Mustard Seed Cafe

I try to be as selective as possible when it comes to five-star reviews. But some places make it tough or easy for me to place that rating when uploading my reviews. This is one of those easy places. I almost stumbled upon the kitchen's entrance but I was kindly guided to the right path with some chuckles. The place inside is simple yet manages to catch your glare and attention to see every detail and every leaf on their plants...that you can buy!. The concept of order is kept simple as well. Pick your plate and sit down anticipating the unique taste that comes from vegetarian dishes.I left a happy customer once I got to taste those tacos you see in my image. Hidden but not for long. Enjoy and support the cause.Provecho!

Everything about the Mustard Seed Cafe makes me so happy! This cafe - open for lunch on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays (12/11/2013) - is an pay as you can afford establishment. IT'S SO COOL THAT WE HAVE OUR VERY OWN COMMUNITY CAFE HERE IN ELP! The current location is in a church gymnasium which has been impressively furnished and decorated to feel homey, bright, and welcoming. You can read more about their mission, etc. when you visit or on their website. How this pay as you can afford thing works:There's a suggested donation for each menu item and you're welcome to pay as much as you can afford or leave extra as a donation. You can also volunteer to earn a meal token.I was lucky to attend their soft opening and sample almost everything from their first menu (there will be a creative new meal each week). The ingredients were fresh and the chef explained that all ingredients are local if possible, There were also vegan-friendly options. Some dishes I sampled were a homemade mac 'n cheese, apricot and ricotta pizza (not my taste, but my friend liked this sweet twist on pizza), a fresh salad loaded with veggies (I had figs for the first time, yum!), pumpkin soup, and a spinach dish with bacon (my favorite). I'm sad to say that I missed trying the vegan chili that the "meat-loving" waitor raved about. Apologizes for not having the artistic ability to beautifully describe these dishes like the chef would be able to do! You'll have to check this place out for yourself. The chef goes by Chef Roman and he was very welcoming when he stopped by our table.I highly suggest stopping by for lunch. The Mustard Seed Cafe is a beautiful gift for El Paso, and a wonderful (& healthy) treat to your taste buds!!BITTERSWEET:The menu changes every week so if you love what you ordered.. you have three days (W-F) to enjoy.

The food here is delicious and a very nice concept. Everyone eats, the prices are reasonable, the food is healthy, donate more if you can, and if you can't pay you can always volunteer some of your time for a meal. My mother runs a non-profit and she's the one that invited me to visit this place. The visit provided me a wonderful opportunity to meet volunteers in the community. I found them to be incredible, and chatting with them just added to the experience.The process is very simple, you come in, handed a menu, pick what you want, grab a drink and enjoy your food. There are a variety of tables to sit at, and rather than sit at an empty table, my mother and I were invited to someone else's the table. We got to meet some new people and just chat away. I think it is definitely a one of a kind experience that people should try out.Once your done eating you hand your menu cards to the cashier and she charges you. Each time I've gone I'm told pay what you can. I pay whatever price the meal was at and normally an extra $10 or $20 for charity. It was a great experience. Although if you go on pizza day you better get there early, it goes fast. I also recommend that if you are in a hurry and always rush for lunch, this may not be the place for you.

