The Magic Bistro

This eatery truly lives up to its name because it is magical!
First off is the setting. We decided to eat outside because the weather was wonderful (which is rare in El Paso, not too hot or cold). The patio area is surrounded by foliage and the tweeting of birds which when coupled with live music from local musicians (in this case a guitarist/​singer) manages to create a very enjoyable atmosphere.
The service was great. We were attended by a very cheerful and respectful waiter. The food came out quickly and there really wasn’t any problems regarding any of that.
The menu itself is very simple and refined. Magic Bistro has about 20 items that you can choose to eat that which includes salads, sandwiches, a couple of quiches and pastas, and soups. However, as the saying goes: quality over quantity. The items it has are simple dishes and ideas elevated with different ingredients and unusual flavor combinations.
I ordered a pomegranate cream soda to drink which was delightful, and a bell pepper ribeye quiche alongside an apple cinnamon muffin. A quiche is basically a savory pie. The crust of mine was delicious, perfectly crisp and an awesome counterpart to the gooey middle which consisted of bell peppers and other vegetables and ribeye. Everything was perfectly seasoned and very delicious. The muffin was warm and freshly baked (in contrast to other places) and it satisfied the craving for dessert which in the end was kind of disappointing given the fact that the dessert list looked amazing with items such as key lime pie and cajeta flan, not to mention the cake of the day coconut cream cake (or something like that)!!!
Honestly, Magic Bistro has got me hooked and I can’t wait to go back to try all of the great dishes it has to offer!

This is my favorite lunch spot. Ever time I take someone new, they feel the same. The service is great and no matter how good the food is, bad service will ruin the restaurant. The food is great no matter what you pick. The atmosphere inside and outside is very pleasing. If the weather is good I always choose outside. So pleasant with the stone walls, trees, lights and the fountain. The inside has been totally redone and is very nice.

My wife and I went here for lunch as we had a 10% off coupon. The restaurant is a little difficult to find and was farther away than we normally will go for a weekday lunch, but after completion of our meal, we aren’t complaining.
Only open for lunch on weekdays, it was more crowded at 1:30 than we thought it would be. We were seated and waited upon quickly. The menu had a very good selection of salads and sandwiches. There were a few nice craft beers, also.
I got the smoked pork tenderloin sandwich and my wife got the salad with tuna. The food came quickly. One reason why the Magic Bistro did not get 5 stars was the only choice of sides with the sandwich were fries, chips, potato salad, tabouli, or black bean salad. Not a fan of potatoes or tabouli. I did decide on the sweet potato fries over the black bean salad and have to admit they were quite good.
My wife’s salad came with two big scoops of nondescript tuna-​fish. My wife said it was good and enjoyed the grapes and almonds in it. My sandwich was very good with a nice touch of raspberry chipolte on very good foccacia bread. the server said they smoked their own pork and obviously made their own tuna salad.
The server was good, but I wasn’t asked if I wanted another beer until I was basically finished with my meal. Refills of diet pepsi and water were good. It took awhile to get our final bill, we had to sit several minutes before having to finally ask for it.
Despite the very minor negatives, we really liked the Magic Bistro and will definitely be back. We are anxious to try dinner on Friday or Saturday night, the only days they are open for dinner.

First time here, I went for dinner on a Saturday night. I know they often close for private parties, so I just called ahead to make sure they were going to be open. We were also lucky enough to enjoy some live music as well. I heard they just remodeled the dining room, and it was very cozy. It was too chilly to sit on the patio, otherwise we would’ve — I love twinkle lights! There were a few slight mix ups with the service — server forgot our wines and gave me the wrong dish. However, the food and atmosphere were amazing. We had the mushroom bites stuffed with queso & spinach — party in my mouth! I was really eyeing the Acapulco Chicken on the menu, but I ordered the Chicken Roulette instead (trying to be healthy). The server actually brought me the Acapulco Chicken, so I ate it anyway! Then had the Key Lime Pie for dessert. Overall, 2 thumbs up!

The best catering, presentation and customer service… The Magic Bistro has it all.

The place was a little hard to find within the plaza. I turned where the sign was on Doniphan Dr and had to walk around for a minute. It’s towards the back on the left. The host sat me outside since they were renovating the insides but the weather was nice. The garden is nice outside with a peaceful water fountain. The bathrooms were a little hard to find and part of the inside is a little shop. Note that they do close in the middle of the afternoon.
I ordered the Brisket Wrap with spicy fries like everyone suggested on here. It came out in about 5 minutes. The brisket was juicy and tender with a creamy chipotle sauce that had a nice kick. There were grilled peppers and onions inside that added a nice texture and flavor. The tortilla also had a nice crisp to it.
It came with a couple of spinach leaves on the side. The fries were thick and flavorful. They weren’t really spicy, more like spiced, similar Arby’s curly fries.
Overall, great food. If I’m ever back in El Paso, I will definitely stop by again.

