Favorite New Mexican Restaurants (Las Cruces, Roswell: areas, interior, locations)

[Towanda]

We were in northern NM the first weekend in October...thought I would let you know where we ate and our observations:

Cedar Crest Grille, Cedar Crest, New Mexico. This is a small local place with a simple inexpensive menu. My husband had a chicken breast sandwich, and I had black bean tostadas. The highlights of the place: blackberry cobbler with ice cream on top (yum!) and a really nice hostess who really knew how to do her job well.

La Choza, Santa Fe, NM. I guess I would say La Choza is our favorite place for New Mexican cuisine in Santa Fe, and is the first place we head when we get to the city. It never disappoints! Our favorite menu item there? The posole that comes with all the entrees. And they have GREAT green chile. Inexpensive and casual.

Harry’s Roadhouse, Santa Fe, NM. A visit to Santa Fe is never complete without a trip to Harry’s Roadhouse. This year our realtor treated us to lunch there. Great food but one oddity: we got there a little before noon on a Saturday…and the waitress told us they do not serve lunch until 12:10 , so we had to order from the breakfast menu. (Which was still good.)

Tortilla Flats, Santa Fe, NM. Had never been to this restaurant before, and glad we tried it. Decent New Mexican food …friendly service, big menu and we will go back there.

The Pantry, Santa Fe, NM. We have been hearing about this restaurant, so we tried it early on Sunday morning ahead of the crowd. Not fancy décor, but simple awesome food and friendly employees. I had a breakfast burrito that was just loaded with wonderful green chile.

Blake’s Lotaburger, Santa Fe, NM. What can I say? New Mexico institution. Can’t spend a weekend in NM and not stop at Blake’s. Green chile cheeseburger.. MMMMMM…..

Maria’s, Santa Fe, NM. Our trips to Maria’s date back for years; probably one of the very first restaurants we ever ate at in Santa Fe. The margaritas are the best in town, the décor is so cozy and fun, the servers are always nice. But it seems to me the quality of the food has declined in recent years. We still go back….but not what it used to be, in our opinion.

[jsc23]

Estella's Cafe in Las Vegas, NM is not to miss. On Bridge Street near the Old Town Plaza. Estella's has been serving the best red chile in NNM for 57 years.

The family (3rd generation now running it) farms their own red and green chiles from "heritage" strains. They grow their own beans, too.

Every NM item on the menu is made from scratch daily.

As to Mexican food- well, that's like talking about European food. The cuisines of say Oaxaca, Veracruz and Mexico City differ as much as the tables of Provence, Xerez and Budapest. A good red mole from Oaxaca is extraordinary, deep in color and flavor from the unique blend of chiles and savory cacao et alia. Caldo de piel should not be missed when in Veracruz and a tortilla(omelet) with smoky, black huitlacoche is a must in El D.F. Etc etc.

[nmguy]

I recently had a delicious meal at La Posta in the town of Mesilla.

I would put that restaurant on my all-time top 5 list. It has a wonderful ambience, excellent service, and savory food.

[eastmtnlifer]

You left out a restaurant that has been a fixture of Albuquerque for more than 35 years!! Cervantes, at the corner of San Pedro and Gibson is a family owned business, consistent in all aspects. Not to mention they make the best Patron margarita. Please try!!

[JMRtraveler]

I had fantastic blue corn chicken tacos in a casual cute little place in T or C, sorry I can't recall the name! Not too many places on the main street there, you'll find it.
Also- in Soccorro, try BurritoTyme for scrumptious breakfast burritos.
Since leaving NM in summer of 06 I have searched all over the US in my travels for blue corn Mexican fare....the search continues. Hope when I move to Santa Fe this summer I can find a place.

[mfish]

Everybody has their favorites when it comes to Mexican (or New Mexican) food - and the varieties are wide. So these are my favorites scattered across the state. Some are "hole in the wall" joints, others are nicer places. ALL have very good food, in my humble opinion:

Spanish Kitchen in Las Cruces (enchiladas), Cecilio's in Roswell (burritos, enchiladas - it's a little walk-up/drive through joint on the north end of town with outdoor seating only, so call ahead and order "to go" if it's cold outside), Bruno's in Cuba (enchiladas - heard it burned down, but I think they opened up across the street - salsa is to DIE for!), Rancho de Chimayo in Chimayo (enchiladas), Maria's in Santa Fe (blue corn enchiladas).

