Local chef opens new restaurant that feels like a “friend’s house”

Karla Draksler
·2 min read
Local chef opens new restaurant that feels like a “friend’s house”

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Internationally trained local chef Andres Pablos opened his new restaurant Accá in Central El Paso to provide a different atmosphere and share his carefully crafted menu, which focuses on elevated comfort food.

Pablos grew up between El Paso and Juarez, finding his way in the kitchen and pursuing a career as a chef. “I love the thrill; I love the intensity of it,” said Pablos.

He worked in Chicago, Spain, Italy, and Denmark before returning to El Paso.

“In 2017, I was working in Copenhagen, but my visa got declined, so I had to come back to El Paso,” he explained. “There was something in El Paso, coming back to my hometown, that grounded me, and I just gravitated toward staying.”

Pablos acquired the house at 710 Noble St. and rebuilt the inside himself to fit his vision of Accá.

“I have a special connection with this building because after the pandemic, with inflation and everything, I couldn’t really find the resources to do it, so I ended up building most of it myself. It has my blood, sweat, and tears,” he said.

Pablos explained the idea for Accá is to make the guests feel as if they were stepping into a friend’s house. The name is a play on words for the Spanish word “acá,” which means “here,” and an acronym that stands for “a cuisine crafted amorously.”

The menu consists of dishes that Pablos loves and has learned over the years. He explained he tried to deviate from traditional fine dining and wanted his place to be inviting.

You will find steak with chimichurri sauce, house-made fries, fried chicken sandwiches, hand-crafted pasta, and hummus with pita bread.

The restaurant is open for lunch Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and for dinner Thursday to Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

You can find more on the menu on Acca’s official website and social media.

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