Wow... just wow! Food was delicious and the ambiance was on point. Our waiter recommended great wines to pair our meals with. A must visit, and we'll definitely be comming back! read more

I went to Garufa on a date and it was perfect. The atmosphere was romantic and cozy and the food was phenomenal. We tried four of the empanadas, fried provolone, spinach fritters, beef sweetbread, and steak in a red wine reduction. Everything was delicious! The steak in red wine reduction was so surprisingly different from any other that I have tasted before! I would definitely recommend giving it a try! read more

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Such a strange experience... The restaurant itself is nice. Good decor and lighting. Had a great musician playing guitar. Felt like a comfy and nice space. The food was great. Empanadas were very good. The Palta salad had a weird dressing, not what we expected. Steak was super tender and good. House made potato chips were good, but way overly spiced. Half the amount would have still been too much. The service was what was crazy. I ask about a specific wine and was told it wasn't good but the $15 glass is. I ask about another and am again dissuaded but told the expensive glass is good. I understand upselling but this just turned me off. About 5 minutes in, they asked if they could shift our table over a foot. We said ok. Not really sure why they had to do it, but whatever. Midway through eating they say the need to move our table over 2 feet. Before we say anything, we are asked to stand and they push our table over, take the table that was in that space and move it to our old location so they could make a 4 top. Afterwards, no thank you or anything. The weird thing is there were 2 other 4 tops available. I've never been asked in the middle of a meal to leave a table do they could shift things around. So strange! Would I come back? Sure. Would a thank you or a free dessert for disrupting our dinner gotten another star or two? Definitely. read more

If you want to feel like you are doing something fancy, come here. The feel is very upscale, and so are the prices. If you want real upscale food that actually tastes good and takes skill to make, go somewhere else. Our steaks were overcooked and underseasoned. The lamb was good but the mashed potatoes were very bland. After having 2 bottles of wine and having multiple drinks and beers the waiter cleared our table cause our food was coming and the manager came over and was very sarcastic about us not ordering anything but water. When our food arrived it looked good but the flavor failed to deliver. I will never recommend this place for anything or consider even coming back. read more

Terrible customer service!! Garufa would not answer their phone after five attempts on a Sunday night around 5pm (should not be too busy then right?!) We drove over to place an order to go and they refused and were absolutely rude. The restaurant was also empty and maybe had 4 tables seated and no one waiting. This place used to be great and now is trash; unfortunately they probably lost a lot of goof staff to COVID. Too bad- we'd been there numerous times before and had my wife's 40th right before COVID started. We will not be going back. read more

Valentine Day Experience. Pre set menu. Appetizer (crab cake) was good. Felt rushed though. Steak was brought out before being done with the salad. Ordered 14 OZ Rib Eye, but at least 4-5 OZ was pure fat. It was disgusting. The steak itself did have delicious flavor and was cooked to perfection. Risotto was delicious. Dessert was alright. Server was mediocre and maybe due to the fact that the gratuity is included in the bill. Also, was seated right next to the live performance stage. No one wants to be seated this close to the music. Had to shout in order to have conversation with my wife. 2/5 stars because more is expected out of a fine dining restaurant. Restaurant was not busy either. Maybe I would have had a different experience on a normal night. read more

I used to like this place, and is one of the few places with a good steak in El Paso, TX. But it has lost its elegance and good service, servers are not as attentive as they used to and manager doesn't look professional as is supposed. I will come back and everything changes for good. Thank you for the years of good service in the past. read more

Would have given 5 stars because the food was delicious but unfortunately the service wasn't up to par with the food. It started when we ordered our drinks. We had to remind him because we never received them. We knew he had forgotten because the bartender was just standing around. After our food was served we never saw him again. The busboy left a dessert menu for us. 20 minutes later nobody came back to us. At this point we're done. Never was asked if wanted more drinks etc We then asked for the check and that was another 10 minutes and again we had to flag our waiter down to get it. At this point it had been over 30 minutes since we had eaten. He did apologize and say he was sorry no one told him we wanted the check. Sadly I think he didn't realize that no one was to blame but himself for never following up and asking if we wanted another round of drinks or anything else. Wonderful food SoSo service. read more

Really cool ambiance as far as steakhouses go. Food was excellent. Tenderloin and lamb were perfectly cooked. Highly recommend the spot for a nice steak dinner. read more

Awful. This is not Argentinian!! So expensive and so loud. Food is so bad and so is the loud music.