First time here… we loved it!!! The atmosphere at this place is phenomenal. The outside seating surrounded by stone walls, trees and lights hanging from the roof isolates this place from the world and makes you feel like you are away from the city.
All dishes server here are around 10 – 15 dlls. Pretty well priced.
I ordered a bistro combo which consists of a soul a salad and half sandwich… the chicken tlalpeño soup tasted just like home, it was delicious. i also ordered the chicken sandwich which tasted so good. The bread was lightly toasted which made it just right… their dressing… Omg their dressing… So so so good, homemade cilantro dressing… we also bought the Asian wrap with black bean salad… So good… it tastes exactly how it sounds like… Asian food in a «burrito»
To top off the brunch we had a chocolate cake and key lime pie… Both of them delicious…
This place is a must go! The location is so cool, the atmosphere is excellent and relaxing, and best of all… The food tastes great

It was my first time there and it was a great experience. The food was great and the atmosphere felt like I was in another city. The staff was friendly but the only thing that bothered me were the restrooms. It was super dark where the restrooms are located. Every time my daughter need to go use it I had to accompany her. They really need to do something about that.

When in north El Paso, eat here. Got their brisket wrap with spicy fries. Diced, tender, super succulent brisket, grilled veggies and a satisfying chipotle sauce. The spicy fries were a nice surprise too, thick cut potato slices, crispy exterior and warm steamy interior, a tasty mildly spicy crust. Really good to see a place caring so much about the food they create.

Went here for lunch with a couple of friends. We sat outside in their patio. The seating was great because they had water misting all around the patio to keep it cool. We all ordered salads with grilled salmon. The amount of food in the dish was rather small. It was good but not the best grilled salmon salad I’ve had.

Great ambiance. Wonderful patio and great staff. By far the best restaurant in El Paso.

Very good food, awful service. The waiter spilled a salad dressing small cup on the table, he didn’t clean the mess neither replaced it with more salad dressing so my friend had to eat her salad with none. Another of my friends asked for a glass of wine that was totally forgotten until we asked for the check, I never got a drink refill. Very inattentive, unkind, and lazy service.

Really nervous going into this place since seeing the other clientele there made me feel a little under — dressed to be there and so I thought I’d be looked down on and we’d have bad service (dickie shorts and shaved head) but I really appreciate the service here from the host and our waiter (Ruben, I believe). The food was super good. I had the pork tenderloin with raspberry chipotle and spicy fries. My wife had the bistro burger with regular julienne cut fries. For dessert we had the cajeta crepes. Best meal ever! New favorite restaurant! Thanks a lot guys

