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    Mac's Downtown

    4.5 (296 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    MAC'S DOWNTOWN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Amazing gumbo, large shrimp appetizer and mixed protein mild plate. (Can adjust spice level)
    Joyce T.

    Gumbo, shrimp gazpacho appetizer in a mug, cheesecake, live music for lunch, and more. I enjoyed the piano man playing beautiful music while dining. Sweet service. Staff work well together. I liked also how you can alter any ingredients and plates to your liking, as well as the spice-heat. Real brewed iced-tea, too.

    Fried combo
    Annie T.

    We were in town for work over the Valentines Day weekend and decided to try this place downtown. It was a very cozy atmosphere with friendly staff. We started with a dozen gulf oysters. The oysters were well shucked, plump, and fresh! Then we shared a large clam chowder. We liked how it wasn't too creamy. It was well seasoned. I had the salmon salad and my husband ordered the fried combo (fish, shrimp, chicken). We enjoyed everything and the service was fast. The only downside was parking, but it's downtown so we expected it.

    Inside
    Joe B.

    Service was nice, Ambiance was really nice. I feel like it used to have a really good history but maybe that was in the past. I had the gumbo and it was pretty good. There wasn't much seafood. I think it was only a few pieces of small shrimp. There was beef meatballs in it which I've never seen in gumbo. The taste was really good and I would order it again but I would get crab from a grocery store to add to it. I also got a cheese cake and I was expecting NY style but it seemed like Jello-O make at home cheese cake. It was good though. It came with a tiny piece of bread. It would be nice if they gave more than one small piece of bread. I would visit again.

    Lobster Mac and Cheese
    Brenda M.

    Ambiance is good. I love that's it's an old building, gives it history, very tall ceiling doesn't give you enclosed feeling. The service was good. Friendly server but she kept having to go and come back because of the mix and match we ordered, didn't know the cheesecake of the day (it was after 12). The food- we ordered fried oysters and they were left. Those that tasted them were not fans- said it tasted weird, could have been the batter Ingredients? Took one bite and that was it. I ordered lobster mac n cheese which was good but waaayyyyy too much garlic pieces. I couldn't fully enjoy it. The toast was good. We ordered a slice of cookies and cream cheesecake and that was good. Very creamy. Not sure if I would revisit. Maybe order grilled salmon.

    Betsy M.

    Mac's is what I call REALLY Dog friendly, allowing well behaved leashed pups to dine IN at certain tables. What a neighborhood jewel, family owned/run serving up really tasty Cajun/Seafood dishes. We had a nice little 2 top where the staff promptly brought over a water dish for our girls. We ordered a shrimp cocktail, blackened cod fish tacos and the Mahi entree. The food was delicious, prices so reasonable and the service/friendliness of the staff was truly gold standard. Save room for the cheesecake which is a must, we did the Hawaiian cheesecake and it was scrumptious! If we lived here in El Paso, we would hands down be regulars. Nice selection of beer and the whole vibe of the place is really eclectic... nice casual meets homey and artsy? Well done Mac's!

    Sam H.

    EAT HERE. You will not be disappointed. Stopped a year ago and had a fantastic meal. Here we are again. Home run. Everyone thing is absolutely amazing. Gumbo bowl is $8!!!' This is the deal of the century Shrimp and Grits. Outstanding. The restaurant is cozy and eclectic. I highly recommend you get off the beaten path and try it. Don't be put off by it being downtown. It's easy to get to from interstate 10 and parking is a breeze. Parking on street, they have meters but who doesn't have loose change they want to get rid of. I love Mac's.

    Fish plate and I added garlic mushroom sauce. Loved it!
    Evelyn T.

    This place is my go-to for amazing seafood and the best cheesecake. Service is very attentive and staff is very welcoming. My favorites are their clam chowder, oysters, blackened cod with added garlic mushroom sauce, and their cheesecake of course. The ambiance is pretty chill and casual which I love. This is also a great location for dates or to hang out with friends. Its not too much of a drinking place but they do have beer.

    Gumbo
    Yvonne O.

    This is cool little spot. The food was good, the staff was welcoming. I would've returned for another meal, but when in TX, Mexican food takes priority.

    Eggnog cheesecake
    Monty H.

    Really ambient interior and great service and food. They have a nice private area upstairs for parties too. The etouffe made with noodles instead of rice tasted amazing, was a unique take on that creole dish.

    Seafood soup
    Monica J.

    This place is always a joy. Stopped in for a quick lunch and had their seafood soup. It was piping hot and fresh. So delicious! You can't get more homeade, I tell you. It also had a heat that is unlike a chile or spice, maybe paprika? Very good. I also discovered their yummy French fries. Service, prices, and overall ambiance is always on point too.

    Front door of Mac's
    Ronald D.

    After chowing down on good Mexican food for 4 days in a row we decided to get a little seafood and found Mac's just down the street from our hotel and Pioneer square. I didn't expect much cuz I really don't think about seafood when I'm in the middle of the desert, so to speak, but Mac's was straight up good! We especially enjoyed lobster Mac & cheese. Prompt service, clean environment, nice people who I assume were the owners who came by and checked on us to see if we were okay.... and we were! Good experience.

    Joanne-Jody S.

    What a great local place for cajun food. The service and food were outstanding. The best gumbo and coleslaw we have had. The building is historic with lots of local artwork inside. Owners were on site and were very friendly! Will be back for sure!

    Tacos
    Samuel A.

    Once seated the service was great. The waiting staff was very attentive. The food was great. I order clam chowder, fried oysters, shrimp and fish tacos, and a salad. The oysters and clam chowder was really amazing. The oysters were a nice size. The tacos were okay, they were a little dry. I would certainly visit again.

