L&J Café named best Tex-Mex in Texas
EL PASO, Texas — The City of El Paso is celebrating a local restaurant's success.
City leaders are recognizing Tuesday as L&J Cafe Day.
In March, L&J Café was ranked fifth out of 10 in USA Today’s Readers’ Choice 2018, and after receiving votes from people in El Paso, they are now No. 1.
The list is made of the best Tex-Mex restaurants in Texas, according to the people who eat at each restaurant. Here is the list of the USA Today’s Readers’ Choice top 10 Tex-Mex restaurants:
1. L&J Cafe - El Paso
2. Matt’s El Rancho - Austin
3. Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant- Fort Worth
4. Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ - Austin
5. Rosario’s- San Antonio
6. El Manatial Restaurant- Amarillo
7. Enchilada’s Ole - Fort Worth
8. Garcia’s Mexican Food - San Antonio
9. Mi Tierra Café y Panaderia - San Antonio
10. Mi Dia From Scratch - Grapevine
L&J Café has been in Leo Duran’s family for nearly 90 years. His grandparents, Anotnio and Junaita Flores opened the restaurant in 1927, calling it Tony’s Place. They ran the restaurant for 41 years, until Leo’s parents, John and Lilia Duran took over the family business in 1968.
They changed the name from Tony’s Place to L&J Café,’ using their own initials. Leo and his wife, Francis, took over the restaurant in 2003. It is now in its fourth generation of ownership, with Leo and Francis’ daughter, Vanessa at the helm.
L&J Café is the only restaurant from El Paso to make the list, and it represents the Sun City well with the top spot. The restaurant is best-known for its chile con queso, shredded beef tacos, and chicken fajitas.
