El Paso Cafe

A solid-tasting, and always-busy offering of Tex-Mex in NOVA, with good drinks and plentiful food. --- My significant other and I visited here on a Friday night. I've visited a few times in the past, and it's always very busy. Tonight was no exception - we got one of the last tables at 5:45 and until we left there was a huge line at the door for a table. The restaurant is well decorated inside, with a nice bar and orange-ish walls. For as busy as this place always is, the space is a bit small and large parties next to each other can feel very crowded. The service was solid, especially for how busy it was. For food and drinks we kept it simple - to go with the chips and salsa I got a Diet Coke and Claudia's Platter, while my partner ordered a Margarita and a Fajita Salad without the Taco Bowl. I really like the Chips and Salsa - chips are fried right and the salsa is flavorful with the perfect amount of spice for 90% of people. The margarita on the rocks was very good, but strong. Would recommend if you're looking to get ahead of your night out. The entrees were solid, although not the best I've had in town. The food is plentiful - especially the platters. However with the loads of cheese it was hard for the flavor and spices of the meet to come through, and while I really liked how the rice was prepared the beans were a bit too liquid and lacking of flavor for my taste. Overall a solid, casual dinner experience outside of the main streets of Arlington. Although be prepared for crowds and a wait if you come during dinner.

Vacationing in DC for the 1st time. My daughters selected El Paso Cafe. An excellent choice. The food was fantastic in presentation, temperature, and taste. Our server provided excellent service. My daughters opted for the steak fajitas and chicken burrito, and for me, the Maricos Saltados (a combination of shrimp, calamari, and scallops - lots of scallops 😋, rice and mixed veggies). 😋😋😋. Their chips and salsa are made in house, and were delicious. The atmosphere was great to boot.

The food here is authentic and great! The staff is super friendly and attentive, always quick to notice refills are needed. The chips and salsa brought out when you first arrive are good and the meals are good too. I got the enchiladas mixtas and the refried beans on the side were the best I've ever had! The burritos are also good and super cheesy! The place has a nice feel inside and the people are awesome.

The atmosphere is mediocre. It’s dark and a bit haphazard. The parking is not great (old lot with small, umarked places). The food is lackluster with feelings of microwave-inspired instant dinner. The queso HAD to be COSTCO brand. It was too expensive for the quality. The service was great and it’s too bad they don’t have a quality product to present. We won’t be returning.

We really enjoyed this place. The food was good. We had a combo and taco plate. Chips and salsa were really good. Service was slow and not very good. I would recommend this place.

Great Tex-Mex spot in the heart of Arlington. Service was top-notch, it got crowded on a Saturday night so plan accordingly! Even with the crowds the staff were expedient and maintained a very friendly attitude. Most importantly, the food and drinks were great! Recommend getting a pitcher to share and don't skip the desert if you have a sweet tooth. The Xango (like a fried banana cheesecake) was delicious. Excellent date night spot!

Well, this is just the cutest place. Excellent chips and salsa. We had fajitas, enchiladas, and both were excellent. I would arrive early, on a weekend night. There was even a mariachi band. It was right in the neighborhood so we were able to walk. The deep fried ice cream was wonderful.

Great little Mexican restaurant with a large variety of seafood dishes. We got the carnitas enchiladas and carnitas burritos. Both were great and the enchilada sauce was actually spicy which is good. We also got a Jalapeno Guava margarita which was great. Next time we come back we'll have to try the seafood.