Delicias Cafe on North Resler

Restaurant Web Site: Delicias Cafe

The name Delicias not only refers to the “delights” that can be found on the menu, but also to Delicias, Chihuaha (pictures of which can be seen on the wall of the restaurant). I don’t really know of any special dishes that come from Delicias– this restaurant has the standard menu items found around El Paso. It is interesting, though, that they serve flour gorditas instead of the usual corn ones.

Delicias Café does not seem as if it is trying to win any “Best of the Border” awards for its Mexican food or to attract out of town tourists. Instead, it is a neighborhood restaurant with “comfort food” at cheap prices. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since one thing I like about Delicias is its ability to reproduce the same kind of experience that could be found by walking into any restaurant at random in Ciudad Juarez or other cities in the state of Chihuahua. One thing I have discovered about Chihuahua style restaurants is that enchiladas are usually the last thing I would want to order, being so different from El Paso and New Mexico style enchiladas they hardly seem like the same dish. Most other things, though, can be pretty good when prepared as they are south of the border.

My opinion about Delicias Café is that you have to order the right things to have a truly enjoyable experience. Much of the food seems greasy, and not very good. The few items that I think are particularly good, though, are about as good as any restaurant in El Paso. These, combined with the items I think are almost as good as other restaurants (caldo, chile verde, chile colorado, huevos rancheros, etc.), make Delicias a good neighborhood restaurant for times when I want a casual atmosphere.

Chicken Mole

Chicken mole dinner

Probably the most impressive dish is the Chicken Mole Dinner. Some may be reluctant to try mole because it is made with chocolate, and this does not sound very much like typical Mexican food. I am fairly confident that many who feel this way have not tried some of the really good versions of the dish, and I agree that the inferior mole is not something I would want. Delicias makes one of the better versions, however, not only because of the sauce but also because of the chicken. Most mole dishes I have seen in El Paso have been the dark brown mole poblano style of the dish, so it is pretty easy to compare them in terms of which is the most flavorful. Carnitas Querétaro and Barrigas both have very good versions, with the one at Delicias Café being very comparable. I would not say that the dish at Delicias was better than the others, but I did like the shredded chicken that follows the traditional Mexican style (although I have also liked the ones at the other restaurants when they have served a chicken breast). The main advantage of Delicias Café is probably the more reasonable cost of the mole. It is hard to beat a deal like the one here.

Chicken Flautas
Chicken Flautas have also been one of the better items. These come with fresh guacamole and sour cream as well as white chicken meat. The chicken meat seemed to be better than average in quality. The liquefied guacamole was certainly not noteworthy by El Paso standards, and the shells were rather greasy, but they still tasted pretty good when everything came together along with the sour cream.

Chile Verde

Chile verde with a side order of flautas

Chile Verde was not nearly as spicy as the New Mexico versions, but it was a pretty typical Chihuahua style dish. Whole green chile chunks were mixed in with beef cubes and a mild sauce. While I thought it should have been spicier, the rich flavor went a long way to make up for it. The main disappointment with the dish was the gristly beef that was served. Those who have eaten more than their share of meals at budget restaurants in Mexico, though, as I have, will feel right at home with the type of meat that is served here.

Chile Colorado

Chile colorado

Chile Colorado probably has better meat than the chile verde, but is made with pork. I enjoyed the flavor of the sauce, and I thought this was another good choice for a meal.

Other Items
The Enchilada dinner plates have been unremarkable. I am not sure whether I have tried the green enchiladas, but I was not very impressed with the red ones. I do not know how the newer Las Cruces branch of Delicias Café will compete against some of the best enchiladas found anywhere, but I think people in the City of the Crosses will be happy with some of the other things Delicias has to offer.

The Refried Beans are almost always very greasy. The Rice is a lot better except at those times when it seems to have been sitting around for too long.

Dinners come with a simple but good Salad, as is typical in El Paso Mexican restaurants. This one is much better than most, though, because of the dressing (it did not taste home made but it was very good).

