Corralito Steak House

1501 N. Zaragoza Rd.
El Paso, TX
(915) 345-1133

Corralito Steak House on Zaragoza Rd.

Corralito’s web site says it has been in business for over 25 years, but I have only noticed the El Paso restaurants recently. It now has three locations in El Paso and two in Ciudad Juarez, firmly establishing its credentials as a Mexican style steakhouse located in two countries.

A “Mexican style” steak house can be somewhat loosely defined, and in this case they use USDA choice meat but with Mexican side dishes (enchiladas, guacamole, etc. and with chips and salsa served with every meal). I am not a steak expert, but in my experience from Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua the steak tastes very “natural” with a minimum of anything that I might call “artificial.” The steak at Corralito does taste marinated, so it is not a bland tasting steak but merely one that I think tastes like real steak.

Corralito serves fish and chicken as well as steak, and there are Mexican items such as enchiladas (although I think the enchilada only comes with a steak and is not served as a separate item). The menu also includes other items such as tortilla soup, milanesa (on the lunch menu), etc. that I would think of strictly as Mexican dishes.

It is my understanding that a steak house is more casual than a regular steak restaurant, and Corralito fits the definition in this regard. The restaurant is not cheap, but patrons can eat here without breaking the bank.

Chips and Salsa

Chips and salsa

The chips are thick (Mexican style), and they come with two types of salsa, including one with roasted jalapeños (the dark colored salsa). Neither of the salsas are extremely spicy, and both have a good flavor.

Mexican Specialties

Chicken tampiqueña

All the food here is served the way it would be in Mexico, but there are some items on the menu that are more readily identifiable as “Mexican food.” One of these is the Chicken Tampiqueña which is a chicken breast served with guacamole and chile con queso, with an enchilada on the side. Compared to others in the city I thought the chicken was better than most, while the other elements were about average (which still makes them very good).

Enchiladas were not anywhere else on the menu, so it seems that they only come with the tampiqueña (you can order either the chicken or a steak version of the tampiqueña).

Steak
I have not ordered the steak here, but I tried a sample of the Top Sirloin. It tasted marinated with a good flavor, and I would say this is one of the better steaks in the city.

An Overview
The good about this restaurant is that you can enjoy a good steak that is not prohibitively expensive, and the selection of items is really pretty impressive for a steak house. I would rate the chicken as being even better than the steak, with it being in the top tier of chicken dishes I have found in El Paso.

Some Yelp reviews indicate that the service is not good at all of the Corralito restaurants, but this was not the case on my visit. The restaurant was full when I went and it is obviously popular, so it is possible that service is slower at other times when this is the case.

The Mexican items are not ones I would call the best in El Paso, but the enchilada I had was very good and was devoid of some of the pitfalls I sometimes see (such as being greasy). This is not a Mexican restaurant, though, where you can order items such as a Mexican combination plate or an enchilada plate.

Corralito Web Site

RATING: 24

Cuisine: Mexican Steaks
Cost: $$$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: Beer and Wine

Most Recent Visit: May 26, 2019
Number of Visits: 1
Best Items: Chicken Tampiqueña, Top Sirloin

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	N/A

 

Special Ratings

	Chicken Tampiqueña
	Top Sirloin

Good Luck Cafe

Sometimes it is difficult to compare one cuisine to another in terms of giving them a rating because it is quite subjective. It occurred to me, though, that good Mexican food can be quite similar to good Italian cuisine because of the fact that they have bold flavors matched with a starch base (pasta for Italian and rice, beans, tortillas, etc. for Mexican food). My eating satisfaction is quite similar for both of these, both are very much garlic based, and both are usually moderately spicy but occasionally very high on the Scoville Heat Level.

I say this because the very good restaurants in El Paso such as Good Luck Cafe remind me very much of the good Italian restaurants in Oklahoma. People can make their own comparisons between Mexican restaurants and other types of food, but I do think that those who are only familiar with Tex-Mex or American style Mexican food have not fully experienced what Mexican food has to offer, and Good Luck Cafe would certainly be one of my suggestions for a place to find out how more traditional Mexican food can taste.

Good Luck Cafe is a popular diner with somewhat spartan seating (or you can sit at the counter). As such, you get a different ambiance than you would at a good Italian restaurant. Some of the perks of a diner, though, include much lower prices and a varied menu that includes a range of breakfast items.

