This place is located in the heart of downtown El Paso, kinda easy to miss if you don't look closely. This place used to have performance every weekend before Covid but have to take a pause temporarily. We were seated right away when we arrived. Our server was attentive and food was served quickly. We ordered large shrimp cocktail - 24 small shrimps soaked in tomato sauce with cucumber and avacado - thought the concept was strange at first but the taste was actually pleasant. Gumbo was a nice surprise - rich flavor and not short of goodies. We got a small one for only $3 but it was surprisingly filling. We also ordered blacken fish, chicken and shrimp combo that came with spinach salad. It was a healthy choice but unfortunately tasted a bit plain. The highlight of the meal was definitely the desert. We had Hawaii cheese cake based on our server's recommendation, and I was hooked! The cake was dense, coconuty with a touch of pineapple taste. The crust tasted a bit overbaked but added a pleasant smokey taste which I really liked. There are free street parking after 6pm and on Sundays near the restaurants. Oh also, everything on the menu is reasonably priced and decent portion. read more

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THE AMBIENCE, OUR SERVER, THE FOOD, EVERYTHING WAS SO GOOD, like even the wait time is not bad for 2 pasta dishes and ceviche (I went with some friends) overall a good, fun time. HIDDEN GEM read more

Mac's Downtown - Scampi pasta - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

I had the steak & shrimp with a small bowl of gumbo. Steak wax tender will very little fat and cooked perfectly. The fried shrimp was big and had just enough batter on it. The gumbo was tasty but could have used a little more spices. The staff was attentive and came by just at the right time to refill the drinks. The place had very nice ambiance to it. Overall was a pleasant experience. I would definitely come back. read more

Omg! Ya'll need to try the Cajun cake for dessert! Food was great but the dessert stole the show! Definitely coming back. And the service! My water never made it past half glass, a piece of trash or dirty dish didn't get a chance to sit! The staff is top notch! Thank you to our server Abery who kept us hydrated. Very demure, very cutesy read more

Best Fish around!!!! A must try! The Cajun mayo is unbelievably good. Can't say enough about it and the service is top notch. read more

Great fish and fries ! Nice atmosphere friendly fast service . This place is a hidden gem . Highly recommend. read more

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Went in for Shrimp boil and we ended up ordering a little bit of everything! Everything we ordered was delicious! A lot of spots aren't open on Mondays so it's nice to have a great meal downtown! read more

Mac's Downtown - Southwest Seafood Soup, Small Gumbo - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

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Every one was friendly, the food was delicious and the service was on point, thank you for allowing my high school graduate a superb night out after graduating. read more

Food was amazing and customer service was really good I highly recommend recommend it to anyone wanting seafood

Our recent date night was a Chinatown ghost tour in downtown El Paso. The tour started at Mac's. Mac's used to be Leo's Mexican restaurant. There's only one Leo's (on Remcon) these days. I used to work at the El Paso Times down the street when it was on Campbell, Overland as well. The old El Paso Times building is now City Hall. Me and my coworkers often had lunch at Leo's. Am I a believer of the paranormal/ghosts? Yes. Why? Weird stuff happens at our house every once in awhile. My partner says it's his dad or grandparents so we don't really do anything about it. We just say hi and bye to them. Lol. The TV has turned on by itself, the TV's volume goes up and down, the kitchen water faucet turned on by itself just the other day. The lights come on by themselves at times. The living room lamp turned orange after his grandmother passed away a few years ago. He says that happened because she wore orange nail polish. Anyway going back to Mac's and a little bit of the ghost tour... The ghost tour peeps gave us a choice of having dinner here so we decided to do it. It was our first time eating at Mac's. We don't like seafood that much so we ordered grilled chicken with a spinach salad and rice. It was all pretty good. I would've liked some Ranch dressing on my salad instead but they didn't have any. That was kind of odd imo. The service here was great. Our waiter was nice to us. He was a little bit pushy to order and I just wanted to chill. Good thing I looked at the menu at home beforehand. I already knew I wanted to order the grilled chicken. After dinner, we all met upstairs and then went downstairs to the kitchen and basement. Supposedly Mac's is haunted. We didn't see anything weird happen. The ghost tour lady says the owners have seen ghosts, especially on the second floor. El Paso used to have a thriving Chinatown a couple of blocks away in the mid 1800s. It eventually disappeared when immigration laws became stricter. There were also very few Chinese women who came to the Sun City due to these immigration laws. The Chinese came to El Paso to help build the railroad. My great grandparents from my mom's side came from Mexico to help build/work on it as well. I was sort of familiar with the Chinese being here in El Paso. I wanted to learn more, though. Overall, I had a good experience at Mac's. I'll talk more about the ghost tour in a separate review. If you're interested in booking a ghost tour, go to: www.ghosts915.org The average cost is $20/person. They host them at different places like Concordia Cemetery, Ysleta High School and around downtown. read more

