
‘Resident Evil’ Fans Will Love This Hidden El Paso Cafe
Coffee shops are everywhere in El Paso, but how many of them will serve you a drink in a blood bag?
Yeah. A blood bag.
And now that we're officially in Halloween season, I feel like this is exactly the kind of weird, spooky little El Paso spot we should be talking about.
Umbrella Coffee is tucked inside MJ's Gaming Cafe on Montana Ave., and if you're into video games, horror, coffee- or drinking something off an IV pole- this place deserves a spot on your spooky season list.
Oh, and they've got brains now! Don't worry, they're red velvet flavored.
There's a Nerdy Coffee Shop Hiding Inside MJ's Gaming Cafe
MJ's Gaming Cafe is already a pretty unique spot on its own. It's an El Paso gaming center where you can hang out, play console and PC games, try VR escape rooms and basically embrace your inner gamer for a while.
But then you find out there's a coffee shop inside of it.
That's Umbrella Coffee, and if the name immediately made your Resident Evil senses start tingling, you already know where they're going with this.
It's a nod to the Umbrella Corporation from the games, but the nerdiness definitely doesn't stop there.
Take a look at the menu and you'll find drinks called Vault 111, Purple Pikmin, Tekken King and Eye of Sauron. There are Resident Evil references mixed in there too, of course.
I'd probably spend way too much time reading the menu just to see how many references I could figure out before actually ordering anything.
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Blood Bags, T-Virus Brains and Halloween? Perfect.
Now let's talk about the part that REALLY got my attention.
You can get your drink served in a blood bag.
And we're not just talking about somebody pouring a red drink into a pouch and calling it a day. The whole thing can be hung from an IV pole, which is so wonderfully ridiculous that I kind of need to experience it at least once.
If you're ever going to casually walk around sipping from a blood bag, October seems like the month to do it.
But Umbrella Coffee decided that wasn't enough for spooky season because they've also introduced T-Virus Brains for October.
And LOOK AT THEM.
Thankfully, no zombies were harmed in the making of these brains. They're actually red velvet Rice Krispies treats shaped like little brains and packaged with a T-Virus label.
They even have a "Best Before" date of October 31. I appreciate the commitment to the bit!
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Add This El Paso Spot to Your Spooky Season Adventures
That's really why I wanted to share this place.
We have plenty of pumpkin patches, haunted houses and Halloween events around El Paso this time of year- and I love all of that- but sometimes it's fun finding the smaller, weirder things you can add to your October plans.
Grab a creepy drink. Eat a T-Virus brain. Play some video games.
That's a pretty solid spooky season afternoon if you ask me.
And you definitely don't have to be a die-hard Resident Evil fan to enjoy Umbrella Coffee. The whole menu is filled with different gaming and nerd-culture references, and you're already hanging out inside a gaming center.
But with Resident Evil having another big moment right now, discovering that El Paso has a place where you can grab a T-Virus brain and drink from a blood bag feels especially appropriate.
You'll find Umbrella Coffee inside MJ's Gaming Cafe at 10280 Montana Avenue in El Paso. They're open Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m.
Just remember: if somebody offers you the T-Virus while you're there, make sure it's the Rice Krispies version.
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