I drove by this place everyday for years before I popped in on a walk today. I'm so glad I did! They were about to close and they welcomed me warmly and encouraged me to stay. I asked a question about how spicy the carne adovada was and the cook told me a bit and then offered me a sample. It was great-tender, deep smoky red, and just spicy enough to make me sweat. I was walking my dog so they brought my food out to me on the shaded patio. My order of guacamole fries with a side of carne adovada fries was perfect. I look forward to exploring the menu! A perfect place to stop for breakfast or lunch. read more

La Mexicana - Guacamole fries with a side of carne adovada on top! - Mexican Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Fantastic food, super quick, authentic NM and great service. Will be here first next time I'm in town.

I was looking around on Yelp for a place to have lunch today, and since I had the app open, Yelp helpfully suggested a place about 2 blocks from my location. We decided after looking at pics that we would walk over and give it a try. Located on Coal about halfway between 3rd and 4th is this little gem. Our waitress was really funny, and we had fun just chatting with her about their tortilla factory, how they make the corn tortillas for a lot of local restaurants and such. She also helpfully let us know they'd be closed all next weekend and through the 4th of July holiday. Many of the tables were full when we came in just after noon on a Saturday, and we saw people on the patio outside, cars pulling out of the lot, and one or two to-go orders during our visit. The servers kept everyone happy, and drinks stayed filled. My husband and I each ordered the ultimate grilled cheese and my brother got the Breaking Bad Burger. Everyone enjoyed their food, even though they had run out of bacon (which all of our dishes included.) The BB burger was massive even without the bacon, and though my brother made a valiant effort, he still ended up taking over half of it home. The ultimate grilled cheese was fantastic, although it was on more of a bun instead of the sliced bread we saw in the pic on yelp, it was grilled and soft and tasted great. They supplied us with sides of carne adovada since they were out of bacon. Our waitress also brought a little bowl of chicharrones for us to try, and that may have been the highlight of the meal for me. Next time I will get a chicharrone burrito and never look back. Service was fast, friendly and funny, and the prices were fantastic. I am also excited to try their tamales and tacos (both sold by the dozen or in plates). It will definitely be going into our regular rotation of great local places! read more

Great home cooking, if you think the service is gruff, you have personal issues, these guys have character and treat you like family. You get what you put out!!! Say hi to Marci, tell her William says hey! read more

We were just driving through Albuquerque looking for a good quick bite. La Mexicana legit has the best tacos I've had in years and the sopapilla's knocked my socks off!!! I'm a germaphobe and very afraid of Covid. This place was super safe and clean. While we were there we learned that it is a historical family owned business and we can tell, we felt all the love! Thank you La Mexicana! We will be back again and if you're ever in Portland, look is up! read more

How have I lived in Albuquerque my entire life and never been here!? Along with being downtown almost every weekend I've never even noticed the place! I had the Huevos Rancheros...I don't think I've had better in NM. We also had a side of the chicharrrones and I don't think anywhere can top those. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't take a bag of their tortillas home. Everything was so perfect. read more

La Mexicana - Didn't leave any survivors - Mexican Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Came here two days ago and decided to try it again as I get food was excellent. Once again, food was excellent! I had the chorizo with eggs. Above average and the price is very reasonable. The servers were nice and very helpful ( Sarah smiles ). On a side note, Sarah's grandmother was the cashier. I asked. her what was that fruit cake looking thing on the counter...she said it was pumpkin cake. I have have no will power so I bought one.... best pumpkin cake I've ever had! Eaten In Twenty minutes! read more

La Mexicana - Mexican Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

What can I say? Great food for the price. Chile is flavorful but not too spicy. Homemade baked goods and tortillas are delicious. The service is wonderful and the food is fresh read more

Their food tastes like homemade! Their tacos, tamales, and sopapillas are so good! They also sell packaged tortillas and biscochitos.

Tacos are my favorite thing to eat. First time eating here. Ordered the taco plate which was the special. Came with three tacos, two sides and a drink and sopaipilla for $8 including tax. The food was delicious, rice was cooked perfectly. Not the best salsa but still pretty good. I would definitely come again. read more

La Mexicana - Taco plate - Mexican Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

The best mexican restaurant in Albuquerque I have been coming here for over 30 yrs the staff are the very best!

Excellent food. Their breakfast burrito gives the Frontier burrito a run for its money. I plan on revisiting often and checking out the rest of their menu. read more

I'm a little ashamed to admit that I have lived here over twenty years and never tried this place before. Amazing food! Obvious attention to quality ingredients. Seriously tastes like Grandma just made it, BECAUSE SHE DID! read more

Amazing service the girls were really nice and the food was very delicious! Would come back here in a heart beat read more

La Mexicana - Amazing service! - Mexican Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Bee coming here for a couple years ..the food is best described as...solid grandma food.its the kind of stuff that fills u up but doesn't make u sick...its real food.I love there burritos and tacos..whatever you order it will be good..they also have masa tortillas one other bulk food you can purchase..if your in the area I would recommend giving them a try read more

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This is our favorite place in the world.service,food, and price everyone should make this place a priority to visit.come early!

