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Love a good margarita? Check out the El Paso Margarita Trail and stop by the birthplace of the margarita while you’re sampling. Here are the best stops on the margarita trail.
The margarita—on the rocks with salt—is my go-to cocktail. So, when I learned El Paso, Texas, had a Margarita Trail, I knew I had to sample a few during my stay. But there’s another reason the trail sparked my interest. One of the stops on El Paso’s trail is the World Famous Kentucky Club Bar & Grill, which claims to be the birthplace of the margarita.
The El Paso Margarita Tail
Unlike Santa Fe’s Margarita Trail, El Paso’s trail has no passport. The city doesn’t even have a comprehensive list, per se. Instead, the trail is inspired by a Visit El Paso blog post and fueled by word of mouth.
I recommend using this article as a starting point and then asking bartenders, concierges, and locals you meet for their El Paso favorites. Pair your margarita quest with some unique tacos the city offers for the ultimate culinary experience.
Margaritas: Frozen, Spicy, and Bubbly – Over 100 Drinks for Everyone! (Mexican Cocktails, Cinco de Mayo Beverages, Specific Cocktails, Vacation Drinking) (The Art of Entertaining)
Easy recipes with great photos!
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World Famous Kentucky Club
Several people claim to have invented the margarita , but bartender Lorenzo Hernandez of the World Famous Kentucky Club in Juarez, Mexico—just across the border from El Paso—has one of the strongest cases. In 1946, Hernandez’s coworker asked him to make a drink for his girlfriend. Since she liked drinking tequila with salt and lime, he combined those ingredients into one drink.
The girlfriend loved it. When she asked what it was called, Hernandez replied, “The name of the drink is like you: Margarita.”
The popularity of the margarita grew through word of mouth. Today, the bar serves about 3,500 per week, the equivalent of 182,000 per year, according to owner Sergio Peña. While lime is the original, you can also order a margarita in flavors ranging from strawberry to green apple and cantaloupe.
I opted for the traditional version and can see why it’s so popular. It has a good kick with fresh flavors. Besides margaritas, the bar serves Mexican favorites like tacos and burritos wrapped in handmade tortillas. Next door, you can order the Kentucky Bar’s famous margaritas at its sister restaurant, Coyote Steakhouse.
The house margarita at the World Famous Kentucky Bar & Grill is a must on the El Paso Margarita Trail. Photo by Teresa Bitler
Fun fact : No one knows exactly why the bar was named the Kentucky Bar when it opened in the 1920s. However, it may honor a bourbon distillery owned by Mary Dowling. She had the distillery dismantled in 1920 in Kentucky and reopened in Juarez, so she could continue to produce bourbon legally during Prohibition.
ELEMI
Helmed by El Paso native and James Beard Award semifinalist Emiliano Marentes, ELEMI features creative taco fillings in handmade corn tortillas. But the downtown restaurant is known for its cocktail program, too. In addition to margaritas, the bar mixes up palomas with mezcal and grapefruit juice, mezcal negronis, mezcal old fashioned, and other mezcal and tequila cocktails .
I started with the house margarita made with tequila, natural cane sugar, lime juice, and orange juice. While it was tasty, I prefer an orange-flavored liquor like Triple Sec to orange juice.
ELEMI makes its house margarita with a splash of orange juice. Photo by Teresa Bitler
Next, I ordered the spicy margarita. This one replaced the tequila in the house margarita with a habañero-infused tequila. I loved the flavor, but the heat built to the point I couldn’t finish it.
The spicy margarita at ELEMI is topped with a charred habanero. Photo by Teresa Bitler
Even if you don’t like margaritas, go for the tacos. I recommend any taco on the menu that has caramelized cheese as an ingredient. You’ll need reservations to get a table, and because the restaurant is so small, your time there will be limited to 90 minutes.
Taconeta
Taconeta distinguishes itself by nixtamalizing heirloom corn from Mexico for its handmade tortillas.
Tip: Nixtamalization (NEESH-ti-mal-i-za-shun) is soaking corn in an alkaline solution to soften the kernels before grinding it for use in tortillas and other products.
Like those tortillas, everything is made fresh daily, including taco fillings, sides, aguas frescas, and margaritas. I could taste that freshness in my house margarita. Served in a salt-rimmed plastic cup, it was the best margarita I had in El Paso.
