Deserto Palo Verde — Restaurant in El Paso

One of the worst pizza experiences I’ve had — consider this a warning.

Bottom line: raw doughy pizza with an uncooked cornicione (photos attached), poor excuse, service that collapsed when I gave feedback, and management that didn’t care. Be careful with this place—I would think twice before ever going back

We arrived with a reservation, but our reserved indoor table wasn’t available. We were offered an outdoor table, which was fine. The staff seemed friendly at first.

The appetizer summed up the whole meal: excellent fresh mozzarella paired with doughy, undercooked bread. I could literally roll a ball of dough from it, so I requested our pizzas be cooked well-done. Despite that, both the Margherita and mushroom pizzas came out the same way. The cornicione (outer rim) looked baked on the outside, but the inside was raw and sticky—you could roll it into a ball. I’ve uploaded photos as proof, including one of the dough ball I rolled from the pizza. This is not a small mistake; it’s a basic failure in oven temperature, timing, and technique.

When I gave honest feedback, the server brushed it off with, “We’re busy.” That’s an unacceptable excuse. I’ve been to many pizzerias during their busiest hours, and they never served raw pizza. After my comment, the server avoided us entirely, forcing us to flag down another server just to pay. Up to that point, I was ready to leave a 30%+ tip, but her attitude cost her that.

What made things worse: as we walked out, management was watching us. They clearly knew something was wrong yet chose not to address it. That tells me the issue isn’t just bad food—it’s a lack of care for customers.

This restaurant is not operating at a professional level. If you can’t cook pizza properly, you shouldn’t be in the pizza business. And with food like this, I don’t know how they’re holding a 4.7 rating—unless reviews are inflated or people simply don’t know what quality pizza is supposed...

We came here on a date night for the first time and will absolutely be back! To start, the service was phenomenal, everyone was incredibly kind and made us feel very welcome. I can honestly say we were treated as though we were friends. Next, the food itself. We ordered the caprese burrata and wow. We each got our own pizzas (they are personal pizzas, however are larger than most and can definitely be shared after an appetizer if you don't want leftovers) and they were both delicious. The crust is amazing, and probably the best pizza crust we've had in El Paso. They do have a very small wine list, however the wines on it are chosen very carefully and you can't go wrong with any of them. Finally, the atmosphere was great, it was cozy, clean, and intimate. Anyway, if you couldn't tell we had a great evening and would highly...

I love the Deserto Central location but Palo Verde has a very unique menu! ‘La Brava’ is so tasty and creamy, it reminds me of rajas con queso. The ‘Fresh Bastard’ is also delicious! You can taste the habanero but it’s not overpowering. Highly recommend if you favor spicy food. As a fan of red sauce, ‘Enzo’s Polpettes’ are a must! I live for the bread and sauce, but the meatballs are very savory and handmade. The service is highly attentive and approachable. A great location to grab some food and some wine with friends. The patio is also perfect to dine during sunsets! (FYI: Please check their social medias for any seasonal menu items. Included is a pic of the ‘Brooky Spice’ which is a dessert pumpkin spice pizza. They sometimes take on twisting their current menu items or include...