I wondered about El Paso Cafe for a good year before ever stepping inside. Strategically located next to the la cuisine gastronomique, Popeye’s, its neon sign and darkened windows were as suspect as expiration dates on items from the CVS across the street. But, the parking lot was always crowded and the basic human instinct for tequila within walking distance soon prevailed. I can say with authority….this place is awesome.
There are many ways to judge a Mexican/Tex-Mex/Latin American eatery. I abide by the cheese/cheese theorem: all I ever order is queso dip and cheese enchiladas. If they are good, it is my favorite restaurant of all time.
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This is my favorite restaurant of all time.
Find out what's happening in Arlingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Seriously.
I went from being afraid of it to eating there at least once a week. The inside is ensconced in fat, multi-colored Christmas lights -- the ones we would berate my Dad for putting up when all of the normal families had the small white ones. A rainbow of tapestries, old license plates, and torredor art grace the walls, and cocktails are delivered in perfectly clichéd cactus stemmed margarita glasses.
It is always busy.
I’ve reached the point that whenever I order the waitstaff seems to listen and then nod knowingly halfway through. “Ah yes, it’s you, Ms. Margaritaontherockswithsaltquesodipandcheeseenchiladas, good to see you again.” I like that.
When it’s your birthday, they give you a birthday sombrero to wear.
My only bourgeois complaint - it is a family place, especially on the early side, and the children will run wild. Unlike most establishments, where I would attempt to shoot laser beams out of my eyes in hope that the child would spontaneously combust, El Paso has built in coping mechanisms. There is a high energy mariachi band to drown out the shrieks and beer served in delightful mini cowboy boots. Each sip is a satisfying reassurance that I don’t have to watch Barney later.
If you really want to blow it out of the water, for a wallet busting $17.95 (or so), you can get the Super Fajitas. This hat-trick of protein are deserving of extravagant fanfare… at the very least a theme song. Steak, chicken, AND shrimp…together (!!!)…on a hot plate sizzling with tears of angels. Or butter. I can’t decide which would be better. Proceed carefully when ordering, this particular extravagancy could feed a herd of zombies, if zombies preferred fajitas to human flesh.
I love it so much that my Irish Catholic (rhymes with bass) went there on St. Patrick’s Day. They even had a St. Patrick’s Day menu, complete with margaritas made extra green by a shot of Midori, just in case you were planning on spending the day sober.
Did I mention I can walk home from there? La Buena Vida.
El Paso Cafe
4235 North Pershing Drive
Arlington, VA 22203-3202
(703) 243-9811
Open Mon-Thu,Sun 11:30am-10pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-11pm