And for a tremendous burrito with some of the best burrito salsa (which is different from regular salsa or pico de gallo) I've ever tasted, there's a FINA gas station and convenience store on the Northern end of Alamogordo - it sits diagonally across from the School for the Deaf (or is it Blind?) right on the highway. It has a burrito counter inside. So good, I bypass the bypass to make sure I get one. They have great breakfast burritos, but the beef, potato & green chile burrito is better than great. Darn .. I gotta head that way soon ...

The Santa Fe Grilles in Las Cruces do some pretty mean "build your own" breakfast burritos as well! Again, they have burrito counters inside convenience stores.

"Burritos & More" puts out a very good breakfast burrito in Roswell, too. It's across from the Petroleum Building. Order the "Big Breakfast" with sausage and red chile.

For green chile cheeseburgers, the Owl Bar in San Antonio (South of Socorro) and also in Albuquerque ((on Carlyle, just off I-40) cannot be beat.

[ubechalcb]

Originally Posted by lobo

That is close by so we'll have to try it. Thanks for the tip.

We both love Los Cuates and Gardunos. A couple of weeks ago we decided to try La Salita that recently opened on the west side, but left after we were told it was going to be a 30 min. wait before we'd be seated. We were the only ones in the waiting area and the restaurant was only 1/2 full.

I did a search in Google to see if there was anyone else who thought that La Salita on Coors Road was the WORST New Mexico Food ever. My Fiance and I went there on Sunday 4/13/2008 seeking a new New Mexico food resaurant besides Gardunos, El Pinto, etc. even thoug we like them and the hole in the wall places on the west side. 1:00 pm. Got seated right away. Must have been after the Sunday Lunch rush, the floors were a mess with food debris. After sitting, we were brought soupy salsa with no flavor the did not stay on the chip - chips were good though. Ordered the shredded beef sopas with poached egg on top and green - green chili was soupy, needed a spoon and the poached egg was a mess! I looked at it and the waitress just laughed and said "yea, I did the same thing" Umm What?!?! Fiance ordered the Huevos Rancheros - Green - again needed a spoon to even eat the meal - the meal was so unflavorful - how do you mess up Huevos?! I NEVER salt my food and this time around, there was not enough salt on the table to season the food. I can't imagine how a place like this stays open. I am as white/caucation as they come and can make better New Mexican food than La Salita - shoulda went to NYPD for Green Chili Pizza! You my friend did not miss anything by leaving!

[Pintada Kid]

In Santa Rosa N.M. Johnnys Comet Drive Inn and Johnny who is the Cook in his own place for over 40 years or ever since i can remember has the best Mexican food the Red beef enchiladas with one egg over medium are my favorite. Also across from the City Park in Moriarty the lady selling burritos in a Trailer there are the best at 2 50 for a huge burrito and sometimes you can find her parked at the Flea Market on the East end of Moriarty on weekends on nice days. el pintada kid

[Markd51]

Living here almost 5 years, I've yet to find a Restaurant that I'd rate higher than 2 Stars. I've yet to eat Mexican-New Mexican Food here that I would call "Outstanding, or Very Good".

No such thing here. Case Du Suenos was horrible, the worst Tacos I ever ate in my life, Si Senor, Maximillos, Hacienda, Mariscos, Marias I thought I was eating Dog Food, I spit out more than I ate, with grisle, and fat.

Ramonas, thank god they shut them down (Replaced by Alamo Grill), I ate there twice, once for breakfast, which was acceptable, then once for dinner, and the cashier laughed at me, when I told him you need to import some real mexican cooks from Chicago, as your cooks can't cook for Sh#t. A combo Platter, and two Carta Blanca beers came to over $17. The Beer was OK, the food, inedible. I left with no tip.

