The north Mexican style Gorditas were a good example of items that could be ordered from the Mexican menu (written on the wall and on the small menu). This menu provides just about any type of meat or filling desired. I tried the guiso (pork with red chile) and rajas (whole green chiles with Mexican cheese) that were both excellent. Guacamole was served on the side along with some spicier salsa than is initially set on the table and garnishes of cucumber, radishes, and onions. It is up to the server to provide you with the garnishes you want, though, and all are included in the price.

Meat for tacos al pastor being sliced off from the rotisserie

Tacos are served on soft corn tortillas, but the fillings are much the same as the gorditas. Tacos al Pastor, made of slow roasted pork, is one of the best tacos served. Abel's believes in the liberal use of pineapple as a flavoring, but also in slow cooking the meat so that it has the same qualities of tenderness and flavor that is found in Asian restaurants that specialize in slow cooked meat. Some of the spices used may give it the sensation of being spicy, but the salsa that can make it really hot is served on the side. I will have to give the warning that the tacos al pastor have been inconsistent, and sometimes are too dry. They are always flavorful, though, and the dryness has only been on rare occasions.

Chicken taco, taco de barbacoa, and taco al pastor

The Chicken Tacos were grilled and were very good, but ones of equal quality can be found at other Mexican restaurants.

I have never cared much for northern Mexico style barbacoa, and I was not very excited about the Tacos de Barbacoa served here. I think this was more because of me than because of the way they were prepared.

Pictured counter-clockwise: Two tacos calvillo, taco de birria, and taco al pastor

Tacos Calvillo is clearly one of the specialties of the restaurant, if not the best dish served. This is a tender steak with cilantro, onions, and a special sauce. The quality of the meat is certainly among the best served, and the flavor is excellent. For tacos this is one that I would highly recommend.

Tacos de Birria are available only on weekends, and I would say they were moist and tender but did not have a flavor I enjoyed as much as the tacos calvillo. The meat is traditionally made from goat, but I did not ask about the tacos at Abel's. Even though the meat was a little different, the seasoning was quite good. The waiter said the meat was steamed and cooked overnight.

Torta de pollo

The Torta de Pollo, also from the Mexican menu, was a very good traditional Mexican style sandwich. The meat was good quality, but the seasoning is probably what makes this better than the average Mexican style chicken.

Chicken quesadilla

The Chicken Quesadilla was almost a meal in itself, and the only problem with order this from the Mexican menu is that it leaves very little room to eat other items. The logical thing to me is that quesadillas are normally meant to be shared by everyone at the table, and that each would also order tacos or some of the smaller items.

"Efrain Especial" half order with catfish and shrimp

From this point on I am switching to the regular menu, although it still includes some authentic Mexican items. These are all complete meals, and most come with side dishes such as rice and beans.

One good choice is the Efrain Especial, which I ordered on the waiter's recommendation. This comes with the "Efrain Especial Sauce," a tomato based sauce that gave it a traditional Mexican flavor. This dish was more than filling, with nine large shrimp plus catfish. I was served a "half order," though, which I thought was more than enough food and which made me very happy because of the reduced price.

The salsa served on the side was another good touch, and the avocado was flavorful. The shrimp were very large but to me seemed to lack flavor. I thought the catfish was better, and had quite a fresh and very good flavor.

The seafood dishes at Abel's are popular as a Lent meal before Easter, but as I found out they are good any time.

The fresh Melón Agua Fresca was very good, and has become my drink of choice just about every time I go to Abel's.

Enchiladas rojas

The Enchiladas Rojas had a flavorful sauce that was about as spicy as the usual ones to which I was accustomed in El Paso (with a spiciness level of 4-- just about right for me). This particular one came with fish, which I ordered as a comparison to ones I might get in El Paso as a Lent special. Abel's does not serve Lent specials, but you can make your own such as I did with this. Some of the good points of the enchiladas included the fact that it was fairly spicy, the sauce had a good flavor, and it was not overloaded with cheese (with cheese on top but not in the middle). This was a different style of red chile than the Chihuahua style chile served in El Paso, but it was good.

Enchiladas verdes

I thought the Enchiladas Verdes were even better than the red ones, although I modified the order slightly by adding sour cream to make enchiladas suizas. The marinated chicken inside was better than the fish I had tried on the red enchiladas, and the sauce itself was about a "4 chile" spice level (the same as the red). I think I liked the green chile a little bit more, but mostly it was the things that went with it that made it better (mainly the chicken). I will say, though, that while I almost always like red chile better in El Paso and New Mexico, at Abel's I thought the green was more flavorful. Also I have to remember that not that many years ago I would have been very excited just to find a restaurant that served red and green chile instead of the normal brown Tex-Mex "chile con carne."

Chile relleno

The Chile Relleno was not what I would call really authentic at all, since my experience in Mexico was that they usually put a red or green sauce on it rather than covering it with cheese. The best I can say for it is that the chile was very good (better than most), and the cheese was good (better than most).

Strawberry fresa drink

The strawberry Fresa Drink made a good alternative to the canteloupe, and other flavors are also available. All the fruit drinks here are good quality.

Sopapilla for dessert

Sopapillas have varied from good to very good, and are always free with the regular menu.