This list is presented for anyone who is interested in the Mexican restaurants which were in El Paso in 1980. It grew out of a project I did to write down a list of all the Mexican restaurants from the telephone directory and then to make notes about the ones I tried.
Although the list was strictly for my own benefit, I think it might be of some historical use today. It certainly provides a clue about the longest running restaurants in the city, since very few of the restaurants which were open in 1980 survive today.
These restaurants were listed under the “Mexican restaurants” section in the telephone directory. I believe that it is not a complete list of all the Mexican restaurants which existed, but it is at least 80 to 90 percent complete.
Many restaurants served the style of food I call “El Paso” style. This is a modification of New Mexican cuisine (the enchiladas are similar) combined with Chihuahua style Mexican food (such as tacos, chicken mole, caldo de res, and breakfast dishes, to name a few).
Looking back, I think I rated some of the restaurants too low, but this was mainly due to having very high expectations (and at some restaurants I may have tried the wrong thing).
The restaurants I visited are in bold. All others were simply copied from the phone book to give me possible places to try.
RATING |
RESTAURANT |
ADDRESS |
PRICES |
COMMENTS |
EL PASO |
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Acapulco |
219 S. El Paso |
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Alberto’s |
109 Castellano |
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Alexandro’s |
309 E. Overland |
Cheap |
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Alexandro’s II |
7720 North Loop |
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Arnold’s |
2030 E. Yandell |
Mod |
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Bernadette’s |
412 E. San Antonio |
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Burger Boy |
5500 El Paso Dr. |
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Caballero |
6400 Montana |
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Carmen’s Cafe |
8257 Alameda |
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Casa Calderon |
8450 Alameda |
Mod |
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Casa Jurado |
226 Cincinnati |
Mod |
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Chicken Fiesta |
3701 Montana |
Mod |
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Chico’s Tacos |
4230 Alameda |
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Chico’s Tacos |
5305 Montana |
Cheap |
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Chico’s Tacos |
3401 Dyer |
Cheap |
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Chico’s Tacos |
1235 McRae |
Cheap |
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Ciro’s Flautas |
3203 Alameda |
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Cocina Arrambide |
5908 Alameda |
Mod |
Also known as “Pepa’s” |
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Conchita’s |
6933 Alameda |
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Coney Island |
4121 N. Mesa |
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Del Camino |
5001 Alameda |
Exp |
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Delicious Mexican Food |
3314 Fort Blvd. |
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El Abajeno |
9639 Dyer |
Mod |
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El Carioca |
2104 E. Yandell |
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El Conquistador |
4950B Hondo Pass |
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El Delfin |
4822 Montana |
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Elmer’s |
6305 Montana |
Mod |
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El Nido |
6932 Gateway East |
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El Nopal |
2314 Wyoming |
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El Palenque |
705 1/2 S. El Paso |
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El Paseo |
1611 Montana |
Cheap |
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El Ranchito |
2030 E. Paisano |
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El Rancho Escondido |
14549 Montana |
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El Rapido Cafe |
617 S. El Paso |
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El Taquito Place |
909 N. San Marcial |
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El Zarape |
819 S. El Paso |
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Forti’s |
321 Chelsea |
Mod |
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G & R |
401 E. Nevada |
Mod |
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Grandma’s Tamales |
7682 Alameda |
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Grandma’s Tamales |
6041 N. Mesa |
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Grandma’s Tamales |
1212 Yarbrough |
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Griggs |
5800 Doniphan |
Mod |
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Griggs |
9007 Montana |
Mod |
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Hamburger Hut |
3700 Alameda |
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Hamburger Hut |
8764 Alameda |
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Hamburger Hut |
8541 Alameda |
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Imperial Cafe |
510 Myrtle |
Mod |
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Jasper’s |
2200 Yarbrough |
Mod |
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Julio’s |
1201 N. Mesa |
Exp |
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Kiki’s |
2719 N. Piedras |
Mod |
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La Casita |
3333 Yarbrough |
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La Feria |
419 S. Mesa |
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La Hacienda |
1720 W. Paisano |
Cheap |
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La Paloma |
1017 Delta |
Cheap |
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La Paloma |
9415 Dyer |
Mod |
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La Pastora |
7705B North Loop |
