El Paso Restaurant

I’ve been coming here at least 20 years. What happened???

So terribly sad to see this place close :(I’ve been coming here since I was a kid…

Went there tonight and it’s closed and it looks like for good. Menu is down. Metal grates over door and windows. RIP.

This is a review for their lunch specials.
$ 7.95 is a really good deal for a main and rice and beans — and soup and chips with salsa. My co-​workers and I got to-​go and really enjoyed the food. In fact, there was enough food for two lunches for each of us.
It’s not the best Mexican food in the world, but if you’re craving Tex Mex as we were, it scratches the itch.
The owners seem like really nice men.

I ate here based on the Unilocal reviews and was disappointed. Caveat: I am a displaced Texan, but I am comparing it to other places I have been outside of Texas. We had the mixed fajitas and there were good. Not amazing, but good. The margarita was below average — it was too sweet and did not taste like it had tequila in it. It tasted like one of those wine-​based margaritas you find at places that do not have full liquor license. I had asked the waiter about their margaritas and he assured me it was one of the best so I was very disappointed. The fried plantains were terrible. We each had one bite and couldn’t eat them. They were tasteless and hard. I complained to the waiter but nothing was done about it. I expected them to be taken off our bill or another item offered instead. So I do not recommend this place. There are too many other good places to eat in this part of Manhattan.

We have been coming here forever! This is one of those village places that has been around for over thirty years, I know we started coming just after they opened and they renovated only once in all that time after a small kitchen fire. It is quiet, out of the way and a great place to dine in peace, have a conversation and relax over wine or sangria. The menu has never changed, I don’t even have to ask when I walk in they just bring me «#14» «three beef burritos», I never ask what is in them they just taste so good. The steak is actually very good, fish is fresh, the lobster is really excellent by any measure, and I love their tomatoey salsa.
We actually came here while dating, after we were married, and after our our daughter was born, she practically grew up here! It is child friendly, very unpretentious and extraordinarily inexpensive.
Saturday nights one of the waiters grabs a guitar and starts singing from table to table.
Don’t let the crusty décor fool you this is a diamond in the rough!

Good Mexican/​Spanish. Good service. Nice atmosphere. Reasonably priced. They stayed open for us as we got there as they were about to close. I am glad they did, this food hit the spot. The taco could have been crunchier bit had a great flavor. The enchilada was great. I will return for good food in this low key, cozy underground.

I’ve been to El Paso three times now and every time I go, it is delicious. I’ve also brought other people as well who have all loved it. You definitely get a lot of food for your money and the staff and owner are all very nice and accommodating. I got the Enchiladas Suiza and they are amazing.

After being shut out at restaurant after restaurant for an impromptu night out for dinner in the West Village during the heat wave of Summer 2013, this place graciously accepted us at 10:30 PM. Was this a good thing because all the other restaurants in the neighborhood were full? Hell yes this was a good thing!
This place is kind of a throw back to a time when life was simpler. This was an extremely good find! Not pretentious; amazing prices; and pretty good food. Often times in Mexican restaurants like this, all the food can end up tasting the same but this place had exceptional flavor in the food.
Did I mention this was during the heat wave so drinks were a necessity! They were big. They were delicious. They were satisfying. They were not NYC prices! We have a winner!
Finally, without good service, you have nothing but this place had AMAZING service! And you got fresh baked bread with your meal!
All in all, a great find! Not a place to go out for a «night out on the town,» but for a casual dinner with quasi-​authentic Mexican food, this place is aces.

Four of us came here tonight because the French restaurant they wanted to go to was closed. I completely agree with Lily T’s review. The people who work here are very nice and quite friendly. It almost makes it hard to be objective about the food… well almost…
The chips and salsa were fresh and plentiful. The three others had the Lobster Special. The price was good ($ 17.95) but since three of us were New Englanders used to fresh Maine lobster, I can only rate the taste I had as okay. My chicken mole was disappointing. The mole was good but for $ 15.95 I expected boneless white meat but got drumsticks and other parts with the skin still on.
The restaurant’s front room is decorated in a Don Quixote motif. Different, but I liked it. The overflow room pales in comparison. The bathroom was clean.
So overall friendly but with rather mediocre food.

This place has been around since the 1980’s and hasn’t changed a bit. They have a good mix of mexican and spanish cuisine.
Gauc — ok
Chips and salsa — above average
Shrimp Ajillo — above average
Lobster special — awesome
Chicken El Paso — awesome
Pallela (all) — above average
Sangia and Frozen margaritas — awesome.
Sometimes they have live music too.

The food here is pretty good. Service also good. Margaritas are decent. All is kind of pricey. I would say if you’re around drop in, it not a place I’d venture to.

Not your usual Mexican restaurant — a New York fusion treat
To me the real test of a Mexican restaurant is enchiladas. Not easy to find a great enchilada this far north of the border, but these are more than passable. The restaurant claims to be Spanish-​Mexican and the enchiladas are not a Tex-​Mex variety but rather a good chef’s Manhattan variation on the Mexican theme. All the food was good, beginning with an unusual chips & salsa. the salsa is not the typical tomato based sauce, but rather a bean-​based sauce with chile. And very good. Those of you that want the highly picante flavor of the north of Mexico will find the food wanting, but there’s definitely the typical spiciness of central Mexico. I would say a «high end“and exotic Mexican flavor. The cheese enchiladas have a ranchero style sauce, the beef have a ‘suiza’ style sauce, but not the typical cream base, and the chicken have a cinnamon mole sauce. All of these are well crafted by somebody in the kitchen that’s trying to do it right. The side dish is a beany-​cheesy-​rice that is excellent. And there’s no problem with the wait staff — excellent service.
Worth a trip! I recommend it!

wow! I just got the lunch special, paella Valenciana and what a treat!
Such a good value, it comes with a soup, bag of chips and salsa and the main dish! Lots of food, good for leftovers. Thank you El Paso!!!

