L & J Cafe

Visited L & J Cafe over Memorial Day weekend. One thing they handled well was wait time management — we were quoted a 35-minute wait and ended up being seated in about 25 minutes. Service was also efficient once seated, and they brought complimentary chips and salsa quickly. The chips were solid, but the salsa was underwhelming for me. It tasted fresh, but lacked the vibrant, punchy flavor I usually expect from a good Mexican salsa. I’ve honestly had more flavorful salsa at much cheaper spots and store bought jars. We also ordered a shrimp appetizer served on a flat fried taco shell. It was decent overall, but like several dishes we tried, it felt under-seasoned and needed extra salt to bring out the flavor. For mains, we had the chile relleno plate and the chicken combo platter. The chicken in the items felt like the rotisserie chicken from costco. It's chicken but like almost bland and dry. The items on the combo leaned very heavily into cheese on nearly every item, to the point where the dishes started tasting similarly bland. The chile relleno had the same issue. Overall, the food felt more Tex-Mex than the more balanced/vibrant or traditional Mexican flavors I was hoping for, especially being in El Paso. Service and timing were good, but the food was a massive, massive disappointment. Would not recommend going here if you want authentic/flavourful Mexican food. If you want to drink and want a "Tex-mex" experience, this is as good as it gets.

First time going in here for lunch. Parking is kind of a hassle, had to wait 5-10mins. The restaurant has nice vibes. I ordered their Mexican Combination which was amazing for its price. Everything was very flavorful and tasted fresh. Their service was good, prices are very reasonable, and you get complimentary fresh tortilla chips. My coworker ordered burrito and it was great too. A worth it place to check out. Would Recommend. 8/10.

I am so glad a friend recommended the Detour Bar (which does NOT have food) because it is right around the corner from this gem! To start, the red salsa was so fantastic I over ate on chips, put what was left over on my flauta plate and bought a jar to take home. The beef flautas were well-stuffed, served with sour cream and guac and the came came with great beans and rice. My friend had the mole cheese enchiladas and she said she was still thinking about the mole on our drive back to Albuquerque. The place was packed on a Sat afternoon, so it has the stamp of approval from locals, which is a better review than I could ever give. It's tucked away over in a neighborhood and worth every minute to track it down!