Brunch, Karaoke, or Late-Night Mariachi: Hosting Holiday Guests at West El Paso's 2026 Openings

In Chihuahua, a restaurant called Ernesto's passed to the owner's daughter, María Ernestina. She put her own name on it. A spokesperson for the brand, Leo Morales, told KFOX14 that this is where the name María Titina comes from. After two years in Chihuahua, the concept opened at 5860 N. Mesa Street this summer.

It was one of three openings in 2026 that changed where you might take visiting family on the Westside. In October, a cantina from Guadalajara opened in Montecillo. In January, three chefs who hold Michelin stars opened a Baja-Mediterranean restaurant at Cimarron Market. Each of the three fits a different kind of evening. All three keep their busiest hours late in the week, so the calendar comes first when you plan around houseguests.

Three Openings, Three Kinds of Evening

Here's the year's arrivals side by side, with the days each one serves.

Kala serves from Tuesday on, Sin Yolanda opens its doors on Thursday, and María Titina listed Thursday through Saturday when it opened. So each guest pairs best with one of the three, and the day you go decides whether the choice is yours to make.

The Sit-Down Dinner, or a Sunday Brunch at Cimarron Market

Kala BajaMed is the choice for the relatives who want a tablecloth kind of meal and an unhurried conversation. KTSM reported that chefs Mikel Alonso, Jonatán Gómez Luna and Carlos Gaytán built the restaurant around the warmth of Baja Mexico and the freshness of the Mediterranean, with dishes designed for sharing. Owner Benjamin Arriola told the station that it would be the first restaurant in El Paso to bring together three chefs who hold Michelin stars. The station also reported that the restaurant aims to reflect the bicultural identity of the Borderland.

For holiday hosting, the most useful fact is that Kala keeps the longest week of the three. According to its Visit Us page, dinner runs:

• Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday, 5 to 9:30 p.m.
• Sunday brunch, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Reservations are booked through the restaurant's website. For larger gatherings, Kala also lists separate Private Events and Experiences pages and a concierge line at (915) 221-4045. When guests arrive midweek, before the rest of the Westside's new places open for the week, Kala is the one of the three that's serving.

Sunday brunch also does a second job. On a Sunday, Kala and Sin Yolanda both open before noon, so one family can split up for the morning. The next section covers the cantina's Sunday.

The Group That Wants to Sing: Sin Yolanda in Montecillo

El Paso Inc. reported that Sin Yolanda started in Guadalajara. The Montecillo location is its fourth in Texas, after San Antonio, The Woodlands and Houston. The paper described the concept as a Mexican restaurant and cantina with interactive microphones at the tables, so guests can join in on the songs playing throughout the bar. The El Paso Times put the grand opening on Oct. 9 and 10.

That makes it the pick for cousins in town for the weekend, a group of college friends home for the break, or any table where at least one person already knows all the words. Its El Paso page lists these hours:

• Monday through Wednesday, closed
• Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight
• Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
• Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

The weekly schedule gives two days their own character. Since Oct. 29, Thursdays have a singing contest and "Don't Cry," a karaoke open mic with songs in Spanish and English. Sundays start at 11 a.m. with a Recovery Brunch paired with NFL games. The cantina's November NFL poster lists Sundays Nov. 1, 8, 15 and 22. When this post goes up, two of those are still ahead.

The brand's menu includes guacamole with chicharrón, queso fundido, quesabirria with consomé, a house paloma and a carajillo, and the bar carries more than 30 agave brands.

There's one booking detail to know before you invite people. The restaurant takes reservations through OpenTable, but the booking page says a party of two is too small to book online and asks those guests to contact the restaurant directly. Couples should call (915) 363-6330 instead of looking for an open slot. Larger groups can use the reservation link on the cantina's own page.

After 10:30 on Mesa: María Titina

Once the late-evening crowd is the main group, the plan moves to North Mesa. KFOX14's Aug. 1 opening report described María Titina as a mix of Mexican and international cooking, cocktails inspired by pop culture, and live music. The station listed these details at opening:

1. Days and hours: Thursday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
2. Live music: Friday and Saturday from 10:30 p.m. until closing, with sets ranging from mariachi to rock in English and Spanish.
3. Food: 12-ounce USDA Choice rib eyes and New York strips, a Taco Gobernador with a crispy cheese crust, Josper-roasted chamorro and a Burger Ahogada smothered in cheese.
4. Cocktails named for Latin music icons, including La Bikina for Luis Miguel, Tacones Rojos for Sebastián Yatra, Labios Compartidos for Maná and Márgara Francisca for Paquita la del Barrio.

New restaurants often adjust their schedules in their first months, so call or check the restaurant's own channels before you plan a Friday around that 10:30 p.m. start.

The live music fills a different part of the night than the other two. Kala's last dinner service ends at 9:30 on weekends. The Mesa sets started at 10:30 in August's listing. That leaves enough time to finish dessert at Cimarron Market and drive over for the first set.

Thanksgiving Week, Day by Day

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26, this year. Here's how the week lines up based on each restaurant's regular hours. Holiday schedules can differ from the normal week, so call ahead for Thanksgiving Day itself.

If guests arrive Tuesday or Wednesday, Kala is the only one of the three serving dinner, so book that table early in the week. Friday and Saturday are the only nights when all three are open, so the group outings fit there. On Saturday, a full Westside evening could run from a 5 p.m. dinner at Kala to table microphones in Montecillo to the late set on Mesa. On Sunday morning, before guests head to the airport, Kala's brunch and the cantina's 11 a.m. opening are both available.

Before you finalize anything, check two more points. Groups that have settled on Sin Yolanda should book through its page, while couples should call. Anyone set on María Titina's live music should confirm the current schedule directly with the restaurant.

Hosting family over the holidays has a way of showing you how much your corner of El Paso has changed since their last visit. If those conversations at the table drift toward what a move to the Westside would look like, Center Real Estate is glad to talk it through in English or Spanish, starting with the parts of town you've already come to know.