L&J Cafe
Best Mexican Restaurant in El Paso · TX
The old place by the graveyard
L&J Cafe has poured margaritas and plated border-Mexican classics since 1927, making it El Paso's oldest continuously family-run restaurant and bar. Long known as 'the old place by the graveyard' for its perch beside Concordia Cemetery, it's famous for enchiladas, chile con queso, and a fiercely loyal following.
Four generations of the Duran-Bonart family have kept the room going for nearly a century — a genuine El Paso institution where the recipes, and many of the regulars, span decades.
Every award, on the record.
Each Centurion Award is its own dated annual record, and staying current means clearing the bar again each new year. Open a year for the full citation and verification details.
2025 Centurion Award
Best Mexican Restaurant in El Paso El Paso, TX · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation View the 2025 award →Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
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This page is the standing record for L&J Cafe (2025). It was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it. For hours, bookings, and live reviews, go straight to the business itself.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. Own this business? Claim the listing to manage it, or ask us to remove it.
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