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    La Mexicana

    4.7 (78 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Closed 7:30 am - 2:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    La Mexicana Photos

    LA MEXICANA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - La Mexicana

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    Enchilada Plate with red and green chile
    LaMecia M.

    When was the last time you sneezed in a restaurant and everyone said bless you? Never, well, that's probably because you haven't been to La Mexicana -because that's how friendly not only the staff, but the patrons are! I literally followed my nose while killing time in Downtown ABQ waiting for the next Rail Runner train to La Mexciana. It did not fail me. When I walked in, I was immediately greeted by Ruth and she encouraged me to find a seat. The tables were full because a couple of people were sitting as they waited for their to-go orders, but one lady stood up to let me have a seat, and I offered to have her sit with me until her food came but then her order was up. As I took my seat, some other customers who were at the table next to me let me know that seating is precious and despite being regulars, it was the first time they were dining in. They advised me to get anything with the chile and I took that to heart. Ruth was my server (although it is a team environment) and she explained their menu and what they were known for and that they were a homemade tortilla factory. That led me to get the enchilada plate and the kitchen was nice enough to do a 2-1 split of beef and chicken along with half and half of red and green chile so that I could taste both. It was delicious. The red chile has a subtle heat after you swallow that almosts tasted like a smooth Cholula and the green just has a good kick that made me wipe my nose a few times and take a bite of the sopa, but nothing too bad to make me not want to finish my plate. Which I did. The standout on the plate was actually the beans. I wish I could learn how to make those at home or at least take a big bowl of them home! They also have a daily special that comes with a drink, but I don't eat pork, so I couldn't take advantage of it. I had a pineapple Jarrito to accompany my meal -they had 3-4 flavors as well as fountain Coke products and also bottles. I enjoyed seeing so many regulars come in and how the staff engaged with them - I also loved that you can pick up more than your meal with a few items they had such as tortillas, chicarrones, spices, etc. This should definitely be on the list for Downtown ABQ-skip the gentrified places and go here for Authentic New Mexican cuisine. If you come, remember it's a small place but that's their secret sauce, so come, be nice, be patient and be fed.

    UNBELIEVABLE!! NOT ENOUGH WORDS TO EXPRESS HOW TRULY AUTHENTIC, TRULY DELICIOUS THIS PLACE IS!! What a gem! Don't waste your time going to other so called Authentic Mexican restaurants nearby. You feel like you just walked in and sat down at grandma's house. The delicious aromas hit you walking in the door. It's so very clean and shows true pride. The staff is BEYOND gracious. This was our first time here, and they were so helpful with explaining the menu. I really could go on and on. This is just the best little place in Albuquerque

    Tacos
    Susan M.

    They also have the best huevos rancheros and chile rellenos.Also the have a little store section with teas,herbs, green and red chile and homemade tortillas (I usually buy the blue corn tortillas). The service is always friendly and helpful. Ambiance is casual and welcoming. Just a wonderful family owned mom & pop restaurant.shop local,support local establishments and restaurants. * Pictured is some of the delicious food I have had here.

    Homemade goodies
    Timmy S.

    I have only been here once before today and it was a long time ago. That time the place was packed and I took the food to go and ate it on the road home so I had been wanting to come back for a long time and today I finally did. Me and my kid sat down and were greeted by a friendly waitress who took her time with us. Btw the place smelled like grandma's house if you know what I mean! My daughter even mentioned when we got down that it smelled like her grandma's kitchen. I got the same thing I got the first time I came here, the Breaking Bad burger and it was a lot bigger than I remember! Everything tasted great it was delicious. Prices were great as well $30 for two huge plates, chips, salsa and sodas! Sometimes I regret some of the places I stop at when I'm out foodieing but I left here very happy with my decision. Two thumbs up from me! If I had anything to gripe about, it would be that it's not open 7 days a week haha. Great little restaurant...

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    6 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    4 months ago

    I absolutely love this place - authentic New Mexican food served lovingly. It's outstanding!

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    5 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Great food, great service, and the nicest sweetest waitress you'll ever meet!! ...and corn and flour tortillas to go!!

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Small little hidden spot with really good food and big portions. Friendly staff and fair prices. Enjoyed my food will be back again

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    2 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Good food, good prices and great employees. Homemade tortillas were awesome. Met the owner nice guy.

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    3 years ago

    Truly amazing food! Try the breaking bad fries!!! Service was awesome and the workers were polite! Highly recommend this place!

