Antojitos Lupe – Bernalillo, New Mexico

Gustavo Arellano, the brilliant and hilarious author of Ask a Mexican, an erstwhile syndicated satirical weekly newspaper column published mostly in weekly alternative papers, used to be one of my go-to sources of entertainment and information, particularly regarding our common and beloved Spanish lexicon. His inimitable wit and perspective is amusing and enlightening. Take for example his translation of the word “antojitos.”

in an article published in his then parent newspaper, the Orange County Weekly, Arellano observed that “the Spanish menu entry antojitos translates as “appetizers,” but the expression connotes more than mere snacks. It derives from the noun antojo, which describes the cravings unique to pregnant women. Antojitos, then, is “little cravings,” and Latinos know that their before-the-main-meal bites should be so appetizing that expectant females snarl at husbands to seek these delights at ungodly hours.”

Expectant mothers snarling! Ungodly hours! Obviously antojitos should be good enough to elicit the type of carnal response usually reserved for something more than special…something great. One could surmise that in a sense, antojitos are the Mexican equivalent of dim sum, but where antojitos translates to “little cravings,” dim sum translates to “a bit of heart” or “heart’s delight.” In either case, Mexicans are passionate about their antojitos which in every sense are a heart’s delight.

Barry Popik, food etymologist extraordinaire explains in his fabulous blog that the word “antojitos” has been cited in American newspapers since at least 1937. He credits Claudia Alarcon writing for Chefs.com for shedding more light on the topic of antojitos: “Perhaps the most difficult group of dishes to explain in all of Mexican cuisine, antojitos are best described as small dishes that are meant to be consumed informally, either from street vendors at lunchtime, in cantinas with drinks before dinner, or at home or in the street as late night snacks.”

In October, 2009, a new restaurant named Antojitos Lupe opened on the ill-fated corner of Camino del Pueblo and Avenida Bernalillo, a corner which has seen many restaurants come and go, all in short order. The site’s previous tenant was Charlie’s Burgers & Mexican Food which lasted less than a year in that location. Antojitos Lupe, it turns out, is the second instantiation of a popular and similarly named restaurant in the Duke City.   Now closed, Lupe’s Antojitos and Mexican food on Zuni Road pleased palates in southeast Albuquerque for years before shuttering its doors in 2019.  One reason for its popularity is Lupe herself. She is a delightful woman with a luminous smile and happy glow.

In Bernalillo, Antojitos Lupe has no competition from other Mexican restaurants and in fact, only a half-dozen or so restaurants of any kind call the City of Coronado home. As such, when the corner complex which housed Lupe’s shuttered its doors in 2013, savvy diners went into mourning. Our sorrow was short-lived because on October 30, 2013, Antojitos Lupe launched in a shiny new strip mall off heavily trafficked Highway 550. Lupe’s, a veritable compendium of deliciousness from Central Mexico, was back and for that, we are extremely grateful.

Contrary to the name on the marquee, the menu isn’t solely about appetizers. There are a number of breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees available. As you contemplate the menu, a complementary bowl of salsa with thick, crispy chips is brought to your table. The salsa may be a nearly luminescent neon green tomatillo based salsa (called salsa verde) or it may be a thin, fiery red salsa. The tomatillo salsa is only mildly piquant, but most definitely fresh tasting. More prevalent flavor sensations come from the tanginess of limes and the sharp, fresh flavor of cilantro. It’s a very good salsa, a bit on the watery side, but the chips are formidable enough to hold large quantities of it. The chips are thick, crisp and low in salt.

Before the Cabrona virus, Lupe’s offered a rotating array of Aguas frescas (including Pina, Jamaica and Horchata) to slake your thirst are served in Styrofoam cups. If you wish to reduce your carbon footprint, try an ice cold bottle of Jarritos, the famous Mexican soda pops which come in nine delicious and colorful fruit flavors: Tamarind, Mandarin, Fruit Punch, Jamaica, Lime, Grapefruit, Guava, Pineapple and Strawberry. The horchata is cold and delicious with a flavor more than vaguely reminiscent of the milk left over after eating a bowl of children’s breakfast cereal. The pina (pineapple) is even better.

