“No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary,
a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past,
the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.”
~Laurie Colwin, Novelist

Watch virtually any episode of Kitchen Nightmares and you might just be convinced that families can’t possibly work together in a restaurant.  Kitchen Nightmares, one of Gordon Ramsay’s eight-hundred or so television shows, is rather formulaic–Ramsay spends a week with a failing restaurant in an attempt to revive the business.  Almost invariably, the failing restaurant is owned and operated by a family.  Almost invariably, the drama falls just short of Homer strangling Bart.  Arguments on Kitchen Nightmares are loud and intense.  Copious tears are shed.  Predictably, the sagacity and sangfroid of Saint Ramsay brings sanity to the family fray and the family joins him in a rendering of kumbaya.

Contrast a visit to a Kitchen Nightmares restaurant with a visit to Ramona’s Mexican Cafe and the only drama you might experience is the internal conflict of trying to figure out what to order from a terrific menu.  Ramona, the matriarch of the Chavira Y Valles family, runs the kitchen with her sons.   Her recipes are prepared to her exacting specifications. Ramona is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico where all but the two youngest of her  children were born.    There are numerous Mexican restaurants in New Mexico based on the cuisine of Chihuahua.  We were surprised to find that the cuisine at Ramona’s more closely resembles that of New Mexico.  Differences are nuanced, but lifelong residents should be able to discern them.

Ramona’s is located at the Journal Center in a space previously occupied by Twister’s.  It’s within easy walking distance of Hello Deli and offers a nice alternative to other area favorites in a neighborhood increasingly becoming a dining destination.  The dining room is expansive, offering both table and booth seating.  We watched as servers engaged with happy patrons in a manner that was both convivial and ambassadorial.  Our server every time we’ve visited is Jazmin, a former Valley Viking with a sparkling smile and effervescent personality.  She guided us through the menu and provided sage recommendations.

Jazmin’s brothers and cousins attended to other tables with much the same amiability.  Joel (sporting the red baseball cap above) runs the entire operation, maintaining family harmony and working order in a manner Gordon Ramsay would not recognize.  The entire family visited our table to thank us for our loyalty and patronage.  This is a family you might want to call your own.  They certainly treat you like a treasured member of their family.

We never seated long before the beautiful Jazmin ferries over a basket of chips and two salsas.  The jalapeño-based salsas were equally piquant with a bite proving too much for my bride.  For me there’s no such thing as too piquant though a bit (very minuscule) of  guilt sets in when I’m enjoying something she can’t enjoy.  The salsa is terrific, not only muy picante but muy sabrosa.  Chips are lightly salted and crispy though just a bit thin.  Not every chip was able to hold the Gil-sized salsa scoops I enjoy.  Our friends Bob of the Village of Los Ranchos (BOTVOLR) and John Martin, two salsa savants, enjoyed the salsa as much as I did.

In additional to the usual suspects of Coke (including Mexican Coke) provided products, Ramona’s offers several aguas frescas: melon, lime-cucumber, pineapple–and during the holday season, a pumpkin-spiced horchata.  There was no horchata left during our inaugural visit, but Jazmin encouraged us to arrive a little bit earlier than 1PM to ensure horchata is available.  Ramona’s is open from 7AM to 2:30PM Monday through Saturday and from 8AM to 2:30 on Sundays.  Jazmin told us Sunday is when the restaurant is most busy.  Breakfast is available at all hours of operation.

Ramona’s menu is replete with Mexican and New Mexican favorites such as huevos rancheros, burritos, chilaquiles and pancakes for breakfast.  The menu dedicates separate space for tacos, burritos, burgers and tortas as well as quesadillas and caldos (soups).  The entire menu is available all day long.  Chile is not adulterated with cumin.  Bread is free of high fructose corn syrup.   Six Mexican plates make up a section of the menu titled “Mexican Platos.”   Make sure you heed the specials board near the entrance.  We didn’t and missed out on a calabasitas burrito.