The tacos, the ones that are fried are great. Greasy, but great. The tamales are small, but very tasty. Not too hot either. The tortillas. Are ok. But your best bet for good and greasy is the fried tacos. I like the green, the red are.ok but I prefer the green. They don't warm up very well, the shell gets chewy. The prices are reasonable as well We keep coming back. Oh, ya, the chips are pretty good also. read more

We are visiting for a few days and wanted some authentic Mexican food! We were not disappointed! The staff was so wonderful and made us feel so welcome! Would definitely recommend checking them out! read more

Great tasting New Mexican food! Friendly staff and clean environment. Price is great for the quality of the food. read more

After a long hiatus, we decided to give La Mexicana another try. Boy, we're glad we did! Excellent carne adovada burrito and pork tamales served by cheerful and efficient waitresses. Chips and salsa, and sopapillas come with the plate meals. House brewed iced tea was very refreshing. Nothing makes me more happy than to see a family run business doing well. Check it out when you find yourself downtown at lunchtime...you won't be disappointed. read more

Solid breakfast: carne adovada, 2 over easies, scalloped potatoes, beans. I will return.

Stopped by to get masa and had to have lunch. The food was very good and made from scratch. Service was good and the restaurant was very clean. Sauce and salsa was alitlle soupy, but flavor was good. Will definitely come again. read more

La Mexicana - Mexican Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

WONDERFULLY fresh and simple salsa. Crispy rich chicharrones. Rich, fresh, and flavorful tortilla chips. Reasonable prices. Fast service. Grandmother to granddaughter involvement. Custom green chile stew, from vegetarian to meatalicious. Why did I wait so long to eat here? Oh yeah, they're only open through lunch. SO worth making a lunch date here! read more

Awesome find downtown. Chips are the best I have ever had. Their biscochitos equally good, they also sell the dough. Their food was good. Will tell everyone about this place, go early seating is limited. read more

This was a lunch destination for our group while on vacation in Albuquerque. We found it on Yelp, and decided to give it a go after reading the high ratings. The ratings were 100% deserved. The restaurant has its own small parking lot outside, so we parked and walked inside the building. The inside was pretty basic, and the restaurant itself was small. We seated ourselves and a server brought over chips, salsa and menus promptly. We looked at all of the options; it was pretty standard New Mexican food, with a large burger selection as well. Everybody in the group got a combination plate, which came with a taco, an enchilada, and a tamale. The tacos were fried, and they tasted absolutely delicious. The enchiladas and tamales were in a chile sauce, which was very spicy, but still good. It was very tasty, but required a lot of ice water to go with it. When we finished eating, the server brought over soapapillas for free, which are fried dough circles that were delicious with honey and helped to soothe the taste buds. The prices were good and the food fit the prices well. Another plus was the owner, who stopped by every table to talk with customers. All in all, it was a great restaurant that I would totally go to again. read more

Born and raised in Albuquerque and this is by far the best place for tamales!!!!! It brought back memories of my mom's old recipe. Great staff always friendly and welcoming Thank you again! read more

Tamales and chicken tacos are my absolute favorite!! I wish the calavacitas was fresher but maybe i came on an off day? Their breakfast burritos are awesome, the potatoes are never dry and the chile is prefect! My favorite lunch spot, I'm always sending people their way! read more

I woke up this morning with an awful head cold, desperate for the comfort and healing properties of green chile stew. I'd been meaning to try this place for awhile because I live nearby. I called to make sure they had GCS and the woman was so lovely... "No they didn't have any but they could make something up, honey, just come down and we'll take care of you." The place was lovely, colorful and bright, and everyone working was welcoming and attentive. And the made-up stew was as good or better than any! Pretty grateful to know I'm blocks from such a place. Also they do wholesale, homemade tortillas, chips, taco salad bowls, chile, etc etc. Highly recommended for your downtown discovery. read more

Red chili has a good kick. My favorite is the stuffed sopa with chicharrones. Always good

This is my favorite place for tamales downtown and their chips are addictive! Always very friendly and great service, although seating is limited during the lunch rush. read more

My Father and I love to have lunch here! Excellent service, delicious food, cozy atmosphere and overall a great staff with wonderful kind dispositions! We feel completely at home here and will be back for more :). read more

Ate here for the first time on Wednesday. Very, very impressed! Can't stop thinking about the sopapillas! I will be back. Red chile was awesome!!!! read more

The best chips I have ever had!! I cannot stop eating them! The food is amazing!! I love this place!

Best new Mexican place in Albuquerque I highly recommend this place even for just a quick burrito or a full mean with great customer service the girls in there are so sweet just love it all the way around read more

The Beef Taco Plate meat was combined w/soy filler. Yuch! And the taco shells were greasy. The Chicharone Plate meat was tough and crunchy. However, the calabacitas were tasty. read more

After driving by for months, finally stopped in for lunch with my wife. What a treat. Albuquerque has no shortage of good Mom and Pop type Mexican restaurants and this is another. We thoroughly enjoyed the food and service, The combination and chile relleno plates at about $7.50 were a bargain. The sopapillas were wonderful. Of course we took some fresh tortillas home also. Two complete lunches with ice tea and both flour and corn tortillas to take home for $22.00. Highly recommended. read more

While I hate to spoil a good secret, I am compelled to give props where they are due. And La Mexicana definitely deserves them. Incidentally, it's called "La Mexicana's Hot Tamale", and they've been open for over 30 years, way back to an original location in Barela's that burned down. But I only discovered them last year and ordered their tamales to go. They are hands down the best in 'burque. They make all of their own corn flour, including grinding the corn, and you can taste the freshness. But I held off rating them until we actually sat down for a meal, and I'm glad to report that it's all that good. Today I had the huevos, christmas, with 2 fresh corn tortillas. Their red is solid and green is even better. My lunch date ordered a breakfast sopaipilla with carne adovada. Very tastey carne. Their hash brown potatoes were the only disappointing thing we ate. Tostadas con salsa were great--again, freshly made tostadas. Overall, while everything we tasted was pretty good, their forte is definitely anything with the fresh corn or flour tortillas. Just wish they had more flexible hours... only M-F 7:30-3. And also, they only have like 4 tables in the place. read more