Taqueria Elemi

7729 Paseo del Norte
El Paso, TX
No Phone

The outdoor patio

Elemi Restaurant has gained recognition in the area by its James Beard nominations and recommendations by the New York Times among others. The restaurant’s newest venture specializes in tacos, being much more accessible to much of the population that appreciates more affordable prices. Missing are the exotic dishes and waiters that are part of Elemi’s fine dining experience. What is here, though, is the commitment to the highest possible food quality.

The Taqueria has an accolade, though, that may bring it far more customers than its other awards, namely its inclusion in the Texas Monthly list of the 25 best new taquerias 2026. They explain that:

Emiliano and Kristal Marentes changed contemporary Mexican food in Texas when they opened Elemi in downtown El Paso in 2018. In 2024 they relocated the restaurant to a larger space in the suburb of Horizon City. This year they made their biggest gamble yet with their second restaurant, a modern taqueria tucked into a shopping center on El Paso’s growing West Side.

Texas Monthly points out the tortillas made from nixtamalized corn and the pork cut from a trompo that set it apart from the typical taco restaurant.

The kitchen with the trompo has an open view to customers

The setup here is that when you are ready to order you do it at the counter. When it is ready you take it to an inside or outside table, or take it to go. They have a tip jar but you are free to tip according to your feeling about a self-service restaurant.

The Food

Taco or keka?

There is a pretty simple menu–you have a choice of tacos or kekas. Keka means a “quesadilla,” which I believe is what is pictured here (although an ordinary quesadilla would have a flour tortilla shell). My notes are not complete enough to identify this item but the good part is that if you want a certain type of meat with cheese and a blue corn shell you can ask for it (or do what I did and just pick things from the menu that sound good).

Keka and taco

The above plate is even more baffling to me. What I know is that I got a Suadero (confit beef) and Longaniza Keka (sausage), and a Taco al Pastor. If these don’t look like traditional tacos or quesadillas, that is the whole point with what they serve.

Juice

The drink menu includes genuine Aguas Frescas, including the mango drink shown here.

Other Notes
This restaurant is in a strip mall where the parking is in the rear (as well as the main entrance). The patio is shared by the Tin Man Bar next door, so that you can enjoy an adult beverage with the meal (as if having aguas frescas done the right way is not enough raising the bar for a lot of its competitors).

RATING: 24

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	N/A

 

Special Ratings

	Tacos al Pastor
	Longaniza
	Suadero