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    L & J Cafe

    4.4 (2.3k reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Cafes
    Closed 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

    L & J Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    L & J CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - L & J Cafe

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    Reviews With Photos

    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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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Awesome, Authentic & great food! Salsas were great. Bummed on not getting a real margarita but the food and atmosphere make up for it.

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    1 year ago

    I came in from out of town to visit family and they recommended this cafe to eat have to say amazing food and friendly service

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    1 year ago

    If you are in El Paso L&J cafe is a must!! Next year will be 100 years this place has been around, the food is great the service fantastic

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Excellent and a great experience! Literally never had leftover guac before, they give you so much! Great value!

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great place to go for Mexican food, haven't tried all the menu but what I've had was very tasty,

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Everything was delicious. I wish it wasn't so packed but that's because this place is great.

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    Page 6 of 59

    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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    The Junction Brunch House

    The Junction Brunch House

    4.5
    (189 reviews)
    0.7 mi
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    If you're looking for a brunch spot in El Paso that brings together great food, genuine…read morehospitality, and live music--The Junction Brunch House is a standout. I kept it classic with waffles, bacon, and eggs--and it absolutely hit the mark. The waffles were light, fluffy, and perfectly golden, the bacon was cooked just right, and everything came out fresh and satisfying. Simple comfort food done right. But what really elevated the experience was the atmosphere. They had live musical entertainment by Louie, who was incredible. He played a mix of hits from yesterday and today, moving effortlessly between country & western, contemporary favorites, and traditional Spanish songs. His versatility created a warm, lively environment that both staff and customers clearly enjoyed--it added something special you don't find everywhere. Service was just as impressive. Our server, XAY, had a bright, welcoming smile and provided outstanding service from start to finish. They offered great suggestions on local favorites and specials, which made the experience feel personal rather than routine. The vibe overall is relaxed, inviting, and very "El Paso"--a place where you can sit, enjoy your meal, and stay a while. Overall: Delicious, well-executed brunch classics Live music that enhances the experience (not overwhelms it) Exceptional, friendly service Comfortable, welcoming atmosphere Would I go back? Without a doubt. This is more than just brunch--it's an experience.

    On my way out of El Paso, which incidentally was the day the Feds shutdown the air space around the…read morecity, ended up giving me an opportunity for one last time to try another local eatery. I went in for brunch, and one place that absolutely deserves a visit is The Junction Brunch House. The restaurant is set inside a literal house, which gives it a cozy, welcoming feel from the moment you walk in. The service is warm, attentive, and genuinely friendly. As for the food? Ay Dios mio! Outstanding. I ordered Big T's Texas Breakfast: two eggs any style, bacon, and pancakes or French toast. I chose scrambled eggs and pancakes. The presentation was impressive, looking more like something you'd expect at a high-end hotel restaurant. The eggs were folded neatly, omelet-style, into a triangle and cooked perfectly--flavorful and fluffy. The bacon was crispy yet juicy, just right. The pancakes were a four-stack, light and fluffy with a beautiful griddle finish. They came with butter mixed with brown sugar and cinnamon, and a side of and maple syrup, which took them to another level. Junction has locally made hot sauce on the table, and fair warning as both packed some serious heat and paired perfectly with the eggs. What really stood out was the attentive service. The staff checked in regularly, made sure I had everything I needed, and seemed to refill my coffee right on cue. While brunch alone makes it worth the trip, the menu offers much more than breakfast. I'm already looking forward to going back to try their lunch options. If you're in El Paso and craving a comfortable atmosphere with excellent food and service, this is a spot you shouldn't miss.

    Photos
    The Junction Brunch House
    Fried Green Tomatoes (side)
    Fried Green Tomatoes (side)
    Outside view

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    Outside view
    Kiki's Mexican Restaurant

    Kiki's Mexican Restaurant

    4.0
    (661 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    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.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Kiki's Mexican Restaurant
    Kiki's Mexican Restaurant

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    L & J Cafe - mexican - Updated July 2026

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