L & J Cafe

Nearly a century beside Concordia

L & J Cafe began as Tony's Place in 1927, established by Antonio Flores and his wife Juanita. Their daughter Lilia and her husband John took over in 1968 and gave the restaurant its present initials. That family history, beside Concordia Cemetery, helps explain why a taco lunch here belongs to a broader El Paso tradition of breakfast plates, chile sauces and combination dinners.

The ground-meat taco uses the house meat-and-potato mixture in a crisp shell, with lettuce, cheese, tomato and onion. Picadillo is a different filling, cooked with tomato, onion and jalapeño; deshebrada uses shredded brisket. A three-taco plate includes rice and beans. Potato with green chile and a guacamole version offer other directions, with the latter available as a vegan preparation.

The plate can tell a larger story

Four rolled flautas can be filled with beef, chicken or potato and green chile. The Mexican combination plate brings an enchilada, chile relleno, taco, flauta and chile verde con carne together for someone who wants several preparations. Roasted green chile also appears in the chile con queso, while the red Tombstone salsa is sold separately. Breakfast runs until noon and includes machaca, chicharrones in green chile and egg dishes, useful when lunch plans start early.

Eat in or collect a family order

The address is 3622 East Missouri Avenue; call 915-566-8418. Hours are Monday–Wednesday 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Thursday–Saturday 9 a.m.–10 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Family packs include taco or flauta combinations with sides; toppings are packed separately to help preserve the shells. The official site links Clover ordering. A separate delivery-dispatch telephone was not verified; the listed number is the restaurant contact.

Place a restaurant order.