23 May 2021: It wouldn’t be a true antojitos experience if you don’t partake of at least one preprandial treat. Perhaps the most intriguing are the Huaraches. No, not the Mexican sandals popular with the Bohemian set. Barry Popik explains that huaraches are “thick, oval-shaped corn tortillas, often topped with meat, cheese, beans, and cooked cactus leaves.” The name “huaraches” was either coined or popularized by a popular Mexico City restaurant named El Huarache Azteca.

The name fits. Huaraches are shaped roughly like a human foot, and just as a human foot needs covering, the thick corn tortilla needs toppings. Indented by hand so that it has “borders” to hold its component ingredients, one huarache at Antojitos Lupe is topped with ground beef, shredded lettuce, Mexican crema and queso fresco. The ground beef is well seasoned and best of all, it isn’t refried (fried once then reheated) as at some restaurants. Even if you don’t add a smidgeon of salsa, this is a surprisingly flavorful meal starter. Perhaps even better is a huarache topped with chorizo and potatoes. The chorizo is nicely seasoned and imbues everything it touches with flavor.

One entree highly recommended by the wait staff is the Bisteca Ranchera which at many Mexican restaurants is a supermodel thin slab of beef. At Antojitos Lupe, that slab is cut up into small pieces and based on how well the flavors meld together, is sauteed with tomatoes and onions. At least, this entree tastes as if it is all prepared together instead of the tomatoes and onions being added later.

17 October 2009: The Mexican state of Oaxaca is known as the “Land of Seven Moles,”–moles which can be found in such colors as red, green, black, brown and yellow. Moles are an intricate sauce made by grinding and toasting chiles, seeds, spices and sundry ingredients. Though they appear to be rather simple, moles are, in fact, highly complex and unique, no two cooks preparing it the same way. While some New Mexicans won’t “deign” to eat mole, others find it a surprising alternative or even supplement to their beloved chile.  One of the most common ways to have mole is over chicken and at Antojitos Lupe, “over” is an understatement. A full chicken leg and thigh are thoroughly covered in mole. In fact, the entree looks as if it chocolate has been applied by trowel, so densely covered is the poultry. This is a messy entree guaranteed to require several napkins and copious finger-licking.

23 May 2021: Among the most intriguing items on the menu are three molcajete dishes. A molcajete is essentially a seasoned stone mortar meticulously carved out of a single rock of vesicular basalt by a skilled artisan. Not only are they esthetic, they are highly functional, used for crushing and grinding spices and as serving vessels. That’s how Antojitos Lupe uses them. The minute you place your order for one of the molcajete dishes, the round, three-legged mortar goes into the oven before your meal is prepared. Your entire meal will be served in the cavity of the molcajete (during the Cabrona virus, it is served in a Styrofoam box) which retains heat for the entire duration of your meal. This is “too hot to handle” heat that keeps your meal steaming hot for as long as half an hour. The Molcajete Lupe is the house specialty, a spectacular melange of Mexican favorites: carne asada–thinly sliced grilled beef flank steak; pollo asado–grilled chicken; carne al pastor–marinated pork; queso fresco–a creamy, soft white cheese that tastes like a mild feta; nopalitos–verdant strips of nopal (prickly pear pads) cooked with onions; and finally, homemade corn tortillas.

Individually, each item on this entree is quite good, but as a collective, the entire dish is fabulous. The juices from the sauteed onions and nopalitos coalesce with the al pastor to penetrate the chicken and beef, imbuing them with a surprisingly delicious flavor and a moist texture. The corn tortillas make excellent tacos, engorged with a little bit of everything on the molcajete plus the side of beans and rice that comes with this entree. The other two molcajete dishes are a chicken-based Molcajete Pollo dish and a meat based Molcajete Asada.

1 March 2012: The caldo de res, a hearty beef and vegetable soup, is a meal in itself. Served in a bowl equal in size to the swimming pool sized bowls used for Vietnamese pho, it’s big enough to share–not that you would want to. To compare caldo de res with some Vietnamese soups wouldn’t be much of a stretch. Both have restorative properties and are especially wonderful in cold weather. Both are elixirs for whatever ails you, offering the comfort only a mother can match. Both are flavored with marrow from bones. Lupe’s caldo de res is made with bone-in beef shanks boiled for hours until tender. Mixed in are chunks of zucchini, carrots, chopped cabbage and mini corn on the cobs. It’s the beef broth which will absolutely delight you. You’ll relish each spoonful, maybe even disposing of the spoon to slurp it up right from the bowl.

