Ramona’s Mexican Cafe – Albuquerque, New Mexico

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ramona’s Mexican Cafe
7600 Jefferson Street, N.E.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 295-3945
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LATEST VISIT: 9 February 2024
1st VISIT: 2 December 2023
# OF VISITS: 4
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
REVIEW #1361