For many months now, the old Whataburger property at the Southwest Freeway Service Road near Edloe Street in Houston has sat bleached and empty like a discarded hermit crab shell. But no more it seems. A new restaurant with an entirely different cuisine is shuffling into the fast-food chain’s discarded location.
Laredo restaurant chain Taco Palenque filed a permit with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on Aug. 3 for the old Whataburger at 3797 Southwest Freeway. The project calls for a $1.2 million-ish renovation and alteration of the existing 2,975-square-foot building. Construction is slated to begin Sept. 1 and finish by Feb. 15 of next year.
That particular Whataburger had been around for 30 years, according to Houston Historic Retail. It was pretty dependable for a late night or early morning sortie. There’s another by Shepherd Drive and Farnham Street that I would frequent during college, but when the lines got too long, you could occasionally rely on the Southwest Freeway location as a backup.
The Whataburger eventually closed around the same time a new location was announced just up the block, closer to Wesleyan Street. The company decided to rebuild a brand-new location at 3929 Southwest Freeway, the site of a former Fuddruckers. In 2025, we bemoaned the demolition of the Fuddruckers.
Taco Palenque is a Laredo-based restaurant chain with three locations already in the Houston area. Juan Francisco Ochoa founded the business in 1987, and today, it has around 50 locations in Texas and a few in Mexico. Ochoa is also credited with founding the El Pollo Loco chain of restaurants.
We don’t know yet whether Taco Palenque will keep the signature A-frame-shaped exterior of the old-school Whataburger location. In Houston, there are more than a few restaurants that move in and simply paint over the orange while keeping the buildings intact. The older A-frame stands have seen the same usage but have attracted more than just restaurants. Texas Monthly reported automotive shops, art stores and coffee shops have co-opted the spaces for their own designs.