22 March 2015: One of the more intriguing dishes on the menu has the curious name “mole de oya.” If you’re expecting mole in a pot, you’d be wrong. Our server explained that the mole de oya dish has nothing to do with mole other than to share a name. Instead, she elaborated, it more closely resembles the aforementioned caldo de res, the main difference being that the mole de oya is prepared with a hot chile. Several of the signature vegetables on the caldo de res are absent from the mole de oya. In fact, the spicy crimson broth includes mostly carrots, zucchini and the bone-in beef shanks aficionados de caldo (soup fanatics) love.

11 October 2015: Most often enjoyed during breakfast, chilaquiles are a good-at-any-time dish that’s both simple and complex. At their essence, chilaquiles are constructed from the triumvirate of corn tortillas, salsa (or chile) and cheese. The foundation for the dish is the tortillas which are cut up into quarters then fried and simmered in red chile until they absorb the sauce and become soft and pliable. Queso fresco is then sprinkled on top. The complexity is in any other ingredients (typically eggs, beans, meat and rice) added to the dish. Lupe offers chilaquiles with carne asada, a very thin steak.

23 May 2021: If you’re in the mood for sandwiches, look no further than Antojitos Lupe which offers about a half-dozen different tortas, the delectable Mexican sandwich. One of the more popular filler options is the torta de barbacoa, tender shredded beef stuffed in between a soft, split bolillo bun with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and pickled jalapeños. As beautiful a sandwich as it is when it’s just sitting on your plate, it becomes a falling apart mess when you unwrap and pick it up, as seemingly half your sandwich falls onto the plate. That’s just a minor inconvenience, the spillage of excess ingredients. There’s still plenty between buns and you’ll have some left over to eat with a fork.

When we first discovered Antojitos Lupe, dessert options abounded, but the only way you’d have room for any is if you asked for a to-go box (some entrees, such as the Molcajete dishes, actually taste even better the next day). Dessert options included flan, arroz con leche (a sweet rice with milk dish) and bionicos. The very word “bionico” is intriguing. For those of my generation, it conjures images of the Six Million Dollar Man, a television show chronicling the adventures of an astronaut “rebuilt” with “bionic” implants that enhance his strength, speed and vision

2 July 2010: Bionicos are so-named because they impart quick energy. Lupe explains that bionicos are very popular for breakfast in parts of Mexico, not only because of their quick energy but because of their healthful qualities. They are constructed of fresh, hand-cut fruits–strawberries, cantaloupe, papaya, pineapple, banana, apples–topped with granola, coconut, unsweetened yogurt and just a bit of syrup for sweetness. Unlike some granola-based breakfast dishes, bionicos aren’t cloying in their sweetness; instead, the fruits impart their naturally fresh flavors–natural tanginess, sweetness, juiciness and tartness. The dessert is easily large enough for two to share.

Alas Antojitos Lupe no longer offers desserts. As wonderful as the sumptuous sweets were, they weren’t moving very quickly and have been removed from the menu. I kept the two previous paragraphs and the photograph on the review to remind patrons of what they’re missing. Perhaps they’ll inspire a grass roots effort to bring them back (or at least the bionicos).

The lofty menu at Antojitos Lupe means future visits are inevitable. Good cooking, attentive service and reasonable prices means there’ll be plenty of company at Bernalillo’s newest and only Mexican restaurant. Then there’s Lupe herself, a perpetually smiling woman with the energy to multi-task as hostess, waitress, cashier and cook. She’s sweeter than any of the desserts formerly offered at the restaurant.

Antojitos Lupe
180 East Highway 550
Bernalillo, New Mexico
(505) 867-2145
1ST VISIT: 17 October 2009
LATEST VISIT: 23 May 2021
# OF VISITS: 9
RATING: 21
COST: $ – $$
BEST BET: Chicken Mole, Huaraches, Tomatillo Salsa, Bisteca Ranchera, Molcajete Lupe, Molcajete Asada, Bionicos, Mole de Oya, Chilaquiles, Torta al Pastor, Torta de Barbacoa