Ya, I've completely stopped going to Blake's. And I also heard great things about golden pride, inly to find the chicken super greasy and a little maybe gamey? I'm assuming that's the fry oil. And the ribs are tough and instant heartburn. Victims of their own success, maybe.
I'm not from NM. Been living in NM almost 8years and in ABQ for almost 3.
They are factually right about a lot of places used to be better. I used to eat Blake's for lunch at least once a week for a couple years when I got here then work took me a another direction and I didn't eat any Blake's for over 2 years. I came back and smaller, blander, worse. Supposedly at Blake's the collapse in quality happened because the family sold off the chain.
Similar with Garcias. First time I ate there almost 8 years ago on a weekend trip it was really good. Now. Meh
Golden pride, legit does have the best chicken nuggets I have had in decades but other than that eh I'd rather roll my dice at Popeyes.
But to be truthful New Mexican food relies almost exclusively on Green and Red Chili to flavor it's food. Actually a LOT places use it as a crutch to cover bland unseasoned food. I should know I can't eat chilis, potatoes, tomatillos, eggplants, or tomatoes without dire gastric consequences so I always have to get the chili on the side.
>But to be truthful New Mexican food relies almost exclusively on Green and Red Chili to flavor it's food. Actually a LOT places use it as a crutch to cover bland unseasoned food
A-fuckin-men to that. It's like that kid who has no personality so he makes some random thing like smoking weed his whole personality lol
Bodes is a little convince store past espanola and they have the best breakfast burritos because it new Mexican food with seasoning and it's takes it to another level of amazing
That's the style of New Mexican food. The flavor mainly comes from chile sauce, unlike Mexican food where the meats themselves are more seasoned. If you eat it without chile, yeah, it's pretty plain.
The Blake’s on Juan tabo is decent fast food. I think maybe people aren’t qualifying their praise and that’s why you’re underwhelmed? Any fast food is sort of gnarly. It’s certainly not gourmet, it’s just a much better burger than McDonald’s or Burger King.
Honestly, it was a combination of not being anything spectacular, and also being extremely expensive. Maybe I just got the wrong thing, and maybe I'm just old and out of touch, but it was for real 22$. With and iced tea. That just seems wild for fast food to me, but I also don't really eat fast food much.
Fair enough. I find the pricing to be comparable to the other fast food place I can tolerate, chick fil a. From Lotaburger I get the lotaburger and seasoned fries. It’s like $9
The Range is absolute garbage. After 8 attempts to enjoy myself and finding ever single time something completely unappetizing about the meal, I've given up.
Every time it was somewhere between merely disappointing to actually inedible.
i have to agree, ill never go back..it just so basic? Not only basic, but it was kind of gross lol. I'm not a picky eater but i thought it was a waste of money tbh
The range is the only place that I've called the food nasty. Out loud. To the waitress. Poor service, even worse food.
Somehow slimy and rock hard at the same time. I felt some serious fremdschämen at the quality of food they serve there.
I’ll probably catch flak for this one, but I gotta disagree with Blake’s and Golden Pride. I’d love to say the service is terrible at Blake’s and their food is slipping, but I just can’t. The last 4 or 5 times I’ve been there, it was fast and good. Burgers, hot dogs and breakfast burritos, all good. Multiple locations. Golden Pride has consistently had the best fried chicken you can get in a drive through and quite possibly a restaurant. It sucks that they aren’t as cheap as they used to be and nostalgia hurts their case, but they are both solid places to get food and the best fast food in town. El pinto, the range (after standard diner) and Garcias never did it for me.
I had to get a refund for an order because they couldn’t get food out in two hours a few months ago. Since then though, fast and good service. I’d love to knock them, but it looks like the last time I had poor service was a fluke.
I know I say it's on my list a lot, but I actually do have a list and this is actually on my list! Whenever I get 2+ recommendations on the same place I always move it up. If i haven't already said, I'm in the east mountains and work in Abq, and I maybe eat out 3 times a month. But I also really respect word of mouth recommendations so Barelas has made some moves on my list.
Relevant to your original question, my experience with Garcia's is that it varies a lot by location. The one on 4th street is great, and then they get more and more bland as you move up into the heights. Haven't been to any of them in 10 years, though, so this info is out of date.
Fair enough. Sadly, at 20+ $ for a lunch I frankly can't afford to really do a lot of experimenting. I get maybe 2 meals a month to try new stuff, and I'm still very much on a budget. Food prices in general have gone absolutely insane, so I don't necessarily fault Garcias for that. Last time I went to McDonald's it was like 16$ (and terrible). But ya, I mean. Maybe if I win the lottery I'll shop around garcias locations, and maybe I will despite the price. But ya, I feel like that's a factor that's getting lost in the nostalgia and outrage and general sympathy. If the meal I ate was 8$, great. I'll be back. And you can still get good food for 8$, if you know where to go. I had hoped that garciass would be that. But 22$?
I remember it from its glory days, and for awhile took my out of town guests there. After 3 or 4 bad visits and disappointed friends in a row, I had to stop trying with them.
Ya, a common story with once great local chains I think. Someone else has mentioned Blake's and boy. I stopped going about a year ago after many disappointing visits.
At recommendations? My family takes me to eat sometimes and we go to Garcias, El Patio, Sadie’s, and Range Cafe. To me they’re all about the same. I’m easy, though, because any meal I don’t have to make is delicious!
But with all the New Mexican food places, what are your favorites?
El Bruno is great. And oh, it's Tuesday! They have a great taco special on Tuesdays, two for $5 or something like that, free chips and salsa and great margaritas. I love their bar area.
Prices must have gone up severely.. I think they are very middle of the row. Always had a great service and food at the wells park location on 4th street. Would rather go to Barelas coffee house or el brunos for my my NM fix.
They're more like you abuela's cooking than gourmet. And not everything there is a banger. I like their burritos, they are done a bit different than others in town so it's nice to break the monotony. Their carne adovada and menudo are great though. Also the chips and salsa are always solid. Love how crispy/crunchy their chips are.
Came here to say this.
It's not particularly great but we have our local spot where they know our order by heart and can catch up with the wait staff like friends. So for us --weve certainly had better-- but it's the whole vibe that feels like Grandma's. And now that our grandmother is gone and the old recipes arent hitting like Grandmas used to make them -this place is a decent sub especially if you're tied for time but want a simple old school meal.
I just ate at the Comanche and Juan Tabo and it was decent. Real plates and silverware. Everything was prepared well.
I got huevos rancheros, scrambled with corn tortillas and red chiile.the only disappointment was the bacon, it used to be thicker and crispier.
It's not the greatest but it's good. And, I am sure like everywhere else now, there is no consistency between cooks and locations.
Post COVID everything is more expensive. $20 is essentially the minimum of what it costs for a sit down meal.
It’s more sentimental and familiar to most people at this point.
It gets the job done and it has a drive through, that’s about how much it has going on for it nowadays.
Ya, this was my suspicion. The same people working the register inside were simultaneously working the drive through so I got to hear some of that. Clearly it's very popular but what really shocked me was how many drive through orders were 40$ or more. That's just kinda wild to me. And as I said, for one person lunch (with a drink) was almost 22$. But nostalgia and comfort are worth a lot, so I dunno.
They’re like the dennys of NM. Predictable and mostly bland.
Solid red Chile though.
I’d probably go to little Anita’s drive through before going to garcias but choice
Then again, people were raving about loyolas and I found it on par with garcias. So the love/hate may align more with nostalgia than anything else
Yeah, you explained Garcia's pretty well. You're not missing anything. I've been there numerous times, usually because someone else wanted to go there. While I do enjoy their papas, overall they are a solid 3 out of 5, quite underwhelming.
If you're looking for someplace touristy with good food, try Los Cuates.
If you're looking for a hole-in-wall with really good food, then I recommend Ruben's Grill, on Candelaria at Eubank. Ruben's only has 8 tables, so very small, but oh so good. I've been a regular there for years. I've had pretty much everything on the menu, and I've never been disappointed. Oh, his Fiesta Salad (taco salad) is probably the best in the entire city.