2 December 2023:  Both the breakfast and lunch menus include enchiladas, one of the most versatile of New Mexican and Mexican dishes.  The enchiladas on both plates are stacked, the way we enjoy them in Northern New Mexico, too.  Jasmine encouraged me to try the enchiladas montadas, literally “mounted enchiladas”  (three flat fried corn tortillas with your choice of chile, cheese, two eggs any way you want them and your choice of potatoes).   So much versatility.  So many options.  Chorizo,  over easy fried eggs, “Christmas” chile, and the wonderful silver dollar potatoes were my choices.  Both the red and green chile pack a punch with the green being somewhat more piquant.  Neither was hot enough to obfuscate the delightful flavor of the chorizo.

2 December 2023:  One of the aforementioned specials of the day of our inaugural visit was corn-on-the-cob.  It wasn’t labeled “elotes” though by definition, it could have been.  Elotes are grilled corn on the cob that is frequently topped with crumbly cheese, chili powder, and lime juice after being spread with mayonnaise (or butter).  Ramona’s version definitely had chile, a nicely piquant powder and it had lots of cheese, but we couldn’t discern lime juice and (or) butter.  At any event, for a buck-an-ear, this corn on the cob was a bargain.

5 December 2023:  Several years ago, Mexican moms were asked to view a Rachel Ray video demonstrating how the effusive celebrity chef makes pozole (posole).   Their reactions were hilarious.  Every time Rachel Ray added an inauthentic ingredient–sour cream, beans, cumin, beer, radishes and other atrocities– into her posole, the Mexican mothers blanched.  In their estimation, whatever Rachel was making wasn’t posole.  It was sacrilege, an afront to Mexican cuisine.   They went so far as to declare Rachel Ray didn’t respect Mexican cuisine ergo she shouldn’t be preparing and calling it “Mexican.”

I’d venture to say those Mexican moms would love the fire posole at Ramona’s Cafe.  There’s nothing in this posole that shouldn’t be there.  There’s no misappropriation of Mexican culinary traditions.  There’s only lots of one mom’s love and respect of Mexican ingredients and traditions–and fiery, magically seasoned red chile and pork.  Sides of Mexican oregano, chile de arbol, lime and onions are provided, but they’re wholly unnecessary as the posole is perfect the way it’s served.  Better still, it’s served hot (temperature).  It’s the perfect prescription for what ails you on a cold December day.  The posole is served with your choice of a tortilla or a bolillo, the magnificent Mexican bread on which tortas are made.

15 December 2023:  One of the beauties of Mexican cuisine is its versatility.  Obvious examples are the many ways in which tortillas–both corn and flour–can be used.   Tortillas are a medium for any number of Mexican favorites: tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and more.  That versatility is compounded by the many ingredients with which these favorites can be constructed.  Add or take away an ingredient and the flavor of a dish changes.  One of the most surprisingly versatile dishes in the Mexican culinary repertoire is birria, a dish that exploded onto the American dining scene just a few years ago.

At its most fundamental, birria is a spicy and savory beef or goat stew cooked slowly until the meat is tender and fall-apart juicy.  The braising liquid, a magically red consomme, replete with that fall-apart juicy meat is used as a dip for birria tacos (our friend Lynn Garner loves Ramona’s birria tacos).  Birria is oft used on everything from pizza to tortas.  One of my very favorite ways to enjoy it is with ramen.  Ramona’s birria ramen (served with beef, onions, cabbage, cilantro, limes and two quesadillas) is fabulous!  Strewn alongside tendrils of sumptuous beef are larger cubes of tender beef as flavorful as they can be.  The consommé is wonderful, both spicy and piquant.  Tangles of slurp-worthy ramen are easily fished out with a fork.  They, too, are imbued with that magical consommé.  Portion size means you’ll be taking some home.  Leftovers are even better!

