Tatiana Rodriguez
- Jun 22
- 2 min read

Good Luck Café

By Tatiana Rodriguez

During the early 1960s, Joe Ruben Puentes founded the Good Luck Tavern on El Paso St. downtown. A few years later, the tavern was relocated to 3828 Alameda Ave. "In 1968, in an old, renovated gas station directly across the street, Mr. Puentes opened the 'original' Good Luck Café."1 Four years later, Joe's wife, Elvira Puentes, quit her job at the old downtown Newberry's and helped her husband with their family business. And in 1988, the café was moved down the street to its current location at 3813 Alameda Ave. Since its opening, Good Luck has served some of El Paso's famous Mexican and American dishes for over fifty years. The daily operations serve not only as the center of the business, but as a memorial to Mr. Puentes who passed away in 1976.

The business has been voted Best of the Border many times and has been awarded plaques dating back to 2007. In that same year and the next, according to the El Paso Times Readers' Poll, Good Luck Café was voted to serve the best menudo in El Paso and the best enchiladas by the KLAQ Mexican Food World Cook-off.2 The café's menudo recipe is secret, "but the basics are simple: cow stomach (tripe), water, chiles, hominy, onions, garlic, salt, a good four or five hours to simmer ... and the chile can't be powdered."3

In January 2023, Good Luck was named Best Menudo in the World by the foodie website www.tasteatlas.com. Following the news of this distinction, the diner had a steady line of patrons going out the door. They were friendly and talked about what makes good menudo, from spiciness to having a side of toasted bread for dipping. Several customers ordered a large bowl of menudo filled to the brim for under $9. A side of lime can also be requested with a bowl.4

Good Luck Café used to be known as a late night spot for teenagers and college students returning from Juarez, "back when the city across the border was pretty much an extension of El Paso."5 Consistency applies to the prices with a plate of huevos rancheros costing $9 and a plate of chilaquiles with pancakes costing less than $20. Good Luck Café is no longer open late for young El Pasoans enjoying a night out. The restaurant closes at 7 p.m., and Juarez and El Paso have become less like party towns. Times have changed, but Good Luck Café remains as its menudo inspires memories and brings generations together.