Tex-Mex & MexicanMexican, cooperative$
Café Mayapán
South-Central, Texas Ave
A restaurant run as part of a women workers’ organization in south-central El Paso, serving interior Mexican cooking with on-the-job training attached.
Why it is on the list
- Your lunch money stays in the neighborhood by design.
- Mole, tamales, and dishes you will not find at the Tex-Mex places on Mesa.
More tex-mex & mexican
L&J Cafe
The Old Place by the Graveyard. Opened in 1927 as Tony’s Place — home cooking, home brew and slot machines through Prohibition — and still the yardstick every other plate in town gets measured against.
Kiki's Restaurant & Bar
A tiny, perpetually packed room opened by Paula Yardeni in 1976, with a machacado plate people plan their week around.
Carnitas Queretaro
Carnitas by the pound since 1986, from a family operation that grew into several rooms across the city without losing the plot.