Su Casa seems to have escaped the notice of most tourists, but the restaurant is already so crowded for lunch I doubt that one of the priorities of the owners is to advertise in the local travel guides to attract new customers. Instead, word of mouth seems to bring most people who are not already regular customers. I have a hard time choosing any one Mexican restaurant that I would advise out of town travelers to visit if they have only one meal in El Paso, but Su Casa is certainly one that would be on the short list. The food here typifies the classic El Paso style of Mexican food, and is of consistently good quality no matter what you order from the menu. The combination plates are good at Su Casa, as are many of the single item plates.

For me one of the best tests of El Paso style Mexican food is the Red Enchilada, that is about as good at Su Casa as anywhere. The one here has a good spiciness (but is rather skimpy on the sauce). If you need more sauce you can ask for it, and in the meantime the cheese provides quite a good flavor. These are an El Paso variation of the New Mexico style enchiladas, which are generally slightly more spicy.

Beef Tacos are among the most enjoyable anywhere, made with ground beef and topped with Mexican cheese.

The Tortilla Soup is well spiced with excellent cheese. If this were going to be the main part of the meal, though, I would prefer the caldo tlalpeño at Café Mayapán that also contains avocado and a whole chipotle chile. Su Casa serves the soup in either a whole order, which would constitute a pretty substantial meal, or a half order.

The Refried Beans, topped with a generous amount of cheese, are delicious when eaten on chips. Sometimes I think beans made with lard have a better flavor, but the ones at Su Casa made with vegetable oil seem to be equally good.

Complimentary Sopaipillas are served after every meal, and are some of the tastiest around.

The Salsa is not the spiciest in El Paso, but may have the freshest ingredients. The owners' Middle Eastern heritage comes through a little bit in the mixture of ingredients that come together to provide one of the most complex flavors of any salsa in the city.

One feature I really like is that just about every plate is available in a half order, and many times the half order is large enough for a meal (although a half order of the soups or salads would not fill me up). Several of the combination plates come in half orders with fewer main dishes, but you still get the beans, rice, and sopaipillas. My favorite at night is the "dinner special," that comes with one taco, one enchilada, rice, and beans (and can also be served with two enchiladas or two tacos). However, Su Casa has cut back its hours to the point that Friday is the only evening it is open, and only until 7:00 p.m.

I think Su Casa should be known as much for its Middle Eastern food as for the Mexican menu. The Spinach Pies, made from scratch in the owner's home, have the best flavor I have tasted anywhere, but suffer from the fact that they are kept frozen and then microwaved when you order them. The ones here are probably not like you would find in Lebanon, but they are better than the ones I have tried in the city's Middle Eastern restaurants.

I tried the Meat Pies once, but I thought it was even more evident than with the spinach pies that they had been frozen.

The Tabouli is made fresh, and is probably the best Middle Eastern dish served. The light sauce brings out the the true flavor of the vegetables that I find typical of good quality Middle Eastern food. For a long time I did not appreciate the tabouli as much as I do now, but I think this is a matter of my tastes changing. Before I found it plain and uniteresting; now I find it light and delicate. After "rediscovering" the Lebanese steak houses in Oklahoma, and sampling Middle Eastern food in different parts of the country, I now feel that Su Casa does Middle Eastern food quite well except for having to freeze some of the items. Lebanese food is the passion of the owners, and it definitely shows in the tabouli and other dishes that are served.

Several other Lebanese dishes are offered including kebby, middle eastern style chicken, and shish-kabob. I have not tried any of these but they are definitely things I will put on my list.