El Paso Taqueria & Cerveceria

Authentic and yummy, with good but not overly polite service, which keeps the focus where it should be: on the food.

One of the worst places in NYC! Popped in there for lunch today and was extremely disappointed. I came around 2:30 hoping to return to work around 3:30. My friend ordered the Camaron Salad and I ordered the Pulpo Salad, we also asked for chips and salsa. A half hour later we still sat there with no salad or even chips salsa! Around 3:15 I asked the waitress to pack up our food because we were running out of time. She was extremely rude and claimed 15 minutes barely passed by, refusing to admit she forgot to bring our chips and salsa. We took our food and paid the bill and left.
The food was absolutely disgusting. The spinach in our salads was wilted and old and drenched in dressing. The shrimp were okay. but the octopus was inedible.
Not sure how this place is Zagat rated.

I’ve been here a couple of times for brunch & Its the best brunch in East Harlem and customer service is definitely the best, plus they serve amazing mimosas. Love it.

Hidden gem in east Harlem. A good friend of mine recommended this place and I can’t stop coming. I really enjoyed the Camarones A La Diabla Entrée which has sautéed jumbo shrimp with smoked creamy chipotle sauce. served with corn tortillas, rice and bean. The shrimp are succulent, and the chipotle sauce is packed with so much flavor. I love spice an this dish offered the perfect portion of it! They offer a perfect portion of rice with the meal so I don’t leave feeling sluggish. I also visited for brunch once and enjoyed the skirt steak with over medium eggs. The best part for me though would be the coconut margaritas. The staff is so friendly, professional, helpful, and genuine.

If you have eaten enough real Mexican food you should be able to easily appreciate how well they do dishes like carnitas and mole poblano. It would probably cost a fortune to get drunk on their tiny margaritas, but they do taste good.
Although the dining area is a little no frills, it still feels nice to be here and I like to bring friends who have learned to like the place as well. If memory serves, I think they also have an outdoor area if you’re into that kind of thing.
El Paso is also on our regular delivery rotation. I’m glad to have Mexican food of this caliber and price available in my neighborhood.

I thought that maybe the first time I ate there they were having an off night, so I decided to try it again. Bad idea.
The green enchiladas were terrible. The sauce was vinegary & I couldn’t get over the overwhelming taste of cumin. It was reminiscent of canned Old El Paso, but worse. I took two bites and threw them away. They were really bad.
The fajitas were strange — beyond the traditional bell pepper & onions, they added mushrooms, zucchini, and broccoli — it was more like greasy Chinese stir fry. Not only is it strange, it’s annoying that it’s not listed on the menu. Although I happen to like
zucchini and broccoli, some may not.

I went here with one of my girlfriends just for drinks. We had the gummi-​chelas which were delicious. We sat in there outdoor patio out in the back, super cute. The only reason I’m only giving it 3 stars is because I didn’t have their food.

After living in Dallas, TX for 6 years… I’ve been searching for good Mexican in NYC. This is close but not the TexMex I was looking for. STILL… the food was DELICIOUS. Guacamole is amazing. Drinks were great. Prices are perfect ($ 5 Beer! Winning). The atmosphere is super cute. We will def be returning.

Having spent quite a bit of time in the Bay Area, I’m rather serious about my Mexican food. I will say that I started my interactions with El Paso on a search for a good burrito… don’t do that. The prevalence of good burritos in New York is equivalent to the prevalence of snow in LA. So, having moved on from eating burritos in the New York area, I’ve decided to try finding tacos. This has been a much more successful endeavor. El Paso is solidly my favorite delivery burrito. The tacos are huge, reasonably priced, and the grilled chicken is very well cooked. The tortillas are a bit thin, but clearly they know this as they give you two for every taco. Whenever I want tacos without leaving my house, El Paso is my spot.

Nice find on my way from Bob’s. Yes, Bob’s Discount Furniture store.
The staff there was very attentive and friendly immediately upon arrival. My faves:
— Guac — Their spicy wasn’t too spicy, but that’s okay.
— Michelada — Fair compared to others I’ve had in the City
— Al Pastor — My FAVE dish — Wish I ordered two of these tacos. The pineapple was a nice complement to the salty pork
— Enchiladas — Meh, nothing to write home about but portions were sizeable
Overall, a very nice find in this hood. I would definitely stop back if I was on my way from Bob’s again.

