I hadn't been back to Elemi since they moved from their downtown location under Hotel Indigo to…read moreHorizon City, but while visiting my Tia Emma on the East Side, it was the perfect place to share a great meal with my mom, sister, and prima. We loved the aguas frescas, tamalada de mole, and tacos--carnitas, pato al pastor, and chicharrón de pescado (two tacos per order). Everything was flavorful and thoughtfully prepared. Please note, the tacos come two for $14. Our best bite was the tamalada de mole (pictured). Service was excellent--attentive, patient, and knowledgeable with great recommendations. The space is a larger, upscale, minimalist modern Mexican setting compared to the original downtown spot. We were too full for dessert, but based on past visits, I highly recommend the esquites and brussels sprouts. We'll definitely be back to try more botanas and explore the menu further on our next visit to El Paso--we were just too full for dessert this time.

Let me start by saying that the ELEMI restaurant in Eastlake is definitely a step above your…read moreaverage Tex-Mex taqueria in El Paso and, in my opinion, a much stronger culinary experience than the Elemi taqueria in Cimarron. The restaurant offers a cozy contemporary feel with a minimalist modern touch. The white oak and high ceiling also contributes to a warm and relaxing atmosphere. Right from the start, I loved the presentation of the Pepino--refreshing, creative, and unlike anything I've seen elsewhere. The Aguachile Callo de Hacha was outstanding, easily one of the highlights of the evening. If you're visiting for the first time, I highly recommend ordering the following tacos - Campesino ($7) and the Pato al Pastor ($8); both are packed with original flavors and showcase the chef's creativity. Their Jamaica drink is also excellent and pairs beautifully with the food. Chef Emiliano Marentes has deservedly earned national recognition and James Beard acclaim, which naturally creates high expectations before you even walk through the door. So that is always creating an issue as many of us expect perfection. The restaurant was moderately busy, with some people waiting to be seated. The biggest disappointment, however, was the pace. We waited approximately 25 minutes for our food despite the restaurant not appearing especially full. Then came the most unexpected wait of the evening--the restroom. Standing in line for more than 15 minutes just to use the bathroom is something I've never experienced at a restaurant. That took away from what had started as a very enjoyable evening. Service was efficient without any fluff. Overall this is a solid 4.0/5.0.

The food,the service,and the ambience are all very inviting, delicious home prep authentic food…read morethat speaks to your soul! My favorite so far is the roasted pork shank, OMG! and all of their homemade salsa and chips wow!

Overall we had a great experience here. From the moment we walked in, the service was awesome. Our…read morewaiter, Daniel, honestly should be a salesperson he convinced us to get a bottle of wine because they do 50% off bottles on certain days and it was definitely worth it. The vibes inside were really nice and it's a great spot to sit and enjoy dinner. Food-wise, most of what we had was really good. The tacos were flavorful, and the soup that came with them was AMAZING, definitely one of the highlights!! The salsas were great, and my favorite part was that they had cebollitas (grilled green onions) which you don't see everywhere and they were so good. The elote and baked potato were a little mid but everything else made up for it. Overall good food, great service and a fun atmosphere. We'd definitely come back.

Great service, upscale yet comfortable atmosphere and authentic tacos. I had the LapaLapa taco and…read morea grilled octopus. Both were amazing! The grilled onions peppers were well seasoned and the homemade tortillas were the perfect complement. Ordered a Cantarito cocktail. Highly recommend!!

Food was excellent! Mixed seafood cocktail was very good as well as the fried oysters for…read moreappetizer. The service was friendly, prompt and helpful. Bright and modern inside.

I ordered a fish plate and didn't have a chance to touch my food. When our waitress, Ale, came by…read moreand asked if I wanted to take it home, I said yes. Instead of packaging it, she threw the entire plate away. When we asked about it--assuming she was preparing it to-go--she laughed, said "oops," and made no offer to remake the dish, discount it, or remove it from the bill. Her service throughout the visit felt disorganized, and she seemed distracted and inattentive. We typically enjoy dining here and rarely experience issues, but this was by far the most disappointing visit we've had.