Breakfast

Huevos rancheros

Delicias Café does a good portion of its business at breakfast. The large assortment of breakfast burritos and tacos are popular (pancakes and omelettes are also available). Huevos Rancheros are excellent by just about any standard, although better ones can be found in El Paso. The egg yolks had the right consistency and the green chiles came in large flavorful chunks. The greasy hash browns and flavorless tortilla detracted from the breakfast plate, though.

Huevos Delicias

Huevos Delicias are a specialty of the restaurant, and presumably a specialty of Delicias, Mexico. There are two eggs over a quesadilla, topped with tomatillo and serrano green sauce. I thought serving them over a quesadilla was a very nice touch, and in this respect I liked them more than the huevos rancheros. The sauce was equally good, although probably not any better than the sauce on the huevos rancheros. I am sure that all the sauces served are fresh, but it was very noticeable with this particular sauce.

Other breakfast items were not quite as good as the eggs. I was pretty disappointed with the Pancakes.

Drinks
The Horchata was thin and not the best in El Paso.

Closing Comments
While the dinners at Delicias Café have not been quite as good as at other El Paso restaurants, the breakfasts can compete with most other restaurants in the same price range. I definitely think the crowds are bigger at breakfast than at any other time, but it is really fairly busy just about any time I go. The service is good and the restaurant is good, but I am more particular about what I order here than at most Mexican restaurants.

Delicias’ web site highlights the tacos, fajitas, and steak (among other items), and these are likely among the restaurant’s best dishes (but ones that I have not tried).

RATING: 20

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	N/A

 

Special Ratings

	Chicken Mole
	Chicken Flautas
	Chile Verde
	Chile Colorado
	Caldo de Res
	Huevos Rancheros
	Huevos Delicias
	Pancakes
	Rice
	Beans
	Chips
	Salsa
	Horchata

The San Elizario Church is the last stop along El Paso’s Mission Trail as you travel east from Ysleta, and just as you enter the town of San Elizario you will see Glorietta Road angling off to the right, where you will find Sofia’s Restaurant. While not seeming to cater very much to tourists, this clean restaurant in a new building nevertheless makes a comfortable stop for visitors to the area as well as many locals who mainly come inside to pick up orders to go.

Mexican Plate
I tried to discover Sofia’s specialties by ordering a combination plate, and it turned out that everything was good. Usually when I recommend the Mexican plate it is because no one item stands out, but the combination of flavors enhances the experience of eating the food. Here I am recommending it because everything is so delicious, you do not want to miss out on any item if you can help it.

All orders come with chips and salsa, and these are obviously home made. The beans and rice are enjoyable, and I would recommend ordering lemonade as a drink (the one here is not too sweet and tastes just right).

I made a few substitutions on the Mexican plate since I did not want ground beef, so I ended up with both a red and green enchilada. Although the Red Enchilada was hotter than normal for El Paso, the Green Enchilada actually tasted better and would be my preference.

The Chile Relleno was excellent, and almost as spicy as those served in New Mexico.

The Flauta was thick and filled with white meat chicken– although the guacamole and sour cream were nothing special, overall the flauta was quite good.

I substituted a Taco Deshebrada for the one with ground beef, and this was probably the highlight of the meal– the shell was crispy as it should be, the meat was not greasy, and the cheese complemented the flavor.

Additional Comments
Most of the items were covered with white Mexican cheese, and not only is the food made with healthy vegetable oil, it is used sparingly enough so that the food tastes light instead of greasy. For the most part the food is as good here as at El Meson de Oñate up the street in Socorro.

Sofia’s does not serve soup, I’m not crazy about the guacamole, and the red enchilada is not as good as many places in El Paso, but otherwise this is one of the best Mexican restaurants in the El Paso area. You cannot go wrong either here or at El Meson.

RATING: 23

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	Vegetable

 

Special Ratings

	Red Enchiladas
	Green Enchiladas
	Chile Relleno
	Flautas
	Tacos Deshebradas
	Beans
	Rice
	Chips
	Salsa