El Paso’s wide desert horizon and vibrant border culture converge in a food scene steeped in Mexican heritage, Tex-Mex innovation, and Southwestern soul.
Cross the bridge over the Rio Grande—or simply explore downtown—and you’ll discover flavors that define the city’s proud, sun-baked identity.
- L&J Café
- In a dimly lit spaces lined with family photos and vintage posters, L&J serves up flautas, green chile enchiladas, chile colorado, and fish tacos that shatter expectations. Their puffy tacos—crisp shells filled with seasoned beef, lettuce, cheese, and salsa—are the stuff of legend. Regulars have been coming for decades; the walls are covered with “thank you” postcards from presidents and celebrities who’ve slipped in for a meal.
- Cafe Central
- A turn-of-the-century bank repurposed into fine dining, Cafe Central’s vaulted ceilings, marble floors, and stained glass windows frame culinary artistry: tender rack of lamb, pan-seared sea bass, exotic salads, and housemade desserts. The jazz trio at brunch and candlelit dinners add an air of Old El Paso elegance.
- Cattleman’s Steakhouse (Texas)
- Not to be confused with OKC’s ranch, El Paso’s Cattleman’s is a sprawling three-story venue smack in the desert, drawing cattlemen and city dwellers alike. Bone-in ribeyes, porterhouses, and strips are aged in the cooler above the main dining hall. The sides—garlic mashed potatoes, fried okra, skillet cornbread—are served family-style, and the sunsets over the Franklin Mountains can’t be beaten.
- Chipiques
- A modern spin on Tex-Mex classics, Chipiques (pronounced “CHI-peeks”) dazzles with shrimp-and-poblano enchiladas, duck carnitas tacos, queso fundido, and margaritas spiced with serrano-lime syrup. The terrazza patio is perfect for happy hour, and every table finishes with churro-dusted churros and a shot of house-made watermelon tequila.
- Cafe Mayapan
- Hidden in a strip mall with unmarked doors, Cafe Mayapan feels like walking into a Yucatán dream: cochinita pibil slow-roasted in banana leaves, black beans simmered with epazote, handmade corn tortillas, and the city’s best horchata spiked with tiger nuts. Murals of ancient Mayan glyphs and tropical vines add to the sense of exotic comfort; locals swear it’s the closest you get to Mérida without a plane.
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