Definitely give this place a try! It has been around many years and it had been a minute since I…read morehad returned. We were a party of 7 and the service was good, food spectacular and ambiance relaxing. Great traditional Mexican dishes. Like grandma would make!

How is it that there isn't a line out the door for this place. Hands down the best fish tacos I've…read morehad in El Paso. While they do offer a battered option, I went with the house grilled and it was perfection! A generous portion of FIVE tacos with perfectly grilled white fish, fresh and pickled veggies, avocado, and a crema sauce to top it off. Absolutely delicious. Super friendly staff. I chatted with some othe patrons on my way out and got some ideas for next time I come.

First time here and it did not disappoint. My better half had the coconut drink that came in two…read moreservings, she said it was great. She had the cocoloco something like that, anyway it was a coconut filled to the top overflowing with shrimp and other ingredients. It was great and brother a lot of it home as the servings are huge. I had the octopus tacos, an order comes with 5 tacos that are over the top huge delicious servings. Family owns and operated. 5 stars for price per serving and service. No photos as we had finished before I thought of it.

I was a little skeptical to try this restaurant due to the mixed reviews. However my husband & I…read moredecided to go on a date night & let me tell you, we were impressed! The place has a dark, moody vibe. It is decorated with greenery & the accents are black & white. It is perfect for a date or girls night! They also have a patio with outdoor seating. The food was actually really good. For our appetizer we got the Ribeye Aguachiles; they were a perfect mix between sweet & spicy. For our dishes we tried the 12 oz. Arrachera & the chipotle shrimp pasta. Everything was delicious. The drinks were also 10/10. My only complaint is the food took a while to come out even when the restaurant was almost empty.

Please listen to all the 1 and 2 star reviews. The only reason this is a 2 star is because the…read moresirloin sandwich was actually pretty good and well balanced. This might be one of the weirdest dining experiences I've had. When I first walked in, the staff looked confused as to why I was there, asking if I was lost or was looking for someone. After getting seated at the bar and ordering a sandwich and a tequila soda with lime, I got my drink but was told they had no limes... at a Mexican restaurant. Okay. Then, after I finished half my drink, the bartender George suddenly places 3 sliced limes in front of me, and asks me if I want another. I politely told him no and he poured some tequila in a glass and said he'd save it for himself. I thought he was joking, but i saw one of the other male waiters drinking an open bourbon and then later finishing the tequila he poured up. I also heard another table outside complaining that they had been waiting for over 20 mins and didn't get any waters or sodas sent to their table when they ordered. The place was pretty empty so this shouldn't have been a problem at all. Overall, management should really take note of the other poor reviews and make changes. Maybe more prep needs to be done, so simple things like limes don't run out at 8pm. Also, I don't know how professional it is for staff to be drinking on the job, but that might need to change as well.

