Photograph of Domenic Laurenzo who is associated with El Tiempo Cantina

Domenic Laurenzo

STHS Class of 1989

Attended 1986-1989

Grandson of the legendary Mama Ninfa and son of Roland Laurenzo (’65), Domenic Laurenzo serves as Executive Chef and President of El Tiempo Cantina. When his father and grandmother told him after the 1996 Ninfa’s sale that it was “their time,” Domenic and Roland opened the first El Tiempo Cantina in April 1998 at 3130 Richmond Avenue in Houston’s Greenway Plaza area. A graduate of the Alain & Marie LeNôtre Culinary Institute, Domenic elevated the traditional Tex-Mex menu to a more upscale level of food, beverage, service, and atmosphere — proprietary anafre hibachi grills fired by live mesquite embers, fajitas expanded to baby back ribs, jumbo shrimp, quail, lobster, and carnitas, and every sauce, dressing, tortilla, and dessert prepared fresh from scratch daily. Under his leadership, El Tiempo has grown into a Houston institution with more than a dozen locations from Navigation to Westheimer to Katy to downtown POST Houston, alongside sister concepts Laurenzo’s Restaurant on Washington Avenue and El Tiempo Taqueria. His menus honor Mama Ninfa’s original recipes while evolving the family’s signature dishes for a new generation of Houston diners.

Restaurants

El Tiempo Taqueria
El Tiempo Taqueria Owner Mexican 5526 Washington Ave, Houston, TX 77007
Laurenzo’s Restaurant
Laurenzo’s Restaurant Owner American, Italian, Seafood 4412 Washington Ave, Houston, TX 77007
El Tiempo Cantina — NRG Stadium
El Tiempo Cantina — NRG Stadium Owner Mexican NRG Stadium, 1 NRG Park, Houston, TX 77054
El Tiempo Cantina — Daikin Park
El Tiempo Cantina — Daikin Park Owner Mexican Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford St, Houston, TX 77002
El Tiempo Cantina — IAH Airport
El Tiempo Cantina — IAH Airport Owner Mexican 2800 N Terminal Rd, Terminal A North, Houston, TX 77032
El Tiempo Cantina — Katy
El Tiempo Cantina — Katy Owner Mexican 20095 Katy Fwy, Katy, TX 77450
El Tiempo Cantina — Stafford
El Tiempo Cantina — Stafford Owner Mexican 12710 Southwest Fwy, Stafford, TX 77477
El Tiempo Cantina — Downtown
El Tiempo Cantina — Downtown Owner Mexican 401 Franklin St, Houston, TX 77002
El Tiempo Cantina — Vintage Park
El Tiempo Cantina — Vintage Park Owner Mexican 114 Vintage Park Blvd, Houston, TX 77070
El Tiempo Cantina — Galleria
El Tiempo Cantina — Galleria Owner Mexican 6100 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77057
El Tiempo Cantina — 290
El Tiempo Cantina — 290 Owner Mexican 12440 Northwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77092
El Tiempo Cantina — Westheimer
El Tiempo Cantina — Westheimer Owner Mexican 322 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006
El Tiempo Cantina — Gessner
El Tiempo Cantina — Gessner Owner Mexican 2605 S Gessner, Houston, TX 77063
El Tiempo Cantina — Washington
El Tiempo Cantina — Washington Owner Mexican 5602 Washington Ave, Houston, TX 77007
El Tiempo Cantina — Richmond
El Tiempo Cantina — Richmond Owner 3130 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77098
El Tiempo Cantina — Navigation
El Tiempo Cantina — Navigation Owner Mexican 2814 Navigation Blvd, Houston, TX 77003