El Paso Mexican Restaurant, Springfield, VA

El Paso Mexican Restaurant

6804 Commerce St

Springfield, VA 22150

703-912-6166

Colorful décor at El Paso

Is there such a thing as “authentic” Mexican food in the NoVA area?  Depends.  With the DC dining scene mostly inspired from all of Latin America, “authentic” can have Argentinian, El Salvadorian, Ecuadorian, Columbian, and Peruvian (to name a few) influences.  On the flip side, Mexican food influenced by the southwest US (Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico) brings its own differences to the palate.  El Paso seems to get its inspiration from the latter with a straight-forward menu and décor more geared towards the TexMex palate but leans towards a more northern Mexican direction with traditional Mexican fare found somewhere north of Mexico City. 

On a mid-day Saturday we went to El Paso for lunch—we were pleasantly surprised they

Chips and Salsa

were still serving breakfast so our lunch experience turned into brunch (which by the way is “brunch” in Spanish).  El Paso serves brunch from 11am to 1pm.  This restaurant is not your typical “sombrero here, blanket there” type of décor.  The colors hit you like a huracán in Acapulco.  Bright, cheery, latin, clean, almost over-the-top, but certainly tasteful and above par for the average NoVA restaurant.  Our combinación de desayuno y almuerzo experience began with the traditional no-frills chips and salsa.  An empty molcajete (Spanish mortar) arrived with a small carafe of pour your own salsa and a smile from a very friendly server. 

Breakfast Quesadilla

We scanned the basic menu and focused on the breakfast offerings.  We ordered the breakfast quesadilla and the Migas Estilo Michoacan.  Each was prepared well, and was generous in size.  The great service ensured that our beverages, chips and salsa were kept full.

All-in-all, El Paso set a standard for traditional Mexican fare

Migas Estilo Michoacan

that we will soon and surely return to in the not-too-distant future to try (maybe for cena?).  FYI, military, firefighters and police receive 15% off their bill, but you have to ask for it to get it.