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    L & J Cafe

    4.4 (2.3k reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Cafes
    Open 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

    L & J Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    L & J CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - L & J Cafe

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    Nikita S.

    Casual ambience. The restaurant was very large and had a wait of about 20 minutes, which was not too bad for our group of six. The complimentary nachos were good and the salsa was enjoyable as well. The pico de gallo was very fresh and refreshing. The server was very friendly. I ordered steak ranchero and lemonade. The lemonade was refreshing and not too sweet, with a nice balance between lemon and sugar. The steak was a bit dry for my taste, but the beans were good. Overall, it was a decent experience, and the server created a friendly atmosphere. The service was slow but still good.

    Cyrus A.

    Glad I checked Yelp for good food in El Paso! L&J Cafe was a nice spot for some no frills Mexican food in a lively atmosphere. It definitely felt like the center of town with the buzz of energy and the clientele. I sat at the bar and was greeted with some chips and salsas (yes, plural), it was a nice touch to get a free bowl to snack on. For my dinner I ordered the mole chicken enchiladas, and it was great. The mole wasn't as aromatic as I expected, it was mostly sweet with a little herbaceous taste in there. But not very smoky or complex. Still, the dish overall was great, the beans were delicious and the enchiladas themselves came out really nice. I can see why this place comes highly rated!

    The middle and green salas were our favorites
    Sharyll H.

    Good food, fast service and a relaxing bar area. Looks like a small dive on the outside, however it is pretty big inside.

    Steak dish
    Charlene P.

    Delicious food, lively atmosphere, great prices, cool history, and amazing service. What more can one ask for?!? Our late lunchtime wait was only 12 minutes. I was surprised that they had a whole section on their menu dedicated to vegetarian dishes! We also bought some salsa jars to take home with us.

    Ground beef tacos
    Kelly T.

    This was our first stop in El Paso. If you're not looking for this place you might not find it! Very unassuming, and in a largely residential area across from a cemetery. Lots of street parking around. We were seated immediately and enjoyed looking at the history of the restaurant while we perused the menu. Lots of entrees, all fairly priced. Service was efficient and the food was absolutely delicious. So many delicious flavors, especially on the combination plate. Recommend!

    Indoors & Mango marg
    Maddie B.

    L&J CAFE is so special. The food is absolutely spectacular and i almost ascended upon taking my first bite. The flavor of the chicken mole is excellent and the tortillas and delicious and soft. The flan was the best i've ever had! Our server Tony was absolutely fantastic.

    Chili Con Carne Sirloin

    First time in El Paso and my first stop was at L and J Cafe. It was completely delicious, including the free chips and salsa's. The roasted salsa was my favorite. The steak was cooked perfectly and the chili con queso topping was tasty. Service was good, he kept my water full. The outside is almost in a residential area but inside it's a lively restaurant.

    Chicken tortilla soup with toppings on the side - size large - enough for two people
    Miley D.

    Wow! Wow! We had an incredible time. We are so happy we came here! We were driving through El Paso on a road trip and stayed an Airbnb down the street. So we were able to walk up this restaurant - which was great bc the parking lot and adjacent street parking was packed! This restaurant came highly recommended by both the airbnb host and my friend who is from EP. We came on a Thursday evening around 630pm - there was a wait out the door and we ended up waiting for about 15-20 min. Based on reviews we ordered the following: 1. Queso dip as an appetizer 2. Mexican combo plate - but we substituted the red chili enchilada with their famous, legendary green chili chicken enchilada (which the waiter confirmed was what they are famous for) 3. Chicken tortilla soup 4. Tres leches dessert Everything was amazing!! INCLUDING THEIR included and unlimited chips and 3 salsas! Their red salsa was very good. Their green salsa was even better!! And my favorite was their mocaheta salsa - which I ended up getting three refills of!! The chips were fresh and made in house! So good!! The ambiance was exciting and joyful! The waiter Alex was wonderful. He created an amazing experience! He was friendly, helpful, attentive. He did his best to pay attention to us and serve us in an efficient way even though we could tell the restaurant was super busy - he worked very hard to never rush us! We are so happy with our food choices! On the Mexican combo plate - I loved everything: beef stew, steak flauta, green chili chicken enchilada and chili relleno! The chicken tortilla soup came out with the toppings on the side so we could put as little or as much avocado, cheese, or lime as we wanted - i loved that feature. We first tried the chicken and broth by itself and it was amazing - so when we added the toppings it was next l level! The tres leches dessert had peach in it, the whipped cream frosting and the soft spongy cake was SO GOOD! We kept raving about our experience for the remainder of the night. We will definitely come back to El Paso - even if it's just for this restaurant! PS. The waiter packed me extra chips and salsa to take home bc I loved it so much. I ate them for breakfast the next day!