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Solid. If you want the real thing this is a hidden secret. Everything is well executed, the masa for your tamales is excellent.

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    3 years ago

    There Green Chili Burgers are the best We buy there MASA for their tamales it's the best also there biscotchito are great

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    7 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great service and great food all around! 10/10 will be coming back! Very laid back nice vibe.

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    11 years ago

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    Ask the Community - La Mexicana

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    Frontier - Mexican Combo ($11) w/ Christmas enchiladas, rice, beans and a crunchy taco

    Frontier

    4.2(2.7k reviews)
    1.8 miMidtown/University
    $$

    Well priced! Awesome customer service! Well flavored food! Daily specials! Free chile/beans for…read moredine in (not sure as I didn't eat there)! Spacious! Free parking! It's a hit for me. I ordered the cinnamon roll, frozen horchata, green chile stew (comes with a warm tortilla), and adovada taco. The total comes out to less than $20! In this economy?! That's amazing. The most expensive item of my item was the iced horchata, which was good. The food still takes the spotlight though. The cinnamon roll could use a TINY bit more cinnamon and brown sugar, but is still pretty good. I'd definitely come back here.

    It seems like this place has been around forever. I remember passing by this restaurant as a kid…read moreand seeing the wagon wheel chandeliers from the road. Directly across the street from University of New Mexico's main entrance, this place is packed when school is in session. This place is huge, but not at first glance. Walk into the retro-looking, Western themed dining room, and you'll see a huge menu board above the order counter. There is are several freestyle soda machines in the middle of the room. There are little digital screens in the corner where you watch for your order number and a counter in the corner where you go pick up your food. It's not until you go into the next room that you discover there is another "next room," and then another. There is a lot of art on the walls, including several John Wayne pictures. The girl at the counter who took our order was an absolute ray of sunshine--so friendly and sweet. We ordered the green chili cheeseburger with onion rings and the daily special which is the "green pile-up" (beans, hash browns, scrambled egg, and green chili beef). The good came our talented quickly, and was quite yummy. Frontier is an Albuquerque classic. If it old? Yes, but it has a huge faithful following, not including the things of UNM students that pack this giant diner during the school year. It may not be a "must try" for some, but if you want Albuquerque nostalgia, this is your place. Btw--it's pretty darn cheap,!

    Photos
    Frontier - Interior

    Interior

    Frontier - Complimentary Sopapillas ($0)

    Complimentary Sopapillas ($0)

    Frontier - Mexican Combo ($11) w/ Christmas enchiladas, rice, beans and a crunchy taco

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    Mexican Combo ($11) w/ Christmas enchiladas, rice, beans and a crunchy taco

    Herencia - Crab Enchiladas

    Herencia

    4.5(133 reviews)
    8.6 miEastside

    We were traveling from North Carolina to our home in San Diego…read more We looked up places to eat and were tired of "road trip food". We found Herencia and took a chance. We know good Mexican food, as we are from San Diego, and wanted to try the southwest fare. WHAT AN AMAZING CHOICE! The lovely hostess was charming, engaging and sweet (wish i had her name) and our waiter (Edgar) was authentic, personable and fun to chat with. We had been at a movie and had eaten a bit too much popcorn so we did not order a lot. The three of us shared the free blue corn (not fried) chips with three salsa samples. We then shared a salad and the amazingly good four taco sampler. Thank you Herencia (Enrique the owner, and staff) for this wonderful evening.

    Very expensive Mexican food with small portions. Food was good but not worth the price. They took…read morethe food too artsy and shrinked the sizes too much. Service did not match the price. Server didn't check on us too often and let someone at the table run out of water for 5 minutes until we asked for more. I had the pork al pastor ($26). It was cooked well and seasoned really nicely. Lobster enchiladas were nice but unique just to be unique. I asked for recommendations and all of the options were the most expensive on the menu which was odd to me. If they have a cheaper lunch menu it might be worth trying, but I think the dinner isn't worth it for the price. Four entrees and a soda was $130 plus tip.

    Photos
    Herencia
    Herencia - Tacos

    Tacos

    Herencia - Costilla de Rez

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    Costilla de Rez

    El Patio De Albuquerque - An oldy, but a goody. Been loving this place for over 25 years.

