My Cancer sun and Scorpio moon essentially make me a pseudo-certified psychic. So when my predictions become reality, remember you heard it here first: Socorro is gonna be the place everyone’s talking about very, very soon! Let me introduce you to a special area near the Socorro Mission that’s brimming with culture and history, where you’ll find some really cool and wonderful local spots all down Socorro Road. You’ll definitely want to add these places to your things to do in El Paso lists. I have delicious tortilla soup, tacos, ramen, locally brewed beer, wine and so much more all waiting for you. Let’s get into the top 7 places to eat in Socorro, Texas!
CAFE COCOL
ADDRESS: 10180 Socorro Road, Socorro, Texas 79927
Located at Hacienda Apodaca in the historic Socorro area of the El Paso Mission Trail, Cafe CoCol is a cute and cozy coffee shop that is perfect for a relaxed breakfast or lunch. Their menu is relatively small and you’ll be able to get typical breakfast items like eggs, french toast, coffee, matcha lattes, etc. But their true standouts are the elotito, the brisket nachos and their tortilla soup. The brisket tastes like a Mexican birthday party — it’s really delicious! If you’ve been around long enough, you know I live for anything elote-related. And it should come at no surprise that I bee-lined straight to the elotito as soon as I saw it on the menu. It’s basically cut-up baby corn topped with aioli, queso fresco and chile. It’s tasty as hell!
They feature different seasonal soups on their menu and I’ve also tried their tlalpeña soup. It’s flavorful and home-y like a warm hug. Their breakfast croissant sandwiches (egg, bacon, tomato, greens and cheese sauce) and turkey-bacon pita wraps are absolutely yummy. Plus, the atmosphere here is very chill, so it’d be a good spot for working remotely in El Paso.
WINE DOWN
ADDRESS: 10245 Socorro Road, Socorro, Texas 79927
Another new fave for me! Wine Down is a cozy, laidback wine lounge that is also in a historic building near the Socorro Mission about one minute away from Hacienda Apodaca. It has a bunch of little areas and rooms with different seating options and vibes for you to enjoy. They’ve got games, good wine options, non-alcoholic beverages and food! So far, I’ve had their mimosas and a sauvignon blanc that I really liked. They have charcuterie boards and $15 wine flights that are perfect if you want to figure out what kind of wine you’re into while munching on a little bit of cheese. Every single time I’ve been here I’ve felt very comfortable and welcome. I just love the vibe of this place so much and I know you will too!
THREE MISSIONS BREWERY
ADDRESS: 10179 Socorro Road, Socorro, Texas 79927
Three Missions Brewery is the first and currently the only microbrewery in Socorro, Texas! Another stop down the Socorro Road hop, they offer several handcrafted beers on tap in their indoor and outdoor seating areas. I loved how chill this place was! I’m not a huge beer drinker but I really liked the pomegranate ale with chamoy and Tajín on the rim. My favorite thing about this brewery is that some of their ingredients are locally sourced. Their refreshing pomegranate ale is made with honey sourced locally from Ceballos Honey in Fabens, Texas, and their pecan brown ale is made with pecans from the local JC Pecan Farm in Clint, Texas. You can also plan events like birthdays, work events and other types of parties in their space. It’s a very chill dog-friendly spot to enjoy good hoppy times with friends!
THE DUSTY TAP
ADDRESS: 10297 Socorro Road, Socorro, Texas 79927
As you’re making your way down the eats and drinks tour of the Socorro Mission trail, make sure to include The Dusty Tap in your adventure! This patio bar and grill has a great outdoor space, a full kitchen and a happy hour Monday–Friday. Check out their socials to get the week’s lineup of events like karaoke, live music and more. If you don’t already know I love a good bar with a fun atmosphere where I can snack on fried yummy goodness, now you know. It’s also cool that they source some of their ingredients locally from Bodega Loya (see below) just up the street from The Dusty Tap.
BODEGA LOYA
ADDRESS: 10257 Socorro Road, Socorro, Texas 79927
What better way to be part of a community than to purchase fresh, organic, local produce from a 100-year-old farm that grows fruits and vegetables under certified organic practices? Bodega Loya is a farm run by Ralph and Marty Loya, whom grew up on the Loya Farm. It’s right across from Wine Down on Socorro Road and they’re open Friday–Sunday. The produce is grown on the grounds behind the bodega. You can buy figs, cucumbers, chicken and duck eggs, lion’s mane mushrooms, arugula, zucchini, tomatoes and so much more here. I’ve heard from close friends that they’ve bought herbs here that have lasted longer than the herbs bought at other bigger chain stores. Make sure you check it out!
CAFE PIRO
ADDRESS: 9993 Socorro Road, Socorro, Texas 79927
Cafe Piro is a new, locally and LGBTQIA+-owned cafe and restaurant in Socorro, Texas, that serves locally sourced healthy food! The outside of the renovated historic building is adorned with gorgeous artwork by the wonderfully talented (and one of my personal favorite local artists) Christin Apodaca. The owners handmade a lot of their dinnerware items, and chose, sanded and painted the furniture in the cafe by hand. One of their goals is to make enough handmade, made-in-house dinnerware pieces to have in rotation so that people who love the pieces their food is served on can actually buy them. The owner’s family has been in Socorro for generations and their ancestors were part of the Piro Tribe, the founding fathers of Socorro. They have limited hours of operation and are only open Friday–Sunday at the time of writing this post, so check their Instagram before heading out there!
EL CHARLATÁN
UPDATE: As of 2024, El Charlatán unfortunately closed its downs for good. And I’m in mourning about it; but I’m keeping it as an honorable metion.
I already introduced y’all to El Charlatán in my previous El Paso foodie blog post. It’s my top current food fixation and I’ve tried a few more items on their menu since I last wrote about it. You can also find this unique spot at Hacienda Apodaca. They run the place by reservation only at the moment, and it’s super easy to make a reservation online! (You know we Millennials love it when we don’t have to call.) My favorite menu item at the moment is the Samurai Ramen — noodles with togarashi-spiced fried chicken, narutomaki, a soft-boiled egg, nori and tare with their delicious double-dipped broth (made with both their veggie and tonkotsu broth). But you really can’t go wrong with anything else you order! The Bourdain ramen, all of the tacos, aguachile, pork belly baos and the Loya salad are all absolutely delicious. I really can’t say enough about James Beard award-nominated chef Enrique Lozano’s scrumptious Mexican-Japanese-fusion creations.
Well, we made it to the end of the trail and the top places to eat in Socorro for now! If you’re looking for things to do El Paso, Texas, or places to eat in Socorro, Texas, make sure to add any — or all — of these spots to your list. They’re all 100% worth the visit! Let me know your favorite places to eat in Socorro in the comments below!
-V