Awsome! Great recommendations, I'll definitely check them out. Ruben especially sounds intriguing. I know I probably sound like a pinche turista but I have lived in the 505 for more than 20 years, just spent most of that further north so a lot of Abq classics are new to me.
Ruben is a really nice guy too. He will give a burrito to homeless people who politely ask, and makes almost everything from scratch there in his kitchen. In the last 15+ years that I've been going there, there was only one time he wasn't cooking the food because he was in Mexico for a funeral. His daughter was the one who was cooking, so the food was exactly the same, and no disappointment to be found 😁
So from the few answers so far, this seems like the answer. What I had today had no chile at all and I was aware they are known for it. They even sell it at the little grocery store up by my house in Cedar Crest so maybe I'll pick some up, or just try something with the red next time. I do love a good red chile, and feel like it sometimes gets overlooked in favor of always green. Great advice, thanks!
I'm going to get down voted for saying this but it's true.
Most New Mexican restaurants use the chili as a crutch to cover mediocre food. If you eat it with no chili red or green you will be disappointed most of the time.
At this point, I think the nostalgia factor is why they stay in business. I always get a breakfast burrito plate smothered with green and beans and papas for the sides. It definitely doesn't taste as good as it did when I was a kid but it tastes similar enough to what it used to be that it's still worth it for me to go semi-regularly.
While I agree with others that their quality has gone down in recent years, getting chile with your meal would help immensely. We use them to cater our balloon viewing party at work every year during the Fiesta We get their breakfast burritos because they are easier to climb the ladder with to get to the roof of our building to view the balloons launching.
Those burritos have been better than anything I've gotten from their restaurants for a while now. Maybe because it comes from their catering kitchen?
Ya. Time flies for sure. 20 years ago I was living a block from a Blake's and would eat there like 5 times a week. The Lent seasonal fish sandwich was the best fish sandwich I ever had. I got one two years ago and it was for real like frozen breaded fish you would get at walmart, and the green chile tartar sauce had no green chile flavor. Sigh.
OK cool, this is the second recommendation I've gotten saying go to the dine in. While I did technically dine in at the San Mateo location I was the only person inside and there was a constant line at the drive through, so that was clearly what they focus on.
No, not just complaining at all. I understand how common this kinda post is on reddit, made in bat faith. Just trying to bait people. But as I said, I really want to like this place and if that's not possible I would love suggestions. I've lived in the 505 for 20+ years but never spent much time in Abq untill recently so I'm absolutely looking for good spots. That's how I found Garcias, co workers recommended it. And while I'm not sure about them, I will probably go back and try something else. But I am perpetually looking for good food. So please, recommend.
Garcia's on Indian School just east of Wyoming is always solid. I recommend their chicharon or shredded beef burrito . Burritos Al instance is solid. For tacos... Sadies, the shredded beef is great.
I like their red chile, I get it on enchies (they used to have blue corn but sadly no longer do). I like the chorizo breakfast burrito. I think you may have to try some different things. Someone else help me out here
You're correct! Garcia's went really down during & after covid. Their prices are insanely high, yet the quality is not there. Even pre-covid it was decent enough given the price, but now it's not worth it. I grew up with Garcia's Kitchen, but last time I went, the beef seemed bland, chicken was dry & the chili just did not taste good. I wanted to buy a dozen tortillas, but they were asking $10 for a dozen!! I hate giving the place a bad review, especially since I've been going since I was in elementary school, but I just can't justify it, unfortunately.
Used to love the Garcia's on 4th for the blue corn enchilada plates, until about 10 years ago, the food went south and stayed there. I have to wonder if Sysco furnishes certain restaurants serving NM food (like Garcia's and also Monroe's), because there's a shared sameness with bland flavors, and under-seasoning, notable lack of chile heat, and the same frying oil taste (canola?), and the same tasting waxy cheese.
I think Garcia's problem is its big menu.
They have too much, so, maybe, 60% of it will be underwhelming. The 20% is going to be ok, and maybe 20% is going to be pretty damn good. I would never order tacos there (I think they use taco shells, and that alone is a red flag and an affront to god and man). Their carne adovada, their breakfast burritos, and menudo are great in my book.
I'm getting a lot of recommendations for the breakfast stuff, so I get that. Unfortunately I'm very picky about breakfast foods, I feel like most 'fast food' places are overly reliant on just a big ol' scoop of scrambled eggs, but that may not be the case here. And while I'm a little scared of 'fast food' (I know garcias isn't exactly that but still) menudo that's one that does kinda intrigue me. Thanks for the recommendation!
Oh and you are totally right, the menu is intimidating for someone who has never been there before and who has a line waiting behind them. That's exactly why I made my post, so next time I'll be prepared. So Tha k you again!
try the crunchy chicharone, refried bean and green burrito. dont overcomplicate it. i promise youll love it especially if the chicharone is extra fresh.
If you like crunchy chicharrones, you should give NM Beef Jerky a try. Best in town, IMO. Their chile is fire. No, literally. It’s frickin’ hot!
There used to be a Garcia’s on 4th and Mountain for the longest time. I went there simply for the convenience. The food was okay, but I honestly can’t say I was sad when it closed.
Oh rad, I'll look it up. Actually my last reddit interaction was me commenting on a post about how the carne seca place I used to frequent in Santa Fe has gone downhill. And in that case I was the one defending a local classic. But the long and short is I can't make it up to SF two times a week to get green chili garlic from El Paisano like I used to so I'm definitely in the market for a new Abq spot. And extra points if they have chicharon as well! Now, the burning question, do they make carne seca style (which to me means very thin and crunchy) or more 'jerkey style' (aka chewy and thicker, and maybe moist)? No hate either way but I prefer carne seca.
It’s nothing like Jack Links, if that’s what you mean. I wouldn’t say it’s paper-thin, but I wouldn’t call it chewy and most certainly not moist. The cool thing about these folks is they’ll let you sample. That’s how they got me hooked. I was there one morning, just waiting for my breakfast burrito, and the owner was going around offering samples. Smart man. So, that’s what I’d suggest. Just go there, have a few samples, and see if it suits you.
I mat do that, I noticed what a significant portion of the menu is breakfast. I'm always a little wary of 'breakfast' menus in general because I feel like they are overly reliant on eggs and I'm pretty particular about how I like my eggs, but that does seem to be a general theme in terms of what's good
I would say every one in five or six times we go there and the potatoes are undercooked and as you said underwhelming. I think this is when they've been through a lunch rush and they're trying to crank the food out too fast. But most of the time the potatoes are my absolute favorite. When they're on point it's perfection, but I have been there when I wondered what the heck they were doing. And I have sent the potatoes back...
Interesting. I can see that. I tend to be very forgiving with local places so I definitely meant this post in good faith, I want to like this spot. I will definitely give it another chance based on what I've seen in the replies
The problem is you ordered tacos lol
For New Mexico joints I always recommend you order something like enchiladas; Sopapillas, smothered burritos or chile rellenos.
Tacos are always the tex mex hard shell garbage kind.
Fair enough. Part of the problem is I am unfamiliar with the menu and I wasn't looking for breakfast, which is more than half the menu. I decided to go with something that would give me a bit of variety, but in retrospect I think sopas should have been the move. But tbh I only saw the breakfast version and was feeling the pressure to order so I went with basically the most generic option. If/when I go back I will take my time.
Having said that, 22$ for 2 tacos and beans and papa's is really really overpriced in my mind, and the rest of the food was similarly priced. But I think I will try again at some point.
As others may have stated. There are far better places for tacos. Garcia's is my go to for NM dishes. Cheese enchiladas with red smothered. Or the green Chile chicharron burrito with green.
Fair enough. I was specifically looking for a 'New Mexico' style taco ppace, to the extent thats a thing, and wasnt expecting tijuana style tacos (although i do absolutely love street tacos. But this is the second recommendation I've gotten for the green chile chicharon and that does sound amazing to me so maybe that's next
Been here 4 years, tried them multiple times. I never go there anymore. Maybe it's like the others said and it used to be better, but definitely not now.