Mac's Downtown - Chicken, rice, spinach salad - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

The food was incredible. I had the gumbo which was outstanding. Very hearty and tasty. My partner had the shrimp and crispy French fries which he stated was the best he ever had. He started with the clay chowder which too was very good. Our waitress was very attentive and the owner stopped by to see if we were satisfied. They made sure we had our drinks full and was there for anything we needed. The place is very cool with lots of hand paintings of many music artists and actors. The ceiling is if that old metal type ceiling and brick walls. Very comfortable. Definitely will eat here again whenever I'm in El Paso. read more

This is a great spot for a casual meal. I enjoyed the Red Beans and Rice, it was delicious. Full of sausage, onion, gravy and of course beans and rice. The staff was nice and on a Wednesday evening the restaurant was not busy. read more

Mac's Downtown - Inside - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

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The service was excellent, very friendly and welcoming! They knew their menu really well! So if you need any recommendations, ask them! I got a seafood boil (lacked flavor, good portion sized) I did think that the toast and Mac & cheese were kind of random. If I were to make a suggestion, I would skip the bread and mac & cheese & do white rice instead. My partner got grilled cod tacos (good portion & lacked flavor). The vibes and decor were so beautiful though! read more

We have a hard time ordering here because so many dishes are wonderful. Highly recommend you try this restaurant. Love the fish po'boy and the grilled salmon salad. Save room for the cheesecakes. read more

The best po' boy shrimp sandwich and the best cheesecakes in town. Great customer service. Very polite staff.

Ventured downtown today since the muggy weather reminded me of Houston and New Orleans. I met up with a friend to try out Mac's Downtown which features Cajun style food. A clam chowder and gumbo sounded perfect for this weird weather, isn't this supposed to be Sun City? Parking was either $5 for an hour at a lot right next to the restaurant or $1/hr at a parking meter and I'm always surprised at how easy and cheap it is to park in El Paso, since you can pay by app or coins or card. Coming from SoCal where the system is super non user friendly and prices start at $3/hr with limits, it's nice in El Paso, would be nicer if it was free, but I get that it's downtown and parking space is a premium. The walk a block away was nice since the streets were clean and there wasn't anyone passed out, urinating, or openly using needles. Instead, people were excercising, delivering goods, and being friendly and polite, and there was amazing art everywhere! Someone should really put together an art walk of the city, it's outdoors, socially distanced fun.. Mac's Downtown was so cool and friendly, from the artwork for sale on the walls to the singing fish the host showed my daughter, we felt welcomed with Southern charm. As we were waiting for my friend to arrive, I started ordering, mindful that I only had an hour on the meter. I got the fried mix plate (fish, shrimp, chicken breast and fries), half a dozen of the fried oysters, a small cup of clam chowder and gumbo to start. Service was very nice and attentive. The food arrived as my friend did and she told me she's never tried raw oyster or a shrimp boil, so we had 2 oysters, a shrimp boil, and a shrimp cocktail. I'll go down and list the items: -clam chowder: really good. Not watery, thick and creamy with a seafood finish. -gumbo: it's ok, I've had better, it had okra, Andouille sausage, green bell peppers, and the rice was a little undercooked and hard. I would've liked more spice. -fried oysters: very good, creamy, cheesy, with a mineral aftertaste kinda like liver. -shrimp cocktail: it's pretty standard, big portions, and not Latin style but Southern style which is sweeter and more tomato based. They were generous with the shrimp and veggies. -shrimp boil: it's ok, just average, could use a bit more Cajun flavor, it tasted mostly of black pepper, maybe it was toned down for the clientele, which was mainly businessmen in suits. -mix plate: definitely recommend this as it was huge portions and fried well. Not oily, the fish was flaky and moist, the chicken was tender, and the butterflied shrimp was juicy inside. The batter was seasoned and crispy, not a raw spot to be had, it was fried perfectly. It also came with fries that I didn't eat since my daughter claimed it. -raw oysters: very fresh, they gave us some hot sauce and a ton of lemon slices for my friend since it was her first time. She's a trooper and liked the flavor, but the slimy texture wasn't her favorite. -mac and cheese: I saved the best for the shrimp boil came with one of the best mac and cheese I've ever had. It was perfect; buttery, creamy, cheesy and the ziti noodles were al dente and a little charred on top, which added a bit of caramelization. The entire meal came out to be around $65, we each took home a box of food and I fed both my in laws from mine and she fed her husband, so for technically 5 adults and a child, it was a great value since it was so much food! Come out and check out downtown if you haven't like me, since I'm scarred from Los Angeles and what Downtown has become there (think Skid Row, even in the nice places). It's not like that here at all and the gorgeous skylines and artwork displayed made the experience very pleasant. Mac's Downtown is definitely a nice find and I'll be sure to come back and order more of their pasta and fried dishes. Come out and #supportlocal Mac's Downtown (915) 533-8100 315 E Mills Ave, El Paso, TX 79901 https://maps.app.goo.gl/DcSxnPQm5WsLUWSQ6 read more