When I was here I wound up ordering the Carnitas Michoacans, which was pork chunks served with tortillas and guacamole. It wasn’t as spicy as I thought it would be, but it was a good serving. The pork was also moist and fell apart in your mouth.
Although I don’t quite recall the name of the dessert I had here, I do know it had mole inside of the chocolate cake. I completely forgot mole (pronounced Moh-​ley) was spicy and I cut a huge chunk and ate it! It was very different tasting the sweetness of the chocolate and then BOOM, it’s hot. Thankfully, the dish comes with ice cream to cleanse your palate.
This restaurant seems very family oriented so I suggest going here in groups and they have multiple locations in Spanish Harlem so no need to worry about seating.

Okay look, my expectations for mexican food in New york are pretty low, sorry about it, ive eaten hellllllla good mexican food in california, texas, and EVEN mexico… so when me and me pals decided to order it on seamless I had a low bar…
Now this bar, it was low, like the limbo pole on a cruise ship when all the fat people are sitting out cause they cant bend for sh** …when we got our food… oh boy… this bar not only fell and hit the ground… it dug its way to china, took itself to a saw-​store to be sawed to pieces cause it saw how sh***y the food was that I ate…
Some co-​workers and I… we work at a hospital… we get hungry… like lumberjacks… that save your lives… we want some decent chow right? I ordered a chicken burrito lunch special, with a side of guac and chips, my pals ordered quesadillas, shrimp taco’s, and some tostadas I think… when I got to the lobby to pick up the food, I notice from afar that the brown paper bag bottom is already stained in grease. I understand grease. Trust me. I eat it when im wasted. I’ve eaten white castle. WHITE CASTLE!!! this was just as greasy. It was literally as if they had taken a teenagers face, wiped all the grease off, put it in an empty windex spray bottle, then sprayed that shit all over the inside of the bag, and all over the food. WTF how does every package have a slippery slimy film on it!?!
My burrito: now mind you, ive eaten street burrito’s in Tijuana before, yeah, like a boss. So I know an awful burrito when i see one. This thing was first of all only 4 INCHES LONG! OMG WTF LOL how can that be called a burrito!!! i was dry and shriveled and looked way more like it was a…(I cant say ’cause some dude at Unilocal will kick me off if i do…)
It smelled like white castle, it looked like ron jeremy’s asset was microwaved too long… so what did I do? You think I took a bite, don’t you. Well friend, you’re right. I chowed it all. Then what did I do? I proceded to have caliente diarrhea ALL day long. My friends experiences were similar to mine, i will spare you the deets, but we all felt queesy. I wish I could take over this restaurant like an orc-​horde and raze it to the ground… or at the very least smash their microwave with a small hammer so they’d have to properly grill their food like Taqueria Guadalupe does. BTW Taqueria Guadalupe rules so hard it hits me in the face…3 times per week at lunch. OOOOOOH baby thats a good burrito.
later.

The tortilla soup & torta lunch special is a crazy good deal. I asked for chorizo in the torta, which was delicious. It’s a lot of food at a good price. We’ve been coming up to Costco every month or so, and often take walks around the blocks surrounding it, which is how we stumbled upon this little restaurant. I guess it’s part of a growing local chain, so perhaps little isn’t an appropriate adjective. Their Day of the Dead theme is wonderful, particularly the central painting in the main dining area. I’ll definitely return again next time I’m up in Spanish Harlem.

The waiters were wonderful… never allowed our water glasses to be less than ¼ filled. The food was good and they didn’t mind us sitting and talking for a long time after we finished dinner. Great little authentic place!

Would give this place a 3.5. Only have gotten delivery from them. I always order some tacos and try somethign new each time
My favorite taco would be the chorizo. I had the steak which I found to be dry. My BF had the fish taco which he loved. Other items I would recommend is the torta (grilled chicken) or a burrito.
Got the nachos last time which I found drenched in sour cream and hardened cheese. Was not a fan.
Overall a good option for mex food in the area.