Arrived for a 7:30pm reservation for 4 on a Saturday night. They didn't have our reservation but we were still promptly seated. We waited at the bar until the other couple we were meeting arrived- ordered a Mac 12 (yes, they have large balls of ice) The hostess and waitress were both super nice. We ordered the 28 day aged ribeye as well as the lamb. I must be insane- I am repeatedly disappointed when I order ribeye when I go to steakhouses when I am 99% sure my steaks that I grill at home reign supreme. Lo and behold, my 28 day aged ribeye arrives... to my palate it tastes flavorless and chewy. To be fair- My wife, also a ribeye connoisseur with more sensitive palate, enjoyed her tasting of my ribeye. Maybe the Macallan was bringing out my pretentious "Oooh look at me, I have a Kamado Joe Grill" alter ego, but I would give that steak a 2.5 star to my 5 star ribeye. The lamb was legit- get the lamb. Service was great. The live musician/singer was good too- even though the music was still playing when he would reach for his drink... This place offers good food with a great atmosphere for a group of great friends! read more

Consistently great food. Quiet enough for a business dinner. Always a hit! Fabulous service

All the hype. All the decors. All the ambiance. That's all it was. Went with a big group so got to see and sample various dishes. From empanadas to steak. Not impressed. I know that's a very general review, it is what it is. Nothing impressive. Definitely not the best place to go if your the one paying... j/k! read more

I picked this place online for an upcoming business meeting. I wanted original and high quality food in a quiet, classy atmosphere where we could have a discussion without shouting. I found all that at Garufa and more. My guests and I loved the decor and the food. The service was attentive and helpful. I'll return for sure and try some of the other unique menu items. read more

excelente comida y excelente servicio por parte del mesero Benjamin

I wanted a nice steak dinner for our anniversary on 2 Jan, but did not want to go to the usual suspects (Land & Cattle Co, Texas Roadhouse, etc). We went to two other places, both were supposed to be open, but weren't. We then went to Garufa's. It was not our 1st choice, but we were glad the other two were closed. You walk in and are a tad overwhelmed. It is biiiiig, high and open. The decor-brickwork and very calming lighting, make for a very nice ambiance. It was not very busy as it was only around 3pm. Service was attentive and prompt. We opted for the 28oz steak to continue the enjoyment with leftovers at home. We very much enjoyed the different sauces with the fresh bread as we were waiting for our main course. Yes, you have to pay extra for the sides; yes, it isn't as low-cost as McD's-it is a real, more upscale restaurant, not the greasy spoon around the corner. We had a very enjoyable time; the steak cooked just like we had asked for, the mashed potatoes were so good, I wanted to lick the plate clean. The bill was what we expected and appropriate for the occasion and quality of the food. Could I eat there more often: YES; can we recommend Garufa's: YES! Next time I want to go there for a late date night to nosh on something, have a couple of drinks and sit in the small area upstairs to just chat. read more

So I was really looking forward to this place, but it was a bit of a let down service wise. It's five star prices with 3.5 star service. My husband and I went to celebrate our anniversary The food was absolutely amazing. The empanadas were delicious. The wine selection was astounding, unfortunately I was unable to sample much of anything because the waiter, Juan, kept forgetting my wine. I asked for my wine and the waiter forgot so I politely reminded him and my husband ordered a different wine. The waiter returned with my husband's wine, but not mine so I reminded him again, but he returned, gave my husband another refill and left. I asked my husband to ask for me and Juan finally brought my wine. Of course, by the time we received our entrees, my glass was empty, and I was not asked (unlike my husband) if I wanted a refill. The steak was delicious, but I asked for mine medium and my husband asked for is well done and they switched the temperatures. I received well done and my husband received medium. I expect a steakhouse to at least get the temperatures right. On the plus side, we were seated early, and the food actually was very tasty. The bread was fresh and the sauces were really good. I just wish we'd had a more attentive server. read more

