Li’s Cafe

Li’s Cafe opened in 2010 as the “fast food” version of Moon Day, the now closed restaurant which served authentic northern style Chinese food. Lili, the owner of these restaurants, eventually closed Moon Day and sold Li’s Cafe (and for a while opened Coli Wok & Grille at Mesa and Remcon).

I mention this because Lili worked with the current owners of Li’s Cafe (who are not Chinese) to give them many of her cooking techniques and recipes. The food at Li’s Cafe is not the same as it was at Moon Day, but I think the owners are using enough of Lili’s recipes that the food here seems to be much better than I expected from a non-Chinese owned restaurant. This may be a backhanded compliment, but I truly enjoy the food at Li’s Cafe (at the same time I know its limitations when it comes to getting food that is authentic).

The menu here is targeted at people who like the Americanized version of Chinese food (sweet and sour, broccoli beef, etc.). For at least some of the dishes, though, I think the flavor is closer to the food at Moon Day than to the typical Americanized Chinese restaurants throughout the city. I am not going to compare every dish here to the ones at Moon Day, but for the ones that are especially good I am sure that Lili was a big influence in this.

I found out that Li’s Cafe can prepare dishes that are not listed on the menu (I asked for Szechwan pork and they were willing to prepare it even though it is not on the menu). They do have Szechwan beef on the menu but obviously there is some flexibility with what you can order.

Soup

Hot and sour soup

The Hot and Sour Soup is the most obvious example I know of something that tastes like it did at Moon Day. Whether I am remembering this correctly or not, I can definitely say this soup has a very good flavor. I am impressed with the number of mushrooms it has and other “substance” (it is not just a big bowl containing mostly broth).

Egg drop soup

The Egg Drop Soup also has a very good flavor, and this is usually my preference if the meal I order is spicy so that this will provide an offset to it.

The Won Ton Soup also has a very good flavor, but it seemed that the only “substance” to it was floating at the top (so this soup is mostly broth). I think it had one won ton but this is normal for this type of soup.

Dinner Menu
The dinner menu expands quite a bit from the items that are served at lunch, they come in larger portions, and the price is higher. Dinner includes items such as kung pao scallops (this is is not available as a lunch special but you can get kung pao shrimp). I think just about everything that is of interest to me is on the lunch menu, but dinner does have some interesting things I might like to try sometime.

Hunan pork

The owners told me that the sauce on the Hunan Pork was “not sweet,” while the Szechwan sauce is sweet. It did turn out to be a good sauce. My main problem was with the vegetables, since I do not consider broccoli to be a Chinese vegetable or to contribute to the flavor of a Chinese dish in the way it should. (I had a take home order of Hunan chicken and had the same experience with it). There are some Chinese vegetables here such as mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carrots, and baby corn, but these were in relatively small quantities.

The pork was good in this dish, and the chicken was good on my take home dish (these meats are not breaded). Hunan pork is only available on the dinner menu, but Hunan chicken and beef are available for lunch at a very good price.

The dinner portions are an awkward size for me in that they are usually more than satisfies my appetite but there is not enough to split and make two meals out of ii.

As far as I know, dinner comes with the same choice of soups you get at lunch (hot and sour, egg drop, or won ton). It has been some time since I went at dinner time and I am not sure about the soup, but my memory is that I got soup with the meal.

Special Dishes

Szechwan pork

The Szechwan Pork was something I got as a special order, but they only serve it in a dinner portion (the only lunch item with Szechwan sauce is the beef). The meat on this dish was tough (more so than on the Hunan pork I ordered). The Chinese vegetables on this dish, though, were far better than the broccoli and other American vegetables that came with the Hunan style dishes (although the Hunan dishes do have a few Chinese style vegetables).

The sauce on this dish was supposed to be sweeter than the Hunan sauce, but I did not think it was sweet to the point that it had an Americanized taste. Instead, I really liked it, and overall the Szechwan dishes are my preference over Hunan style when the vegetables are factored in. The meat was tough, but I think this was a fluke rather than that they purposely serve a different meat on this dish.

I do not know what other “special” dishes they can prepare. I have tried to ask for some of the some of the dishes that were served at Moon Day, and Li’s either does not have them or they have been morphed into Li’s version of them (which are good but they are not the same as Moon Day’s food).

Lunch Specials

Fragrant chicken on the lunch special

Some reviewers on other web sites complain about the breaded chicken here where you get very little flavor of the chicken. With the Fragrant Chicken, though, the meat is not breaded (although there is a thick sauce on it similar to sweet and sour). The sauce is thick but it does not have the same sweetness as sweet and sour, and I thought it had a very good balance of flavors. The vegetables were excellent, and overall this is probably the best dish I have had at Li’s (for sure it seems to be one of the best items on the lunch menu).

Citrus chicken on the lunch special

Citrus Chicken was disappointing because it was not the same as Moon Day’s version (and I think think this is one of the recipes they got from Lili when they bought the restaurant from her). Li’s also refers to this as orange chicken, although I think it is better than the average orange chicken at other restaurants. The sauce here is not extremely sweet and it contains orange peels. Some reviewers say there is not much chicken flavor because of the breading, and it is true that this might be an issue. Moon Day had a whole chicken breast with a very light breading (it was somewhat like the breading on a German schnitzel). The way Li’s Cafe has changed the chicken has made it a different dish, although I think the sauce is still good.