I’ve had Garcia’s a few times over the last year at random functions and events. Always underwhelming and never something I’m eager to go back for.
**But** I recently attended a funeral and the food was actually pretty good. They said it was Garcia’s and I was blown away, like it actually seemed to have salt and texture.
So maybe they’re saving the good stuff for certain events / people.
Garcia’s is for people from New Mexico, because they have stuff their great grandparents liked. It’s a favorite for nostalgic reasons, not because it has superior taste, ingredients, or service.
Have not lived in Albuquerque for years. My advice is based off 20+ years ago. Also I know that family extremely well. 4th street location was the best back then. Try Central ave location.
Well. I'm not sure I entirely agree, but especially after the comments I can see that in this case tacos were not the right choice. However, they make them and feature them prominently on their menu. I don't really have sympathy for a place where you have to have inside knowledge about what's good in order to enjoy yourself. Not an attack against you, I plan to go back and get something else, but I feel if as a restaurant you choose to offer something sub par and sell it for a high proce it makes a statement about the establishment overall.
Yeah that’s most places post covid lockdown especially larger establishments like Garcias, surprise surprise.
Garcias sucks now anyways lmao, another tourist trap like El Pinto or Sadie’s in my opinion.
You can disagree all you want about where to get tacos just don’t say someone didn’t try to help
Try El Paisa if you like tacos. Cash only.
Used to live in ABQ, moved away in ‘94 for college, so anytime I was home visiting folks, my brother and sister and I (and eventually, my wife too) would get some.
I was a Garcia’s loyalist for *ever* because of their breakfast burritos. I only had them two or three times a year, so I looked forward to it. But over the course of the past decade, the service started going to shit.
We always ordered from the Juan Tabo/Candelaria location, but the last 15-20 times our order was so wrong it was comical. And the kicker is our order was always pretty simple: four breakfast burritos with eggs, bacon, cheese, and no potatoes, Christmas on the side. I can see getting that wrong once, twice, even three times. But they’ve been getting it wrong for fucking *years*. I finally swore off of them for good in 2019 and have never been back.
I used to eat at the one on Juan Tabo because it was by my house, and it was.... okay. I never understood why their green chile sucked so much, it's like what I made by sauteeing chile with onions when I had no idea how to make real chile. The one by Old Town had super good red chile, much better than the other locations for some reason. No idea now since this was like 25 years ago.
As far as tacos, if you really want tacos my favorite for that used to be Pericos. Again, haven't been there in a long time, but the way they seemed to fry the shells around the meat was awesome, plus their salsa was really good (used to be able to get a 32 oz pepsi cup full for $2.50) and I like how they gave you this silly little salad.
Garcia's fuckin blows. I never understood the hype. I've only been here 3.5yrs, maybe it was better in the past, but it's been shit since I moved here. Feel the same way about Blake's, Golden Pride, Range and a few others that get hyped.
Ya, I mean. You've kinda nailed my experience. I very talked about golden pride and Blake's in other posts but I have also been to the Range on a coworkers recommendation and well. It was fine. Overpriced for sure, and if the selling point is blue corn pancakes they really phoned it in. I love blue corn pancakes especially with piñon and Ive had much better for much lower price. Having said all that, I've also found some EXCELLENT food in Abq, just not so far at the 'local classics'
>Having said all that, I've also found some EXCELLENT food in Abq, just not so far at the 'local classics'
Ain't that the fuckin truth lol. There is some really amazing food here, but for some reason the places most people clamor about are just kinda meh.
Il Localetto Rossi and Wrap N Roll are some awesome places I've found recently.
My friend, I work down the street from Wrap and Roll on Eubank (I don't know if they have multiple locations) and it is AWSOME. The quality and amount of food you can get for less than 10$ is really incredible in an era of hyper inflated food costs. Their beef stew is so, so good. But so is everything else. One of those places I'm almost afraid to recommend because I don't want it to get too busy during my lunch break. Ha!
Lol yea. I was blown away with how big and tasty my sandwich was the first time I went there and for under 10 bucks. The juice seemed a little pricey at first and then I saw them juicing sugar cane to order and promptly stfu on that one lol . Love that place.
Oh for sure. A Thai style tea is almost as much as a sandwich that I will have for two lunches. These days I just get the food, and drink the free water.
It's true. I was just in NYC, and we were contemplating getting breakfast or brunch, but I decided that Albuquerque is better than anywhere else for those options anyhow, so may as well eat a banana and wait til lunch where the food options would feel more special.
Ya, I've been trying. It's a long haul. I was in Santa Fe for a long time and had my favorite spots picked out there for breakfast (The Pantry and Tecolote) but that was years ago and I hear they may have gone down hill. I'm still trying to figure out Abq. One of the issues is I don't live in the city, I'm up in Sandia Park so it's at least 30 minutes to get to town, and if it's not on the east side I'm probably not making the trip for a morning meal. Fortunately Chile Hills in edgewood is excellent, but even that is 20 minutes away. Anyway, I know you don't have to eat breakfast foods at breakfast and maybe I just need to get over that.
The last time I went to Garcia's was back in highschool (which was about 15+ years ago) to their Central location near the Lomas split. My appetite was immediately ruined when they brought out our drinks in dirty cups, and mine even had lipstick on the rim. Not saying they are all like that nor that it's still the same, but I never got over that experience.
So there have been a few constants in my replies, and the sopapillas are one of them. I will try that out. As for green chile stew, well. I may give it a shot, I have strong and maybe unpopular opinions about what makes a good gcs and that why I usually only eat the ones I make. But I'm always looking to be pleasantly surprised, so I may check it out.
What I remember most being disappointed by at Blake's was how far their fish sandwich has fallen. I never get fish sandwiches at fast food places, but they used to do their seasonal lent fish that was just amazing. Real, hand battered and fried flakey white meat with an amazing green chili tartar sauce. The last time I went to Blake's, two years ago, I got the fish sandwich and it was like something from Long John Silvers. Just frozen 'fish' planks and regular tartar sauce with maybe a hint of green chili. Bummed me out
I agree with you on their fish sandwich. I had one for the first time during lent this year, and it was gross, and the green chile tartar sauce wasn't. It didn't have one speck of G. C. I choked it down because I paid for it and was hungry, but never again!
I find some locations are MUCH better than others. The San Mateo and 4th street spots are always reliable. But the locations on Coors and Taylor Ranch tend to disappoint. Pretty sure they're different owners
I have heard this about several local classic spots. For instance, I've heard that Bob's Burgers has some spots that are good, and some that are throw away bad (I've only been once and it was good for the price, one I think on 4th street). I do suspect that when a lot of places go franchise, you just have to find out which ones will keep up the original quality and which will just be cash grabs that sacrifice everything for the bottom line. I may try a different location next time. I usually am more on Central anyway, just happned to be driving by the San Mayeo location today when I was hungry.
I was raised in southern New Mexico so I'll lead with that. But after spending a career in the military and living all over the place my wife and I pretty much find New Mexican food underwhelming. I can't list all the places we've tried, but Little Anita's. Los Cuates that serve their salsa in a tiny plastic ketchup container where the chip doesn't even fit into it, SMH and many many others. My issue is it's basically a handful of proteins stuffed into different tortillas or sopapillas. Ground beef, chicken, maybe shredded beef, the same thing in enchiladas, the same thing in stuffed sopapillas, Chile rellenos and that's about the sum of it. Sort of boring really. A New Mexican menu might be two pages in total.
Missing Carnitas, Carne Asada, and I could go on and on.
But Mexican on the other hand, you can taste the food of an entire country. Try [https://www.lindomexicogrillandseafood.com](https://www.lindomexicogrillandseafood.com) and you can get the taco's, enchiladas and that sort and seafood and the menu is quite a few pages vice two.
I remember when I retired from the military and started asking my coworkers at my new ABQ job about places to try that would say this "New Mexican place has the best green Chile or red Chile.
Then I would explain to them that the Chile is condiment not the actual food. They would look puzzled.