    Fried Cod Taco

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    2 months ago

    really great experience & Cajun inspired seafood! cool photos of musicians & cultural icons

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    3 months ago

    Great Gumbo (and I've eaten at some of the best places in New Orleans). Best seafood in EP in my opinion. Well worth the visit!

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    6 months ago

    Enjoyed the whole experience. The food was great Service was very good had a good meal pricing was good for the size of plates one gets

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    Page 1 of 8

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    Gs Cajun House

    Gs Cajun House

    4.4(20 reviews)
    2.5 mi

    The owner was incredibly kind and generous, and Avery accommodating. Not to mention that the food…read morewas incredible!! I recommend this restaurant and recommend they add Ox Tails to the menu!!

    Walked into this cute little place excited for the food! Went there for dinner (6:00) the place…read morewas empty and almost turned around and left but my son wanted fried chicken so we stayed. Renee, who was very sweet, took our order at 6:15. My son ordered the fried chicken meal with mac n cheese and collard greens and I ordered the Po' boy. Let me remind you there was no one at all in the restaurant. The next patrons came in about a half hour of us being there and there were a few to go orders. Our food was not served to us until one hour after ordering it. We were so confused as to the long wait but didn't say anything because we assumed it would be coming at any moment. About 45 minutes after we ordered Renee brought complimentary cornbread muffins to our table and they were good. So finally our food comes. The mac n cheese was hot and delicious. The greens were ok. The chicken leg was good but the thigh was dried out. The shrimp on the Po' boy was very good, however; I am used to having it with shredded lettuce and without Kraft American cheese. The bun was dried out and not that good. I'm not sure why the food took an hour to be served. Nothing was ever said to us.

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    Crazy Crab

    Crazy Crab

    3.4(83 reviews)
    6.8 mi

    When we walked in, about 430pm on Wednesday, the place was mostly empty. The staff were sitting at…read morethe bar. One young lady, I imagine she was the hostess, made a displeased face when we walked in, sighed visibly and trotted over to greet us and seat us at a table. Terrible first impression, I have to say. Our server, Trey (hope I spelled it right) was nice, professional, knowledgeable and overall a pleasure. I guess he made the experience more bearable, but not by much. We ordered some appetizers (mozzarella stick, chips and queso, hush puppies and shrimp) that were good. The main dish, the crab fried rice, touted fresh crab in its description. I don't expect the crab to move in my plate to prove it is fresh, but whatever was put on top of the fried rice was not crab, by any definition I have encountered. It seem it was leftover scraped crab from the day's cleaning of the shells, combined with too much pepper. WAY TOO much. The fried rice wasn't any better, could not eat much of it. The onions that were cut with an axe were the proverbial onion on your fried rice. I believe that when restaurants have something to hide, they will over season the food, so the customer can't tell it was not fresh. Very disappointed. This place is not sure what it wants to be : seafood, Southern Louisiana, Korean, Japanese or Chinese. They should pick a theme and stick with it. It's expensive for the quality of the food. Won't be back, and don't recommend.

    While in town for business, my colleague insisted we dine at Crazy Crab. We started with the…read morehushpuppy appetizer which was good but with the dipping sauce made them delicious. We both had the snow crab boil. When my friend's came out, it was clearly not a pound, but the manager was very polite and brought her another cluster. The crab was excellent! It wasn't overcooked so it was easy to eat and the garlic butter was to die for! This was definitely the best crab boil I've ever had and will be returning during my next trip to El Paso!

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    Trap N Crab

    Trap N Crab

    3.2(32 reviews)
    13.7 mi

    This updated review is brought to you in part by, "first impressions aren't always necessarily the…read morelasting impressions". Since the original inception of this place and our initial discovery, something has been wavering just a bit. The consistency. Ultimately, the food still tastes as great as it did the first time we ever ordered it. However, there have been a number of inconsistencies in their execution. But to name a few, there's things like.. Lack of white sauce, too much white sauce, too much spice, forgotten proteins, inexplicably missing rice, half a lobster tail's meat sticking to the shell whilst the other half breaks off with ease.. ...and SO on. At this point, it's safe to say I have mixed feelings about this place. I still LOVE their seafood. I'm just irritated by their inconsistent execution, depending on what day it is, who's working, or how many people even decided to show up to work that day. I know this probably sounds like a negative review. But let me sum this up with the following: the food is still awesome, but the execution needs some touching up. And it is with this rationale that I must update my original review from 5 stars...to 4. Still highly recommend them. But....proceed with the aforementioned caveats. In other words, check your food before you depart the building. If you want to read about why the food is so good, check out my first review of this place. Thank you.

    If I could give this place a zero that's exactly what it would be.. There is no way in hell that…read morethis place should be associated with seafood.. that sauce has to be the worst sauce I have ever tasted in my life.. I almost cried they wouldn't give me a refund and stated it's a "small business" and I'm not confrontational type of person.. so I just walk out in thew it straight in the trash because there's was no way I was eating that. Horrible horrible place to eat, wouldn't recommended this place to dead dog that's how bad it is. To each it's own but if you enjoy this place you honestly don't know what real seafood taste like !! And please stop hiring young people who have no social skills or customer service skills. I'll be calling the BBB in the morning because this place needs to be reported ASAP!

    Photos
    Trap N Crab
    Trap N Crab - Lobster, double crab, double shrimp and salmon

    Lobster, double crab, double shrimp and salmon

    Trap N Crab - Lobster, double crab, double shrimp and salmon.

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    Lobster, double crab, double shrimp and salmon.

    Mac's Downtown - seafood - Updated May 2026

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