Dining

Juarez Border Food a great addition to local Mexican cuisine

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Crunchy, fatty colito de pavo in torta form at Juarez Border Food.
Photo: Adam Shane

Mexican joints are ubiquitous throughout our Valley, particularly in the northeast, where it can feel like there’s one on every corner. Most of them serve up the same stuff, but a few separate themselves by offering regional cuisine. Juarez Border Food—on Eastern just north of the 95—falls into that category, showcasing food common to Ciudad Juarez and its American neighbor to the north, the West Texas town of El Paso.

The majority of the menu consists of well-done, well-priced Mexican standards. Proteins include usual suspects like adobada, carne asada and carnitas, each of which can be ordered a variety of ways, including as filling for quesadillas, burritos, tacos or the not-to-be missed handmade sopes. From there, things get a little … different.

Carne asada fries at Juarez Border Food.

Carne asada fries at Juarez Border Food.

The most unique menu item might be the colita de pavo, or turkey tail. (Strangely enough, as astute readers might have noted, this marks two consecutive weeks where I’ve stumbled across turkey tails. What are the odds?) Juarez’s colita de pavo comes fried and diced, melding crunchy with fatty in each bite-size morsel. I prefer it on a torta; the crispy, airy bun, slathered with avocado and mayo and layered with lettuce and tomato, is the perfect vehicle for the meaty colita.

And then there’s the frijole con winnie, a small hot dog with an unnatural, fiery-red tint. It’s served in a sope, and the ample foundation cuts some of the inherent saltiness. I don’t think I’d want one as a link on a sesame seed bun, but as a topping it’s pretty appealing.

Late last year, Juarez moved onto Eastern from its previous location near my house, on Durango near Desert Breeze Park. The new spot—a repurposed fast-food building—feels comfortable and inviting, with pictures of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez landmarks on the walls. The menu also seems to have expanded with the move, a welcome development despite the distance.

Juarez Border Food 412 N. Eastern Ave., 242-0055. Daily, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

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