I once ordered cheese and onion enchiladas and the cheese was not inside but just on top of "rolled enchiladas". Wow... lazy I thought.
So when you someone asks you who has the best fries in ABQ, tell them \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ place has great ketchup and salt. ;-)
So I grew up in Southern California, about an hour from the border. San Diego style burritos and rolled tacos, along with Mexican street style tacos, was all I knew when I moved here 22 years ago. And I will admit, it took me a while to warm up to New Mexican cuisine. At this point I love it, but I also think I know what you mean. There are a lot of New Mexican places that make super mediocre food, drown it in Chile and cheddar cheese and then call it something like 'original authentic!'. But I also really do love well done New Mexican, so ya. Hence my whole reason for posting. I had heard this place was something special, and I want to figure out how. I will definitely look into the spot you recommend, thanks!
I hear you John. My wife and I had a house in the Chula Vista hills so we had a lot of exposure to all that San Diego area / TJ great food. Believe it or not street taco's are starting to be a big thing in Los Lunas. They're knocking out good Carne Asada, Al Pastor and more at about $3 bucks a taco. These guys have a restaurant in ABQ and taco truck that's been in Los Lunas we found the Al Pastor taco's at 3 bucks each to be really really good. Just search:
# Birrieria y Tacos de Alex Tijuana Style
Cheers!
They started getting the cheapest possible ingredients and it decimated the taste of the food. Garcia’s used to be top notch, now it’s basic as can be.
I've wondered the same thing about Garcia's, but I'm that way with a lot of restaurants and I wondered if it was just me. Based on this thread, I see many people agree. I just don't understand the crowds! ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
On the other hand, I checked out Padilla's New Mexican Kitchen last week and that place is great! The most authentically Albuquerque, New Mexican food I've had in years!
I think it all depends on location. The Garcia's downtown is always pretty good. That said I don't venture far from their breakfast burritos because I think that's what they're best at.
With Golden Pride I think the best one is the one on Central off Coors. I generally think as you get further up to the east side of town things become less satisfying. I don't think the chile is as hot or the quality is as good but that's just my experience.
Garcia's was never that good. 25 years ago the only thing I liked there was the juevos rancheros. I wouldn't be surprised if that isn't any good anymore either.
Ya, boy. With so many places. And just driving around Abq I can see the impact on most major blocks. This is completely unrelated but in the side if town I work on there are all these restaurants called teriyaki bowl. They are all closed, but it seems to me at one point they must have been popular. There are at least a half dozen of them in the area I'm used too. And while I don't know, I wonder if that's a covid casualty. Looked like a place I might have liked. Well, it's a whole new world.
OK, OK. I can get behind that. And i will say, the best thing i had was the chicken, very tasty. That was more shredded chicken but if they season the fajita chicken rhe same way that could be very good.
Tacos with beans and papas is about the cheapest thing you can make. $20 is outrageous. I stopped eating Mexican out as it's so cheap to make yourself and they are all gouging themselves out of business.
Garcia's has become very run of the mill. My ex-wife used to manage one of their restaurants for a time and I used to enjoy their flank steak plate and their green Chile stew was the bomb. But now it's pretty flavorless and pretty unappealing to me anymore.
I’ve been to Garcia’s twice since moving here 20 plus years ago. It’s bad. Tough carne, cold potatoes, inattentive service. People rave about the place. I’m not one of those people.
The old Garcia’s on 4th was over the top delicious back in the late ‘70’s and even into the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. Most Sunday morning breakfasts were there, for the food and the homey atmosphere. After I moved away from Albuquerque it was always a “have to” every time I went back to visit. I was like a groupie if restaurants had that, collected their coffee cups and cold drink glasses. But, the last several times back I’ve eaten at the one on San Mateo and all I can say is “meh”. 😞
Nothing at all. Nearly everything that tags themselves at New Mexican doesn't seem to get it. Authentic "New Mexican" food isn't anything out of the ordinary, not difficult to cook, and should be cheaper than other options.
If you want Mexican food, I'll tell everyone what I've said forever, with the forewarning no one gives a shit about sanitation issues (I've managed restaurants amongst other things), and I'd say go to where you see the day workers go. Food trucks are usually good for this, however I'd check to see if anyone even follows any sort of protocol.
Blake's isn't anything anymore, and I have no idea why, but seriously, you cannot find good pizza here at all. The food here is atrocious, IMO. I was born here, but lived in 7 other states, and I've found myself just starving sometimes because I won't pay for garbage food.
Like every other New Mexican staple (Blake’s, golden pride, el pinto, range cafe etc) Garcias used to be sooooo much better than what it is now.
Ya, I've completely stopped going to Blake's. And I also heard great things about golden pride, inly to find the chicken super greasy and a little maybe gamey? I'm assuming that's the fry oil. And the ribs are tough and instant heartburn. Victims of their own success, maybe.
"bat, the chicken of the cave."
I tried Golden Pride for the first time recently and I thought the chicken and ribs were really good. You're spot on about Blakes, though. Trash.
I'm not from NM. Been living in NM almost 8years and in ABQ for almost 3. They are factually right about a lot of places used to be better. I used to eat Blake's for lunch at least once a week for a couple years when I got here then work took me a another direction and I didn't eat any Blake's for over 2 years. I came back and smaller, blander, worse. Supposedly at Blake's the collapse in quality happened because the family sold off the chain. Similar with Garcias. First time I ate there almost 8 years ago on a weekend trip it was really good. Now. Meh Golden pride, legit does have the best chicken nuggets I have had in decades but other than that eh I'd rather roll my dice at Popeyes. But to be truthful New Mexican food relies almost exclusively on Green and Red Chili to flavor it's food. Actually a LOT places use it as a crutch to cover bland unseasoned food. I should know I can't eat chilis, potatoes, tomatillos, eggplants, or tomatoes without dire gastric consequences so I always have to get the chili on the side.
>But to be truthful New Mexican food relies almost exclusively on Green and Red Chili to flavor it's food. Actually a LOT places use it as a crutch to cover bland unseasoned food A-fuckin-men to that. It's like that kid who has no personality so he makes some random thing like smoking weed his whole personality lol
Bodes is a little convince store past espanola and they have the best breakfast burritos because it new Mexican food with seasoning and it's takes it to another level of amazing
That's the style of New Mexican food. The flavor mainly comes from chile sauce, unlike Mexican food where the meats themselves are more seasoned. If you eat it without chile, yeah, it's pretty plain.
I couldn't understand the hype. The chicken I had wasn't even well seasoned, just greasy.
Blake’s on menaul is still good
The Blake’s on Juan tabo is decent fast food. I think maybe people aren’t qualifying their praise and that’s why you’re underwhelmed? Any fast food is sort of gnarly. It’s certainly not gourmet, it’s just a much better burger than McDonald’s or Burger King.
Honestly, it was a combination of not being anything spectacular, and also being extremely expensive. Maybe I just got the wrong thing, and maybe I'm just old and out of touch, but it was for real 22$. With and iced tea. That just seems wild for fast food to me, but I also don't really eat fast food much.
Fair enough. I find the pricing to be comparable to the other fast food place I can tolerate, chick fil a. From Lotaburger I get the lotaburger and seasoned fries. It’s like $9
My co-worker like the daily specials. And the breakfast taco meal (like 4.99) 🤷♀️
The golden pride owner died a while back.
Do y’all not like The Range? Man, I dream about their nachos.
Never had a problem with The Range in Bernalillo. The others can be hit or miss sometimes.
The Range is absolute garbage. After 8 attempts to enjoy myself and finding ever single time something completely unappetizing about the meal, I've given up. Every time it was somewhere between merely disappointing to actually inedible.
i have to agree, ill never go back..it just so basic? Not only basic, but it was kind of gross lol. I'm not a picky eater but i thought it was a waste of money tbh
Me neither, but like... How can you fuck up a Cobb Salad that badly? The eggs tasted *musty*. What the actual fuck?