I was born and raised in southern california and this place takes me back home.
Really great authentic mexican food — the best in NY!
My bf and I got the guac to start — ask for it spicy! gives it a nice kick!
I got the cheese enchiladas which were good, but the star of dinner was the shrimp burrito my bf ordered. He asked for the jumbo shrimp and paid extra since the burrito usually comes with small/​medium shrimp. IT WAS GRILLED TO PERFECTION! the taste of the marination with all the vegies was to die for!!! I’m going back and ordering this.
Happy hour prices were awesome. $ 3 for mexican beer! Love my modelo especial and pacifico!
Our server was friendly and helpful.

A sign that a restaurant serves excellent sangria: when the white girl is singing and pony-​stepping through the Barrio post-​brunch, drawing WAY too much attention to herself.
Indeed, a trek into this ‘hood undoubtedly will provide ample opportunity for amazing food, be it a nice sit down place or from a sweet abuelita serving fresh homemade tacos from a cart in front of the Radio Shack on 116^th Street. El Paso certainly provides good food and drink to all those that choose to enter!
First off, let us backtrack to the sangria: my friends and I received the first three glasses from a freshly made batch. It was everything sangria SHOULD be: sweet, but with enough of that red wine «pucker», full bodied overall but refreshing, with generous yet not overwhelming chunks of apples and citrus fruit. It was served with enough ice to keep it cool but not water it down. Best of all? It provided a good slow-​burning buzz that made me feel happy fuzzy awesome an hour later.
YESSSSSSS.
As for the food, I had cheese enchiladas. It was a step up from your average Tex-​Mex platter, with good oaxaca cheese, a mole poblano sauce with a kick to it, and slices of fresh white onion and sesame seeds garnishing the top. The rice and beans paired well; there was a good beans and rice to entrée ratio, so I didn’t feel overstuffedby rating all three.
One friend ordered three tacos, each fresh on a corn tortilla with gauc and her various meats. She was a happy camper. Another friend ordered the steak, and even cooked at medium-​well done, the bite I took still melted in my mouth.
Good service, a sweet waitress, warm décor, and excellent items to consume. El Paso is a win for me! It may draw me over to East Harlem more often!

Great place to eat in East Harlem. It’s clean, the food is very good, tasty, moist and good, quick service. We sat down and ordered some drinks, followed by the waiter recommended fried calamari with blue corn flour and spicy mayo dipping sauce. The calamari was tender. The blue corn flour gave a nice, different taste and it was not oily.
Then we each ordered the Daily Special Rib Eye Steak cooked medium. It was perfectly grilled with slight charring and not overcooked at all. It came with a stuffed poblano pepper, slightly spicy but delicious. We also ordered the Swiss chard with oil and garlic. This was nothing special, crispy and not overly wilted or soft and we enjoyed this as well.
I’m looking forward to returning to try some of their other dishes.

We had a house party in the neighborhood on the rooftop of an apartment building and decide to get dinner here before hand, overall a pleasant experience, give it a try if you’re in this area. Cozy little place, friendly staff, has a cute backyard/​garden sitting area. Good margaritas, good food, very reasonably priced.

Wonderful little Mexican restaurant that we wandered into yesterday while walking through the Barrio on our way to Costco. Weather was nice and sunny and I figured we can grab a bite up in this neighborhood. Walked up to the menu stand about 3PM and saw they were still serving brunch.
Place is nicely decorated with pleasant colors and attentive staff. Bathrooms were super clean and also nicely decorated. Brunch prices are on the cheap side with average around $ 8-​$ 10 a plate. No unlimited drinks here, as a sangria or bellini will set you back $ 7. But the sangria was terrific, and I could taste a hint of blackberry brandy mixed in with it. Bellini was made from scratch and poured through a mixer. Really good stuff.
Our plates were huge! Lots of food here, and both were delicious. Florentine eggs benedict and huevos rancheros were both fresh and vibrant. Soft latin music played in the backround. Almost made us forget we had some shopping to do. I wanted to take a nap after this meal.
Curious to see what their burritos and tacos taste like. Will definitely drop by again to try dinner out.