Lapa Lapa Seafood & Drinks — Restaurant in El Paso

Too bad this place cannot keep their kitchen up with orders...yes, it was Mother's Day, but we arrived at 3 pm with not all tables taken....seated immediately, however waited 15 minutes before we had to wave someone down for menus and a waitress. We counted 8 waitresses and at least 5 people in the kitchen while we were there. Ordered 4 drinks, 6 tacos, aguachiles, and ceviche, which was as an appy. Drinks came about another 15 minutes later, however no utensils. We politely ask for some chips and salsa while we're waiting. Not once did the waitress update us on our order. We flagged her down again to ask and she said they were having trouble with orders in the kitchen so again we ask for more chips and salsa. An hour and 10 minutes goes by and I wave the waitress down again to update us on our order...she comes back with the 6 tacos for my boys and I, but no ceviche as the appy, nor my husband's meal of the aguachiles..... we asked for another update and she goes back to the kitchen... myself and my boys finish our tacos and we sit there for another 20 minutes.... meanwhile people from the outside patio come inside and start asking for their checks because they have been sitting there for 20 to 30 minutes as well..... we flagged down our waitress yet again and ask her what the story is. She apologizes and says she doesn't know what happened to the ceviche or aguachiles. We finally give up and ask her to take it off the bill and we left. What a disappointing experience, especially since it was Mother's Day and especially since my husband didn't get to eat. Would have been one star, but the tacos were...

The menu is interesting. This place is not for those who do not like seafood. Virtually every option aside from dessert is seafood. The flavors are really good and definitely not the same old same old with a different logo. Very exotic recipes, and if you're looking for a dish that you have probably never tasted, this is a good spot. The only real thing that I did not enjoy was that almost all the food we ordered both appetizer and entrée was way over salted. The salt was so heavy that it was completely overwhelming the other flavors, in fact you would have thought that it was done on accident instead of intentionally the only problem is that when it's in multiple dishes like that you know it's not an accident. I couldn't really eat more than a couple of bites of 3 different picks and when we brought it to the attention of the server, she simply said she'd let the cook know and that was it it was never taken off of the check or anything so we basically paid for a bunch of food that we didn't even eat. Had this simple thing been corrected and the cook wasn't trying to serve us dishes of straight sodium, and the server realized that it probably wasn't cool to let customers pay for dishes they don't/can't even eat...it would have been a great restaurant...

We had a wonderful dinner date at Lapa Lapa in the Northeast on June 13, and I couldn’t wait to share my experience! First, I want to highlight our amazing server, Jocelyn. It was our first time at this restaurant, and we were a bit unsure about what to order. Jocelyn did an excellent job describing the menu and guiding us through the various options.

We kicked things off with the oyster shots—absolutely fantastic! Next, we tried the Clamato with carne seca, which was equally amazing. When our food arrived, my partner ordered two shrimp quesadillas, a sirloin steak taco, a beer-battered fish taco, and the Lapa taco. Hands down, my favorite was the Lapa taco, but every taco was exquisite! I opted for the grilled fish, which was delicious as well.

We were thoroughly impressed with the incredible flavors and can see why the place is always busy. This is truly a must-try restaurant! I’m looking forward to many more visits and trying everything on the menu. And let’s not forget the chips and salsa—delicious!

Lastly, the service was excellent and fast. Jocelyn made our visit even more enjoyable with her patience and detailed explanations...