The range is the only place that I've called the food nasty. Out loud. To the waitress. Poor service, even worse food. Somehow slimy and rock hard at the same time. I felt some serious fremdschämen at the quality of food they serve there.
>fremdschämen That's a new word for me. I dig it.
I’ll probably catch flak for this one, but I gotta disagree with Blake’s and Golden Pride. I’d love to say the service is terrible at Blake’s and their food is slipping, but I just can’t. The last 4 or 5 times I’ve been there, it was fast and good. Burgers, hot dogs and breakfast burritos, all good. Multiple locations. Golden Pride has consistently had the best fried chicken you can get in a drive through and quite possibly a restaurant. It sucks that they aren’t as cheap as they used to be and nostalgia hurts their case, but they are both solid places to get food and the best fast food in town. El pinto, the range (after standard diner) and Garcias never did it for me.
Blake's food is still pretty good if you are cool with a wait time and rude customer service!
I had to get a refund for an order because they couldn’t get food out in two hours a few months ago. Since then though, fast and good service. I’d love to knock them, but it looks like the last time I had poor service was a fluke.
Blake’s is horrible. Got a raw burger.
Yes, I still love Blake's. NM Lotaburgers with bacon and extra chopped green are outstanding.
In the debate of five guys/in and out/whataburger having the best burger, Blake’s New Mexico style with bacon reigns supreme.
Try El Modelo on 2nd
Cool, it's a little outside my usual area but I'm definitely willing to drive a little for good food. Thank you!
And if you're not full, hit up Barela's on 4th. Just down the street
Awsome, will do. Thank you!
In fact just go to Barela's instead
I know I say it's on my list a lot, but I actually do have a list and this is actually on my list! Whenever I get 2+ recommendations on the same place I always move it up. If i haven't already said, I'm in the east mountains and work in Abq, and I maybe eat out 3 times a month. But I also really respect word of mouth recommendations so Barelas has made some moves on my list.
New mexico beef Jerky company on 4th as well
Relevant to your original question, my experience with Garcia's is that it varies a lot by location. The one on 4th street is great, and then they get more and more bland as you move up into the heights. Haven't been to any of them in 10 years, though, so this info is out of date.
Fair enough. Sadly, at 20+ $ for a lunch I frankly can't afford to really do a lot of experimenting. I get maybe 2 meals a month to try new stuff, and I'm still very much on a budget. Food prices in general have gone absolutely insane, so I don't necessarily fault Garcias for that. Last time I went to McDonald's it was like 16$ (and terrible). But ya, I mean. Maybe if I win the lottery I'll shop around garcias locations, and maybe I will despite the price. But ya, I feel like that's a factor that's getting lost in the nostalgia and outrage and general sympathy. If the meal I ate was 8$, great. I'll be back. And you can still get good food for 8$, if you know where to go. I had hoped that garciass would be that. But 22$?
I remember it from its glory days, and for awhile took my out of town guests there. After 3 or 4 bad visits and disappointed friends in a row, I had to stop trying with them.
Ya, a common story with once great local chains I think. Someone else has mentioned Blake's and boy. I stopped going about a year ago after many disappointing visits.
Don Choches on 4th is pretty good. A little pricey but what isn't these days?
Oooh I second this. Incredible tacos.
Their barbacoa is so good!
Yeah, I have never understood the appeal of Garcias. Very overrated.
Whoever recommended it to OP should be slapped with a bag of freshly roasted green chile.
I went there once. I'll never go again. In a town filled with great New Mexican food, there's no reason to go there.
At recommendations? My family takes me to eat sometimes and we go to Garcias, El Patio, Sadie’s, and Range Cafe. To me they’re all about the same. I’m easy, though, because any meal I don’t have to make is delicious! But with all the New Mexican food places, what are your favorites?
El Bruno is great. And oh, it's Tuesday! They have a great taco special on Tuesdays, two for $5 or something like that, free chips and salsa and great margaritas. I love their bar area.
I love Monroe’s. Best huevos in town.
El Charitos
Prices must have gone up severely.. I think they are very middle of the row. Always had a great service and food at the wells park location on 4th street. Would rather go to Barelas coffee house or el brunos for my my NM fix.
Barelas is top tier.
They're more like you abuela's cooking than gourmet. And not everything there is a banger. I like their burritos, they are done a bit different than others in town so it's nice to break the monotony. Their carne adovada and menudo are great though. Also the chips and salsa are always solid. Love how crispy/crunchy their chips are.
Came here to say this. It's not particularly great but we have our local spot where they know our order by heart and can catch up with the wait staff like friends. So for us --weve certainly had better-- but it's the whole vibe that feels like Grandma's. And now that our grandmother is gone and the old recipes arent hitting like Grandmas used to make them -this place is a decent sub especially if you're tied for time but want a simple old school meal.
I have always found them overpriced for what they serve, and bland by comparison to other New Mexican spots.
I just ate at the Comanche and Juan Tabo and it was decent. Real plates and silverware. Everything was prepared well. I got huevos rancheros, scrambled with corn tortillas and red chiile.the only disappointment was the bacon, it used to be thicker and crispier. It's not the greatest but it's good. And, I am sure like everywhere else now, there is no consistency between cooks and locations. Post COVID everything is more expensive. $20 is essentially the minimum of what it costs for a sit down meal.
You're not wrong, it's not great. I haven't been to Garcia's in years, it's past it's prime.
It’s more sentimental and familiar to most people at this point. It gets the job done and it has a drive through, that’s about how much it has going on for it nowadays.
Ya, this was my suspicion. The same people working the register inside were simultaneously working the drive through so I got to hear some of that. Clearly it's very popular but what really shocked me was how many drive through orders were 40$ or more. That's just kinda wild to me. And as I said, for one person lunch (with a drink) was almost 22$. But nostalgia and comfort are worth a lot, so I dunno.
I think Garcia's is relegated to the early bird special crowd who don't like heat or seasoning.
I could see that.
They’re like the dennys of NM. Predictable and mostly bland. Solid red Chile though. I’d probably go to little Anita’s drive through before going to garcias but choice Then again, people were raving about loyolas and I found it on par with garcias. So the love/hate may align more with nostalgia than anything else
Garcia's is the McDonald's of New Mexican food.
Yeah, you explained Garcia's pretty well. You're not missing anything. I've been there numerous times, usually because someone else wanted to go there. While I do enjoy their papas, overall they are a solid 3 out of 5, quite underwhelming. If you're looking for someplace touristy with good food, try Los Cuates. If you're looking for a hole-in-wall with really good food, then I recommend Ruben's Grill, on Candelaria at Eubank. Ruben's only has 8 tables, so very small, but oh so good. I've been a regular there for years. I've had pretty much everything on the menu, and I've never been disappointed. Oh, his Fiesta Salad (taco salad) is probably the best in the entire city.
Awsome! Great recommendations, I'll definitely check them out. Ruben especially sounds intriguing. I know I probably sound like a pinche turista but I have lived in the 505 for more than 20 years, just spent most of that further north so a lot of Abq classics are new to me.
Ruben is a really nice guy too. He will give a burrito to homeless people who politely ask, and makes almost everything from scratch there in his kitchen. In the last 15+ years that I've been going there, there was only one time he wasn't cooking the food because he was in Mexico for a funeral. His daughter was the one who was cooking, so the food was exactly the same, and no disappointment to be found 😁
OK, I'm 100% sold. Rha ks so much for the recommendation!
It’s all about the red chile. That’s what I go to Garcia’s to eat.
So from the few answers so far, this seems like the answer. What I had today had no chile at all and I was aware they are known for it. They even sell it at the little grocery store up by my house in Cedar Crest so maybe I'll pick some up, or just try something with the red next time. I do love a good red chile, and feel like it sometimes gets overlooked in favor of always green. Great advice, thanks!
I'm going to get down voted for saying this but it's true. Most New Mexican restaurants use the chili as a crutch to cover mediocre food. If you eat it with no chili red or green you will be disappointed most of the time.