The steaks were very good but the service was very poor . We had dinner at 6:30 in Sunday and the restaurant was not busy at all , maybe 4-5 tables so there should be no excuse for poor service . I asked to have the different steaks explained and our server was annoyed and only pointed out what was the favorite . I tried to engage him further on the steaks and only got a yes and no. We did order the 28 day aged ribeye which was very good , flavorful and tender. But the great steak did not make up for the overall poor service . He didn't even try to entice us with dessert- I felt he was happy we left as soon as possible. read more

They accommodated my party of 14 really well, they put us in the mezzanine and was a semi private a s socially distance area, we were celebrating my son's collage graduation and we all had a great time, the drinks were good but the quality of the food was amazing! read more

Garufa offered a great fine dinning experience with a very romantic, mellow ambiance for our 1 year Anniversary. The complementary martini with check-in was fantastic. The empanadas we're a tasty, unique appetizer that we're surprisingly filling. The main course was cooked to perfection. The service and hospitality was genuine. Would recommend for a formal dinner. read more

Garufa - Argentine Near Me - El Paso, Texas

I had a good experience first time when I went there without kids. But, the second time with kids was horrible. The food tasted bad. My husband ordered a pasta, but with no cheese, but the chef could not cook it without cheese because the sauce already contained cheese. So, the chef decided to make pasta with only butter... Yuck. I know it's not an Italian restaurant, but still yuck. The service was not as good as the first time. The waiter looked annoyed that we had a bit difficult order (though I ordered a simple steak from the menu). He looked like he wanted us to leave as quickly as possible. My kids were not loud or running around. One was sleeping and the other was sitting quietly. I will not go back there anymore. read more

The best steak that ever graced my senses. Aged for 28 days, grilled over mesquite wood. Absolutely mouth watering. I also had a pomegranate martini that was light and refreshing. The ambience alone is inviting and intimate. Our server was very attentive and friendly. I cannot express how delicious our food was. Totally worth the bill and not eating most of the day. Yum!! read more

I came here years ago for the first time and it was great. Came again and had the Lomo Al Vino Tinto once more... OMG so good. Service is always top tier. Wifey had the salmon and it was cooked to prefection. I'll eventually become a regular. read more

Went here for anniversary and enjoyed it very much. We had the small fillets of steak and it was cooked very tasty. Had the sauteed veggies and asparagus as sides. I forget the appetizer name, fried cheese with peppers. Nice as well. Service was adequate but not tremendous. Not sure if we would go back here as we are fans of Cattleman's and Great American at Vinton. However, it is a lovely place and not overly priced. read more

Food was amazing!!! Every course better than the next. Our server was amazing and the restaurant did a really great job with social distancing!! We felt very safe. Our waiter was amazing I wish I had his name. I really recommend the bone marrow it was fantastic!!Tuna Carpaccio was also amazing read more

Extraordinary!! Friendly host welcomed me at the door and guided me into this nice family restaurant. The menu has a variety of dishes from pastas to fine Argentinian steaks. My waiter made some great suggestions and the food was even more delicious than he described! I capped off the meal with some fantastic cheesecake and I know I'm going back soon to enjoy this again! Update: I couldn't resist! I went back the next night. Luis the General Manager greeted me as I arrived and welcomed me back! I sat at the bar and the lovely and friendly Jennifer greeted me and made some drink recommendations. She also helped me select the Chilean sea bass and it was outstanding! As the servers came to the bar to get drinks for their tables they all nodded and said hello. Simply outstanding in every way! read more

