El Paso Mexican Grill Shreveport — Restaurant in Shreveport

After running an appointment in the area I decided to look for a quick bite to eat. I had eaten Mexican two days before but that didn’t stop me from going for it again! 😂

There were two front doors to walk through which threw me for a loop at first. The front part can be an open air patio when the weather is good. The place has more of an upscale feel than most average Mexican food joints. It has a full bar with multiple TVs for your sports viewing pleasure. I did find it interesting that one TV was dedicated to showing pictures of their food. I walked up to the desk and was seated immediately.

The chips and salsa came right out and they came with a twist from the usual. They also brought out a bowl of warm puréed black bean dip. The chips were off the thicker variety and not highlight material. The salsa was great and had flavor unlike most vanilla Mexican eateries. I ate way too much of it.

I ordered the combination #1 which consisted of a burrito, enchilada, chalupa, & taco. I was given a choice of sauces which included red sauce, green sauce, sour cream, or an up-charge for cheese dip. I went with the green sauce.

The food came out in a reasonable amount of time and the presentation was much better than most Mexican restaurants. The burrito and enchiladas were filled with a weird mixture of ground beef and beans that wasn’t the most flavorful. For a $10.99 lunch special I expect better quality fillings. I would probably opt for chicken the next time if it’s available. The enchilada and burrito came with the same green sauce and the sauce was excellent. The only problem was there was very little sauce so they were somewhat dry. I prefer a lot of sauce with my burritos and enchiladas. The taco and chalupa were very nicely done.

So if you’re wondering what the answer is to the nagging question, “Would I revisit this place?” The answer is a definite yes. The restaurant was nice. The service was great. The chips & salsa were a delight with the extra bean dip. The burrito and enchilada on the combo could have been better but I don’t think you can judge a restaurant based on a lunch special alone. I think it takes trying some of their signature dishes to get a good feel...

Typically me and my friend have a very pleasant experience here but today we had an older guy waiting on us and from the very beginning he acted like he didn’t want to take care of us, he took our drink order and appetizers at the same time and practically ran off after setting our drinks down and someone else brought out our queso and guacamole. Through out our lunch he did not check on us at all. In fact I saw him standing around talking with his coworkers several times when we needed refills and more chips. He brought us our checks shortly after getting the appetizers, we didn’t even finish half our guacamole or queso at this time. I informed him we were not ready for our checks and handed them back. At this time it was a while before anyone came to check on us until this new guy came and finished taking care of us. I guess the previous guy did not want to take care of us. Overall it was a very disappointing experience and it felt like he just didn’t want to waste his time taking care of younger customers, I am a server and have been for several years now and that’s why it was so disappointing because I have and will always treat my servers how I would want...

We went on a Saturday for lunch with a larger party of 8 and it was very good. Their white queso is some of the best in town and they bring a good bean dip with the chips and salsa.

The food was really good, with well seasoned meat, excellent red and mole sauces, and really good cheese. The taco was one of the best tex-mex style tacos I've had in a long time.

The wait staff was pleasant and attentive, and the decor and atmosphere is nice although the music might be a little loud.

If the food is consistently this good this will be my new favorite place for tex-mex.

Edit, November 2019.

The food is not consistently this good. Maybe I've just been going on off days, but it seems like they don't care as much as they used to. Today at lunch my tamale seemed like it was reheated after being in the fridge since Monday, and came out lukewarm with dried out masa. It's still decent food but I have never had a meal here like the one that inspired my initial review. Revised to four stars.

Oh, one more thing: Management, please shell out the ten bucks to pay for Spotify. My lunch...