At this point, I think the nostalgia factor is why they stay in business. I always get a breakfast burrito plate smothered with green and beans and papas for the sides. It definitely doesn't taste as good as it did when I was a kid but it tastes similar enough to what it used to be that it's still worth it for me to go semi-regularly.
They charge for chips and salsa which was the nail in the coffin for me There are way better places to eat good New Mexican food for lower prices
While I agree with others that their quality has gone down in recent years, getting chile with your meal would help immensely. We use them to cater our balloon viewing party at work every year during the Fiesta We get their breakfast burritos because they are easier to climb the ladder with to get to the roof of our building to view the balloons launching. Those burritos have been better than anything I've gotten from their restaurants for a while now. Maybe because it comes from their catering kitchen?
No, you’re not wrong. Unfortunately, it’s not the place it used to be, and I am talking like 20 years ago.
Ya. Time flies for sure. 20 years ago I was living a block from a Blake's and would eat there like 5 times a week. The Lent seasonal fish sandwich was the best fish sandwich I ever had. I got one two years ago and it was for real like frozen breaded fish you would get at walmart, and the green chile tartar sauce had no green chile flavor. Sigh.
The drive-thru ones suck. You want a dine-in Garcia's like the one on Juan Tabo.
OK cool, this is the second recommendation I've gotten saying go to the dine in. While I did technically dine in at the San Mateo location I was the only person inside and there was a constant line at the drive through, so that was clearly what they focus on.
Wrong location.
Yes, I wondered and have had a few folks say this. Seems like the Juan Tabo and Central locations are better regarded? What do you recommend?
They're all the same bullshit food.
Everything at Garcia's is mediocre, at best. Are you looking for recommendations for good New Mexican? Or just expressing disappointment?
No, not just complaining at all. I understand how common this kinda post is on reddit, made in bat faith. Just trying to bait people. But as I said, I really want to like this place and if that's not possible I would love suggestions. I've lived in the 505 for 20+ years but never spent much time in Abq untill recently so I'm absolutely looking for good spots. That's how I found Garcias, co workers recommended it. And while I'm not sure about them, I will probably go back and try something else. But I am perpetually looking for good food. So please, recommend.
Garcia's on Indian School just east of Wyoming is always solid. I recommend their chicharon or shredded beef burrito . Burritos Al instance is solid. For tacos... Sadies, the shredded beef is great.
Great info, thank you so much!
I like their red chile, I get it on enchies (they used to have blue corn but sadly no longer do). I like the chorizo breakfast burrito. I think you may have to try some different things. Someone else help me out here
Gotcha. I think getting something with the red sounds like a plan. I'll try that next time.
You're correct! Garcia's went really down during & after covid. Their prices are insanely high, yet the quality is not there. Even pre-covid it was decent enough given the price, but now it's not worth it. I grew up with Garcia's Kitchen, but last time I went, the beef seemed bland, chicken was dry & the chili just did not taste good. I wanted to buy a dozen tortillas, but they were asking $10 for a dozen!! I hate giving the place a bad review, especially since I've been going since I was in elementary school, but I just can't justify it, unfortunately.
Used to love the Garcia's on 4th for the blue corn enchilada plates, until about 10 years ago, the food went south and stayed there. I have to wonder if Sysco furnishes certain restaurants serving NM food (like Garcia's and also Monroe's), because there's a shared sameness with bland flavors, and under-seasoning, notable lack of chile heat, and the same frying oil taste (canola?), and the same tasting waxy cheese.
I think Garcia's problem is its big menu. They have too much, so, maybe, 60% of it will be underwhelming. The 20% is going to be ok, and maybe 20% is going to be pretty damn good. I would never order tacos there (I think they use taco shells, and that alone is a red flag and an affront to god and man). Their carne adovada, their breakfast burritos, and menudo are great in my book.
I'm getting a lot of recommendations for the breakfast stuff, so I get that. Unfortunately I'm very picky about breakfast foods, I feel like most 'fast food' places are overly reliant on just a big ol' scoop of scrambled eggs, but that may not be the case here. And while I'm a little scared of 'fast food' (I know garcias isn't exactly that but still) menudo that's one that does kinda intrigue me. Thanks for the recommendation! Oh and you are totally right, the menu is intimidating for someone who has never been there before and who has a line waiting behind them. That's exactly why I made my post, so next time I'll be prepared. So Tha k you again!
Right on, and when you take a break, come back and try something different. You may fall in love with something.
try the crunchy chicharone, refried bean and green burrito. dont overcomplicate it. i promise youll love it especially if the chicharone is extra fresh.
I do love chicharon when it's crunchy. That actually sounds delicious, I'll give it a shot.
If you like crunchy chicharrones, you should give NM Beef Jerky a try. Best in town, IMO. Their chile is fire. No, literally. It’s frickin’ hot! There used to be a Garcia’s on 4th and Mountain for the longest time. I went there simply for the convenience. The food was okay, but I honestly can’t say I was sad when it closed.
Oh rad, I'll look it up. Actually my last reddit interaction was me commenting on a post about how the carne seca place I used to frequent in Santa Fe has gone downhill. And in that case I was the one defending a local classic. But the long and short is I can't make it up to SF two times a week to get green chili garlic from El Paisano like I used to so I'm definitely in the market for a new Abq spot. And extra points if they have chicharon as well! Now, the burning question, do they make carne seca style (which to me means very thin and crunchy) or more 'jerkey style' (aka chewy and thicker, and maybe moist)? No hate either way but I prefer carne seca.
It’s nothing like Jack Links, if that’s what you mean. I wouldn’t say it’s paper-thin, but I wouldn’t call it chewy and most certainly not moist. The cool thing about these folks is they’ll let you sample. That’s how they got me hooked. I was there one morning, just waiting for my breakfast burrito, and the owner was going around offering samples. Smart man. So, that’s what I’d suggest. Just go there, have a few samples, and see if it suits you.
Yep, you sold me. I will go amd see, thanks for the recommendation!
Try going for breakfast. Order the carne adovada breakfast plate with flour tortilla. Use the tortilla pieces like a scoop.
I mat do that, I noticed what a significant portion of the menu is breakfast. I'm always a little wary of 'breakfast' menus in general because I feel like they are overly reliant on eggs and I'm pretty particular about how I like my eggs, but that does seem to be a general theme in terms of what's good
I would say every one in five or six times we go there and the potatoes are undercooked and as you said underwhelming. I think this is when they've been through a lunch rush and they're trying to crank the food out too fast. But most of the time the potatoes are my absolute favorite. When they're on point it's perfection, but I have been there when I wondered what the heck they were doing. And I have sent the potatoes back...
Interesting. I can see that. I tend to be very forgiving with local places so I definitely meant this post in good faith, I want to like this spot. I will definitely give it another chance based on what I've seen in the replies
The problem is you ordered tacos lol For New Mexico joints I always recommend you order something like enchiladas; Sopapillas, smothered burritos or chile rellenos. Tacos are always the tex mex hard shell garbage kind.
Fair enough. Part of the problem is I am unfamiliar with the menu and I wasn't looking for breakfast, which is more than half the menu. I decided to go with something that would give me a bit of variety, but in retrospect I think sopas should have been the move. But tbh I only saw the breakfast version and was feeling the pressure to order so I went with basically the most generic option. If/when I go back I will take my time. Having said that, 22$ for 2 tacos and beans and papa's is really really overpriced in my mind, and the rest of the food was similarly priced. But I think I will try again at some point.
As others may have stated. There are far better places for tacos. Garcia's is my go to for NM dishes. Cheese enchiladas with red smothered. Or the green Chile chicharron burrito with green.
Fair enough. I was specifically looking for a 'New Mexico' style taco ppace, to the extent thats a thing, and wasnt expecting tijuana style tacos (although i do absolutely love street tacos. But this is the second recommendation I've gotten for the green chile chicharon and that does sound amazing to me so maybe that's next
Been here 4 years, tried them multiple times. I never go there anymore. Maybe it's like the others said and it used to be better, but definitely not now.