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I was excited to try Mac's based on all the fine reviews. The only conclusion I can come to after eating there is that either the reviewers were so enamored by the service that the felt bad giving honest reviews, or they have really low expectations on good seafood. I feel bad giving stars off because the staff were SO friendly and attentive. I would give them 10 stars if I could. The ambiance was quite nice and kitschy - along the lines of a small, college town with lots of hand painted portraits of famous celebrities. The food, although well-portioned, was average. It had no flavor. The gumbo tasted like nothing. The catfish didn't taste like cornmeal OR fish. The only thing with a little flavor was the fries. It leads me to believe they are using a lot of frozen foods and the current kitchen has little knowledge about preparation or seasoning. If this place was located in southern Louisiana, it would not be able to stay in business because the locals would not return. For the price of the bill, I can't say I'd return for the bland food. At the end of the day, I'm only giving it a 4th star due to the super service, otherwise it's a solid 3-star. Don't be fooled by all the 5-star reviewers, this is not 5-star food. It's good diner-quality food. read more

Ordered over the phone for pick up and was ready in 10-15min. The blackened salmon over rice and spinach salad with vinaigrette was plenty at $13. The fish was cooked well and can't wait to try the other dishes. Wish they opened later than 8pm. read more

Mac's Downtown - Blackened salmon - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

You'll miss it if you aren't looking. And you'll need to know how to parallel park if you don't wanna pay to be in a lot downtown. It's tucked away in between an Italian place and a sad hotel. But do not be afraid. It's a lovely space inside. High ceilings, pressed metal ceilings, TONS of local art and a stage where I understand they do have music - but not today. The owner is usually your waitress and she's such a warm welcoming gal. We came here for one reason - Gulf oysters. Having moved from Houston to las Cruces it's extremely hard to find Gulf oysters. I found this place did and we made a special trip to El Paso just for those. I will say they were exactly right. Plump, creamy and not too salty. Cocktail sauce and horseradish. An out of body experience. Then I ordered more and...and...and they were out! No more oysters. Such a disappointment! However, the owner told me if I called before we came I could order and pay for a couple dozen. We're 35 minutes away. So that's a good thing. Nice customer service touch. The oysters were wonderful. The ceviche was almost perfect. A little more red onion and jalapeno and it would be some of the best I ever ate. So far so good huh? Then came the etouffee. I've lived in Louisiana. I dated a Cajun for many years. There was absolutely nothing authentic about their etouffee. It was not made with a roux. It was not served over rice. It was filled with VERY large pieces of green pepper and celery. I will not order this again. But for the oysters. Yes, we'll be back. Beer and wine only. read more

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Oh my gosh! The food at Mac's is amazing! The Southwest Seafood Soup is delicious and you HAVE to try the Super Salmon Salad. The salmon was cooked to perfection. The first bonus is the space - brick walls, original wood floor, local artists' art. Lovely! The second bonus is the staff. SO friendly! We want to come back and try everything on the menu! read more