15 December 2023: Specials are available on most days, posted on a strategically positioned sign board.  You can also find them posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page.  We visited on a day designated for one of those specials.  Fajita Friday should be as popular as Taco Tuesday, but only if the fajitas are truly worthy.  Ramona’s fajitas are!  Available with beef or shrimp, a generous platter is replete with your protein of choice, grilled onions and peppers, guacamole, sour cream and tomatoes with accompaniments of beans and rice on the side.

Your choice of flour or corn tortillas also accompany the fajita feast laid out before you (another example of the versatility of Mexican cuisine).   The beef is seasoned well and is as tender as my Kim’s heart.  Peppers and onions are grilled to absolute perfection, retaining their moistness while exploiting their sweetness.  Kudos to Ramona for some of the best refried beans we’ve had.  My Kim doesn’t like beans so Lynn and I were  the eager recipients.  Lynn also noted how moist the rice is.  These are fajitas who deserve being singled out every Friday.

9 February 2024:   As we all know, a chimichanga is a deep-fried burrito with a crispy outer layer, and it often includes a filling of meat, beans, cheese, and vegetables.  Most of my earliest experiences with chimichangas bordered on disastrous.  For the most part “deep-fried” meant as fried as a 1960s rock band.  It practically took a chisel to puncture the desiccated, mummified tortilla and once you did so, the inside was fried, too.  In recent years, however, restaurants have been paying much closer attention to their chimichanga preparation, no longer frying them as you might bacon.

Ramona’s chimichanga (beans, rice, cheese, choice of meat inside a burrito, avocado cream sauce and Mexican crema and cilantro on top) is the best I’ve ever had.  As the beautiful Jazmin recommended, I ordered it “smothered” with both red and green chile.  Smothered also meant covering the accompanying French fries with the chile.  What a wonderful concept!   Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, chile smothered fries would make an excellent entree on its own.  The tortilla was easy to break through to enjoy the contents within.  Ramona’s beans are superb.  Only the avocado cream sauce and Mexican crema can top this paragon of deliciousness.

6 December 2024:  Tradition is no longer sacrosanct.  As we’ve seen with tacos, burritos and tortas, the only limit to what tamales can be stuffed with is imagination.  Tamales are traditionally made with masa (a dough derived from nixtamalized corn) and filled with various meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, or chiles.  If you grew up in New Mexico, most tamales are filled with red chile marinated pork.  Some might consider it sheer lunacy to see internet recipes for pizza tamales (marinara sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni), Oreo tamales (sweet masa made with crushed Oreos, Oreos in the center) and Nutella and Strawberries tamales (Nutella, strawberries and marshmallows), but you’ll find recipes for these anamlous tamales on the internet.

Word on the street (at least the streets in which I hang out) is that Ramona’s has the best tamales in town.  Breakfast (with eggs and potatoes) and lunch (with beans and rice) tamale plates are available at any time of day.  Jazmine recommended the breakfast plate (she could recommend a plate of scorpions and I’d order it).  Ramona’s tamales are terrific with a perfect balance of masa and chile marinated pork.  They’re about an inch thick with the masa having a pronounced corn flavor though it’s a bit obfuscated if you ask for your tamales to be topped with red  and green chile.  Eggs (I ordered scrambled) and potatoes are a nice pairing.

4 May 2025:  There are so many reasons Ramona has become my very favorite Mexican restaurant in New Mexico.  One of the many is the “have it your way” atitude of the wonderful wait staff.  Another is the versatility of its menu.  An example of a dish that offers both “have it your way” and versatility is the carnitas burrito.   It’s available both as a lunch item and as a breakfast item without being exactly the same dish.  The breakfast version of the carnitas burrito includes eggs and papas and is served with smothered fries on the side.  The lunch version comes with beans, rice and fries.  It’s a gigantic burrito, about the size of a piece of firewood (which means you’ll be taking some of it home with you).  This burrito is in rarefied air.  It’s simply one of the very best breakfast burritos in a town renowned for great breakfast burritos.  The smothered fries are a bonus.