So my hubs and I felt like celebrating because we finally bought our first house and it's been such a journey that we needed to just spoil ourselves. He randomly picked this place and let me tell you, it was AMAZING! Props to hubs. Our server Juan was very kind and courteous and had the best suggestions. we started with the bread with 3 sauces which where delicious. We then ordered the Provoleta with tomatoes and peppers for an app. My hubs got the sea bass with the beur blanc sauce and I got the 3.5 tenderloin al punto as Juan said which is the recommended temp for that cut of steak. We tried each other's plates and both were melt in your mouth perfection. Juan even recommended a red wine I think it was something cherry which was an amazing partnership with both the sea bass and the steak. Then for desert Juan did an amazing job describing all the desserts we finally got the alfajor. that alfajor was mind blowing. Like I'm going to dream about this for a while. I have found our place to go when we want to celebrate here in El Paso. Overall, we will return as soon as we can. read more

Nice restaurant for a Birthday celebration, great ambiance. The empanadas and a Chistorra were delicious. My lamb was cooked perfect medium rare and they had a lot of meat on them. My wife's ribeye was also cooked perfectly and very flavorful. They provided a nice Birthday flaming chocolate cake, but not complementary. Unfortunately, I did not look at the bill carefully at the restaurant and when I got home I noticed the waiter charged us two items that we did not ordered. The extra charges were nominal, so I let them go. If we go back, I will look at the bill more carefully before paying. read more

The worst service I've ever had and the food as well. Let me start by saying, we got to the restaurant 15 mins before our 8pm reservation. We got seated immediately, which was a good start but it immediately went downhill from there. The manager/server took our order, we ordered for 3 Cameron empanadas and 2 salads: mixta w/ chicken and regular Caesar salad to start. We asked what's their soup of the day. The server didn't know what it was and went back to the kitchen and asked. Came back saying that they ran out of the soup of the day, mind you it was only 8pm and it's Friday night. Okay, whatever. We then go start ordering for our main entrée, we ordered for Chilean sea bass and he immediately said, we also ran out of the sea bass. That sucks! What's your alternative, he suggested steaks for someone who wanted fish. Lol that's fine. My gf then opted for a tenderloin(medium), I ordered the butterfield rib eye(medium rare), my gf's husband ordered rib eye as well (medium rare) and my husband ordered a side of asparagus, cooked veggies and salad (since he's a pescatarian). My husband ordered draft beer: Stella while my gf's husband ordered dirty martini. Fresh bread came immediately and water was poured. All orders in at 806pm. We like how the inside look and how they design it. The ambiance was comparable to LA fine dining restaurants that we are accustomed to. As we were admiring their decor and started a very entertaining conversation with our friends, we noticed that it's already 845pm and no appetizer nor salad has come to our table. I then asked one of their server to follow up with our order. He came back and said it will be out soon. We then just went back talking about stocks and business and by 9pm. I was irritated, asked another server why not a salad nor appetizer has come out from the kitchen? He replied they're cooking it. Salads are cooked, never knew that. That's a big change. (Annoying excuse). Caught the 1st server and asked him sternly that it's been almost an hour and all we had was water and drinks being poured. The appetizer and salads should at least be on the table before the main entrée. He came out with the empanadas (it was so greasy) I think a hole in a wall mom and pop restaurant can do better. The shrimp inside where fingerlings and it's definitely not fresh but from those ready to cook grocery store. Then I asked, how about the salad? He said "Oh you want the salad, I'm serving it with the main entrée but if you want it now, I'll bring it out" me: ah, hello it's expected that appetizers and salads come out first before the main entrée. Salad came out, but just the Caesar salad. That just threw me off, on how unpolished and unorganized this so called upscale fine dining steakhouse they call their establishment. Everyone in our table are hungry and it's already pass 9pm. Irritated, I asked one of the server to get their manager. Surprisingly, our server was the manager. Wow! He came and said all excuses. Well, we didn't wanna hear excuses, we wanted our food. He came out 5mins after with our food. I would have not left that restaurant and just kept my cool but instead, we waited for more than an hour for my ribeye to be well done, and so with my gf's husband. Under seasoned. And my gf's tenderloin was medium rare. A complete mess! Especially for an upscale Argentinian steakhouse! Unacceptable. My gf's husband was so upset and called the manager. He then start apologizing but he kept on interrupting him, he didn't wanna hear the complaint and stated " you're the only table that we are having problems with tonight", since you're not satisfied you don't have to pay for the entire bill, is on the house, just eat." he said it sarcastically. That did it for everyone. Btw, we left all the food on the table, one bite was enough. We decided to leave and our husbands stayed to talk with the manager re: their below standards customer service and mediocre steak. Walked across and got a table at Mi Piaci Ristoriante. Ended have late dinner at 10pm because of this awful establishment. read more