Mac's Downtown - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

Some good friends invited us to have oysters here. We must have had a few dozen raw oysters. We spent the afternoon enjoying the oysters and music. The oysters were fresh and delicious! The service was fantastic! read more

What a fun atmosphere! Loved the brick walls and the antiquities ceiling. Parking is difficult so prepare to drive around the block a few times. We ordered the specials: Shrimp broil with toast three cheese Mac and cheese $14 Salmon covered with a creamy mushroom on rice with Caesar salad $14 And the pumpkin cheesecake $2.50 Food was delicious. We absolutely loved it. Shrimp boil is a messy and hard to peel but well worth the effort. Service was prompt and nice. I would recommend this place. read more

Mac's Downtown - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

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Very pleased we stopped in and ate at Mac's. Our server, Avery, was phenomenal from the start. Extremely patient, helpful and friendly. We ordered the Gumbo Cup to try, the Jambalaya, and an order of Catfish. Could not have been happier with our choices. The only downside is that the menu is extensive and there were plenty of items that we know we will need to return to try. We saw a table next to us order the Seafood Boil, and it will definitely be on our order during our next visit. Great flavors, excellent ambience, a decent selection of beer . . . Not much else to ask for. read more

Everything about this place is perfect. The staff the artistic decor and omg the menu!! I love it everytime I go.

I placed an order to go for the large gumbo and a order of fried shrimp. The large gumbo was HUGE and so so good. The bread that came with it was soft and warm with a tasty flaky crust. The fried shrimp were a good size and had a great flavor. The service was also very good. When I asked for an itemized receipt along to go along with the credit card receipt the waiter smiled and said "No problem". Who would've guessed that some of the best Cajun food I've ever had would come out of El Past Tx. read more

Mac's Downtown - Large bowl of very tasty gumbo. - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

It was our 18th anniversary and we wanted to try something special. Drove from Deming N.M. to check out this place as the reviews looked pretty good. I can say that it exceeded our expectations! We started off with the biggest oysters on the half shell we have had (and we have had them in Seattle and Rhode Island) and with the sauce...perfection. Clam chowder bowl was delicious. We each had the blackened cod tacos with rice. Expecting them to be small, we were so delighted to see that we received 4 stuffed with fish. Yummy! Then, the topping of our meal was the Hawaii cheesecake. OMG! I could have had 3 of them for dinner! Such a great place, super friendly owners and our server was so nice. We will return, for sure. read more

Mac's Downtown - Blackened Cod Tacos and Rice. So delicious. - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

Some of the best seafood I have had especially in the desert!! I had the Blacken Cod I would recommend this and the fried Oysters!

Meh. I think the ratings are weighted from locals and people who haven't had great seafood. I should've had some concern given that El Paso isn't a coastal city. Tried two raw oysters. They were OK, I don't usually eat them but tried based on a review and wasn't impressed. Did the shrimp and fish tacos, meh. Lacking any flavor or soul. Had to ask for PoBoy cream sauce to make it more exciting. Dad enjoyed his salmon and ate it up. He said it was cooked well. Service was nice, good place for bar food. read more

Mac's Downtown - Shrimp y Pez Tacos - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

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Don't pass this place up! Outstanding food and service! Fish and shrimp tacos here were everything I hoped for and more. read more

Mac's Downtown - Don't pass this place up! Fish and shrimp tacos hit the spot. The rice was also a very pleasant surprise in flavor. - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

Amazing!!! From the friendliness when you walked in the door to the art work on the wall this place is the real deal! Started with a cup of clam chowder and ceviche. You could definitely tell they were both made homemade in house. We order the cod Sandwich with fries and the salmon mushroom plate. Delish!! We will definitely be back when we are in town! read more

Mac's Downtown - salmon - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

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Great staff!!! and Great Food! I ate the Salmon one day, and had the jambalaya the next! the Guac was fresh and elite also.