8 May 2025:  It’s not very often that a new type of street food emerges from relative obscurity to become virtually legendary. One such dish is the now famousquesabirria. If that name brings music to your ears, you’re not alone.  Since quesabirria tacos were introduced to the United States in 2016, this street food favorite has captured the hearts and apetites of diners.  Credit much of that to the magic of Instagram.  Quesabirria, a Mexican dish comprised of birria-style cooked beef folded into a tortilla with melted cheese and served with a side of consommé for dipping, is a culinary pheonom. Eater has described quesabirria as “a cross between a taco and a quesadilla,”  but it’s so much more than that.

In helping me navigate Ramona’s menu for something I hadn’t previously had, Jazmin suggested quesabirria.  As usual, the delightful Jazin steered me right.  Three tacos, a bowl of consommé and refried beans made for my adult version of a happy meal.  The three tacos are topped with chopped onions and cilantro, but it’s the consommé that transforms these tacos into the total meal experience so many of us enjoy.  Then there’s the juicy, spicy meat blanketed in molten queso, each taco beckoning for a quick dip into the consommé.  These tacos are as good as you’ll find anywhere.  Though you can have rice with the tacos, the refried beans are outstanding–on par with those at Mary & Tito’swhich means they’re in rarefied air.

17 June 2025:  My high school football coach Jesus Bautista used to describe his Peñasco Panthers team as “chiquitos pero picosos,” a term which translates from Spanish to “small but spicy.”  At a svelte 175-pounds in full uniform, I was the biggest guy on a team whose average weight was probably about 140 pounds–including on the offensive and defensive lines.  Though we were alway outsized, the heart and courage of our team could not be denied.   Only wins were denied.  Invariably no matter how fierce the fighter, size and numbers eventually won out.

When Jazmin delivered nachos to our table, I quickly espied the silver dollar-sized jalapeños and knew they would probably be lacking in the piquancy I love.  Give me jalapeños that are (like the Peñasco Panthers of my senior year) chiquitos pero picosos every time.  It’s not always the case that larger jalapeños are less piquant than smaller ones, but it was rather Pygmalian in this case.  Insipid jalapeños were the only thing wrong with these nachos, a mountainous plate that included chile colorado with beef, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, melted queso, creamy guacamole and crispy chips.  These nachos may not have had the punch I craved, but they’re resplendent in the flavors of ingredients which work very well together.

18 December 2025:  Creative genius–not to mention a zero waste mindfulness–was at play when chilaquiles were first conceived back in the days of the Aztec civilization in pre-Colubian times.  Ordinarily when an ingredient described as “stale” is on a dish, most of us would be hesitant to try it, but stale corn tortillas are the essence of chilaquiles.   Stale, yes stale, an inventive Aztec cook conceived of cutting up corn tortillas and simmering them in chile.  Hence the Nahuatl name chīlāquilitl, meaning “chili and greens”). It was a sustainable, staple food, which over the millenia has evolved from simple sustenance into a beloved Mexican breakfast, brunch or anytime item.

Contemporary versions of chilaquiles include such toppings as cheese, cream, eggs, or chicken, and virtually any other topping you might like.  Ramona’s rendition is a wonderful way to start or finish your day.  Triangular wedges of corn tortillas are topped with red chile, crema, queso fresco and topped with two eggs any way you want them.  They’re served with Ramona’s refried beans (up there with Mary & Tito’s as the very best in town).  Because the tortilla chips are simmered in chile, you can actually pick them up with your fork.  If you think tortilla chips are phenomenal with Ramona’s salsa, you’ll thoroughly enjoy them smothered in red chile.

Burgers & Sandwiches

2 December 2023:  Living in the Land of Enchantment and not being able to enjoy chile, the state’s official vegetable, is akin to living on the coast of Maine and being allergic to lobster.  That’s the plight my bride suffers through daily.  Ramona’s menu is versatile enough for her to find something (several somethings) she can enjoy.  One choice is the quesadilla stuffed with a blend of cheeses in a flour tortilla.  Carne asada was my Kim’s chosen protein.  The quesadilla is served with guacamole and sour cream.  Though quite good, it still hurts my heart that my Kim can no longer enjoy chile.