    Veggie Fajitas
    Jenna K.

    Great food! We were disappointed to find out they do not have liquor only agave. Many tables did get Agave Margaritas though. We started with guacamole and chile con queso. The Queso was amazing loaded with chiles and you could tell homemade with the real stuff. The guacamole was really just avocado with some diced tomatoes on top but very fresh. I got the Chicken Enchiladas with both red and green sauce as the server highly recommended the green sauce. She was not wrong, the green sauce was very creamy loaded with chiles and had lots of flavor. I typically get red sauce but would recommend the green sauce! The enchiladas themselves were very good the chicken was on top and not a ton of meat. The place was very busy yet big on the inside. Parking can be a bit challenging as street parking. Server was awesome with the recommendations and attentive to our table.

    Menu
    Lin S.

    Hands down the best Tex-mex I've had! If you are ever in town you have to check this place out. We visited this restaurant after we landed in El Paso and before our road trip in NM/TX. I'm so glad we picked this restaurant. The food was so good that we kept on looking for its replacements throughout our trip. Nowhere got even close. We missed it so much that we were excited to visit again after our road trip and before we flew out of El Paso. I'm not an expert in Mexican food, but everything we had there just tasted exceptional. Started from the free tortillas chips. They were so crispy and made fresh. There was just enough grease and salt to taste good, even after the chips got cold. The chile con queso dip was addicting. All of us ordered fajitas as we were really impressed by our first visit. The food not only had good flavoring, and cooking was done right that it has that "wok fragrance " if you know what I mean. Even the sour cream was extra creamy and a bit sweet. I'll 100% come back again when I'm in town. The service was quick and attentive. The place was popular, but we didn't have to wait long because there are lots of tables.

    Mia S.

    I was driving by El Paso on a roadtrip and wanted a quality meal, so we stopped here because of the reviews. And it did not disappoint!! There was a little bit of a wait, but it was worth it. I don't usually love Tex-Mex but this was more Mex and truly tasted authentic and was so fresh. Our server was so kind and the service was great. I will say the guacamole was pretty bland and underwhelming, but their sauces and meals made up for that. Cool homey environment too. 100% will be stopping here when I pass by!

    Julie V.

    Amazing!! As another reviewer suggested, I relied the Mexican combination plate but subbed the red cheese enchilada for the green chicken enchilada. It did not disappoint! The portion was huge! My favorite was by far the Chile Relleno. It was so good I would up snacking on my leftovers as soon as I got back to my hotel room. 10/10

    My Cheese Mole Enchiladas with beans and rice, so delicious
    Ricardo M.

    Often visiting El Paso for shopping my wife and I come to this historic iconic restaurant for lunch. My wife was there a week ago with one of her girlfriends and I got 'jealous' so it was my choice for lunch this visit. We had to wait about 15 minutes for our table but it was worth it! We both had the cheese enchiladas in mole sauce with side of beans and rice. I know that Mole is like BBQ Sauce, there are many variations and taste, too smokey, too hot, two chocolaty, etc. I grew up in a Hispanic home where Mole was prepared regularly. For me, the L&J Mole is one of the best that I have ever tasted. As always the food in general was amazing, including the fresh fried tortilla chips and their selection of salsas. Cesar the server was outstanding. It's our place to take our visitors in El Paso.

    Churros

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    L & J Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - L & J Cafe

    Is there fast service?

    It isn't fast food, but the food comes reasonably quick. Good things come to those who wait! Enjoy the margaritas and the food will soon follow!

