HOUSTON — Who doesn't love good food, good times, and good prizes? Well, you can get all of them on Lotería or Mexican Bingo nights at a downtown Houston restaurant.
Food, family, friends, and fun are the perfect ingredients for a great night, and they just got better.
Once a week, Space City Birria, a small family-style eatery, hosts people of all ages for Mexican Bingo Night. You’ll hear owner Humberto Martinez belting into the microphone, “Welcome everyone to Thursday night's Lotería!”
Martinez explained the game is a popular tradition for Mexican families.
“It always brings me back to my childhood,” he said. “How we had so much fun around the table and forgot all our troubles.”
Family and friends typically play for small amounts of money and often into the early morning hours.
After the COVID pandemic shutdowns emptied out downtown, Martinez looked for ways to draw back customers and he came up with Lotería Night. Prizes include tickets or meals at downtown venues.
“That way if somebody won a prize, they'd have to come back to downtown to redeem it,” he said.
The game plan worked. Take Beatriz Macia's family. Three generations from three different parts of town meet at Space City Birria each week.
Abuela or Grandma Beatriz likes to win, saying “Si! Me gusta ganar.”
“They have good prizes,” daughter Maria Peña said.
“What is the biggest prize you have won?” we asked.
Granddaughter Melissa Jasso shouts out “$250! Woo Hoo!”
How do you win? First off, no Spanish is needed. Each card has 16 different pictures. An app randomly selects each image, calls it out, and displays it on a screen above the kitchen serving window. To win you need four pictures in a row, in the corners or at the center of the card.
Each player pays $10 for two cards to play all night. That's 10 rounds.
There are trendy cocktails along with classic tacos and burgers to keep folks going.
Martinez, a consummate entertainer, also likes to toss in extra challenges. On this night he shouts, “We're gonna see who has the best Mexican grito!”
Three contestants give their best shot at the elaborate cry that often highlights a mariachi song.
Fedicenia Jasso wins hands down with a strong, “Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy hah hah hah hah ha ay!!”
There are also trivia questions about Houston or Hispanic Heritage this night. All categories earn prizes from glitter lamps to Astros tickets. But the big jackpot of each game night? The $250.
The crowd plays that last round with gusto. The entire card must be filled in to win the grand prize, not just a four-pattern match. A latecomer shouts, “Lotería!”
After a quick confirmation, Martinez counts out the prize money like a gameshow host, and the packed restaurant cheers.
“I like to think my little idea helped turn the gears to bring the foot traffic back to downtown,” he said.
It’s a little idea that's won over some big fans.