Harris County has the most Mexican restaurants in Texas

• The 2,362 Mexican restaurants in Harris County account for 17% of Texas' total.

Why it matters: The proliferation of Mexican restaurants — once staples only of the Southwest and parts of the Midwest — highlights the growing influence of Mexican Americans on U.S. culture and the effects of increased migration from Mexico over the last 30 years, writes Axios' Russell Contreras.

Of note: Tex-Mex restaurants counted as Mexican restaurants in the study, as did eateries, food trucks and restaurants that served multiple types of cuisine along with Mexican food.

The intrigue: Even though Mexican restaurants are prevalent in the Houston area, thanks to the region's diversity, there are still more opening, Christina Robbins with the Texas Restaurant Association tells Axios.

• More suburbs in the Houston area — notably in Fort Bend County — are seeing an increase in Mexican restaurants. Fort Bend has 209 Mexican restaurants, or 2.5 Mexican restaurants per 10,000 residents, per the Pew analysis.

Plus: There are now more unique concepts, with restaurants focusing on specific regions in Mexico, and an increase in fine dining spaces in the Houston area, Robbins says.

Here are some new Mexican restaurants that just opened or are opening soon in the Houston area:

• Mandito's Tex-Mex is opening a new location in Katy next month after it opened a branch in Bellaire last year.
• Mayahuel, focused on Mexico City street food, will open in Autry Park.
• Maximo Canteen will open in the former El Topo space and will serve handmade tortillas using nixtamalized corn.
• Comalito, Underbelly Hospitality's newest taqueria, serves imported heirloom corn from central Mexico for its tacos at the Houston Farmers Market.