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    L & J Cafe

    4.4 (2.3k reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Cafes
    Closed 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

    L & J Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    L & J CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - L & J Cafe

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    Cyrus A.

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

    The middle and green salas were our favorites
    Sharyll H.

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

    Steak dish
    Charlene P.

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

    Ground beef tacos
    Kelly T.

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

    Mia S.

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

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

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

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

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

    Veggie Fajitas
    Jenna K.

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

    Menu
    Lin S.

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

    Julie V.

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

    Sopapilla
    Christopher A.

    Love this place. The Steak Tampiqueña is a chefs kiss. One of the best I've had between west Texas and New Mexico. The red chile here they serve with the chips is got great flavor and heat. The service is great and friendly. They keep the drinks full and everyone is pleasant. The ambiance is old school and very much local family style. Love this place no problems.

    Churros
    Syd G.

    I've been wanting to try this place for months. We come out here a couple times a month for work and have tried many Mexican places in the city. Nothing worth writing home yet. Stopped by here once but it had a line out the door. So this time we got here early. Loved the decor inside and it has some old school charm. Rumor has it this place has been around a long time. So we started with margaritas and queso. The chips were spot on and fresh. The margaritas were very good! I got the combo plate enchiladas with a chili relleno too. Wow! Amazing taste and very fresh. Loved every bite. My buddy got the fajita nachos and said it was superb! Definitely come back and try a different dish again.

    Brandi P.

    Amazing chips and salsa. Great chile verde burrito. The $3.99 avocado is a WHOLE jumbo avocado, so if you want it, get it. They get busy and parking is limited.

    Sopapillas

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    14 days ago

    Food is very good and reasonably priced. Our server was friendly and did a great job. I try to eat there every time I'm in town.

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    L & J Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - L & J Cafe

    Is there fast service?

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

    What kind of green chiles are used in the dishes?

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

    Is there live mariachi here on weekends?

    Not usually.

    View All 5 Questions

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    The Junction Brunch House

    4.5
    (185 reviews)
    0.7 mi
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    Excellent food, exceptional service. Tiffany provided excellent service; we had a very pleasant…read moremorning.

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

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    Outside view
    Kiki's Mexican Restaurant

    Kiki's Mexican Restaurant

    4.0
    (661 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

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

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

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

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    L & J Cafe - mexican - Updated July 2026

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