Conclusion
The lunch specials here are definitely a good deal–it is hard to beat the flavor and quality of food here for the price you pay. My favorite lunch is the fragrant chicken but there are many dishes I have not tried.

For me they have extended the time I can get lunch past the 3:00 p.m. deadline, but I do not know their exact policy on this. I just know that because it is a family run business they are free to do things to help out the customer, and they have been very generous in doing this with me.

The hot jasmine tea is brewed in a large pitcher, and it is so good this has been a deciding factor at times concerning whether I go to Li’s Cafe or another restaurant.

I know they do not try to make the food authentic as it was at Moon Day, but I definitely think Lili has had an influence on the new owners by the sauces being less sweet and having a better flavor than at other restaurants, and by a high quality I find in the food. There is no MSG in the food here, and I can tell that the food and sauces are freshly made. Overall I have enjoyed what I have had here. If possible, though, go at lunch (the dinner prices are fairly close to Sun Garden, and I think Sun Garden has some very good choices that make it more attractive to me).

RATING: 22

Asian Food Details

Tea:	Jasmine (brewed)
MSG:	No
Buffet:	No

 

Special Ratings

	Fragrant Chicken
	Hunan Pork
	Hunan Chicken
	Szechwan Pork
	Citrus Chicken
	Hot and Sour Soup
	Egg Drop Soup
	Won Ton Soup

Kal Bi House

I have two disclosures to make about Kal Bi House. The first is that prior to my visit in 2019, my last visit was in 2004. I made quite a few visits prior to that time, and for a while this was one of the restaurants I visited most frequently. I think the food has not really changed in that time, so my observations then would still be valid now. The facts and opinions written in my previous review will be carried forward to this one, but what will not be included are any statements that would be based on my memory from this time period.

The second disclosure is that despite my many visits, I really have not tried very many items on the menu. I have experimented a little at Han Il, Seoul Restaurant, and Young Vin, but for some reason I have not done as much here. I am writing the review based on what I have tried, but at the same time I may not have given the restaurant much of a chance by only trying a few items. This can be remedied in the future, but right now I think I have not tried enough items at Kal Bi House to give a complete picture of the food or to really give what I consider to be a fair assessment of it. Still, since I have disclosed this fact, I will press on with what I have.

The Brio stop in front of Kal Bi

Kal Bi House is about to become more accessible to many of the city’s residents. A stop for the Dyer Street Brio transit line has been built directly in front of the restaurant, and I believe this line will begin service sometime soon. Brio has limited stops and offers a shorter travel time from downtown to any of the stops than is experienced on the regular bus lines.

Nearby Kal Bi is the Fort Bliss Army Base, a major magnet for the customer base here. Two other Korean restaurants were also located on this stretch of Dyer, although Young Vin has now moved to Montwood on the east side of the city. The fact that I visited Kal Bi multiple times when there were other Korean restaurants nearby is a testament to what I thought of their food, but I have visited the other Korean restaurants multiple times as well.

Lunch Special
Lunch is a very good time to go to Kal Bi because of the price. The meat portion is smaller than on the dinner plate, but customers still get all of the vegetable side dishes they can eat (I think this is a literal statement because I have found in the past that customers can get refills if they do not have enough of anything).

In the “old days” I used to sometimes get Chinese food which was on the lunch special (I do not believe it is on the dinner menu, though). This was an attempt to eat healthy, although I found out over time that the Chinese food here has MSG (the Korean food does not). For a while I had a vegetarian diet and this made sense, but for the great majority of people I would say to order the Korean food (they have fish and other items if you want to get away from eating meat).

Dinner

Vegetable side dishes served with dinner

Ordering dinner here is almost a guarantee that you will have too much food, but they do let you share (and of course you can take items home, including the vegetables). The vegetables I was served are shown in the photo. The only thing I noticed that was different from about twenty years ago is that they no longer have the small fish which you eat in their entirety (at least I did this). I think what they have now is better, though, and I certainly do not really miss the small fish. There were a couple of vegetable items that I did not eat but generally they were excellent, and I think this is probably the main reason to come to Kal Bi House.

Bul gogi

On my most recent visit I tried Bul Gogi, which is probably the restaurant’s most popular dish (and is the first one listed on the menu). This is marinated and had a good flavor, but the meat seemed dry. I think the meat is perfectly fine, but just not the best cut (and I am sure this is the reason they marinate it).

My “Old” Reviews
From 2004 and earlier I had several observations which I think would still apply. At that time I said that the bul gogi was better at Young Vin, but that the entire meal was better at Kal Bi because of the total experience with the vegetables. Today Young Vin is on Montwood and is an “Express” restaurant, so I am not sure how the two would compare.

At that time I also said that the barbecue chicken at Young Vin compared to the one here, and that the one at Han Il was better. I mentioned that the chicken at Kal Bi was gristly (I am not sure if this was the case at Young Vin).

I tried the seafood soup at Kal Bi and found it to have a good mixture of noodles, vegetables, and seafood in a slightly spicy red broth, although I only rated it as four out of five stars.