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La Posada |
307 E. Overland |
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Las Casuelas |
1310 Magruder |
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La Tapatia |
8941 Old County |
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La Terraza |
315 Mills |
Mod |
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Leo’s |
7872 North Loop |
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Leo’s |
6232 N. Mesa |
Mod |
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Leo’s |
5103 Montana |
Mod |
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Leo’s |
5003 Alabama |
Mod |
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Leo’s |
5315 Hondo Pass |
Mod |
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Leo’s |
2285 Trawood |
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Lily’s |
4315 Dyer |
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Linda’s Jet |
6211 Airport |
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Los Compadres |
800 N. Zaragoza |
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Lucky Boy |
4130 Montana |
Cheap |
Also called “Beto’s” |
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Lunch Box |
527 Giles |
Cheap |
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Lupe’s Coffee Shop |
2919 Pershing |
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Lupe’s |
Rushfair Center |
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Lupita’s |
8929 Alameda |
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Lupita’s |
1230 Myrtle |
Cheap |
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Mexican Cottage |
904 Texas |
Mod |
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Mi Amiga |
501 1/2 E. 3rd |
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Michael’s |
122 S. Mesa |
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Miguelito’s |
1500 Lomaland |
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Moe’s |
6298 Alameda |
Exp |
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Montezuma |
211 1/2 S. Kansas |
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Palmera Cafe |
2301 Olive |
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Pancho’s |
5229 Sanders |
Mod |
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RB’s |
3905 Broaddus |
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Rachel’s |
2138 Cypress |
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Raphael’s |
Missouri & Kansas |
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Riviera |
5218 Doniphan |
Mod |
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Royal |
2905 Alameda |
Cheap |
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Sarita’s |
5541D Alameda |
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Sierra’s Cafe |
3027 Alameda |
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Sixto |
7227 Alameda |
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Sunset Inn |
4532 N. Mesa |
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Super Burro |
5901 Dyer |
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Taco Burger |
1414 Airway |
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Tampico |
119 W. Paisano |
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Tenampa |
310C S. Florence |
Cheap |
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Taquito House |
915 Myrtle |
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Tony’s |
706 N. Piedras |
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Victor’s |
5000 Doniphan |
Cheap |
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Villa Taxco |
205 S. El Paso |
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ANTHONY |
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Adrian’s |
Anthony |
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CANUTILLO |
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Canutillo Tortilla Factory |
Canutillo |
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SOCORRO |
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Old Adobe |
Socorro |
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Riverside Saloon |
Socorro |
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AREA WIDE |
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Taco Bell |
9 Locations |
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The four-star rating system was as follows:
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Very Good. |
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Good. |
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Fair. |
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Poor. |
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El Paso has always been the “Mexican Food Capital of the United States” even though it has only claimed this title for itself recently. In 1980 I would say that Mexican restaurants composed the majority, or at least a good portion of all restaurants in the city. Most of these were mom and pop restaurants with budget prices and the standard dishes found in Mexican cuisine. Most restaurants had at least one dish which was a standout, but the ones that had at least three or four are the ones with a three or four star rating on this list.
Today El Paso has many more Mexican restaurants than existed in 1980, but I think the number would fall far short of 50% of the city’s total number of restaurants. There are many more styles of Mexican food available than in the past, representing several Mexican states in addition to the always popular Chihuahua style cuisine. What has not changed very much, though, is that restaurants still tend to be mom and pop establishments with fairly low prices and food which is familiar to the general population. There are more health conscious restaurants now, and in general I think the choices are much better now than they used to be.
Some notes about individual restaurants are as follows:
- Arnold’s served the same food as Leo’s, but was owned by a different family member.
- Casa Jurado–a brother opened the Casa Jurado on Doniphan (which is still operating).
- Del Camino at one time was one of the best restaurants in the city, but in 1980 it was going through severe problems that led to its closing a short time later.