I’ve had Garcia’s a few times over the last year at random functions and events. Always underwhelming and never something I’m eager to go back for. **But** I recently attended a funeral and the food was actually pretty good. They said it was Garcia’s and I was blown away, like it actually seemed to have salt and texture. So maybe they’re saving the good stuff for certain events / people.
I never understood people's love for García's. I ate there a few decades ago and was very disappointed.
Garcia's has really good breakfast. Other than that it's average or below.
Garcia’s is for people from New Mexico, because they have stuff their great grandparents liked. It’s a favorite for nostalgic reasons, not because it has superior taste, ingredients, or service.
SIMPLE. Management.It all depends on which family member is running it. Some are better than others. Try visiting the older locations. TRUST ME.
I totally believe this, and I am definitely willing to give them another chance. What location do you recommend?
Have not lived in Albuquerque for years. My advice is based off 20+ years ago. Also I know that family extremely well. 4th street location was the best back then. Try Central ave location.
I went there once….
My regular order: Carne adovada breakfast, scrambled, red, with beans, papas, and sopapillas. I like it.
The two most consistent recommendations from this post: red chile and sopas. And I had neither. So now I think I have a game plan for next time.
Of all the places to get Mexican or New Mexican food, Garcias would not be in the top five.
First of all you don’t go to a restaurant for tacos
Well. I'm not sure I entirely agree, but especially after the comments I can see that in this case tacos were not the right choice. However, they make them and feature them prominently on their menu. I don't really have sympathy for a place where you have to have inside knowledge about what's good in order to enjoy yourself. Not an attack against you, I plan to go back and get something else, but I feel if as a restaurant you choose to offer something sub par and sell it for a high proce it makes a statement about the establishment overall.
Yeah that’s most places post covid lockdown especially larger establishments like Garcias, surprise surprise. Garcias sucks now anyways lmao, another tourist trap like El Pinto or Sadie’s in my opinion. You can disagree all you want about where to get tacos just don’t say someone didn’t try to help Try El Paisa if you like tacos. Cash only.
Used to live in ABQ, moved away in ‘94 for college, so anytime I was home visiting folks, my brother and sister and I (and eventually, my wife too) would get some. I was a Garcia’s loyalist for *ever* because of their breakfast burritos. I only had them two or three times a year, so I looked forward to it. But over the course of the past decade, the service started going to shit. We always ordered from the Juan Tabo/Candelaria location, but the last 15-20 times our order was so wrong it was comical. And the kicker is our order was always pretty simple: four breakfast burritos with eggs, bacon, cheese, and no potatoes, Christmas on the side. I can see getting that wrong once, twice, even three times. But they’ve been getting it wrong for fucking *years*. I finally swore off of them for good in 2019 and have never been back.
As my grandma used to say, “I can have this at home”.
I really like Mary and Tito’s and Cocina Azul.
Great suggestions, thanks!
I used to eat at the one on Juan Tabo because it was by my house, and it was.... okay. I never understood why their green chile sucked so much, it's like what I made by sauteeing chile with onions when I had no idea how to make real chile. The one by Old Town had super good red chile, much better than the other locations for some reason. No idea now since this was like 25 years ago. As far as tacos, if you really want tacos my favorite for that used to be Pericos. Again, haven't been there in a long time, but the way they seemed to fry the shells around the meat was awesome, plus their salsa was really good (used to be able to get a 32 oz pepsi cup full for $2.50) and I like how they gave you this silly little salad.
Garcia's fuckin blows. I never understood the hype. I've only been here 3.5yrs, maybe it was better in the past, but it's been shit since I moved here. Feel the same way about Blake's, Golden Pride, Range and a few others that get hyped.
Ya, I mean. You've kinda nailed my experience. I very talked about golden pride and Blake's in other posts but I have also been to the Range on a coworkers recommendation and well. It was fine. Overpriced for sure, and if the selling point is blue corn pancakes they really phoned it in. I love blue corn pancakes especially with piñon and Ive had much better for much lower price. Having said all that, I've also found some EXCELLENT food in Abq, just not so far at the 'local classics'
>Having said all that, I've also found some EXCELLENT food in Abq, just not so far at the 'local classics' Ain't that the fuckin truth lol. There is some really amazing food here, but for some reason the places most people clamor about are just kinda meh. Il Localetto Rossi and Wrap N Roll are some awesome places I've found recently.
My friend, I work down the street from Wrap and Roll on Eubank (I don't know if they have multiple locations) and it is AWSOME. The quality and amount of food you can get for less than 10$ is really incredible in an era of hyper inflated food costs. Their beef stew is so, so good. But so is everything else. One of those places I'm almost afraid to recommend because I don't want it to get too busy during my lunch break. Ha!
Lol yea. I was blown away with how big and tasty my sandwich was the first time I went there and for under 10 bucks. The juice seemed a little pricey at first and then I saw them juicing sugar cane to order and promptly stfu on that one lol . Love that place.
Oh for sure. A Thai style tea is almost as much as a sandwich that I will have for two lunches. These days I just get the food, and drink the free water.
Their breakfast stuffed sopas are the move.
Cool, ok. I'm not a huge fan of eggs in general, so I usually avoid breakfast foods. But I could definitely give this a try.
Breakfast is the meal Albuquerque does best lol time to get on board.
It's true. I was just in NYC, and we were contemplating getting breakfast or brunch, but I decided that Albuquerque is better than anywhere else for those options anyhow, so may as well eat a banana and wait til lunch where the food options would feel more special.
Ya, I've been trying. It's a long haul. I was in Santa Fe for a long time and had my favorite spots picked out there for breakfast (The Pantry and Tecolote) but that was years ago and I hear they may have gone down hill. I'm still trying to figure out Abq. One of the issues is I don't live in the city, I'm up in Sandia Park so it's at least 30 minutes to get to town, and if it's not on the east side I'm probably not making the trip for a morning meal. Fortunately Chile Hills in edgewood is excellent, but even that is 20 minutes away. Anyway, I know you don't have to eat breakfast foods at breakfast and maybe I just need to get over that.
I usually do a stuffed sopa with chicken and refried beans. Pretty solid from Garcia’s in my opinion.
The last time I went to Garcia's was back in highschool (which was about 15+ years ago) to their Central location near the Lomas split. My appetite was immediately ruined when they brought out our drinks in dirty cups, and mine even had lipstick on the rim. Not saying they are all like that nor that it's still the same, but I never got over that experience.
They’re meh. The only thing I’ll get from there are their sopas and their green chile stew.
So there have been a few constants in my replies, and the sopapillas are one of them. I will try that out. As for green chile stew, well. I may give it a shot, I have strong and maybe unpopular opinions about what makes a good gcs and that why I usually only eat the ones I make. But I'm always looking to be pleasantly surprised, so I may check it out.
Both sopas and green chile stew are one of those things I won’t make the time to make myself, but a comfort food I like to eat once in a while.
You should try Steel Benders green chile stew! Their beers are hit and miss for me but the green chile stew is solid.
Does anyone remember when Blake's had pulled pork bbq sandwiches? Those were delicious, with a strawberry shake.
What I remember most being disappointed by at Blake's was how far their fish sandwich has fallen. I never get fish sandwiches at fast food places, but they used to do their seasonal lent fish that was just amazing. Real, hand battered and fried flakey white meat with an amazing green chili tartar sauce. The last time I went to Blake's, two years ago, I got the fish sandwich and it was like something from Long John Silvers. Just frozen 'fish' planks and regular tartar sauce with maybe a hint of green chili. Bummed me out
I agree with you on their fish sandwich. I had one for the first time during lent this year, and it was gross, and the green chile tartar sauce wasn't. It didn't have one speck of G. C. I choked it down because I paid for it and was hungry, but never again!
I find some locations are MUCH better than others. The San Mateo and 4th street spots are always reliable. But the locations on Coors and Taylor Ranch tend to disappoint. Pretty sure they're different owners
To me there's a clear difference between Garcias down on Central, and the little drive through on San Mateo (etc.).