The kimchee at Kal Bi was my favorite out of any restaurant in El Paso, and this is one of the side dishes served with every meal. I also liked the turnips, cucumbers, and fish cakes (these are items I particularly liked on my recent visit as well).

Drinks

Korean iced tea

I particularly like the Korean Iced Tea here, and use it as the standard by which I judge the others (although some Korean restaurants do not even have it).

Other Observations
The vegetable side dishes and the Korean iced tea are the main items that draw me to Kal Bi House rather than the other restaurants in town. You get the same side dishes whether you go for lunch or dinner.

The lunch menu lasts until 2:00 p.m. I would advise coming at lunch time, although I think the dinner menu has some items that can be explored for a deeper dive into the world of Korean food. I just have not done very much of this, though, so I cannot give advice about what to order.

Some of the other Korean restaurants either admit to using MSG or I suspect they do based on my reaction to the food. Kal Bi House does not, unless you order the Chinese lunches (which I am not even sure are on the menu any more).

My rating is skewed more toward the main dishes with only a little consideration for the vegetable side dishes. The vegetables are excellent, though, and probably better here than anywhere else.

RATING: 20

Asian Food Details

Tea:	Korean Iced Tea
MSG:	No (but is in the Chinese food)
Buffet:	No

 

Special Ratings

Bul Gogi

Corralito Steak House

1501 N. Zaragoza Rd.
El Paso, TX
(915) 345-1133

Corralito Steak House on Zaragoza Rd.

Corralito’s web site says it has been in business for over 25 years, but I have only noticed the El Paso restaurants recently. It now has three locations in El Paso and two in Ciudad Juarez, firmly establishing its credentials as a Mexican style steakhouse located in two countries.

A “Mexican style” steak house can be somewhat loosely defined, and in this case they use USDA choice meat but with Mexican side dishes (enchiladas, guacamole, etc. and with chips and salsa served with every meal). I am not a steak expert, but in my experience from Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua the steak tastes very “natural” with a minimum of anything that I might call “artificial.” The steak at Corralito does taste marinated, so it is not a bland tasting steak but merely one that I think tastes like real steak.

Corralito serves fish and chicken as well as steak, and there are Mexican items such as enchiladas (although I think the enchilada only comes with a steak and is not served as a separate item). The menu also includes other items such as tortilla soup, milanesa (on the lunch menu), etc. that I would think of strictly as Mexican dishes.

It is my understanding that a steak house is more casual than a regular steak restaurant, and Corralito fits the definition in this regard. The restaurant is not cheap, but patrons can eat here without breaking the bank.

Chips and Salsa

Chips and salsa

The chips are thick (Mexican style), and they come with two types of salsa, including one with roasted jalapeños (the dark colored salsa). Neither of the salsas are extremely spicy, and both have a good flavor.

Mexican Specialties

Chicken tampiqueña

All the food here is served the way it would be in Mexico, but there are some items on the menu that are more readily identifiable as “Mexican food.” One of these is the Chicken Tampiqueña which is a chicken breast served with guacamole and chile con queso, with an enchilada on the side. Compared to others in the city I thought the chicken was better than most, while the other elements were about average (which still makes them very good).

Enchiladas were not anywhere else on the menu, so it seems that they only come with the tampiqueña (you can order either the chicken or a steak version of the tampiqueña).

Steak
I have not ordered the steak here, but I tried a sample of the Top Sirloin. It tasted marinated with a good flavor, and I would say this is one of the better steaks in the city.

An Overview
The good about this restaurant is that you can enjoy a good steak that is not prohibitively expensive, and the selection of items is really pretty impressive for a steak house. I would rate the chicken as being even better than the steak, with it being in the top tier of chicken dishes I have found in El Paso.

Some Yelp reviews indicate that the service is not good at all of the Corralito restaurants, but this was not the case on my visit. The restaurant was full when I went and it is obviously popular, so it is possible that service is slower at other times when this is the case.

The Mexican items are not ones I would call the best in El Paso, but the enchilada I had was very good and was devoid of some of the pitfalls I sometimes see (such as being greasy). This is not a Mexican restaurant, though, where you can order items such as a Mexican combination plate or an enchilada plate.

Corralito Web Site

RATING: 24

Cuisine: Mexican Steaks
Cost: $$$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: Beer and Wine

Most Recent Visit: May 26, 2019
Number of Visits: 1
Best Items: Chicken Tampiqueña, Top Sirloin

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	N/A

 

Special Ratings

	Chicken Tampiqueña
	Top Sirloin

Good Luck Cafe

Sometimes it is difficult to compare one cuisine to another in terms of giving them a rating because it is quite subjective. It occurred to me, though, that good Mexican food can be quite similar to good Italian cuisine because of the fact that they have bold flavors matched with a starch base (pasta for Italian and rice, beans, tortillas, etc. for Mexican food). My eating satisfaction is quite similar for both of these, both are very much garlic based, and both are usually moderately spicy but occasionally very high on the Scoville Heat Level.

I say this because the very good restaurants in El Paso such as Good Luck Cafe remind me very much of the good Italian restaurants in Oklahoma. People can make their own comparisons between Mexican restaurants and other types of food, but I do think that those who are only familiar with Tex-Mex or American style Mexican food have not fully experienced what Mexican food has to offer, and Good Luck Cafe would certainly be one of my suggestions for a place to find out how more traditional Mexican food can taste.