A bad habit they have here in this town, is making Beef Tacos, with Ground Beef, on those miniaturized Tortillas, not a regular size Tortilla, and then have the nerve to charge $7.50-$8.00 for 3 Tacos, which have about a teaspoon of Ground Beef, two TBSP of Beans, and Rice.
Wouldn't mind so much if they tasted good, but they don't.

The Salsa here, usually tastes like Pace in the bottle, because probably most the little old ladies going out for lunch can't handle the heat.

Alaomgordo is a sh#thole for food, the worst in the nation. People brag about Blake's Lota-Burger. I went once, the cook was literally spitting on my food when he cooked it. Too much jiving, and signifying at disgusting loud levels, not wonder everybody sits outside when they eat, to get away from that loud mouth crap.

I'm Italian, and I make better Tacos, Mexican Food than any place I've ever visited in town.


Pepper's Grill is barely acceptable, has some semblence of an atmosphere, but service is poor. Don;t dare order an appetizer, and a main course, they'll come at the very same time, no matter what you tell your waiter-waitress.

Alamogordo is strictly a low class town, that likes charging you good money for crap.

The best for Mexican-New Mexican in this town is, Eddies in the Granada Mall. Even they're starting to slip,. because they cannot keep up with the customers, and thier food is starting to get awful chewy, and tough.(Not enough cook time) All they make is Burritos, and Gorditas basically.

I've yet to try Rebaccas in Cloudcroft, I here they are good, but very expensive.

I've also yet to try Nellies in Cruces, went there once, and they were closed (Sun-Mon closed)

Coming from Chicago, I have yet to see any Mexican Restaurant in NM come close to Nuevo Leon, or El Milagro in Chicago.

As I close, I once had Sushi at Osaka in Santa Fe. Just on a whim, when I was up there for a state job orientation.

The Sushi was to die for, the best since I left Chicago, and compared to any Sushi Bar that Chicago Had. The fish was fresh, and delicious! The service was outstanding. Mark

[tecpatl]

The best truely Mexican food in Chicago (and among the very best in the entire USA
- or Mexico) is Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, though I doubt you'd like their prices. Not typical rice n beans fare, though both their rice and beans, when used, are superb. They serve Mexican cuisine.... those things that make true Mexican food one of the worlds great culinary experiences. Frontera and Topo would be great restaurants even in Guadalajara and Mexico City.
You sound pretty peeved....better make that three Carta Blancas next time out. Better yet, try a couple Bohemias and a Cazadores.

I can't speak for Alamo, but in and around LC there is a surprisingly large amount of very ordinary, phone-it-in Mex/New Mex food masquerading as authentic comfort food. My favorite cheap, tasty, well prepared Mexi-chow is at Enriques on Picacho. A very humble place, with actual house-made food, and the creamy, slow-simmered frijoles pintos I judge all others against. Go there, try a chicken tostada (just one, it fills a plate), or just about anything else they offer. I'm normally the only gringo there when I go, and lots of the regular customers love the caldo, but I'm not all that hot on it, though it's house-made and authentic. The people are super nice and it is cheap!
My wife dragged me to Si Senor, which I'll admit I was prepared to loathe because it's so cute and slick, and I must declare the food was very good. Been back a few times.
Just down the street is Roberto's, which does good red and green chile but has zero atmosphere and disposable plates and plastic forks. I buy red chile sauce and tamales there though.
An unheralded but deserving place is Beltran's Meat Market on El Paseo, just a bit north of Idaho on the east side of the road. It's meat, meat, and more meat, but extremely generous servings and good quality preparation. Beltrans does some unusual things (ever had sheep stomach?) and they have a salsa bar similar to Andale in Mesilla, which is another pretty good spot. At Beltrans you can plan on taking enough of your lunch home for dinner.
There is, to my knowledge, no "high cuisine" Mexican food in LC. All the places cited above are typical south New Mexico/North Mexico places, good quality but not even close to the same league as Frontera in Chicago, and this short list is just a few of my favorites...NOT a comprehensive listing.