El Paso (CLOSED)

This thoroughly unpretentious Spanish-Mexican restaurant has a small crowded space and a huge menu. The vibe is consistently casual and festive: Attentive waiters refill chips and salsa (and bread), a roving guitar player occasionally serenades tables and a diverse crowd guzzles margaritas and Mexican beers with abandon. You’ll find almost every imaginable permutation of chicken, shrimp, steak, veal and paella largely differentiated by sauce (garlic, tomato, pepper, onion, chilies, Madeira). To sample a few in the same dish, try the “three enchiladas, three sauces,” with red, green and semi-sweet chocolate-brown (mole) sauces.