Good Luck Cafe is a popular diner with somewhat spartan seating (or you can sit at the counter). As such, you get a different ambiance than you would at a good Italian restaurant. Some of the perks of a diner, though, include much lower prices and a varied menu that includes a range of breakfast items.

Mexican Plate

Mexican plate

One drawback of Good Luck Cafe is that it only has one combination dinner, called the Mexican Plate. The upside is that it is very good, and if you particularly like one particular item you can order this one on its own plate. The only choice I had was between a ground beef taco and one with shredded beef (deshebrada). Either way, I would recommend trying this plate.

I thought the best item was the Deshebrada Taco, although all three of the main items were just about equally good. The taco was slightly soft but fried enough to have a good flavor, and the meat was flavored in a way that made it one of the best in the city.

The Enchiladas had a classic flavored red chile sauce, and I liked the fact that they did not taste greasy.

The Chile Relleno had a more obvious oil flavor than the other items, but was by no means swimming in grease as some chile rellenos are, and had a very good flavor. Most of the seeds had been removed so that it was not super spicy.

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos rancheros

Although a good part of the restaurant’s business is at breakfast, the choice of Mexican style dishes is somewhat limited. I figured the Huevos Rancheros would be a good bet, and this turned out to be correct. The eggs were cooked just right, which was not my main concern about the dish but it would have been a huge factor if this were not the case. The green chile was another aspect of the dish that I was expecting to be good, and if anything it exceeded my expectation. The flavor was good, and the spice level was about perfect (about 4/5 on the spice level for a normal bite, or 5/5 if you get a large concentration of green chile in a single bite). The dish does not have queso (El Rincon de Cortez is known for its version with queso on top). It did have shredded cheese, though, and I thought this was an excellent dish.

Chile Verde

Chile verde

The Chile Verde was somewhat of a surprise find at Good Luck Cafe because it was better than expected (based on the versions I normally find at restaurants). Most restaurants have somewhat lackluster chile verde even if their other food is good, but here I think the chile verde is actually one of the restaurant’s better dishes. It is made with beef (this is not a given, since some restaurants use pork) and I thought it was a much better cut of meat than I have found at many places. The potatoes were crispy in a good way (they also had flavor). The green chile was spicier than on the huevos rancheros, and I thought it was a firm 5/5 on the chile scale (although not mouth-numbing hot).

I also need to mention the fresh flour tortilla that definitely tasted home made.

A La Carte Items

Chile relleno

Most of the menu seems to be based on individual items that you can use to build your own plate (although each item is served on its own plate). In any case, this was my thinking when I ordered a Chile Relleno to go with another item. I had tried the chile relleno previously on the Mexican plate, but this one seemed more greasy (I think both the good and bad points of a dish are highlighted when they are ordered individually instead of on a combination plate). I would say not to expect the best chile relleno in El Paso here, but it is good and something worth ordering).

Photos of Items I Have Not Yet Tried

Hot dog with chili

I did not sample the Hot Dog with Chili so I cannot give a review of it, but it is one of the “diner” options available along with the Mexican food. It is interesting that the custom in El Paso is to serve hot dogs on a round bun.

I did try the french fries, though, and found them way too far on the greasy side.

Other Impressions
When I came here for Sunday lunch the restaurant was completely full, and is obviously very popular. I do not understand the popularity of some restaurants, but the flavor of the food and lack of grease (in most items) made it obvious to me why Good Luck Cafe has so many loyal patrons. It seemed to be particularly popular with families who had come here for one of their special meals of the week.

Spanish is the predominant language here but it is not necessary for ordering or asking questions about the food. I think the restaurant would be totally comfortable for tourists provided that they are OK with diner type seating.

There are so many good Mexican restaurants in El Paso I could not say that this one especially stands out, except for the fact that the Mexican food tends to be uniformly good. I thought the huevos rancheros and chile verde were even better than the items on the combination plate (which itself was very good). So far all of the Mexican food has turned out to be a hit with me (the french fries, though, do not portend particularly well for the diner side of the menu).

They do not serve chips here (I think this is one of the reasons they have such low prices). The salsa was in a bottle as was so spicy I did not find it advantageous to add it to the items on my plate. The home made flour tortillas, though, are a must try.

I do not think they have horchata or other aguas frescas, but I actually seldom find these drinks in the restaurants located south of Interstate 10.

Good Luck Cafe is located in the barrio where you can many times find the best food if you happen to find the right place (and this is the right place). The family atmosphere of the restaurant always makes me feel welcome, and on top of everything else you get very good prices.

RATING: 24

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	N/A

 

Special Ratings

	Red Enchiladas
	Deshebrada Taco
	Chile Relleno
	Chile Verde
	Huevos Rancheros
	Beans
	Rice
	Flour Tortilla
	Salsa

Victoria’s Mexican Grill

6874 Doniphan Dr.
Canutillo, TX
(915) 243-7183

Victoria’s

Although Canutillo sits very close to the New Mexico state line and it is home to at least a couple of well known New Mexico style restaurants, Victoria’s is firmly in the camp of El Paso style Mexican food. There is a reason for this–this is the same Victoria’s that used to be located on Dyer Street in northeast El Paso (although I remember seeing the sign on the old restaurant which said “Victorea’s”). The employees confirmed, though, that this is the same restaurant (and signs inside say it was founded in 1985 although this location has only been in operation for a short time).