    What kind of green chiles are used in the dishes?

    They use a mix of green chile, jalapenos, serrano and poblanos

    Is there live mariachi here on weekends?

    Not usually.

    View All 5 Questions

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    I was very excited to try this place for the machaca and green chile combo. Unfortunately the…read morespecial seafood crab one (it was basically the crab sticks) wasn't as good as I thought. It was very heavy and very cheesy. There was something super heavy about that I cant describe. The staff was super nice and got us our food and drinks and refilled our salsa n chips often. My friend had the mole item and felt it was way too sweet/cocoa on it. Overall I would've wanted to try the other machaca items and other things. The vibe is very homely and chill, bit of a hole in the wall atmosphere.

    We chose this restaurant for my mother's 65th birthday lunch, hoping for a warm, authentic El Paso…read moreexperience. I had just flown in from the airport, and my brother arranged it as a special family gathering. Everything started normally: we were seated, ordered our food, received our drinks, and enjoyed the complimentary chips and salsa. Then my sister (who is LGBTQ+) stepped away to use the restroom. When she returned and sat down, a manager approached our table and loudly told her--in front of other diners--that "MEN cannot use the female restroom." My sister was mortified and humiliated by the public confrontation. The manager's tone and assumption were shocking and clearly discriminatory. We immediately got up and left without eating. This wasn't about enforcing any legitimate policy; it was rude, insensitive, and targeted. My adult sister is perfectly capable of reading the restroom signs herself--no one needed to police or shame her in such a way. The incident felt rooted in homophobia and transphobia from management. We will never return to this place, and we will actively discourage others--especially LGBTQ+ individuals and allies--from patronizing it. What should have been a joyful family milestone was ruined by bigotry. Avoid this establishment if you value respect and inclusivity.

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    Los Bandidos De Carlos & Mickey's

    Los Bandidos De Carlos & Mickey's

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    "Simply Amazing" Wow!!…read moreFrozen Margarita a favorite. Steak tampiqueña taking me to the next level! "Simply Amazing" Food great Service great Ambiance great Parking...well that's a challenge lol

    I've been a loyal customer of this establishment since 2008. While the food was never the primary…read morereason I returned, the excellent margaritas and outstanding service kept me coming back for nearly two decades. Unfortunately, that loyalty came to an end after a recent experience that was both disappointing and unacceptable. My family and I chose this restaurant to celebrate a birthday. Every guest paid separately, and there were no issues during the evening itself. However, as the event concluded, multiple attendees, including family members and in-laws, overheard servers making derogatory comments about our party. Among the remarks were that we were "ungrateful," "cheap," and "broke," along with other inappropriate comments that no customer should ever have to hear. I brought the matter to the attention of ownership, hoping for a meaningful resolution. While I was told the employees had been reprimanded, the proposed remedy was a $25 gift card. After nearly 18 years of patronage, the response felt dismissive and only added insult to injury. What disappoints me most is not simply the behavior of the staff, but the lack of accountability and concern shown afterward. This was a place I once considered a reliable and welcoming destination for family gatherings and celebrations. Sadly, that trust has been lost. As a result, I will no longer be returning or recommending this establishment to friends, family, or colleagues. Respect for customers should be a fundamental part of any hospitality business, and in this case, that standard was not met.

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    El Toro Bronco

    El Toro Bronco

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    Our go-to taco spot in EP. We live in cruces and tbh we haven't really had any respectable Mexican…read morefood there save for 1 spot. They're better down here, but El toro bronco has been the best we've had. Food comes out quick, very reasonably priced. Tacos come with onion, cilantro, lime and radish. Everything comes w free chips & salsa and beans. Would definitely recommend paying this place a visit!!

