El Paso has experienced a good wave of new restaurants this year, that range from burgers and Mexican fare to steakhouses and Italian.
Many of the restaurants, like Portillo’s on the far East Side, started with grand openings and giveaways. Taco Palenque, which opened in February, collaborated with comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, who did a guest appearance and took photos with fans.
As summer winds down, we thought we would give you a recap of these new restaurants that have opened to add to your list if you haven’t gotten around to them.
Here’s our list of new restaurants to try in El Paso this summer.
Sunú Taqueria Molino, Downtown
Opening in June, Sunú Taqueria Molino at 610 N. Mesa St. in Downtown El Paso is paying homage to Chihuahua with elevated tacos, tostadas and flautas.
Popular items include cochinita pibil (braised pork in a plate or sope), beef cheek and potato flautas, steak tacos, and tacos dorados (deep-fried refried bean tacos).
This is fine dining at affordable prices.
Kala Baja Med on the West Side
Kala Baja Med is a new restaurant on the West Side with a comfortable vibe, an upscale menu, a fusion of Mediterranean and Baja Mexico, and great service. Servers are friendly and happy to answer questions or offer suggestions.
The menu provides a mix of raw seafood, soups and salads, as well as main dishes like steak, pasta and grilled octopus.
The Lobster Tortilla Bisque is one of my favorites, a lovely bisque with lobster claw, pork rinds, queso panela, guajillo and ranch cream on top. They brought the broth tableside, which adds excitement to the evening.
The bisque was smooth and flavorful. We also tried the Pacific red snapper ceviche. It’s made with Pacific coast snapper, tomato, onion, serrano chile, cilantro and lemon. It was super fresh and light. And it was served with a couple of big tostadas in a pretty presentation.
The restaurant, at 7470 Cimarron Market Ave, Building 5 Suite 100, is great for a special occasion.
Basilico on Eastlake
Basilico, a restaurant with well-known roots in Juárez, is getting a benvenuta with its first location on El Paso’s Eastside.
The Italian restaurant recently opened at 12900 Eastlake Blvd., Suite A106-10, and is already becoming a regular spot for the business community, as well as a good choice for a memorable dinner date or family celebration.
Longhorn Steakhouse on far East Side
El Paso’s first Longhorn Steakhouse, at 12237 Montana Ave. near the intersection of Loop 375, opened in June.
Longhorn Steakhouse is part of Darden Restaurants, which owns franchises like Chuy’s, Olive Garden and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchens. There are over 500 Longhorn Steakhouse locations across the United States and Puerto Rico.
Two other steakhouses are under construction.
Elmer’s Dinner in Central El Paso
Elmer’s Dinner recently opened at 1730 Montana Ave., reviving a similar restaurant name, Elmer’s Diner. The former restaurant was known for its fried chicken. This restaurant is spacious and already dishing out some delicious chicken dishes. Service is a little slow so just be aware you might have to wait a bit for your food.
Nueve Uno Cinco bar Downtown
Nueve Uno Cinco, cleverly 915 in Spanish, is a cozy but elegant cocktail bar in a refurbished two-story building in Downtown El Paso. The bar is at 218 W. Franklin Ave, and has a patio view of Southwest University Park.
It is a great place to relax after work with a special cocktail or meet friends upstairs for an intimate gathering.
Portillo’s
Portillo’s, the restaurant chain known for Chicago-style street food, opened its first location in El Paso in March. It is open at 12221 Montana Ave. (corner with Loop 375).
There was a lot of buzz for this chain for its famous hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches and homemade chocolate cake. The burgers are really good too. If you haven’t been, it’s worth the drive.
Doka Brunch
Doka Brunch inside the multi-tenant building at 6006 N. Mesa St. is a great brunch spot. It has an in-house bakery with unique concha flavors. We ordered a basket of four: one had a raspberry filling, another had a churro flavor, another had a peanut topping, and the last one had a coffee-flavored dough with a coffee sugar topping.
Menu-wise, the restaurant offers a variety of American and Mexican brunch staples, including El Benedicto, a butter scone with chorizo, carnitas and an egg, chilaquiles with eggs and queso fresco and an American breakfast of eggs with bacon and potatoes.
Slim Chickens
Slim Chickens, an Arizona-based franchiser, opened its first one in El Paso in April on the far Eastside. The restaurant, at 3152 N. Zaragoza Road, offers a varied menu.
Expect reasonably priced chicken tender meals, ranging from $9.29 for three tenders, fries, Texas toast and a drink, to the Hungry Meal of seven tenders for $14.79. They also have six- and eight-wing meals, chicken sandwiches and wraps, chicken and waffles, a salad, a variety of sides and milkshakes.
We sampled the tenders and the lemon pepper wings and were really impressed. The tenders are juicy with a crispy golden finish. And the lemon pepper wings were seasoned perfectly, without the need for any additional sauce.
Casa Kin
Casa Kin is a new coffee shop in Downtown El Paso that combines espressos and cold brews with classic cars on display. The shop is at 400 W. Overland Ave.
It’s a great place to meet up for business or just take a break from the grind. The shop has plenty of space for a classic car, currently a C4 Corvette.
Stay tuned for breakfast items to be added to the menu.
Taco Palenque
Taco Palenque opened in February at 7122 Gateway Blvd. E., Suite B., with a special guest, comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias.
Taco Palenque was started by Juan Francisco “Don Pancho” Ochoa from Guasave, Mexico. He is also the founder of El Pollo Loco and Palenque Grill, which opened in June of 2025, and is thriving at Cielo Vista Mall.
Rockstar Burger
After eight successful years in Downtown El Paso, the owners of Rockstar Burger Bar have expanded with a second location at 13649 Eastlake Blvd.
It’s a restaurant known for crafting burgers with premium ingredients while also offering diners a fun place to have a cocktail or hang out for listening and watch parties.
There are 10 burgers to choose from on the menu, from a classic hamburger to a veggie burger, a Big Nacho burger with chorizo and jalapeños, to a smoked brisket burger. The burgers come with a choice of regular seasoned fries, sweet potato fries or a side salad.
Make sure you come hungry!
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @eptmaria.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @eptmariacg on TikTok.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 12 restaurants that opened in El Paso this year worth a visit
Reporting by Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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By Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
