The Original Cocina Azul Mountain

I was born and raised in Arizona. I have had some really good Mexican food in my lifetime. I can safely say that I have never had better tasting Mexican food in my 52 years. The flavors are so amazing. Unfortunately Cocina Azul had set an impossibly high bar for future dining in the Mexican genre.

Not only was the food amazing, but our server Luis C. was incredibly friendly and attentive, easily one the best servers I have met. My wife and I cannot wait to come back. We may try breakfast next time. This is an amazing establishment.

My friend and I drove from Gallup to Albuquerque and decided to stop in here for lunch.

I got the pozole because it was a cool day and I had been dreaming of soup, and boy was it delicious and gigantic! It was so gigantic a portion that I took half of it home and finished it for dinner.

My friend got the shrimp tacos and really liked them. We also got the fried bread (I'm blanking on the name), which was delicious for dipping in sauce and drizzled with honey.

This place was lovely! Amazing food, good service!

When you search "green chili enchiladas" in Albuquerque, you get a lot of results! I am so happy we chose this restaurant over all the others.

Our waiter was a nice guy, even with the restaurant being totally slammed on a Tuesday evening. He brought us free chips and salsa when the wait for our food grew a little long. They were really good.

We ordered the creamy green chicken enchiladas and they were fabulous. In AZ/UT we don't really do creamy enchiladas, so they were a treat. The kids loved their ribeye tacos. I liked the veggies, sauces, and guac that came with everything.

I wish we could've had some sopapillas, but we had to run. We would definitely eat here again on our next road trip!

DELICIOUS AND TASTY MEXICAN FOOD!!! This restaurant sure does raise the bar for Mexican food. My green Chile burger was the best Mexican burger I've ever had, and the green chicken enchiladas are a masterful combination of flavors and textures that are sure to make your eyes pop and your taste buds craving for more. Simply delicious. And the staff works hard to make sure everything gets taken care of for you. Great job!

We went here because of the Yelp review and were not disappointed. I tried the chicken Relleno and my husband the Chicken Enchilada. The Relleno was absolutely decedent. I love New Mexico cuisine. When I checked in I had a coupon for free chips and salsa. Be aware of the green salsa it is very spicy. The waiter was very friendly and attentive. He checked several times on us and refilled our drinks.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant, tasted the regional cuisine, and then thought OMG this is what it's supposed to taste like! That's the moment I had when I tasted their Creamy Chicken Chile Relleno. It clearly isn't a healthy dish, doused in cheese and that creamy sauce, but WOW. It's a dish to encourage others to visit. It's clean and comfortable inside with probably some of the most attentive wait staff I've encountered. Take the time to find this jewel of a restaurant to try some of the best New Mexican food in town.

This place was amazing, it was so delicious, the sopaipilla pizza was so delicious.yummy to my tummy!!

Late review from Spring 2021:

I stopped in ABQ during a cross country road trip in May 2021, and this location of Cocina Azul was a few blocks away from the property where I stayed during my visit. I still remember the details of the meal quite well.

I walked over to the restaurant around dinner time and was immediately impressed by the well-manicured neighborhood. Then, when I entered the bustling restaurant and saw so many people who appeared to be locals, I knew I was in the right place. After reviewing the food menu, I landed on a longtime favorite: taco salad with chicken. I placed my carry out order and endured a short wait before it was ready. Then, I triumphantly headed back to the art-filled guesthouse where I was staying while envisioning a therapeutic and restorative dinner on the serene patio (self care that was much needed after driving to ABQ from Tulsa earlier that day).

Food: 5 stars
Service: 5 stars
Ambience: 10 stars - Lol

The Big Bang Chile

Hunt for "The Best"** Green Chile Burger in New Mexico Part I of IV

Since 2009, Cocina Azul has been serving up authentic New Mexican here in ABQ. They are revered by many Albuquerqueans(?) as the gold standard in this particular area.

Cocina Azul had grown to three restaurants at one time, but two were sold off back in '20, and that's why this location retains "The Original" as part of its moniker.

Green Chile Burger:

The Bun: Probably the 2nd best bun out of the four I tried, as it was a soft brioche-like bun that melted in my mouth. 5/5

Green Chiles: Check! There's nothing to complain about here! 5/5

Cheese: The NM standard for cheese is a slice--or three--of American cheese, and they got that right here. 5/5

Ancillary topping: No additional nonsense here, just chiles and cheese. Fuck everything else. 5/5

Burger: This is where it starts to fall apart, as the Burger itself was just a bit dry and lacked a good beefy flavor. I mean, I'm not saying I'd kick it out of bed in the morning, but it's just not the best I tried. 3/5

Fries: Meh... Standard frozen fries, but at least they were freshly fried. 2/5

Conclusion: Overall, at 25 out of 30 points, Cocina Azul turns out a very not bad Green Chile Cheeseburger, but unfortunately, they took last place in this hotly fought battle royale (w/ Cheese).

Other observation:

*They might have some of the best chips and salsa I've ever had--especially their green chile salsa! #Firme

*Local beers on-tap

*Private parking lot

*Great location, close to Old Town.

*Friendly service

**I know calling something "the best" is really lame and very arbitrary, but I need to do things like this to entertain myself.

The restaurant is extremely fast paced. The service was quick and efficient. The food was a bit too greasy for my taste. It was tasty though. The ambiance of the place is average overall.