6 December 2024:  Smash burgers have become a culinary sensation across the fruited plain.  The Food Network describes smash burgers as “A thin beef patty cooked on a super-hot griddle. The burger is smashed down, usually with a spatula, to increase browning and craggy bits on the surface for extra flavor.”  Made well, smash burgers can be a flavorful alternative to burgers constructed with thick beef orbs and a phalanx of ingredients.  Unfortunately, the label “smash burgers” is sometimes a misnomer.  Some restaurants use the term as a catch-all for skinny meat burgers cooked for too long.

Dry, skinny burgers pretty much describes most tortilla burgers I’ve had.  Ramona’s tortilla smash burgers are a wonderful departure from desiccated dining.  It’s available with your choice of ingredients and condiments, but as always I ordered one just the way it’s prepared.  That means lettuce, tomatoes, queso punctuated with jalapeños and on the side a single green chile.  Jazmine explained that some diners enjoy that chile separately while others nestle it on the burger.  Either way this is a moist, flavorful, absolutely delicious burger.  Order it a la carte or as a plate (with French fries).  Either way, just order it.

13 January 2025:  Three other burgers adorn the menu.  One (Mena’s burger) is a classic green chile cheeseburger made on a flour tortilla.  For years I’ve been touting the creativity and deliciousness of burgers served at Mexican restaurants.  Thankfully you can have green chile cheeseburgers throughout the Land of Enchantment, but burgers constructed at Mexican restaurants rival New Mexico’s sacrosanct burger for sheer deliciousness and they’re far more creative.  Take Ramona’s Mexican burger (just don’t take mine) for example.

This bountiful behemoth starts off with a third-pound beef patty which is topped with ham, a hot link, American cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomato, sour cream and guacamole.  If you’ve never had (or even considered) some of these toppings, you owe it to yourself to try them.  You won’t even miss the green chile (sacrilege, I know).  It’s perfect as is–no need for amelioration such as ketchup or mustard.  The Mexican burger is moist and delicious, three proteins dancing in harmony on your taste buds to bring you pure joy.  Accompanying fries are among the best in the city.  They’re moist and tender on the inside and crispy .

15 February 2025:  Our eighth visit to Ramona’s gave me pause to reflect on all the wonderful meals we’ve enjoyed at this very special family treasure.  Despite having had several of the very best dishes (such as the transformative chimichanga), I’ve never ordered anything twice.  Such is the plight of a restaurant critic.  After having the Mexican burger, I thought for sure it would be what I’d order the following visit.  Alas, Jazmin raved so effusively about the Mena’s burger that my plans for repeating that Mexican burger went awry.

By any other name Mena’s burger (tortilla burger with American cheese, green chile, lettuce, pickles, tomato and a special secret sauce) is a green chile cheeseburger, albeit not constructed within traditional burger buns.  Somehow Ramona’s kitchen staff manages to create a tortilla pocket that limits spillage (otherwise the special sauce would have been all over my shirt).  To say this is one of the best green chile cheeseburgers in New Mexico would not be an understatement.  It’s a delicious creation with green chile that actually bites back.  That secret special sauce (a formula that I surmise probably includes the holy trinity of mustard, ketchup and mayo in perfect proportion) is terrific.  The beef patty is thick and prepared at about a medium-well degree of doneness.  It’s so good, you might be tempted to order a second.

15 February 2025:  Jazmin pointed out four new items on the menu, but I declined to order any of them until I’ve tried all the original items.  My Kim, on the other hand, is smart enough not to create artificial restrictions for herself.  She ordered Ramona’s Philly torta (carne desebrada, red and green peppers, cheese), a unique take on the sacrosanct Philly cheesesteak.  Every ingredient nestled within a bolillo bun worked well with the other ingredients, but the star of the show was definitely the carne desebrada (shredded beef).  This isn’t just beef pulled apart into tendrils of deliciousness.  The beef undergoes a lengthy marinade process before it’s grilled on the flat top.  That marinade and the grilling make this one of the best Philly sandwiches in town.  My druthers would have been to have it with green chile, but that’s not how my Kim likes her sandwiches.