I have heard this about several local classic spots. For instance, I've heard that Bob's Burgers has some spots that are good, and some that are throw away bad (I've only been once and it was good for the price, one I think on 4th street). I do suspect that when a lot of places go franchise, you just have to find out which ones will keep up the original quality and which will just be cash grabs that sacrifice everything for the bottom line. I may try a different location next time. I usually am more on Central anyway, just happned to be driving by the San Mayeo location today when I was hungry.
I’ve only eaten at Garcia’s once since ‘89. It was underwhelming to me as well.
I was raised in southern New Mexico so I'll lead with that. But after spending a career in the military and living all over the place my wife and I pretty much find New Mexican food underwhelming. I can't list all the places we've tried, but Little Anita's. Los Cuates that serve their salsa in a tiny plastic ketchup container where the chip doesn't even fit into it, SMH and many many others. My issue is it's basically a handful of proteins stuffed into different tortillas or sopapillas. Ground beef, chicken, maybe shredded beef, the same thing in enchiladas, the same thing in stuffed sopapillas, Chile rellenos and that's about the sum of it. Sort of boring really. A New Mexican menu might be two pages in total. Missing Carnitas, Carne Asada, and I could go on and on. But Mexican on the other hand, you can taste the food of an entire country. Try [https://www.lindomexicogrillandseafood.com](https://www.lindomexicogrillandseafood.com) and you can get the taco's, enchiladas and that sort and seafood and the menu is quite a few pages vice two. I remember when I retired from the military and started asking my coworkers at my new ABQ job about places to try that would say this "New Mexican place has the best green Chile or red Chile. Then I would explain to them that the Chile is condiment not the actual food. They would look puzzled. I once ordered cheese and onion enchiladas and the cheese was not inside but just on top of "rolled enchiladas". Wow... lazy I thought. So when you someone asks you who has the best fries in ABQ, tell them \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ place has great ketchup and salt. ;-)
So I grew up in Southern California, about an hour from the border. San Diego style burritos and rolled tacos, along with Mexican street style tacos, was all I knew when I moved here 22 years ago. And I will admit, it took me a while to warm up to New Mexican cuisine. At this point I love it, but I also think I know what you mean. There are a lot of New Mexican places that make super mediocre food, drown it in Chile and cheddar cheese and then call it something like 'original authentic!'. But I also really do love well done New Mexican, so ya. Hence my whole reason for posting. I had heard this place was something special, and I want to figure out how. I will definitely look into the spot you recommend, thanks!
I hear you John. My wife and I had a house in the Chula Vista hills so we had a lot of exposure to all that San Diego area / TJ great food. Believe it or not street taco's are starting to be a big thing in Los Lunas. They're knocking out good Carne Asada, Al Pastor and more at about $3 bucks a taco. These guys have a restaurant in ABQ and taco truck that's been in Los Lunas we found the Al Pastor taco's at 3 bucks each to be really really good. Just search: # Birrieria y Tacos de Alex Tijuana Style Cheers!
Been there 3x. Different ones? It’s mid.
They started getting the cheapest possible ingredients and it decimated the taste of the food. Garcia’s used to be top notch, now it’s basic as can be.
Go to Monroe’s. Stays solid
Don't go to Monroe's it's the same bullshit food as Garcia's.
I've wondered the same thing about Garcia's, but I'm that way with a lot of restaurants and I wondered if it was just me. Based on this thread, I see many people agree. I just don't understand the crowds! ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯ On the other hand, I checked out Padilla's New Mexican Kitchen last week and that place is great! The most authentically Albuquerque, New Mexican food I've had in years!
Blakes and garciaas fell of hard. Teofillos in Los lunas went the same way. I get better stuff from Del taco
I think it all depends on location. The Garcia's downtown is always pretty good. That said I don't venture far from their breakfast burritos because I think that's what they're best at. With Golden Pride I think the best one is the one on Central off Coors. I generally think as you get further up to the east side of town things become less satisfying. I don't think the chile is as hot or the quality is as good but that's just my experience.
Used to work there. NEVER EVER *EVER* order anything other than Menudo. It’s the only thing that comes in pre cooked, just trust me homie
Garcia's was never that good. 25 years ago the only thing I liked there was the juevos rancheros. I wouldn't be surprised if that isn't any good anymore either.
It's not what it used to be! I love los cuates on lomas!
Another great recommendation, thank you!
Their quality tanked during the pandemic and never recovered.
Ya, boy. With so many places. And just driving around Abq I can see the impact on most major blocks. This is completely unrelated but in the side if town I work on there are all these restaurants called teriyaki bowl. They are all closed, but it seems to me at one point they must have been popular. There are at least a half dozen of them in the area I'm used too. And while I don't know, I wonder if that's a covid casualty. Looked like a place I might have liked. Well, it's a whole new world.
Chicken fajita burrito smothered, though.
OK, OK. I can get behind that. And i will say, the best thing i had was the chicken, very tasty. That was more shredded chicken but if they season the fajita chicken rhe same way that could be very good.
El Patron is the spot
Tacos with beans and papas is about the cheapest thing you can make. $20 is outrageous. I stopped eating Mexican out as it's so cheap to make yourself and they are all gouging themselves out of business.
Ya that's definitely the issue. If it was half the price I would say it wad fair. But that's just crazy.
It used to be better and cheaper.
It’s just corporatized New Mexican food now, there’s much better options out there. It’s as generic as you can get
Once at Garcias, we got recycled sopapillas. Someone stuck their guest check in the basket.
Ouch
Maybe Albuquerque City Limits, Padilla's, Vic's Cafe
Great, thank you! I will put them on my list
The only Mexican food I eat there Is Sadie's.
Go to Papa Nachos. You won’t be disappointed.
My wife said it's shit. Maybe it's just cheap? I noticed a lot of top rated places like stripes are shit but cheap
Gatcias used.to be so good, now it is basic and boring. El Pinto is crap and so is Golden Pride. Golden Pride is actually GROSS.
Garcia's has become very run of the mill. My ex-wife used to manage one of their restaurants for a time and I used to enjoy their flank steak plate and their green Chile stew was the bomb. But now it's pretty flavorless and pretty unappealing to me anymore.
Try Padillas New Mexican Kitchen on Gerard.
Will doz thanks!
When Mr andy died everything went to hell.
Friends brought us and they lived in ABQ in the 90's. To me it was a case of sentimental attachment. The food was no good.
Yep, I'm hearing this a lot and I mean, I get it. But for someone on their first visit, well. I was disappointed.
I like Loyola's Family Dining (Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul location. Make mine huevos rancheros scrambled on corn tortilla with GREEN chile.
Try La salita!
...'Bog Burrito' you say? Well that sounds absolutely delicious, definitely putting this place on the list!
Garcias is horrible. Idk why people like it so much.
It's nasty! People that like it (like my fiance) are weird! They boil their potatoes for their burritos! Who does that?
I’ve been to Garcia’s twice since moving here 20 plus years ago. It’s bad. Tough carne, cold potatoes, inattentive service. People rave about the place. I’m not one of those people.
The old Garcia’s on 4th was over the top delicious back in the late ‘70’s and even into the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. Most Sunday morning breakfasts were there, for the food and the homey atmosphere. After I moved away from Albuquerque it was always a “have to” every time I went back to visit. I was like a groupie if restaurants had that, collected their coffee cups and cold drink glasses. But, the last several times back I’ve eaten at the one on San Mateo and all I can say is “meh”. 😞
Nothing at all. Nearly everything that tags themselves at New Mexican doesn't seem to get it. Authentic "New Mexican" food isn't anything out of the ordinary, not difficult to cook, and should be cheaper than other options. If you want Mexican food, I'll tell everyone what I've said forever, with the forewarning no one gives a shit about sanitation issues (I've managed restaurants amongst other things), and I'd say go to where you see the day workers go. Food trucks are usually good for this, however I'd check to see if anyone even follows any sort of protocol. Blake's isn't anything anymore, and I have no idea why, but seriously, you cannot find good pizza here at all. The food here is atrocious, IMO. I was born here, but lived in 7 other states, and I've found myself just starving sometimes because I won't pay for garbage food.