On my first visit to Victoria’s in Canutillo I made a note that the enchiladas here are New Mexico style. This is not unusual for El Paso restaurants–there is a fine line of distinction between many of the enchiladas here and the ones in New Mexico. I think Victoria’s uses the Mexican cheese typically found in El Paso restaurants, but the sauce has a definite New Mexico taste which probably means they use New Mexico chile.

The official name of this restaurant is Victoria’s Mexican Grill Steakhouse. This gives an idea of what they consider to be their best dishes, but I have not tried any of the steak dishes here. The Mexican plate is one of the largest in El Paso in terms of quantity, and I think I might have a difficult time eating one of this restaurant’s steaks. The Mexican plate does give a taste of Victoria’s meat, though, in its shredded beef taco. The staff gave me a list of what they consider to be their signature dishes, and they are: Combination Plate, Tacos Deshebrada, Flautas, Chile Verde, and Chile Colorado. I notice that no steaks are included on the list, although the shredded beef (deshebrada) tacos are on the Mexican Plate.

The restaurant is somewhat like Dr. Who’s police box “TARDIS” that looks bigger on the inside than it does on the outside. Adding to this illusion is the fact that there seems to be very limited parking outside yet everyone appears to find a space (and the restaurant gets very crowded at times). My photo shows what I think are all the parking spaces in front and there are a few on the side of the building, but it seems that there must be extra parking somewhere that I do not know about (or else it might be in another dimension as would be possible on the Dr. Who program).

Appetizers

Chips and salsa

There are two types of Salsa here, which gives people a choice in case one is too spicy (but both were within the norms of what is traditional in El Paso). The Chips were excellent as well.

Complimentary soup

Victoria’s is among the small group of restaurants that gives a complimentary bowl of soup to customers, and it is an even more exclusive restaurant because of the fact that this soup is actually very good. The soup is not spicy and is a lot like American style vegetable soup, except that this has a lot more flavor.

Mexican Plate

Mexican plate with chile relleno

There are several combination plates here, and I think the one with the best choice of items is the Mexican Plate. This one is my favorite because of the chile relleno, but the shredded beef taco and enchilada are also very good choices (I think especially the taco).

The Chile Relleno here is not terribly spicy, and is probably what would be considered mainstream in El Paso when it comes to spiciness. It is covered with sauce and cheese, consequently it is hard to pick out on the photo except that the stem can be seen sticking out on the bottom. The cheese definitely tasted Mexican style, and perhaps most importantly the relleno is not too greasy. Having the sauce and cheese on top makes this more El Paso style rather than classic New Mexican, but I consider it to be very good regardless of the style.

The Red Enchilada is very similar to the ones in New Mexico, and I think it must be made with New Mexico chiles. I do not know the recipe they use here, but it had a dark red color and did not have an over-complicated flavor (the main element of it is the chile itself).

The Shredded Beef Taco comes standard on the Mexican Plate (you do not have to ask for an upgrade from ground beef). This is one of the characteristics I find in classic El Paso restaurants as opposed to some of the cheaper knock-offs or the ones that are Ciudad Juarez style (although shredded beef is served in the more upscale restaurants there as well). The taco at Victoria’s is not greasy and compares favorably with other restaurants.

Rice and beans are made with the same high standards as the main items, but I thought the beans were especially good.

Mexican plate with tamal

This is a photo of the Tamal Mexican Plate from which I sampled the tamal. I am not sure about the other items because they are all covered with sauce, cheese, or condiments (but it does not include a chile relleno). The tamal had a thick masa and very good pork inside.

Other Notes
The one thing I thought I should warn people about is that they add an extra fee to your bill if you use a credit card. On one visit they told me about it so it was no problem. The next time I had forgotten about it and I did not find out about the extra fee until they had already run the credit card (and then it was too late to tell them I could pay cash instead).

The flavor here is what I call classic El Paso style Mexican food, and I really thought it was quite good. Prices are not too bad either. The biggest down side to me is that I like the variety in a combination plate, but to get one with a chile relleno (which I think is probably the best item) there is so much food overall that it is hard for me to finish. In other words, the food is great but I think other restaurants package it better.

The Little Diner is probably the most famous restaurant in Canutillo, and I think is probably about equal to Victoria’s in quality (but I also really like Peppe’s which is another popular restaurant). The style of food, though, is quite different at these restaurants. Little Diner and Peppe’s are New Mexico style, but even these have little in common except for the fact that the chile comes from New Mexico and they prepare it in the same style as some of the New Mexico restaurants. I have reviews for these restaurants which can be accessed from the Index on this site. Victoria’s serves classic El Paso style Mexican food, though, and has been one of the city’s most well known restaurants since its days on Dyer Street.