From the outside it’s hard to tell but this is an adorable, romantic place with really good food! My friends and I ventured here on search for quality mexican food and we were so glad we ran into this place. Prices are excellent for the portion size and quality of the food. The staff were all friendly and jolly and service was fast. Once you sit down, they provide you homemade salsa and tortilla chips which were so good! My group ordered enchiladas and tacos. All the food was delicious, flavorful, and warm, unlike your typical fast and messily tossed mexican food. I would love to come back here and try other dishes!

This is an Interesting little restaurant. By the outside it looks a little out of place with the juice/​organic café vibe on Houston street, and the ancient looking El Paso sign on the street does nothing to help the ambience. That being said I was with someone who wanted Mexican and we were dead tired and stopped right in front of El Paso. After a quick browse at the menu outside, we ventured in. The place was nearly empty at 2 pm Monday but I’m sure that can’t be peak activity.
We were quickly seated and given drinks, while we waited for a 3^rd person to join us. The owner seemed very gracious (or happy to have customers?). Service was impeccable, but they were not exactly overwhelmed with customers.
Anyways onward to the food, I ordered the guacamole and Quesadillas, and thought both were excellent. The quesadillas in particular are some of the best I have had, they are very simple –just cheese tortilla and on the plate some peppers with sauce– maybe because everything tasted so fresh, it just melted in my mouth and was delicious.
My 2 lunchmates were so-​so on their meals, so I will demote a star for that, they had the cheese enchilada which i tried and though was quite good, although a little repetitive for such a big portion. I can’t comment on the Chicken Fajitas although they were ordered and gingerly picked at.

you’re a cutey patootie.
I normally don’t venture into this area but was heading to a nearby playhouse and i was thrilled to have found this little hole in the wall, such a pretty cozy lookin’ joint.
was automatically settled on the special of the day sign upon entering
«1lb lobster with spanish rice and potatoes». DONE. «away with the menu», i say. the rice was mighty good too, very moist but i left it out to freeze in the cold, brrr. i was focusing on my friend’s plate.
my friend had the paella Valenciana, it wasn’t empowering with flavor (wahhhhh) but very generous with the amount of seafood, and bam, what? two big pieces of boned chicken with lots of chorizos…
the lobster was great, just the very subtle sweetness i needed, it instantly settled my craving and desire for it. the potatoes are actually homemade potato chips and WAS delicious… mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
lovely service and ambiance. would come back if i’m ever in the hood.

came here on a sunday night and the place was nearly empty
The chips and salsa were very good and fresh.
The food however, were just mediocre and somewhat bad… I got the enchiladas with 3 different fillings (chicken, beef and cheese) and it was just blah and filled with lots of cheese
the waitstaffs were very friendly and the service was good
don’t think I will return again

The exterior of this restaurant is nondescript and leaves a lot to be desired (it looks like a road side stand).
But when we walked down the steps Saturday night, I was pleasantly surprised by how elegant everything was. It was every bit Lady & the Tramp classic: small, intimate tables w/​white table cloths and dressed up waiters with their big hearty bellies, nice paintings, dim lighting, and a stream of Christmas lights made for a nice touch.
My friends all ordered the lobster special, which they seemed to enjoy. I abstained because I’m allergic to shellfish: «Really! I can’t eat crustaceans — if you think about it, you’re eating the relative of the cockroach.» So I ordered the enchiladas with rice and beans.
The wait staff was very accommodating throughout: we waited half an hour before ordering because we were waiting for a late friend, and immediately we were served with the requisite salad, which was okay. The food was decent, but I think ultimately the food paled in comparison to NYC’s enchiladas in general.

My brain cells surprisingly remember the late 80’s commercial jingle «Pass the Old El Paso». Perhaps I should have headed that childhood memory and passed on El Paso Restaurant last night.
The sign does seem worn and dated, as if it hasn’t been updated since 1987. I should have taken it as a warning sign perhaps?
But old signage doesn’t necessarily translate to disappointing foodage, right?
The formally dressed staff was friendly enough in providing us with water (and refills), rolls and chips/​salsa upon sitting. That was a definite plus except the roll was hard and required serious digital strength to dismantle.
The menu is bipolar Spanish and Mexican. Are you feeling like Andalusia or Puerto Vallarta? Spring Break in Cancun or the Prado?
The restaurant reflects this split with decorations of Don Quixote statues, bull horns and Aztec statues.
What I found most amusing about the restaurant’s vibe was what I heard– and it pains me to even admit knowledge of this performer– but the audio entertainment was a selection of pianist Richard Clayderman’s greatest hits. Clayderman was a public television telethon mainstay who’d perform movie soundtracks and popular themes in a whimsical easy listening arrangement style. We were treated to the theme from «Gone with the Wind’. (Another omen perhaps?)
So what of the food? My order of two burritos arrived and, to El Paso’s credit, they were in the traditional Mexican style. In other words, not stuffed to the max with guac/​rice, beans and more like an Italian manicotti than mission style Chipotle. So stylistically that’s a plus but taste-​wise the burritos were somewhat lacking. They seemed too mushy and almost fell apart after a few strikes of my fork. The accompanying rice and beans was joined with a layer of cheese that was way too gelatinous. I’m convinced the cheese was expanding like a blob about to engulf Manhattan.
Now the price was certainly right as two entrees came out to $ 34. El Paso offers a 1 ¼ lb lobster deal for 15.95 or 19.95 stuffed with crab meat. A great value but as my two star rating indicates, «meh, I’ve experienced better». Perhaps it was an off day in the El Paso kitchen but it’s enough for me to pass.