Remember Ninfa’s? It’s back at El Tiempo Cantina restaurant in Arlington near stadiums
“Mama Ninfa’s” Tex-Mex cooking is back in Arlington, but under a new name.
The family that helped make tacos al carbon and fajitas famous has opened El Tiempo Cantina, 1 mile south of where Ninfa’s opened in 1983.
The skirt steak fajitas are still the star at the new El Tiempo Cantina, 1011 Nolan Ryan Expressway under the old Choctaw Stadium across from the Texas Rangers’ ballpark.
Two warnings:
▪ Dinners are $20-$30, higher than a Wyatt Langford homer.
▪ But don’t be scared. They’re big enough for two to share, or even three.
This location is planted under the first-base corner of the old stadium. It’s opposite the new Loews hotel and across East Randol Mill Road from free parking, at least when there’s not a game at Choctaw, the Rangers’ home Globe Life Field or AT&T Stadium, halfway between Fort Worth and Dallas.
It’s the 12th Cantina and the first outside the Houston area, where the Laurenzo family gained fame for fajitas and margaritas.
Son Roland Laurenzo and grandon Dominic opened the first El Tiempo Cantina in 1998. The late Ninfa Laurenzo’s original restaurants had wound up in the hands of other owners.
Skirt steak, chicken and more
The fajitas now come as skirt steak, chicken or carnitas with onion, pico and garlic butter ($19.99-$26.99). The chicken comes with Mama Ninfa’s original “pechuga gravy.”
The Cantina also offers premium filet mignon, shrimp, salmon or ahi tuna fajitas with chimichurri or sweet chili sauce.
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Add toppings such as tomato, jalapeno, jalapeno and garlic.
The menu also includes the same meats in quesadillas, tacos, chalupas and flautas.
Don’t bypass Tiempo Cantina’s enchiladas.
The cheese or beef enchilada in Tex-Mex chili con carne is almost a lost art in North Texas. But the Cantina’s are big and topped with a serious Texas chili.
They also come as beef or chicken fajita enchiladas or smoked brisket enchiladas ($17.99-$28.99).
A cheaper deal
Tres leches cake is mountainous, again, big enough for two or three to share.
Now, a tip:
If you join El Tiempo Cantina’s birthday club online, you get:
▪ A $25 dinner in your birthday month, and
▪ A free piece of tres leches cake to celebrate.
Not all the other daily specials listed on the website seem to apply at this location, so check first.
El Tiempo Cantina is open for lunch and dinner daily; 817-533-3431, eltiempocantina.com.
Note: If those prices are too steep, Arlington’s venerable Bigotes Restaurant is 1½ miles south off Stadium Drive.
It serves all the crispy tacos and cheese enchiladas you can eat for about $12 weekdays, $13 weekends, in a small family restaurant.
That way, you can save some money for the stadium.
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