AN ABSOLUTE MUST! This is a MUST! I seriously want to make TMB a weekly trip (at least) because it’s simply phenomenal! There really isn’t a better place to write my 300^th review about. Believe you me, we both left very full. And our main entrees ball-​parked around $ 10. All deserts are $ 6 and under. Oh, and did I mention everything is priced very reasonably? Everything about TMB from the food to the service to the décor is truly magically.
One word: yum! Topped with hot fudge and filled with vanilla ice cream. They were unfortunately out of the Molten Lava Cake so instead we went with the crepes. After my huge foodgasam, I knew I needed to try the dessert.
It had this amazing smoky and slightly sweet taste that made it my favorite brisket-​anything bar none. It’s good I don’t live closer to TMB because I would spend every waking moment here eating these. The brisket wasn’t shredded, but diced and the whole thing was filled with sauteed onions and peppers. When I saw the Brisket Wrap I knew I was wrong about it being a fancy burrito. This really was the best thing I’ve EVER eaten! Perfect for dipping in the Alfredo (or even by itself)! Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The bread was delicious! The pasta was cooked perfectly and the whole thing was topped with melted cheese. Seriously the best I’ve ever had! The Alfredo sauce was incredible! My bread bowl looked and smelled better than I could’ve ever imagined. Our main entrees arrived a short time later.
Quite a unique flavor! The house dressing is a cilantro-​citrus dressing and it is delicious! It was a rather simple salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, shredded carrots, pecan (I could be wrong about what kind of nut it was), and a side of their house dressing. Loved this. My salad came out first.
My foodie PIC went with the Brisket Wrap which I thought sounded a lot like a fancy way of saying «burrito». There was one thing that had been on my mind since I’d seen a picture… the bread bowl! He brought our drinks out immediately after we ordered them and allowed us more time to peruse the menu. Our waiter was very attentive and even remembered we had came in earlier.
I absolutely adore that, since EP is greatly lacking in historically classy eateries. It’s all very classy, but more like original classy… classic, if you will. There’s a fireplace on the furthest wall that I’m sure makes for an amazing scene during the colder months. The inside of TMB is just as beautiful.
They also have misters on high blast so the temperature outside stays at cool perfection. The trees that are on the patio provide a canopy of shade, but let in just enough sunlight to truly feel magical. I decided against sitting outside because most of the tables were filled, but I should’ve just opted for the patio because it’s completely beautiful. I had to run some errands anyway so we disappeared for an hour and returned with our large appetites. My foodie PIC and I arrived as soon as they opened, but it turned out they open an hour before the restaurant does.
Then last week came and I saw Andrea B.‘s photo and said, «I need to go back, pronto!» TMB is connected to the actual Market Place (a store filled with a ton of different collectables) so that’s actually where I found myself the first time I was here. Around a year ago I made a trip to the Market Place which is this awesome red shopping plaza out on Doniphan that houses vintage shops, handmade jewelry stores, hair salons and, you guessed it, TMB.
Let’s jump into all things magnificent, aka The Magic Bistro!
Maybe for my 400^th I’ll write the words backwards as well. Well sort of. And if you can’t tell already, the cooky, magical aspect of this milestone review is the fact that it’s written backwards. Nothing, I tell ya! I knew I had to save my 300^th review for something magnificent and so what’s more magnificent than The Magic Bistro?

Glad this place is back in business. Good lunch crowd. Attentive and prompts service. The vegetarian pita is something I’ll be craving for the next couple of weeks!

Extremely delicious tortilla soup ! Tomato chunks and appropriate amount of tortilla strip tostadas. Great flavor with a little kick to it. Yum. Satisfied ;)

My new favorite lunch spot!!! I had heard great things about the Magic Pan and was bummed when it closed, then immediately was pumped when it reopened as the Magic Bistro! I finally made my way to the spot and I was extremely surprised and satisfied with the entire experience. I sat outdoors, which is awesome due to their large natural tree canopy, so I’m not sure how it is indoors. Sitting outdoors is like eating in a lovely, cool, crisp forest in the desert of El Paso. I highly recommend getting their specialty iced teas, they are so flavorful that you don’t even need to add any sugar. If you’re really hungry get the pasta bread bowl and be prepared to take some home because it is huge and satisfying. I ordered the pastrami sandwich and it was perfectly balanced with spicy and sweet. The bread was a perfect balance between a crunch and soft, then you mix in the Dijon mustard with the caramelized onions and you got the perfect sandwich! Now, after you enjoy the atmosphere, eat a great lunch, your in for a real treat with the dessert. This place actually has a lot of off menu items that, if you go with a regular like we did, they will give you the tips to order. For instance, get the cajeta crepes!!! On a warm/​hot day you will not be disappointed. Then your wallet is pleasantly surprised at the end of it all because all prices are $ at most; Not sure why it’s listed $$.
Overall, great lunch spot to just relax, get a good meal, and have a great time! I highly recommend it!

Enjoyed a relaxed dinner last night with an excellent trio of musicians playing subdued, acoustic music. The food was excellent, in particular, the tomato cucumber feta salad and roasted pork chops. Paired great with their shiraz-​temparnillo blend – I just wish we could have had a few more glasses, because despite our best attempts, we could never get the waiter to return to our table after the entrée was served. Maybe I should switch deodorants.

First time here with my husband this weekend for lunch, and was pleasantly surprised. More upscale than I expected for the location, and a very nice atmosphere for both dining and people watching. They serve fresh breads with many of their lunch items, and the zucchini bread was delicious. I had the salmon salad, which was cooked perfect and had a wonderful dressing. My husband had the pork salad which had a great presentation and he said was tasty. Many nice options on the menu, both healthy and not :) Overall a great place to add into the lunch rotation, I’ll definitely be back.

I really enjoyed lunch at this bistro. I never went inside so I’m not sure how the atmosphere is, we at our lunch outside. The chicken tortilla soup was amazing. The sweet potato fries were nice and crunchy, I also ordered a salad and don’t remember which one but it was huge. It really could have made 2 or 3 good sized salads. Everything was delicious, this really is a hidden gem!