    El Patio De Albuquerque

    4.0(902 reviews)
    1.8 miMidtown/University
    $$

    My favorite meal this year. Very friendly staff and comfortable seating outside underneath a tree,…read morewith fairy lights above. We had the guacamole and salsa, I recommend mixing them together, they pair surprisingly well. A little pricey at $9.60 for the plate. For entrees, we had the green chile chicken enchiladas and carne adovada Christmas style. The latter is one of the most distinct and delicious regional dishes I've had. All entrees had really nice pairings with pinto beans, potato hash, and freshly cooked sopapillas. We chose to have the sopapillas with honey as a dessert, but there's the option to stuff them with the entree.

    This place is like a Mom and Pop hole in the wall gem. The restaurant is small. Parking is a bit of…read morea challenge. There are parking meters along the street and they are free after 6 pm. We stuck a few quarters into the meter that couldn't be read, and we walked into the restaurant. We were greeted at the door and given several options for seating including outdoor seating. We took a table in the entry way, not in the main restaurant. It was a quaint spot overlooking the patio section out front of the restaurant. A server met us, took our drink order, and we placed a few appetizer orders. We got some chile con queso, and the chicharron. They initially brought out the queso in two small plastic to-go containers. I was not very thrilled with that. Then, when we polished them off, they brought out some more in a small serving dish. Why we didn't get the dish in the first place is beyond me. The queso was good, but I didn't think much of the chicharron. My husband like it though. The server did an excellent job keeping our drinks filled. We placed our order, and it wasn't too long that our orders came out. I got the combination plate, red sauce, ground beef taco. My husband thought he ordered the enchilada plate, but the chile relleno plate came out instead. He told them that was fine. The ground beef taco was so delicious. The chile relleno was pretty good, and the cheese enchiladas were okay, even though it was like they were barely there. The pinto beans, not refried beans, were also enjoyed. What really set them apart was their papas - those potatoes were soft and super flavorful. Their red sauce was spicy and flavorful. The server brought out two fresh and hot sopapillas. We poured honey on those things bite by bite. I honestly think those were the best sopapillas I've had. I also used the restroom before we left. It might need a little updating, but it was certainly clean.

    Photos
    El Patio De Albuquerque - Nice conversion of old house

    Nice conversion of old house

    El Patio De Albuquerque - Chips and salsa were fair. $4.00 for a very small serving of salsa. I would not recommend the salsa and chips for the money you are paying.

    Chips and salsa were fair. $4.00 for a very small serving of salsa. I would not recommend the salsa and chips for the money you are paying.

    El Patio De Albuquerque - Patio seating.

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    Patio seating.

    El Pinto - Fresh Guacamole

    El Pinto

    3.4(1.9k reviews)
    8.9 miBusiness Parkway/Academy Acres
    $$

    Late lunch/ early dinner today. Hotter than heck outside so decided to hide at El Pinto for…read moreawhile. Ordered cold beer and cocktails after we were seated inside Lotsa flies.....we get it....pretty much an open-air restaurant this time of year They did set a spinner on our table which helped. Was decently cool inside too I have been wanting to try their Kizer beef and pork offerings so i threw down on a cheeseburger (hard to not order New Mexican food here) But that burger was perfect! Delicious I recommend and was plenty big Of course i dropped a big spoonful of green chile on it And the green chile strip appetizer was outstanding Summer at El Pinto. Enjoy!

    Overall, the restaurant is quite remarkable. The location is unique and the interior and exterior…read morespaces are beautiful. My parents lived in ABQ for years and always thought that the atmosphere was great, but the food was so-so. However, on this instance, we all thought the food was quite good. Flavorful carne adovada, although it was a bit tough. Red chile sauce was spicy but had great flavor. The green chile sauce was hot and tasty. Posole was also good. The gold margaritas were also good - to anyone complaining about the price - at $14.50, the price is very fair considering the cost of ingredients. If you want a cheap junk margarita that is more sugar than anything else, go somewhere else! Our gripe... The place is huge and has an abundance of great places to seat guests. We had a pretty large group - 7 people celebrating a family reunion of sorts. However, they sat us right next to the bussing station that had noisy carts, dishwashers, and other distractions. It was so loud, it was hard to hear the person across the table. There were at least 10 other tables that they could have seated us at! It seems to me that this area should be used only when the restaurant is completely full. This seems to be a poor management decision rather than the fault of the servers or hosts.

    Photos
    El Pinto - Come on in!

    Come on in!

    El Pinto - Hatch Chile and Chicharrones

    Hatch Chile and Chicharrones

    El Pinto - Interior entrance

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    Interior entrance

    La Mexicana - mexican - Updated August 2026

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