What a great place! Eclectic decor, wonderful service and amazing food. Really, I haven't had a meal this good in a restaurant in a long time! We had the clam chowder (so yummy!), the spicy shrimp cocktail (you have to get it spicy, not so much that it will make you cry, but really tasty!), lobster Mac n cheese(so creamy and perfectly seasoned), and the jambalaya. Everything was great, large portions and seasoned so well. Can't wait to come back! read more

Looking for some seafood in El Paso? Drop by Mac's! Now at a larger location in Downtown, Mac's has plenty of seating for you and your family and is great for large groups. The staff are very friendly and will get you set up with whatever you need. Everything on the menu is related to seafood/pasta. I would recommend getting the clam chowder. I also got the fish + shrimp and chips combo, which was quite a large portion for one person. About 4 pieces of shrimp and 3-4 pieces of fish. Not bad for the price. However, i think I would try a different dish if I was in El Paso again. Would recommend trying at least once if you feel like eating seafood. read more

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I was there after the busy hour. Fried oysters were fresh and delicious, French fries were made from fresh potatoes, and coffee was hot. Everything was the way I liked. read more

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This is my favorite place for seafood in El Paso. Clam chowder is great and I love the fried combo: chicken, fish, and shrimp. Great blackened fish, rice, salad and gumbo too!! Leave room for the cheesecakes, the pineapple one is amazing! Service is the best and the art is fun to look at while you are enjoying your delicious Louisiana-inspired lunch! read more

Great food, very friendly service. Had the shrimp Po Boy. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and had great flavor. I will be back again. read more

I have been wanting to try Mac's for such a long time now but just never got around to it. By the time I actually was going to try it for some reason, I could not find it, and that was because I never realized they moved from their old location. My mom and I discovered it while we made a stop downtown after visiting my grandma. We decided this would be the day we finally try it and I absolutely loved it so much that I actually went back a week later after that. I am a strong believer that if someone is passionate about what they are cooking and cook it with love that it comes out amazing. Anytime my mom, grandma, or little brother cooks for me it is undeniably amazing, unless they are in a bad mood then, not really that good. It is stated on the menu that everything cooked at Mac's is cooked with love and I absolutely believe the chefs making the food are passionate about it. Our first night we had a large shrimp cocktail which we shared and two Shrimp Scampi plates of pasta. I was actually shocked at the amount of shrimp the cocktail had as some other places I have been to really do not put that much. It was delicious however I probably should not have ordered it spicy. It was perfect for me but after a few bites my mom was definitely burning up just a little. When the shrimp scampi's arrived not only did they look great they tasted amazing. Although, what really took the cake that night was the homemade banana cheesecake. When my mom ordered it I did not realize until the owner informed us that their desserts are homemade, and that truly makes a difference. This quite literally was the best cheesecake I have had in a long time and I only tried a piece. Random fast forward but I definitely ordered myself a slice on the second visit. The second visit I ordered the Ribeye Plate with Jumbo Shrimp and veggies, my mom ordered the Grilled Salmon Plate and needless to say the knocked it out of the park a second time. I normally always order my steaks medium but they do not always come out that way. The chef had it perfect and man did I savor every freaking bite and the jumbo shrimp were so tasty. It was the perfect combination. My mom devoured her salmon and was raving about the sauce they used for it along with the dressing for the salad. She shared her salad with me and man that dressing was divine. Of course, their dressing was also homemade which made the salad perfect. Needless to say Mac's, I will definitely be back. Thank you to the owner for being so welcoming and treating us to two amazing dinners, now I just need to bring my little brother. read more

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Looking for a unique setting near Southwest University Park before the Chihuahuas baseball game. Found it here. Old building with tall ceilings and interesting decor. Friendly staff, good service and a decent menu selection. We parked at metered parking around the corner for the dollar an hour max time. Had the meal enjoyed the location all before the hour expired The food was tasty, very generous portions with a refreshing spinach salad. read more

A gem for El Paso to have being that we are in a desert! It felt like we were in NOLA again with the food and ambiance. We will be making this a regular spot. We were especially grateful for the friendly customer service. The restaurant started getting busy for lunch but we were still treated and spoken to like we were the only ones there. read more

Mac's Downtown - Shrimp Boil (macaroni not pictured) - Seafood Near Me - El Paso, Texas

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The food is really good. Not entirely authentic and definitely has a different twist to creole food, but Mac's is really good nonetheless. I would definitely come here again. The environment isn't too impressive and it is definitely a more casual vibe, but I do this that it is exactly the type of restaurant you'd like in a casual Friday night. Definitely not a first date situation, but a group of friends would totally enjoy Mac's. read more