When you ask what's delicious in El Paso, the first answer is usually Mexican food.

Given that it's right next to Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, that makes sense.

However, after trying various places, it feels a bit unfair to simply call El Paso food Mexican.

The food culture of Texas, Mexico, and New Mexico blends together in a unique way.

You can especially feel the influence of New Mexican cuisine, which heavily uses green and red chiles.

If you had to pick an old restaurant in El Paso, it would be hard to overlook L&J Cafe.

Opened in 1927, it's a place that's nearing its 100th anniversary. What's interesting is its location.

It's right next to Concordia Cemetery, so first-time visitors might wonder, "Is the restaurant really here?" But it's already a well-known spot in El Paso.

Traditional menu items like enchiladas, chile rellenos, and tacos are the focus, and especially famous is the chile de árbol salsa.

They even sell the salsa in bottles separately. It's important to note that this isn't just a tourist spot; locals continue to frequent this place. The fact that it has been in business for nearly 100 years means that generations of customers have returned.

If you're looking for something a bit different in Mexican food, there's a place called ELEMI.

Chef Emiliano Marentes is known for modernizing El Paso's border culture with a focus on corn and tortillas.

While using traditional Mexican cooking methods, he aims to incorporate the identity of El Paso into the food.

If you're looking for a more atmospheric place for a date or anniversary, Cafe Central is also a well-known restaurant in El Paso.

It's a place where you can enjoy a more formal meal centered around steak and seafood.

It's a good restaurant to show those who wonder if El Paso has fine dining like this.

That said, El Pasoans don't only seek out upscale restaurants every day.

In fact, the real fun of this city lies in the neighborhood Mexican restaurants. In the morning, you might have huevos rancheros or a breakfast burrito, for lunch tacos and enchiladas, and for dinner steak. Each restaurant has its own unique salsa, and every household claims, "Our place has the real El Paso style."

And surprisingly, the variety of food is quite broad. There's everything from Lebanese and Mediterranean food to Asian cuisine, barbecue, and steakhouses. Of course, it's not a city like LA or New York where you have endless options for Korean or Asian food. This part must be acknowledged.

Instead, El Paso has something that's hard to replicate in other cities.

It's Mexican food you eat in the U.S., but Mexico is just across the border, and it overlaps with the food cultures of Texas and New Mexico.

So if you're wondering what to eat in El Paso, I'd suggest not just going to a couple of famous restaurants but also checking out the small local spots.

You don't have to live in a big city like New York or LA to enjoy good food.

El Paso is a city where, if you know where to look, you can have a lot of fun eating.