February, 2014
| By: BRITTANY SAWREY photography by: ROBERT CORRAL |
A History of Excellence
Café Central Anyone who’s anyone in El Paso has heard of Café Central. Its glamour and smooth class have made it one of the most beloved gems of our city. However, beyond its quiet clink of glasses and romantically lit tables lays a deep and rich history that roots it firmly in place as a piece of culture both in El Paso and Juarez.
T
he restaurant’s origin lays in the heart
nightlife and drew its own following. At that point,
of Juarez in 1918. What was then called
the restaurant moved across the border to occupy
Central Café opened as an old-fashioned
the same place it now stands – a former bank –
gentlemen’s club: a place for men to eat, gamble,
and changed its name to Miguel’s Central Café,
and smoke cigars. In reality, it was kind of like
having been bought by Mike Doble. Here it became
a speakeasy. When gambling was prohibited in
a distinct piece in El Paso’s culture and restaurant
Juarez, the Café moved to a different location and
scene.
began to specialize in fine dining. This meeting place
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quickly blossomed into a restaurant known for its
In 1990, Miguel’s Central Café closed, only to be
culinary prowess and colorful clientele. Thriving until
reopened as Café Central in 1991 by V. Trae Apodaca
the early ‘70s, Central Café made its mark on Juarez
III and Michael Lynch. Opened as El Paso’s premier 39