Mexican Plate

Mexican plate

One drawback of Good Luck Cafe is that it only has one combination dinner, called the Mexican Plate. The upside is that it is very good, and if you particularly like one particular item you can order this one on its own plate. The only choice I had was between a ground beef taco and one with shredded beef (deshebrada). Either way, I would recommend trying this plate.

I thought the best item was the Deshebrada Taco, although all three of the main items were just about equally good. The taco was slightly soft but fried enough to have a good flavor, and the meat was flavored in a way that made it one of the best in the city.

The Enchiladas had a classic flavored red chile sauce, and I liked the fact that they did not taste greasy.

The Chile Relleno had a more obvious oil flavor than the other items, but was by no means swimming in grease as some chile rellenos are, and had a very good flavor. Most of the seeds had been removed so that it was not super spicy.

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos rancheros

Although a good part of the restaurant’s business is at breakfast, the choice of Mexican style dishes is somewhat limited. I figured the Huevos Rancheros would be a good bet, and this turned out to be correct. The eggs were cooked just right, which was not my main concern about the dish but it would have been a huge factor if this were not the case. The green chile was another aspect of the dish that I was expecting to be good, and if anything it exceeded my expectation. The flavor was good, and the spice level was about perfect (about 4/5 on the spice level for a normal bite, or 5/5 if you get a large concentration of green chile in a single bite). The dish does not have queso (El Rincon de Cortez is known for its version with queso on top). It did have shredded cheese, though, and I thought this was an excellent dish.

Chile Verde

Chile verde

The Chile Verde was somewhat of a surprise find at Good Luck Cafe because it was better than expected (based on the versions I normally find at restaurants). Most restaurants have somewhat lackluster chile verde even if their other food is good, but here I think the chile verde is actually one of the restaurant’s better dishes. It is made with beef (this is not a given, since some restaurants use pork) and I thought it was a much better cut of meat than I have found at many places. The potatoes were crispy in a good way (they also had flavor). The green chile was spicier than on the huevos rancheros, and I thought it was a firm 5/5 on the chile scale (although not mouth-numbing hot).

I also need to mention the fresh flour tortilla that definitely tasted home made.

A La Carte Items

Chile relleno

Most of the menu seems to be based on individual items that you can use to build your own plate (although each item is served on its own plate). In any case, this was my thinking when I ordered a Chile Relleno to go with another item. I had tried the chile relleno previously on the Mexican plate, but this one seemed more greasy (I think both the good and bad points of a dish are highlighted when they are ordered individually instead of on a combination plate). I would say not to expect the best chile relleno in El Paso here, but it is good and something worth ordering).

Photos of Items I Have Not Yet Tried

Hot dog with chili

I did not sample the Hot Dog with Chili so I cannot give a review of it, but it is one of the “diner” options available along with the Mexican food. It is interesting that the custom in El Paso is to serve hot dogs on a round bun.

I did try the french fries, though, and found them way too far on the greasy side.

Other Impressions
When I came here for Sunday lunch the restaurant was completely full, and is obviously very popular. I do not understand the popularity of some restaurants, but the flavor of the food and lack of grease (in most items) made it obvious to me why Good Luck Cafe has so many loyal patrons. It seemed to be particularly popular with families who had come here for one of their special meals of the week.

Spanish is the predominant language here but it is not necessary for ordering or asking questions about the food. I think the restaurant would be totally comfortable for tourists provided that they are OK with diner type seating.

There are so many good Mexican restaurants in El Paso I could not say that this one especially stands out, except for the fact that the Mexican food tends to be uniformly good. I thought the huevos rancheros and chile verde were even better than the items on the combination plate (which itself was very good). So far all of the Mexican food has turned out to be a hit with me (the french fries, though, do not portend particularly well for the diner side of the menu).

They do not serve chips here (I think this is one of the reasons they have such low prices). The salsa was in a bottle as was so spicy I did not find it advantageous to add it to the items on my plate. The home made flour tortillas, though, are a must try.

I do not think they have horchata or other aguas frescas, but I actually seldom find these drinks in the restaurants located south of Interstate 10.

Good Luck Cafe is located in the barrio where you can many times find the best food if you happen to find the right place (and this is the right place). The family atmosphere of the restaurant always makes me feel welcome, and on top of everything else you get very good prices.

RATING: 24

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:
Cooking Oil:	N/A

 

Special Ratings

	Red Enchiladas
	Deshebrada Taco
	Chile Relleno
	Chile Verde
	Huevos Rancheros
	Beans
	Rice
	Flour Tortilla
	Salsa