So I don't have pics. I may add some later... I have been here 3 times. A friend invited me to meet…read morewith another couple for Taco Tuesday. I didn't really want to go.. I just don't like tacos in this town. I'm a gringo, ok??!! I was raised in Texas-Mex on the I-35 Corridor between Waco and San Antonio. I like crunchy corn shell Ground Beef tacos with lettuce tomato and a sprinkle of thin shred yellow cheese. And maybe a little sour cream. If I'm feelin' it. Juar can't find that here. Every thing is shredded beef or if it's ground beef they add potatoes. WHY?!? To stretch it?? But I'm PAYING for ground beef .. I don't want mashed potatoes in my taco! ‍ but any way. Also I hate the shells, they are never crunchy, they are pan fried. Greasy. Tough, ugh it's a whole thing ... that people here LOVE. But not me. So I go the first time. It's packed. There is even a line out side. It smells Devine inside. So for Taco Tuesday it's $1.85 crispy tacos, ground beef, chicken and brisket. You can add beans and rice for $1 each. That's a great deal. So I get three ground beef because they say the brisket is shredded and my dining partners say the chicken is always dry. I add the rice and bean. The place comes and it's a HOT PLATE and they tell you, " please be careful the plate is very hot". Well I love that, that's always the way it is back home ... here I have had cold plates in some places brought to my table and the cheese on my enchiladas or relleno not even melted. I love a piping hot plate and steam rising from the food. And my beans and rice were. I had gotten charro beans instead of refried, I'm not sure they are $1, I didn't pick up the. Check this. Day. But boy did they take me back home! They were just perfectly cooked, smoke pork seasoned pinto beans. No peppers and onions and cilantro which I TYPICALLY get in Charro bean here in El Paso. These were just excellent pinto beans. The rice was on point, fluffy, hot, flavorful. Ok so the tacos. They had lettuce tomatoes and shredded white cheese, I took a bite and it was super crispy on the top. And down the side, very crispy-crunchy. The filling had ........potatoes and beef. ‍ BUT instead of just ground beef and chunks of potatoes, it was all mashed and mixed all and it was all seasoned together. The potatoes as well it was delicious. I had ordered 3. I ended up ordering another one! All were super crispy, not limp or soggy. Stood up well to additional salsa added from the chips and salas that bring to the table. And that was good too. Not very hot... very flavorful. The next week I went back again. This time I got all three tacos, ground beef, brisket, and chicken. They were right, the chicken is way too. Dry... it's kinda shredded but in bigger chunky shred, it's hard to choke down. Even with added salsa. I think I the chicken need to be shredded and simmered in a red sauce maybe for a while and then put in the shell. It would add more flavor, more moisture and make it a better taco. The Brisket taco SHOCKED ME. It was THE MOST MOIST shredded beef taco I have ever had in El Paso. I was amazing. The third toke I wanted to try something else so I got a two taco and two enchiladas plate, cheese with red sauce. For me, who likes Tex-Mex, enchiladas can really be hit or miss here because NONE of them are made with Chili gravy. So I just get Red sauce and boy is there a range of red sauces. DARK RED. Orangey-Red. Red. Thick, thin. Hot, medium, mild. I never know depending on the place. So I tend to stick to the one or two places I like. Well I just added another to the list. The red cheese enchiladas are a lovely orangey-red sauce, kinda thin, a bit of a spicy kick on the backside. lots of cheese inside the tortillas and plenty. On top and of course that "HOT PLATE" kept them Ooey-Gooey melty until I finished and LOVED THAT! The tacos are WELL STUFFED for a taco Tuesday and you get plenty of. Rice and bean for $1. Many place with specials like that cut the amounts. This place I'm sure it was the same they normally serve. They have some music playing but honestly you can't really hear it on Tuesday nights because they are so full all you hear is the loud him of pleasant conversations and happy people enjoying themselves with delicious Mexican Food. Make they have lunch and dinner specials every single day and each day they are different. I wish I could come more days a week, they all sound amazing check this place out.

Why is it highly rated? If you grew up eating traditional Mexican food you're going to be…read moredisappointed. Tried the Green chicken enchiladas, huevos rancheros, plato mexicano. Nothing was good. None of us liked it. Definitely not going back.

Enjoyed a birthday lunch here on a Sunday afternoon. We were seated on the more private patio…read moresection which was nice. Loved the start up of the meal with the homemade chicharrones and salsa. Very tasty! The family opted for a mix of different plates. Enchiladas (green & red) they look a little different (like empanadas almost) but they were tasty - preferred the green. Also had a torta which was pretty large. A smothered tamale plate (cannot recall the name), the tamale platter and the parillada meal that a couple folks shared. Overall the food was tasty. We did have a little bit of an issue with some cold plates and slower service but overall not bad & we'll try it again at some point.

My favorite new restaurant that I have visited in El Paso. Food was delicious, they have a variety…read moreof tequila and mezcal drinks. Best part is that you can order the meat to go by pound!