Great food, nice ambiance and perfect service. This restaurant has become one of my favorites!

The excellent service in this restaurant and the food quality, makes it better than anyone. I recommend all of the steaks, specially the rib eye, which can be served to "La Guille" too (covered on a home made Demi Glaze sauce and mushrooms), of course! tenderloin and one of the main dishes "Lomo al Vino Tinto", simply an amazing taste. I love this place! read more

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We went to Garufa and were very impressed with the ambiance and the restaurant itself. I would give 5 stars however, the service was so slow and not very good. We started out by waiting about ten minutes for anyone to come to our table to serve water. We waited another ten minutes for a server to come over. When she came over she asked if we were ready to order and we hadn't even been offered a drink menu. It's an Argentinian restaurant (wine is your thing). Nonetheless we ordered drinks. Simple old fashioned, and a dirty martini. We specifically asked for kettle one vodka, the server said they don't have it although we were staring at the bottle. I don't know if they were short staffed or just didn't have very good serving staff but not good at all. As for the food it was great, even though my salad never came out. It's a shame that this place has great food but poor service. I hope management reads reviews. read more

I went here for a friend's birthday last Tuesday evening. It has a nice, romantic vibe. Our drinks and orders were placed fairly quickly. However, it took an hour for us to receive our meals--even though there were only 6 other tables. I got the lomo al vino tinto which was quite tasty, but it was cooled down. My husband got the Chilean sea bass, which was on the dry side. For an "upscale" restaurant, I honestly was expecting more... read more

Excellent steaks, great service. Amazing atmosphere. A truly wonderful place to go on a date night. The food won't let you down. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for a good steak. And Really mouth watering appetizers! Can't forget the desert!!! They make an incredible pecan crepe with vanilla icecream on top! It's truly decedent. read more

The empanadas were top notch. I had a great prime rib. I would be back if El Paso invited me!

Nothing bothers me the most than deceiving practices and that's exactly what happened to me and my date on the night of our visit. It's been a few years ago but I needed others to know. Machego cheese empanadas, or so I thought that's what we were ordering, except I've never had manchego cheese so I expected something different, but the cheese tasted very familiar, so I asked my waiter to verify with the kitchen if it indeed was manchego, my waiter came back and stated that it was not, it was mozzarella but they say it's manchego, no apology or discount...never been back....overprice and deceitful. read more

I was here for both lunch and dinner. The service is some of the BEST i have EVER experienced. I was blown away by the sheer dedication to providing just a great experience. The food is wonderful and its one of the few steakhouses i can order how i want my meat done and GET it that way. My only complaint is that i wish they served two sides with the meal instead of one. It is pricey but for what i get i love it. read more