RATING: 24

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	N/A

 

Special Ratings

	Red Enchilada
	Chile Relleno
	Shredded Beef Taco
	Tamal
	Guacamole
	Beans
	Rice
	Chips
	Salsa

Kinley’s Tea House

2208 N. Oregon St.
El Paso, TX
(915) 838-8889

Kinley’s Tea House

Kinley’s is a popular student hangout just off of the UTEP campus, and actually consists of two restaurants (Kinley’s Tea House which is reviewed here and Kinley’s House Coffee & Tea located a half block to the east). Most of the staff and clientele seem to be young, but there is certainly no reason for people of any age to feel comfortable here. There is free parking available (with a fairly high turnover rate because Kinley’s is actually located in the lobby of a Credit Union). The dining room was not overly crowded when I was there but there also seems to be an overflow space in the Credit Union area as well. You pay when you pick up the order so when people finish they often times leave, freeing up tables at a fairly good rate. Many people enjoy their food or drinks on the various couches that are available in addition to the traditional tables.

Yelp seems to indicate that the popular items here are boba tea and ramen bowls. In fact, I am not sure if they even have items other than these because this is what I ordered and what it seemed that everyone was ordering. In any case, I usually believe it is a good idea to order what a restaurant does best, and these two items are definitely its biggest sellers.

The other restaurant is called Kinley’s House Coffee & Tea, and Yelp indicates that its big food item is sandwiches. I think I am in the minority in preferring ramen over sandwiches just about all of the time, but I have not tried the sandwiches and there may be some very popular ones there.

For me the down side of Kinley’s for both the ramen and the boba is that you have to make several choices about the ingredients that go in them, and there are very few foods for which this usually works out well for me (and ramen is not one of them). I think this is a plus for repeat customers who can try different things and find out what they like, but probably not if you are an initiate as I was. The saving factor for me was that the broth itself was quite flavorful, so the ramen seems as if it will always be good no matter what you choose to put in it.

Noodle Bowls

Rich chicken broth ramen with tofu

The specialty here is noodle bowls with different broths, meats, and vegetables. The one pictured was Korean Noodles with Rich Chicken Broth, Tofu, Cucumber, Squash, and Spinach. Other broth choices are spicy beef or green tea veggie, and an egg is available at an extra cost. They do not have a pork broth (which I think is traditional with ramen) but the one I had was good. It had the requisite Asian flavor and overall seemed to be a good version of ramen.

Drinks

Ramen with Thai tea (upper right)

One of the primary reasons people come here is for the boba tea, and a wide variety is available. The Thai Tea I ordered is pictured at the top right, and one my friend ordered is at the top left (but I did not write down the name of it).

As with the noodle bowls customers have a wide choice of different combinations of ingredients, and it is not quite as simple as simply ordering something such as Thai tea. In my case I ordered it with almond milk just to see how it would taste, and it turned out for me to not taste very much like Thai tea. Having this much control over what I order can be a good thing, but I am just not at the place yet where I can really make informed decisions.

A Summary
The food is good and the drinks are good, but it is so much of a do-it-yourself proposition in picking out the ingredients that it may take some time to find the best combinations. I think this would be a worthwhile experiment for UTEP students or others who can frequent Kinley’s and find out their favorite combinations.

Kinley’s House Coffee & Tea is practically next door and complements this restaurant by serving sandwiches and probably a wider assortment of drinks. The fact that Kinley’s Tea House serves noodle soup with an Asian flavor, though, would probably make it my preferred choice if I were in the area often enough to try both places.

RATING: 22

Cuisine: Tea House
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: N/A

Most Recent Visit: Feb. 12, 2019
Number of Visits: 1
Best Items: Noodle Bowl, Boba Tea

Special Ratings

	Rich Chicken Broth with Tofu
	Thai Tea with Almond Milk

El Cometa

El Cometa is a popular lunch and late night hangout on the strip of Mesa Street near UTEP, and I think it will remain popular because of its good food and cheap prices. The food is nothing fancy–they only serve tacos and flautas. From my sampling of the flautas, though, they seem to do it better than just about anyone else.

One thing customers like is that they have a salsa bar where you can load up on all the salsas and toppings you want. There is not a large variety of these toppings–the only salsas available are red or green (the green is spicier). I think if salsas were my main concern I might prefer other restaurants (El Taco Tote, for instance, has a very good salsa bar). At El Cometa, though, the food seems to be the main draw and the toppings are mainly something people expect with this type of food.

Orders here come with chips, and you get the salsa from the salsa bar as well (red, green, or both). I should note that I thought the red salsa was quite good.

El Cometa has drinks such as horchata which do not come with refills, but they are inexpensive. As a matter of fact, the restaurant seems to exist on being able to charge the cheapest price possible for good food (they do not have some of the “extras” such as alcoholic beverages but customers are left with enough money in their pockets to enjoy the nearby bars).

Food is served from the counter and customers do whatever they wish with their food from the salsa bar. Although this is pretty much a fast food concept, I felt that it had an atmosphere that made people want to stick around, talk, and enjoy the meal more than at the typical fast food restaurant (in this regard it reminds me a lot of Chicos Tacos).

So far I have only made one visit to El Cometa, leaving me with my first impressions which are the ones I am sharing here.

Flautas

Flautas

I believe Flautas are the only menu item which is not some type of taco. I also read from reviews that flautas are what many people consider to be the best item here.

In my opinion the flautas here are probably at least as good as the ones at Flautas Tepalca, and possibly better (Flautas Tepalca has been what I have considered to be the best flautas I have ever experienced). This is a very tricky subject because Flautas Tepalca now has more than one location, and I have had slightly different experiences at the different restaurants. With only one visit to El Cometa I can only say that this one might be better, but for sure it was quite good.

