex fare.

"People came here to the United States and tried to bring true Mexican food with them, but it was too hot, too spicy," Sneider said. "When I came here from Mexico City, you went to a Tex-Mex restaurant and you found only enchiladas with cumin and beans with cumin. Cumin was in everything; cumin is the flavor of Tex-Mex, and that is not authentic."

In the restaurant's early days, people would come in, take a look at the menu and leave because they were unfamiliar with the dishes they saw, Sneider said.

A lot has changed since Las Alamedas opened on I-10 and Voss Road, including the restaurant's location after rent hikes forced Sneider to relocate the eatery to its Cinco Ranch location in 2010. Sneider said he chose to move to Katy because of the opportunities it offers over other locations.

"There were no places to rent in Memorial City anymore, and the Katy area, especially Cinco Ranch, is booming," he said. "Houston is moving west, there's no questions about it."

Perhaps the biggest change of all, Sneider said, is that taste buds have now adapted to the spicier and more authentic Mexican cuisine the restaurant serves.

"It used to be people wanted you to sell nachos, but back then, nachos were tortilla chips with cheese on top and tons of jalapenos, like nachos you'd get at a baseball game," he said. "I couldn't serve that so we put beans and beef or chicken, guacamole and sour cream on them. We made it like a dish so we could sell it in an elegant place. We were the first place to start selling nachos like that."

Another dish Sneider takes credit for is shrimp fajitas, which he said Las Alamedas was the first restaurant in the Houston area to serve.

Sneider said diners come to the restaurant for Mexico City dishes they can't find anywhere else. One such dish, Carne Asada Tampiquena, is one of the restaurant's most popular entrees, he said.

"It's a big platter that comes with a filet of beef tenderloin, guacamole, charro beans, sauted onions and poblano peppers and an enchilada," he said. "It's a mixed plate with a good piece of meat. People love that."

Such dishes have become so popular that when the restaurant was opening its Katy location, Sneider made sure there was enough seating—300 seats in four indoor and outdoor dining rooms—to accommodate fans of the restaurant both new and old.

"We designed it to be a re-creation of the old location," he said. "It's the same ceilings and the same bar. It's gorgeous."

Introduction to Mexican Cuisine

• Ceviche: Raw fish or shrimp cooked by the citric acid in a lime-juice marinade
• Poblano: A mild chili pepper grown in Puebla, Mexico. When dried, it is known as an ancho chile.
• Chipotle: A dried and smoked jalapeno pepper, often used in Mexican cooking
• Mole sauce: A traditional Mexican sauce made with peppers such as ancho, chipotle and chocolate
• Tomatillos: A tomato-like vegetable grown in Mexico used as the key ingredient in fresh and cooked Mexican green sauces

Owner's recommendations

• Chicken Acapulco: A grilled chicken breast is topped with shrimp, sauted poblano peppers and onions in a lobster cream sauce. ($14.95)
• Enchiladas: Chicken, ground beef, cheese or spinach enchiladas in green, red, chipotle or mole sauce are served with rice and beans. ($9–$12)
• Paella Las Alamedas: The dish consists of saffron rice with shrimp, clams, mussels, pork, chicken and Spanish sausage. ($22.95)
• Tacos De Cochinita Pibil: Shredded pork tenderloin in achiote sauce and red onions is wrapped in a corn tortilla with rice and beans. ($13.95)
• Sizzling fajitas: Beef, chicken, shrimp or veggies are served with sauteed onions and poblano peppers, guacamole and sour cream with flour or corn tortillas along with rice and beans. ($14–$30)

Las Alamedas, 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. Ste. F-140, Katy 281-347-3030, www.lasalamedas.com, Hours: Sun.–Thurs.: 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri.–Sat.: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.