- Forti’s is largely unchanged today from the way it was in 1980, except that I think they have added some more good dishes.
- Griggs on Doniphan was my favorite restaurant in the city. Other Griggs family members operated La Posta in Mesilla, NM and El Pinto in Albuquerque. However, I thought the food at Griggs was the best of the three. The Griggs recipes are now served at Peppe’s Restaurant in Canutillo (on Doniphan Dr.)
- La Hacienda was another favorite of mine. Amigos Restaurant at 2000 Montana opened after La Hacienda closed, and served the food from La Hacienda. As far as I know this food is still available.
- La Terraza was another “Leo’s” restaurant.
- Lupita’s on Myrtle at one time was my favorite place for lunch because they served home style Mexican plates (it changed every day, and you had very little choice about what was served, but it was so good it changed my thinking about what was “authentic” Mexican food). By 1980 it had changed more to the standard restaurant model, though.
- Moe’s was great, and one of its secrets was that it used lard in the food (it still had many loyal patrons until the time it closed).
- Montezuma was known for its breakfasts, and many people picked up burritos to take to work with them.
- Pancho’s was good in El Paso at the same time it was bad to terrible just about everywhere else. Once I got to eat at the original Pancho’s (that was either on Alameda or Paisano), but I’m not sure if it was still open in 1980. The original Pancho’s had the best food of any of the locations I tried.
- Canutillo Tortilla Factory is today known as the Little Diner, and is well known on many national hole in the wall food guides. In truth, though, the food then and now is not much different from at least a couple of dozen other restaurants that are listed here.
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Sierra’s Cafe was wonderful. We ate there more than any other place even though we had to drive to get there. It served only three entrees with no sides, save for the francesito that came with the menudo. Tacos, menudo, and enchiladas. That was it. Dirt cheap, too.
There were probably only four tables in the restaurant. If you wanted a beverage with your meal, you were directed to a soda machine that dispensed cold drinks in bottles.
The two viejitas, the only help in the restaurant—they both cooked and waited on tables—proudly displayed a large, framed pic of the son of one of them. He was a toddler in the pic, looking adorable in his shorts and suspenders. According to my grandmother, the restaurant’s income paid the way for the boy to eventually go to college and then law school. The viejitas proudly displayed his college books in a glass-enclosed bookcase.
The walls were painted a light green which complemented the many houseplants.
On Sundays, a line of people, mostly African American, would be in the restaurant with ollas in hand to take menudo home. Mejicanos would sit at the tables.
The tacos were to die for. They had this fabulous beef and potato filling in a tortilla fried till crispy. Three golden half-circles, looking festive with shredded lettuce, were brought hot on a plate. I think these were served with a salsa of chile pequin on the side … but I’m not sure.
The menudo became the standard by which I judge all menudo. The bowl came to the table with no fat on the surface of the broth. Sometimes the broth of other people’s menudo can be murky, but Sierra’s version had an appealing clear red broth. There was a generous helping of meat and hominy in a serving. The tripe pieces were cooked tender, never chewy or rubbery.
The enchiladas? Meh. Two out of three excellent foods was reason enough to look forward to the restaurant. One of my earliest memories is of myself at three running down the sidewalk on North El Paso Street to my grandfather’s father open arms and becoming excited when he announced that we were going to Sierra’s.
Life’s simple pleasures and good memories. That was Sierra’s Cafe.
I really enjoyed your story about one of El Paso’s “gone but not forgotten” restaurants. It is typical of the many mom and pop places that are a large part of the city’s history. When you say that the menudo became the standard by which you judge all menudo, it seems that most of these small restaurants have at least one dish which customers consider to be the standard.
I’m sorry that I did not get to try more of these places while they were still open, but of course some of them are still in operation. The ones that stay in business for a number of years generally either have very good food overall, or they have the special dishes that everybody likes. I tend to think, though, that it is mostly the latter.
Great list–frequented most of them over the 60 years of enjoying living in EP, but the one especially searched info on was the Panchos on Alameda or Paisano–appreciated your comments, as it was our favorite for real Mexican food, too (maybe the late 1950’s -1960’s?)!