    I ordered the 5 person combo chicken and steak. To go. It…read morecomes with 5 prebuttered baked potatoes- average sized, a large serving of Charro beans, one small queso fundido with Chorizo, ( they charged me for the chorizo and the queso did not have it). About 8 large chile toreados, grilled onions.and plenty of corn tortillas. The charro beans were mostly bean soup. I actually poured some of the bean soup into a bowl so we could serve ourselves to avoid some spilling. The baked potatoes were generously bathed in butter. They did not provide any other toppings for the potatoes. Personally I think some sour cream, or Mexican crema de la Mesa, some chives, some other toppings would have been nice. The queso fundido was good but also a disappointment. It was missing the chorizo that I had paid extra for. The meat was very good. Well done but not dry or hard to chew. I was pleased to see that the chicken was not cooked into dryness. We did come across a couple of meat grisel or what in Spanish is called "nervio". This place has a small sign that states that if you pay with a credit card a 3% service charge will be added to your bill. I am pretty good with math and I pointed out to the cashier that they actually charge 4%. He did make a correction on my bill. Be ware of your bill. Otherwise they do give you plenty of food. It reminds me of a Mexican parrillada/ grilled cook out. The food here was very good, good tasting, and in spite of the small glitches worth it. We will be returning again.

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    Menu
    Beans + Chips and Salasa
    Beans + Chips and Salasa
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    El Cometa

    El Cometa

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    (290 reviews)
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    I discovered El Cometa in 2019 through a friend, and it quickly became one of my favorite places to…read moreeat whenever I am in El Paso. Looking back, El Cometa is what started my taco obsession. Their tacos al pastor con queso are so good. The marinated pork is perfectly seasoned, a little greasy in the best way, and topped with melted cheese. One thing I love is their salsa bar. I always grab the red salsa, green salsa, and guacamole. I pile all three on my tacos, and every bite is amazing. Their tacos remind me of my favorite tacos at the resort my family visited every summer in Cancún. Even though it has been years since I have been there, El Cometa brings those memories back with every bite. The staff is incredible. Last summer, the hostess recognized me right away and seated me immediately. She even remembered my order. I order the exact same thing every visit: tacos and two cans of Sprite. The fact that she has been there since I first started coming in 2019 makes every visit feel like coming home. From 2019 until I moved away in 2022, I went there almost every week. To eat here, everyone lines up at the cashier to place an order, but somehow I always felt like royalty. The staff knew me, and every visit felt welcoming. El Cometa never disappoints. The food is outstanding, the service is excellent, and every visit reminds me why I fell in love with tacos in the first place.

    Quick pit stop in El Paso for Mexican food. Very casual ambiance you order first and they bring the…read morefood to your table. While you wait you can go to the salsa bar which has a good variety. I'm always a sucker for green sauce and both green sauce were my favorites one mild one a little spicy. Service was quick. Food was decent. First and second menu items were our choices. The tacos al pastor were great, decent amount of meat on the tacos and flavorful. Flautas are more like taquitos very crunchy on the outside and the meat was tender. Price is affordable.

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    Taconeta

    Taconeta

    4.4
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    Eat tacos. Sip tequila. Repeat…read more Probably one of the best taco restaurants I've been to in El Paso! I could say so much for you to believe me, and it honestly starts with the speedy (and kind) service, flavorful profiles and the pricing! My first visit I just simply couldn't believe it. Each visit, I try something new and I must say that I'm hooked on the Jamaica Margarita (with the tajin rim), and the pork shoulder taco, as well as the chicken taco! The Baja shrimp taco is also in my top 3! The staff is kind, energetic and will remember you; not just from personal experience but from my observations as well. Service is fast, food is hot and it's a great place to be! There is no wi-fi, but it is a FUN and engaging place for sure! I'd recommend a bar seat if you're lucky Warning: You may leave planning your next visit before you've even paid the bill.

    I've always enjoyed coming to Taconeta because the food is great, and the service is usually…read moreexcellent. Unfortunately, my most recent visit was very disappointing. One of the servers, Jonah, threw away my "half-eaten" food without asking if I was finished. I didn't realize that was his decision to make, and when I brought it up, he rolled his eyes and responded with a horrible attitude. On a positive note, Sara behind the bar was fantastic, and Alexis was incredibly kind. They both provided the level of service I've come to expect from Taconeta. I hope management addresses this, because one negative interaction shouldn't overshadow the great staff and food that usually keep me coming back.

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    L & J Cafe - mexican - Updated July 2026

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