El Paso - Mackenbach

I'm a bit surprised that there are no reviews of this restaurant. My wife and I visited it after having been in Germany, away from our home town San Antonio, for about a month. The urge for some Mexican food finally hit, and, to be fair, I was not expecting or even particularly wanting south Texas Tex Mex food. I was prepared to surprise my provincial Texas palate. My open mind paid its dividends. The food was not Tex Mex (of course, real Mexican food shouldn't be), but it was excellent--better than what we usually eat at home. Obviously, taste is subjective, and I could quibble about some things. The tortilla chips were not the best I have had, but certainly not the worst. They tasted fresh and warm. Some San Antonio restaurants just dump a bag into a basket and call it an appetizer. El Paso serves the real thing. My beef enchiladas were excellent, filled with savory pulled beef rather than just ground burger meat, and the sauce was quite fine. The beans also were obviously freshly cooked and accompanied by good rice. The presentation was appealing and the service excellent. Remember, this is Germany, so it's unrealistic and not very adventurous to be looking for stateside dishes. If you want to get all sentimental about home, go to the Base Exchange food court and pick up some Taco Bell. There is plenty of good eating outside the base gates, and El Paso should satisfy any Mexican food fan who is willing to keep an open mind. Mexican Food comes in many different styles and, even though I am from San Antonio, my favorite meals have generally come from visits to New Mexico. Add El Paso to the list. Also, the margarita was good, but not exceptional. It was, however, quite good, and we will surely be headed to El Paso again in the near future.

Just stopped in and the place is closed and has a sign Hookah Bar Lounge opening in September.