Desserts

5 December 2023:  Ramona’s talents aren’t limited to traditional savory Mexican dishes.  She proves her mettle with desserts, too.  No ordinary desserts are these.  Much like her pumpkin spiced horchata, these are creations borne of her creativity and talents.  Listed on the dessert menu were two sweet treats we’d never have and which we now wonder why we’ve never before had such wonderful deviations on cheesecake and pastel tres leches.

When made well, pastel tres leches is likely my Kim’s very favorite Mexican dessert.  Ramona’s takes a great dessert and makes it even better.  She creates a very moist and delicious tres leches cupcake and tops it with fresh, moist strawberries.  The ever so slightly tart strawberries prove a wonderful foil for the cupcake which is oozing with the three milks.  It’s a version of pastel tres leches everyone should try.  Our second dessert was a cheesecake with a sopaipilla topping.  As with the tres leches cupcake, this unique rendition of cheesecake was fantastic.  The cheesecake was only about as thin as a slice of pie, but it was replete with flavor and genius.

13 January 2025:  Although Jazmin will forever be my favorite from among the Ramona’s family, Antoinette is gaining traction.  Antoinette is a vivacious server with a great sense of humor and perpetual smile (plus she drives a gorgeous Ford Mustang).  During our first visit in 2025, she ferried over two slices of strawberry cake, observing that Ramona’s often runs out of dessert by the time we get there.  She shared that she’s increasingly being asked to bake some of the pastries offered at this Mexican gem.  If the strawberry cake (moist and delicious) is any indication of her talents as a baker, she’s going places.

15 February 2025:  Antoinette is also the creative genius behind Ramona’s cheesecake.  It’s not as tall as most cheesecakes, but it surpasses almost all of them in terms of deliciousness.  About one-inch high, it’s topped with caramelized sugar similar to what you’d find on brulee.  As if that’s not decadent enough, Jazmin will top it with caramel sauce if you request it.  This is an amazing cheesecake!  This rich, creamy dessert has the inimitable sweet and tangy flavor punch that make it one of the best desserts on any restaurant’s menu.

17 June 2025: Jenn Bennett, an American author of novels for teens and adults, may have described churros better than anyone else I’ve read: “Churros are like long Mexican doughnut sticks that have been fried and dipped in cinnamon.  They smell like God’s footprints.”    I don’t know about “God’s footprints,” but the rest of her description is simple, but spot on.  For an even more complete effect, she could have used the adjectives’ “delicious” and “addicting,” especially when those churros are served with vanilla ice cream.  My Kim also asks that the vanilla ice cream be topped with chocolate.  Ramona’s always accommodates.

Ramona’s Mexican Cafe might not make “good television” if you’re looking for family drama, but if you want delicious Mexican and New Mexican food served by a wonderful family, it’s a great option.  Best of all, in June, 2025, Ramona’s launched a second location, this one at the former home of Monica’s El Portal.  Already Ramona’s is becoming one of Old Town’s most popular attractions.

Ramona’s Mexican Cafe
7600 Jefferson Street, N.E.
Albuquerque, New Mexico 
(505) 295-3945
Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 18 December 2025
1st VISIT:  2 December 2023
# OF VISITS: 11
RATING: 24
COST: $$
BEST BET: Chips and Salsa, Breakfast Enchiladas, Carne Asada Quesadilla, Corn on the Cob, Fire Posole, Tres Leches & Strawberry Cupcake, Sopaipilla Cheesecake, Chimichanga, Breakfast Tamale Plate, Tortilla Smashburger, Mexican Burger, Mena’s Burger, Philly Torta, Cheesecake, Carnitas Burrito, Quesabirria Tacos, Refried Beans, Nachos, Churros, Chilaquiles
REVIEW #1361