I've been waiting to go to this restaurant for a while, and decided today would be a good day for a family outing. Everyone who went remembers Garufa when it use to be Swensons. They have made a lot of changes, but the ambiance is very nice. It doesn't feel overcrowded and though the lights are low, it isn't to the point where you can't read the menu (which is a problem I've noticed at a lot more of the eateries nowadays). The first thing that arrived was a basket or bread and and three dipping sauces, a salsa rojo, a white bean dip and a chimichurri. The rojo was a nice, not overly spicy salsa;the white bean dip had whole beans in a vinegar base...the flavor good and the beans were still firm and not mushy; the chimichurri had a good acidity to it and would be perfect accompaniment to a steak. Next came our two appetizers. The provoleta came as a recommendation from the waiter. It was a grilled chunk of provolone with a roasted red pepper on top. In my mind, its hard to go wrong with cheese, so I thought was definitely worth the try. My small gripe is I wish it had been hotter and stringier. We also got an assortment of Turnovers. The beef, which I didn't try since I'm vegetarian, was good, but the tablemates weren't sure it was authentic because A-the crust was very flaky (which I prefer to a dense dough) and B- the last tame they had them they came with raisins and onions. That being said, they were still enjoyed by those who sampled them. They said it was a mix between an empanada and a gordita. Next was the Espinaca. The spinach and cream are a naturally good combination, which was enhanced by the hint of nutmeg. Finally, the best of the 3 was the Camaron. There were a lot of shrimp in the turnover and they weren't overpowered by the red peppers, tomato and onions..rather they enhanced their flavor. Our lunches arrived soon after. My father ordered a 14 ounce steak and fries. While he usually complains about places overcooking the steaks, he didn't say anything about this one, which is always an excellent sign. My mother got a chicken sandwich which was so large that she could only finish half. The chicken in the sandwich had queso fresco and some of the chimichurri sauce. My sister ordered salmon that appeared to have been cooked well. She commented that the tartar sauce was not offensive like so many are. I had to agree; it was not to creamy and had a pleasant dill taste. My niece ordered the chicken breast, which was also more than she could finish. She said it was lightly marinated and needed a little bit more salt. I ordered the grilled vegetable salad and two more turnovers(queso and Roquefort). The vegetables were well cooked and weren't overly salted. Like the cheese before, I think they should have been served hot, however. The queso turnover was incredibly cheesy, I would estimate the inside was a baseball sized mass of cheese! Although I'm not a blue cheese fan, I decided to give the Roquefort a chance. The mix of the cheese, celery and pecans well-balanced each other out. The blue-ness of it was a bit extreme for me, but it is a definite for those who like that type of cheese. Finally, we had deserts (yes, somehow we still had a little room for those, too). The apply strudel was good, but it was a bit sweet and reminded me of the pie filling from Village Inn. The Alfajor was a flaky biscuit type desert with caramel and pecans in it, a worthy desert. The panqueue de dolce de leche was a sweet crepe, with a cajeta-like taste, also good, but I wouldn't go out of my way to order it. The coffee flan was a big slice with a subtle coffee flavor. The consistency wasn't too eggy, which made others at the table happy. While all the other deserts were good, the best by far was the Copa Helado.... a glass of ice cream with pecans (which seem to be abundant in the menu) and whiskey...I'm not a whiskey drinker, but that desert could turn me into one. All the food that we order (plus soft drinks and a bottle of wine) came to approximately $175 dollars (pre-tip), which for the amount we had I would say is reasonable. Post tip, we passed the $200 mark, but our server was definitely worth it. Enrico was attentive, but not clingy. He was there when we needed him, but we never felt like he hovered. Although unique restaurants don't tend to last in El Paso, I'm hoping this is one of the exceptions. I can see my self making a monthly visit to have the Shrimp and Spinach turnovers with the Whiskey ice cream for desert. I recommend everyone try this restaurant at least once. read more

Last evening we went to Garufa's for dinner with another couple. The service from our professional waiter was exceptional. It was nice to be waited on by someone who knew the menu and how to give good service without being obtrusive. We all ordered steaks done to differing tastes, and all were perfect. I can honestly say it was one of the best steaks I've had In El Paso and that is saying something since there are many good steak restaurants here. What is different is that they offer a more extensive menu with many different sides that most steak houses in El Paso don't have. Before tip, we spent approximately $50 per head which included an appetizer, bottle of wine, dessert and 7 oz steak with sides. It all added up to a very enjoyable evening. This restaurant will come to the top of the list when I want to treat myself to a nice dinner out. read more

Great environment but I am not too hot about the food or service. It takes a while for the drink/food to come in but it was really fast for the check. Not sure what to think... I also think they should add to their wine diversity. Argentinean I get it... but I don't see enough variety of them. read more