Such a cool concept and an appropriately named business! Kudos, Mustard Seed, for not being afraid to do something relatively unheard of in a city that has a pretty cut-throat restaurant community (only because EP has so many new restaurants it's hard to set yourself apart from the pack). Regardless, I'm a huge fan of MSC!A few weeks ago Jason J put together a UYE at Mustard Seed and of course I immediately jumped on board. Driving up, I found myself in a pretty packed church parking lot which is pretty surprising for the lunch hour during the week...I knew immediately the food was worth the drive.Locating the entrance to MSC was effortless which is kind of mind-boggling for me now because I can't remember if there were even signs or I just made an assumption. Either way, you'll wind up in the right place with ease. We were greeted by a sweet lady who let us know where the line starts.The options, oh the options! Mabel S told me about this place a while back and she wasn't wrong...you do want to order everything because you may never have the chance again since the menu rotates every week. I ended up getting the shrimp salad in a pita pocket, kettle cooked BBQ chips, the vegan chili, a delicious cookie and the Strawberry-Basil water. I may also have snagged some of the chicken salad off someone's plate too and surprisingly loved it. I think the mixture of apple-goodness took chicken salad from a one note dish to something magnificent! Loved, loved, loved the homemade kettle chips! We got a batch that was a little soft, but after a few minutes they hardened right up and were also a great snack when I got home. The vegan chili is definitely a dish that should be there every week! Simply tasty with a warmth that was more than just a temperature. The shrimp salad was quite good, but strangely enough I think I prefer the chicken salad (strange for me since I typically am not a fan of chicken). The Strawberry-Basil water was stronger on the Basil side, but infused water is my jam so I'll be trying the week's infused water every time I'm there.I think what has me so infatuated with MSC is the fact that this establishment isn't about the church, it's about the community. Pay as you can, no one is turned away, everyone eats! MSC is making a difference in the community one plate at a time. And if anything I can say this establishment takes "practice what you preach" to a whole other level.

This place is just fantastic. Great staff (volunteers), pay what you can, clean, open and inviting. From the little girl who held the door open for us to the volunteers greeting us and explaining the process. (We already knew...hey we're Yelpers) but I asked questions and pimped out Yelp several times. I talked to the chef and he said he would need to check out Yelp because several people said they found thr Mustard Seed through it. MABEL is to blame :) I went when it was a Mediterranean week, and everything was great except for one item and I knew that it was an acquired taste but went for it anyways. Great food, people, prices, mission...what more can you ask for?

What a great concept. Everybody eats. No one is sent away hungry. Menu prices are just a suggestion. You pay what you want or can. Can't pay? OK do a little working for your food. Can't work? You still eat.Are you blessed? Then pay forward for someone else. This Is a non profit, volunteer staffed cafe that serves excellent food. My chicken tortilla soup was the best I've ever had. Loaded baked potato was good too and dessert is an "everything" cookie. They have a nice fresh salad bar and infused waters. Vegans will be very happy here. So will carnivores. Menu changes weekly so come often to try everything.Update Nov 23, 2016Pre Thanksgiving meal day with baked ham, sides and the most incredible white chocolate pumpkin mousse for dessert. What a wonderful meal on a beautiful day. MSC is an awesome non profit. It is a Christian ministry that practices way more than they preach. I would eat lunch here every day if I could. You should too.

What a wonderful thing! Pay what you can, pay more if you're able, or donate your time! Delicious veggie soup and for a good cause! Very cool!

It's a noble concept, and a unique way to give back to the community, which earns it some stars.I've only been here once, and because it's all volunteers and the menu changes weekly, you may have a different experience each visit.First off, a good portion of our short lunch hour was consumed by a nice volunteer that greeted us at the door and wanted to give us the grand tour. She was a sweet women, but we went out of way to have lunch here and didn't have a lot of time to chat (only an hour for lunch with travel time).Everything is "al a carte" and prices are $2 - $4 per item, and I felt the portions were very small. My meal was around $8 (I left $10, it's charity), for a single (small) bone-in chicken thigh in mole sauce, a very small portion of calabacitas (like 4 or 5 thin slices), another very small side (can't remember what it was- maybe a green salad), and a glass of ice tea. Everyone in my party had about the same thing, and we all left hungry, except one who went back for a second round and dropped a $20. As for the food, it was just okay.Based on my experience, it's a great way to make a contribution to a good cause and get something in return, but it's not the best place have a meal if your hungry.

This place is run by volunteers and food is very good. Pls give a large donation when you eat there. They help many people in need

I haven't been to this establishment but have heard wonderful things about their mission. What a beautiful display of love for our brothers and sisters