El Fenix
Best Tex-Mex Institution in Dallas · TX
Tex-Mex pioneer since 1918.
El Fenix opened in downtown Dallas in 1918, when Miguel "Mike" Martinez turned a small café into what's widely considered the first Tex-Mex restaurant — the birthplace of the combination plate that came to define the cuisine. Its cheese enchiladas and Wednesday enchilada special have fed Dallas for more than a century.
The flagship on McKinney Avenue still anchors a Texas institution, and El Fenix is the 2025 Centurion Award winner in Dallas.
What they're known for
- Cheese enchiladas & the combination plate
- Wednesday enchilada special
- Frozen margaritas
Every award, on the record.
Each Centurion Award is its own dated annual record, and staying current means clearing the bar again each new year. Open a year for the full citation and verification details.
2025 Centurion Award
Best Tex-Mex Institution in Dallas Dallas, TX · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation View the 2025 award →Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
Visit El Fenix
A signal you can check.
This page is the standing record for El Fenix (2025). It was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it. For hours, bookings, and live reviews, go straight to the business itself.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. Own this business? Claim the listing to manage it, or ask us to remove it.
Run a business like this one?
If you’ve put in the years, you may already qualify. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.