The flautas here only come with beef (as they are at Flautas Tepalca). Crema and cheese are added to the top, and there are other garnishes such as tomato and avocado. At Flautas Tepalca I liked the fact they they topped the flautas with red and green salsa, as well as the crema and avocado. I also thought the cheese at Flautas Tepalca was especially good.

At El Cometa you add the salsa to your own taste, and I think the salsa here is just as good. I came in with the knowledge, though, that it was supposed to have both red and green along with the crema (the colors of the Mexican flag). This is not a big deal, but with El Cometa being a fast food type of restaurant, you do not really get any instructions about the best way to enjoy the food (and of course I am sure most people do not need any).

Tacos
There are several types of tacos here. I did not try any so I do not know how they compare to other restaurants.

Drinks
The Horchata here was not the most notable I have ever tried but it was good. In other cities I would just be glad they had horchata at all, and even more so if it was as good as at El Cometa.

Closing Comments
I believe the El Cometa in Ciudad Juarez is the original, and the El Paso location gives a true feeling of a typical Mexican style restaurant. The majority of restaurants in Mexico seem to specialize in one item or else that is all they serve. Here that specialty is tacos, along with flautas which are a special type of rolled tacos that are made to look like a Mexican flag with red and green chile, avocado, and crema on top.

I think there are other “chow worthy” items here, but the flautas are the one I have discovered so far, and that I definitely recommend.

RATING: 22

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	N/A

 

Special Ratings

Flautas

Barbacoa El Azul

One thing I have learned about border cuisine is not to ask too many questions about where certain foods originate, but to concentrate on going to places that are popular and eating what people recommend. In the case of Mexican style barbacoa a few experiences at random restaurants convinced me that I did not like this dish until I got some informed opinions about where to go, such as to Barbacoa El Azul in east El Paso.

Finding out exactly what you are eating when you order barbacoa is not easy, because barbacoa can mean a certain cooking style regardless of the meat, or when it does refer to a meat it is usually lamb or goat. In El Paso, though, I am fairly certain it means beef cheeks (although admittedly I have not witnessed the process of meal preparation).

The one important fact I have heard from my friends is that Barbacoa El Azul serves old style barbacoa as it is prepared in Ciudad Juarez. The important factor to diners is that the meat be lean and not greasy, as is the case at El Azul. Barbacoa is made fresh every day, and they serve it until it runs out (this is probably the reason Google lists Sunday as having an earlier closing time than other days, but it is really based on when they run out of food).

Barbacoa is the only item served served here, and it is sold by the pound in the quantity you want (you can also order a half pound or get four tacos which I think is about equivalent to a quarter pound). They give you tortillas and condiments so you can make tacos out of them. Some of the chiles in the salsas have a flavor that somewhat overpowers the meat, but this is why it is critical that the meat not be fatty so that this would be the overwhelming flavor (and also give an aftertaste). All I can say is that after trying a lot of barbacoa dishes, I think it is important to go to a place that knows how to prepare it correctly, as I found at El Azul.

Visually this is not the most appealing meat to me, but inside a taco you are not looking at the meat, but just tasting its deliciousness. Yelp says there are several very good places to try it besides El Azul and this is fine, but I know from experience that El Azul is good enough to make a believer out of a barbacoa skeptic as I was before I came here.

Mexican Dishes

Barbacoa

The Barbacoa can be ordered by the pound or you can get an individual order of four tacos (the price of four tacos was $6.25 when I went to the restaurant). It comes with tortillas to make tacos, and along with this are cilantro and onions along with red and green chile (the red sauce is made with chile de arbol and is the spicy one). This is all very flavorful and I would certainly suggest trying it for anyone who is interested in this type of food. Nothing else is served at this restaurant besides the barbacoa, but I think it makes a good lunch or at least a snack.

People describe the meat as being very lean, and I think this is what makes it good. I have had several experiences with barbacoa that was not as good as the one here, and I know this restaurant has a reputation for being one of the best.

The barbacoa is made fresh every day, and they serve it until it runs out. My friends who recommended the restaurant say you are fairly safe at least until 1:00 p.m., and after that it depends on how busy they have been.

Drinks
Drinks follow the pattern of the menu, and you only get one choice–Mexican sodas. Fortunately these are the good ones that I have always liked, including Mexican Coke and fruit flavored drinks including manzana (apple).

Things to Know
Restaurants in Mexico follow one of two patterns–either they just serve one item or one type of food, or they are restaurants as we know them with a varied menu. The first example gives a limited choice but it is likely where the best examples of their specialty can be found. Barbacoa El Azul just has one item but the dining room is like a regular restaurant where you eat at a table (they do not have wait staff but they will bring your order to the table). It is very casual and I think it fits a local trait where people want the best food they can get for very little money, but they do not want to pay for fancy things they do not need.

There is no issue with language here–they speak English and Spanish. It is, however, very typical of border style restaurants.

My chile index does not mean a lot for this restaurant–if you add a lot of red chile it might be 5 chiles and if you only use the green it will be about three.

