Good Coffee

6099 Montana Ave.
El Paso, TX
(915) 307-2912

Good Coffee

To me Good Coffee has the look of a 1960’s diner, complete with the adjoining motel which is a modern version of all the “motor hotels” I remember from my youth (don’t laugh, I went to the same high school as Elizabeth Warren and Rick Bayless, and was between them in age). In fact I crossed US 66 every time I went to school from my home. For those who were not around to experience Route 66, a visit to Good Coffee is like a museum showing what past times were like.

What I don’t think I ever experienced on Route 66 but is available at Good Coffee, is really good Mexican food. I really do not remember a time when Good Coffee was not here, but it is not the first diner style Mexican restaurant in town.. An article in Borderzine points out the fact that Kika Gomez used her experience working at Lucy’s Cafe (a local landmark which spans three generations), to launch Good Coffee. Other ladies similarly left the ranks of Lucy’s employees to start their own ventures, namely La Malinche and Rincon de Cortez (that explains why Lucy’s, La Malinche, and Rincon de Cortez all have huevos ranchero that ares covered with chile con queso–I have not tried the huevos rancheros at Good Coffee). The article states that:

It’s their connection to H&H, which won a James Beard award in 2001 in the “America’s Classics” category, that ties Lucy’s with two other El Paso restaurants founded by women. All got their start at the car wash café.

To me H&H was the GOAT when it came to chile con queso topped huevos rancheros, and at least part of the James Beard Award should apply by extension to these other restaurants.

Appetizers

Chips and salsa

Good Coffee is a little bit unusual in offering two types of salsa with the chips, one with chile de arbol and one with chile verde. I especially enjoyed the green (verde) sauce.

Mexican Plate

Mexican plate

Most of my reviews of Mexican restaurants have an analysis of either the Mexican plate or combination plate, both of which are usually built around an enchilada, taco, chile relleno, rice, and beans. This must have been a convention of the local restaurants since before the time Lucy’s and H&H opened, given that almost all of the restaurants in town serve some variation of these items.

At Good Coffee I would probably say the Enchilada was my favorite, because it almost always is. The Chile Relleno, though, was best in terms of doing it better than other restaurants in the city. This one had a noticeably spicy chile and good cheese, with celery and carrots on top to add flavor (and yes, I think it worked). The Tacos have ground beef, which I generally think should be left to hamburgers and not tacos.

An Overview
Good Coffee is conveniently located near the airport, and will provide visitors with a good taste of the local cuisine. As much as I think El Paso is missing out on international cuisines, I never get tired of finding restaurants that do the local cuisine well, such as this one.

RATING: 22

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	N/A

 

Special Ratings

	Red Enchiladas
	Chile Relleno
	Taco
	Beans
	Rice
	Chips
	Salsa