Old and new traditions merge in New Mexico as evidenced by old Mexican cuisine. You see the diverse cultures in the people, the architecture, and you taste it in Albuquerque's finest Mexican restaurants. Native home grown red and green chiles combine to make Albuquerque the premier city for Mexican cuisine and the best Mexican restaurants in Albuquerque build their reputations on excellence.
Mexican cuisine is a huge attraction in Albuquerque. We're not talking Tex-Mex cuisine here, but an authentic taste of Mexico with moles and other unique flavors of Old Mexico. If you've been south of the border and wish for the same food experience in the US, you'll find the same dishes in New Mexico restaurants and great dining choices.
Green chiles originated in Mexican regional foods and they're the defining ingredients of New Mexican cuisine. Red and green, they grace the food in Albuquerque with bold bursting flavor that wakes your palate and begs for more.
A word to the wise, if you're not familiar with red and green chiles, it's always a good idea to have them on the side and taste them first. They vary in taste from mild to meltdown heat but chiles aren't just for Mexican cuisine, they're a flavor enhancement for many different ethnic foods from burritos and hamburgers, to bagels.
Whether you're a seafood lover or traditional meat lover, you'll find great choices in New Mexican restaurants.
Casa de Benavidez:
Casa de Benavidez is located at 8032 Fourth St. NW. The ambience is hard to match with patio dining in a lush outdoor garden. The food is excellent but you'll pay extra for the ambience. Dishes run about 40 percent more than the more humble establishments.
The Benavidez family built their trademark on the Sopaipilla burger starting small and expanding as their reputation grew. The family owned restaurant still makes their salsas in house on a daily basis.
The Sopaipilla burger, their specialty, is a beef patty with refried beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato and choice of red or green chiles between two sopaipillas. You might call it a hamburger with a south of the border flair. You'll find a large expansive menu that offers the world's finest Mexican and New Mexican cuisine.
Make a reservation if you plan to visit during holidays and festival days because their reputation is grande.' Visit their web site and view their menu at: Casadebenavidez.
Seafood lovers try Los Equipales Restaurant
If you love fish and seafood for example, you'll enjoy the specialty, Cerviche, at Los Equipales Restaurant at 4500 Silver Avenue, SE in Albuquerque and located near historic Route 66.
Los Equipales serves Mexican cuisine using original recipes from the Coastal and Central regions of Mexico with fish and seafood as their main menu focus, but you'll find other specialties like Arroz Marinero, pollo en mole plus delightful dishes such as Carnitas de Puerco, and Shrimp Enchiladas.
Los Equipales has been around since 2005 and already was recognized as one of the best Mexican Restaurants in Albuquerque for 2007 and 2008. It received four stars from the Albuquerque Journal in 2006. See losequipales.com
Special Salsas at El Nortino Restaurant:
If you want a great meal with world-class salsas and are so impressed by ambience, El Nortino is the restaurant for you. They won the Best Mexican Restaurant award for seven years in a row from the annual readers restaurant poll. 2005 was the last year of the awards. The ABQ Journal says their chipotle sauce is mouthwatering.
El Nortino has a very large menu of old and New Mexican food where vegetarians, seafood lovers, beef, pork and chicken and salsa lovers can eat to their heart's content. Their specialties include chiles rellenos, barbacoa, menudo, lengua, and
outstanding enchiladas. I recommend the chicken mole.
All their salsas are homemade from strictly fresh ingredients and include chipotle, mole, tomatillo, salsa chile de arbol and the super hot, hot habenero salsa. They're open everyday. Catch your favorite salsa as you visit their web site: El Nortino.
Special appetizers at Los Cuates Restaurant:
Los Cuates means twins, but recently a third restaurant was added and now there are triplets, but the name will remain Los Cuates. Los Cuates restaurants are located at 4901 Lomas Blvd., NE, 5016-C Lomas Blvd NE and 8700 Menaul Blvd, NE.
New Mexican cuisine is served here. Their specialties include fajitas and a variety of appetizers. If you love sampling different dishes, this is the place for you.
User reviews say the restaurant is cozy and welcoming, but even those who gave it a good review admitted there was often a wait to be seated but that's often a good indicator of the quality of food. Loscuatesrestaurants.
There are many great Mexican restaurants in Albuquerque in addition to those I've mentioned. As you walk around Albuquerque taking in the sights, you're likely to come upon some mom and pop restaurants that shine as bright as those mentioned in this article and serve the same quality of wonderful food. You'll never go hungry for authentic Mexican cuisine in this city.
Albuquerque, NM is blessed with many fine attractions and events and draws more than a million visitors each year. They undoubtedly have some of the finest Mexican Restaurants in the nation, so whether you live in Albuquerque or plan to visit, it would be a shame to miss the mouth-watering taste of New Mexican cuisine.