RATING: 22

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	N/A

 

Special Ratings

	Barbacoa
	Salsa

Los Jarrones

In 2019 Los Jarrones moved from its long time location at 120 E. Redd Road to a new restaurant at 170 E. Redd Rd (just up the hill and around the curve of the street). In my opinion Los Jarrones serves high quality, authentic Mexican food at reasonable prices (of course these are subject to interpretation, but I have tried quite a few Mexican restaurants in the border area).

As of this writing I have not eaten at the new location, so I will not comment about the atmosphere or the service, but only the food (which should be the same as it has been during the years that I went to the old restaurant).

Los Jarrones seems to be modeled after a Ciudad Juarez style family restaurant with as many items on the menu as they could manage. Breakfast plates are listed and a kid’s menu is available. Seafood is served, and they seem to have items that appeal to the taste of just about anyone. While only Mexican food is served, the restaurant begins to approach some of the Mexico City style restaurants with a wide variety of food including steaks, different types of soups, tortas, and non-spicy entrees that some may not necessarily think of as being Mexican.

I believe beer is served, but since I did not write it in my notes, I have not listed alcohol under the “restaurant details.” I tried to get aguas frescas drinks but could not. I ended up with Jarritos, a brand of Mexican soda, that I thought was good.

The bakery at the old location

A bakery is attached to the restaurant, and this is a good source for dessert or take-home treats. I have not been to all the Mexican bakeries on the west side, but the two I frequent are here and the Valley Super Market. Of these I think Los Jarrones is better overall, although I prefer the empanadas at Valley Super Market.

Chips and Salsa

Chips and salsa

Both the chips and salsa have been standouts, with the salsa being puréed (not chunky) with a jalapeño flavor.

Mexican Plate

Mexican plate

A good introduction to the food here is with the Mexican Plate, which includes some of the most popular items in Borderland restaurants.

The Chile Relleno in my opinion is the best item on the plate and possibly on the entire menu. They use an excellent asadero cheese inside and the chile is almost devoid of seeds (bonuses to the already high quality chile).

The Red Enchilada holds its own to the ones in other good restaurants, although I cannot say it is particularly remarkable. I should point out, though, that I think the red chile used is more typical of the local El Paso restaurants that the true Chihuahua style food, with the richness and spiciness that people in the area expect.

The Shredded Beef Taco was a little greasy but very good quality otherwise.

The Rice had a nice tomato flavor, and was about the closest to a home made flavor I have found in El Paso restaurants. The Beans were not greasy.

Barbacoa

Tacos de barbacoa

Tacos de Barbaoca can be quite flavorful when good, but quite dried up when not done properly. On the advice of the waiter I got an order, and when trying them I thought they were correctly listed as one of the “Los Jarrones Mexican Favorites.” These were moist and flavorful, making them better than the barbacoa at some restaurants at which it is supposed to be a specialty. This is not usually on my list of things to try at restaurants, so I do not have a wide universe from which to compare.

The menu gives patrons the choice on this dish and the tacos de bistec of baked potato and salad or rice and beans, but with my bad eyesight in the poor light I did not see the word “or,” and ended up with rice and beans. The waiter did not point out the fact that there was a choice, and when I pointed out that I was expecting a baked potato, the owner gave me one. It turned out to be one of the better baked potatoes I have had (so is the choice I recommend to those who are not set on having rice and beans).

Tortas

Torta de milanesa

Tortas make a smaller meal than the dinner plates (but not a very much less expensive one), and several choices are available. I tried the Torta de Milanesa con Aguacate with a breaded beef cutlet and avocado. I have to refer back to the milanesa steaks at Lucy’s Restaurant as the standard I use, with the one at Los Jarrones in comparison being rather dry and less flavorful.

The French fries seemed greasy to me, and forgettable.

Mole

Chicken and mole

The Chicken and Mole plate was one of the best I have eaten, with some at other restaurants that were formerly my favorites being of lesser quality recently. I look for good quality, freshness, and flavor in the mole, and I found all of them here. The type of chicken used is not as big a concern to me, but I thought the chicken here was very good. I do not try mole at very many restaurants because it is so easy to be disappointed with this dish, but I am very glad I tried it here.

One of my friends says that the mole here is too sweet, something I really did not notice when I tried it but I will pass along this information to readers in case anyone is looking for mole that is less sweet.

Flautas

Flautas

I thought the Flautas had very good beef, and the shells were not greasy. This is about all I ask in a flauta, although it would have been nice if the guacamole had been more flavorful.

Additional Notes
So far enough items have been a standout that I think this is a very good Chihuahua style restaurant. The lack of lemonade and other drinks prepared from scratch is a negative for saying this is a truly authentic restaurant, but ultimately I think the food is more important than the drinks.

With the exception of the chile relleno, the items on the Mexican plate did not impress me as much as at several other restaurants (enchilada, taco, etc). I would have to add rice to the list, though, of items that are better than at most other restaurants.

The list of “Los Jarrones Mexican Favorites” seems to be a good starting point for finding the items that the restaurant does best.

RATING: 24

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	N/A

 

Special Ratings

	Tacos de Barbacoa
	Red Enchiladas
	Chile Relleno
	Chicken Mole
	Beef Flautas
	Shredded Beef Taco
	Lentils
	Torta de Milanesa
	Baked Potato
	Rice
	Beans
	Chips
	Salsa