Abuelita's New Mexican Restaurant

When it comes to a relaxed, comfortable, authentic New Mexican, Abuelita's is absolutely fantastic. This was our second visit (the first was a number of years ago (thank you COVID)) and it was such a great visit.

Abuelita's is a small, unassuming restaurant that would be easy to drive by, but I guarantee stopping won't be a mistake.

Inside it's warm and welcoming, and keeping true it's name (Abuelita's is Spanish for 'little grandmother' or "granny'), there are dozens of photos of real-life Abuelita's that have been gifted adorning the walls, giving it a very homey, lived-in feel.

We were seated immediately (it was after the lunch rush) and our server was there right away to take our drink orders. The menu is a printed, stapled affair with breakfast on the first page and lunch/dinner on the second. The menu is pretty sizable, given the size of the restaurant, and everything is prepared fresh.

As we were seated our server asked if wanted chips and salsa (seriously, does anyone ever say "no" to that question?), which generally means there's an upcharge, but of course we said "Yes".

As I perused the menu I kept coming back to the Chile Rellenos...then I'd get interested in something else...then I came back to the Chile Rellenos...so I gave in to the Chile Rellenos. When asked if I wanted Red, Green, or Christmas my answer was, of Christmas.

Being the (at that point) only guests in the dining room, our food was delivered in about 10 minutes. It was hot, fresh, and presented very nicely.

And. It. Was. Delicious!

Getting my food Christmas meant it came with both red and green salsa (prepared on site). This batch of green was pretttty spicy, but OOOHH so good!

Our serve was GREAT. She was spot-on with the drink refills and she (and two other people) stopped by several times to see how things were.

You can tell that the staff at Abuelita's loves what they do. It's a friendly and welcoming atmosphere and I'm kinda sad because I know it'll be a while before I can visit again.

A Staple! A place where locals eat! Purely New Mexican... those are all things that come to mind when you are looking for food!

Abuelita's is purely Bernalillo and northern New Mexico. It is located in a small, older building and is unassuming! BUT!! The magic and care inside is amazing!!

I always have the same thing when I go, which isn't on the menu! It is a bowl of beans, side of green chili, and side of chicharrones, and tortilla!! None of this is store bought this stuff is the real deal made in house! And you can taste the family recipes and love in every bite!! What I do is mix all the stuff together and eat it with tortilla! Their chili is HOT so beware!

The staff is amazing! Super nice, super friendly, and they take care of you!!

If you are visiting Bernalillo and New Mexico, you gotta go! If you are local, keep going back!

You must flock!

This food is SO GOOD. When we were house hunting, we ate here 5 times Now we get up there at least once a month. The food is homemade with love. I enjoy the photos of all the abuelitas on the wall. They explained many NewMexico foods and were really patient with us! The only complaint is they are too small. Time to expand!

We stopped for breakfast during our drive from Santa Fe to Albuquerque and are so glad we did. Yum!!!! This hit the spot! I had the carne adovada and it was amazing!!!! My husband had the breakfast burrito with the green chile and said it was great. Service was on point - fast and friendly. I would definitely recommend stopping in if you are in the area.

The service was great. The food was not bad but I have eaten better fajitas. The ambiance was very casual.

The food is awesome and always fresh. The service is great, and always ensuring your glasses are kept full. The ambiance is a down home feel that makes you feel comfortable, hence the name of the restaurant. We love this place and the owner Ruby is such a nice lady.

My family comes here every year as it is very close to my grandmothers. Service is always very fast and friendly. However the food really isn't that great. It's usually quite bland and overly spicy. I usually get the tamales but this one was especially dry and bland. This was my first time trying menudo and I actually really enjoyed it, the posole and broth are very flavorful and delicious.

Great food! Green sauce has a nice kick. Server was friendly and lunch served pretty quickly. Will return again.
Chef Lisa

This is one of the real gems of Bernalillo. Great atmosphere and loved they had pictures of so many Abuelita's in the restaurant. The staff was very friendly and made sure we were taken care of with drinks and anything we needed. My son decided to go for the special Tacopilla with beef and we were not disappointed and it is a big portion so some came home. I had the Navajo Taco with beef and was one of the best we ever had cuz you gotta share . The red chili was nice and on the thicker side and had a great heat and it snuck up on you at the end and the Green chili had chunks in it if the chili which I love and was a little less hot. Both the chips and the tacos are homemade and one of my favorites I have had in 5 years I have lived in New Mexico. They are open for breakfast at 8am and lunch and close at 3pm and they are closed on Sunday and Monday.

Abuelita's is a MUST visit whenever we are in the Albuquerque area! We just stopped here on our way to Taos because the Chile con queso (HOT!!) is so memorable. Seriously so good. We also got the calabacitas flat enchilada today, and the calabacitas were so silky and flavorful, the green sauce was super hot and delicious, and the sopapilla at the end of the meal was light and shatteringly crisp. Perfect. I hope this place stays open forever.