The house margarita at Taconeta was my favorite of those I tried on the El Paso Margarita Trail. Photo by Teresa Bitler
Come to sample the margarita, but bring an appetite. I heard the elote (grilled corn) is one of the best things on the menu, and it must be. By the time I arrived, shortly after noon, it had already sold out. Instead, I tried the grilled sweet potatoes with salsa, aioli drizzle, and pumpkin seeds. It was great, but I quickly abandoned it when my tacos arrived.
If you love the grilled cheese found as an ingredient in so many El Paso tacos, go with the El Teófilo, the spicy shrimp taco with grilled cheese. It was tasty. I also ordered a Baja fish taco with cabbage slaw and chile mayo.
Los Bandidos de Carlos & Mickey’s
This El Paso institution serves Chihuahuan Mexican dishes and fishbowl-sized margaritas. You can sit in the bar and focus on the margaritas, but for the full experience, reserve a table in the main dining area where locals come to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and family get-togethers.
I had a hard time trying to decide what to order for dinner from the multi-page menu. Luckily, I knew what I wanted to drink: a traditional 16-ounce margarita on the rocks with salt. (The larger margaritas are double the size.) It tasted like the typical margarita from any good chain restaurant like On the Border. I enjoyed it with the complimentary chips and salsa on the table.
Looking around, I noticed that most people seemed to order frozen margaritas. These came in various flavors, including pomegranate, prickly pear, and coconut.
For dinner, I chose beef fajitas. After all of the tacos I’d had at previous meals, it was easy to pass on the ones here. Other good options at Carlos & Mickey’s include enchiladas, chile rellenos, and chimichangas.
Diners pack in one of several rooms at Los Bandidos de Carlos & Mickey’s. Photo by Teresa Bitler
La Perla
This rooftop bar at The Plaza Hotel occupies the penthouse suite where Elizabeth Taylor lived during her marriage to Nicky Hilton. It overlooks the city, offering incredible views of the Franklin Mountains, downtown El Paso, and Juarez, Mexico, to the south.
By the time I arrived at La Perla , I had sipped a margarita with lunch and dinner. So, instead of trying the margarita here, I asked the mixologist for an old-fashioned. I’m sure the margarita here would have given the view a run for its money, though. And that’s saying a lot. Because the view was amazing.
Other El Paso Margaritas The Visit El Paso website suggests several other restaurants for margaritas, which I didn’t have time to experience. These include:
Julio’s Mexican Food: Since 1944, Julio’s Mexican Food has plated traditional Mexican fare, seafood, and steaks. The margaritas are a good example of the classic, complete with a lime wedge on the side of the glass.
L&J Café: Known as “the restaurant by the graveyard,” this Mexican café has been family-owned and operated for four generations. Its margaritas are large, sweeter than usual, and not as boozy as some, according to reviewers.
Carnitas Queretaro: Another local favorite restaurant, Carnitas Queretaro serves good margaritas, too. Try the mango margarita—the Mangorita—served with a chamoy-dusted, dried mango wrapped around the straw.
ELEMI is also known for its tacos. Photo by Teresa Bitler
Articles Related to Discovering Great Margaritas & More on El Paso
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The Best Margarita Recipes
Tequila Ideas for National Tequila Day or Every Day
The Best Tequila Cocktails
The Ultimate Guide to 2 Days in El Paso
Tips for Visiting El Paso
There’s more to El Paso than margaritas. Here are some tips for visiting the city.
Bring your passport. You’ll need a passport to try the original margarita at the World Famous Kentucky Bar & Grill in Juarez, Mexico, and explore the attractions across the border.
Stay downtown. Downtown El Paso is an excellent base for exploring the city and sampling some of its best margaritas on foot. I loved my stay at the Hotel Paso Del Norte .
Take a free tour. Visit El Paso’s free app has several self-guided walking tours. Start with the Downtown Walking Tour. Then, take an art mural or history tour.
Get outside. There are plenty of outdoor adventures in and around El Paso. My favorites include hiking the Franklin Mountains State Park trails and visiting the nearby White Sand National Monument.
Prepare for the heat. It gets hot in El Paso during the summer. Bring suntan lotion and a hat, and drink plenty of water. Plan any strenuous activities for earlier in the day or the early evening.
For a more detailed look at things to do in El Paso, check out our Ultimate Guide to 2 Days in El Paso . We also have more great places to explore in El Paso and throughout Texas .
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Sampling El Paso’s Margarita Trail
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