The Tex-Mex and taco crawl
A one-day tour of the plates this city argues about, in the order that makes sense.
El Paso food is not Mexican food from the interior and it is not the Tex-Mex of Dallas. It is its own border thing: red chile, machaca, flour tortillas the size of a plate, and one genuinely unclassifiable dish in tomato broth.
Pace yourself. Split everything. This is a full day, not a meal.
The route
8 a.m.
Pan dulce, Bowie Bakery
Start with a concha and coffee. Cheap, fast, and the right way to open.
11 a.m.
Tacos and the salsa bar
Arrachera at Taco Tote, then a full lap of the salsa bar — that is the real menu.
1:30 p.m.
The main event: L&J Cafe
Red chile cheese enchiladas. Order the queso to share. This is the plate the city is built on.
4 p.m.
Chico's Tacos
Rolled tacos in tomato broth under shredded cheese. There is nothing like it anywhere else. Judge it on its own terms.
6 p.m.
Reset with a beer
The Hoppy Monk for the list, DeadBeach downtown if you want to stay central.
8 p.m.
Finish at Elemi
House-nixtamalized heirloom masa. The highest expression of what this border does with corn.
Swaps and variations
- Weekend brunch instead: Crave in Kern Place or Ripe on the West Side.
- If Elemi is closed, make Café Central the finish and order the cream of green chile soup.