“I eat uno, dos, tres, quatro burritos
Pretty soon I can’t fit in my Speedos
Well, I hope they feed us lots of chicken fajitas
And a pitcher of margaritas”
~Taco Grande by Weird Al Yankovic
While perusing the slogans–One Bite And You’re Hooked; Cooked Slow, Served Hot, Loved Fast; Hot Chile makes Everything Better” on the windows of La Sierra, I half expected to see lyrics from the “Weird “Al Yankovic song “Taco Grande” (a parody of the song “Rico Suave”). What I didn’t expect was for La Sierra to live up to its self-aggrandizing hype. Of course, diners always hope a restaurant is as good as it professes to be, but all-too-often an eatery doesn’t live up to the hype. La Sierra does…and then some!
Albuquerque’s very first instantiation of La Sierra (not to be confused with the venerable Mac’s La Sierra) launched in July, 2025 on the corner of Menaul and University at the site of a former Little Anita’s. Some nine months later, a second La Sierra opened its doors. This one is located on Alameda just west of Corrales Road. You may recall that this location once housed The Whole Enchilada which was later renamed Tarasco. Both locations of La Sierra are owned by impresario Gabriel Nuñez whose father Leo also owns the epoonymous Leo’s Nightclub on 12th and Candelaria..
We were somewhat surprised that La Sierra wasn’t more crowded during our inaugural visit. If there’s one positive to be gleaned from the restaurant not being packed, it’s that we got to spend time with the personable Gabriel Nuñez and the restaurant’s effusive greeter-server Jazmine. Based on our inaugural experience, it shouldn’t be long before teeming throngs discover La Sierra which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not only is service efficient and affable, the food is quite good. It’s also very inexpensive (a bonus for these economically challenging times). La Sierra’s current operating hours are 8AM through 3PM but Gabriel plans to expand business hours once he fully staffs the restaurant.
Gabriel explained that La Sierra sources its red chile from Chimayo and its green chile from Hatch. La Sierra is comfortable on both sides of the line of demarcation between New Mexican and Mexican food. Both of Gabriel’s parents grew up in Mexico, but Gabriel has spent his entire life in the Land of Enchantment. Family business ventures have had a presence in Albuquerque since 1985. Cumin is added to dishes made with red- and green-chile, but it’s barely discernible even to me (that’s a huge plus). The menu is extensive, offering a few dishes you won’t find elsewhere.
The first page of the menu is dedicated to breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Listed first are “breakfast tapas:” sopaipilla and French toast. Appetizers–including such surprises as birria pizza, mini chimis and birria beef tacos–are listed next followed by kids’ breakfast and a sixteen-item breakfast menu. Page two of the menu lists six burgers, five vegetarian plates, five skillet plates, four kids’ meals and seventeen lunch and dinner plates. Among the more intriguing offerings are the “Rio Grande mango shrimp.” The third page of the menu lists a la carte items, drinks, aguas frescas and desserts. Among the aguas frescas listed is one made with mango, not a very common offering in Albuquerque.
24 April 2026: As you peruse the delightful menu, make sure you’ve got an order of chips and salsa at your table. Salsa ingredients include jalapeños, onions and cilantro. It’s a very good salsa, just thick enough for Gil-sized scoops. The yellow corn chips are formidable enough for those scoops (I’ll never dip a chip). In terms of piquancy, it’s become disengenuous for me to declare any New Mexican or Mexican item as “mild” because virtually every chile- or jalapeño-infused item is mild to me. That said, La Sierra’s salsa is pleasantly hot. It provides that adrenaline kick
14 April 2026: “Weird” Al Yankovic’s “Taco Grande” song begs “Give me something hot and spicy now.” That may be perfectly fine for New Mexican volcano-eaters, but those of delicate taste buds would beg to differ. Fortunately jaunty Jazmine, obviously intimately familiar with the menu, pointed out every item that can be made without chile. My Kim’s choice was the chicken and beef fajitas which arrived sizzling and smoky. Punctuated with red, yellow and green peppers as well as pearlescent onions, the fajitas are beautifully nestled on an iron skillet which ensures they remain hot for the duration of your meal. They’re served with thin tortillas and sour cream. My Kim, a fajita fanatic declared La Sierra’s version “outstanding” and “among the best I’ve had.” They must have been good; she gave me only one piece of each protein.
14 April 2026: New Mexico is well-worthy of its “Land of Enchantment’ sobriquet. “The Enchanted Enchilada” (flat or rolled cheese, blue corn enchiladas smothered in red and green chile; meat and fried egge optional; served with rice and beans) is also deserving of its appellation. The Enchanted Enchilada (which I ordered “stacked,” the way they’re made in Northern New Mexico) is beautifully plated on a triangular white plate. As with the aforementioned fajitas, the plate is almost too hot to handle. One of my (many) pet-peeves is food that’s served lukewarm. Flavors seem to jump out at you more when food is served at a hot temperature. It’s only one of the many reasons The Enchanted Enchilada was so good.
The Chimayo chile is probably the main reason. Chimayo red is superb, the very best in a state which boats of the best chile in the universe (especially the red chile at Mary & Tito’s) . La Sierra’s green may be slightly more piquant and is quite delicious in its own right. I eschewed rice and asked for two portions of the refried beans. They, too, were wonderful. While my Kim doesn’t like beans much, Gabriel and I reminisced about growing up having beans for breakfast, lunch, dinner…and snacks. Long live los frijoles. The canvas for the Enchanted Enchiladas were blue corn tortillas. Crowning the plate was a fried egg over easy. Minutes after having left La Sierra, I couldn’t wait to return.
In discussing what we should order during our next visit, Gabriel was effusive about every menu item. He admitted to enjoying a bowl of posole every other day or so. Fittingly it’s made fresh every other day. My experience is that posole is even better the day after it’s made and all the flavors have coalesced. Maybe I’ll just follow “Weird” Al’s advice: “You see, I just gotta have a tostada, carne asada. That’s right, I want the whole enchilada. My only addiction has to do with a flour tortilla. I need a quesadilla.” If our inaugural visit is any indication, we’ll be visiting La Sierra quite often.
24 April 2026: In 2015, an Albuquerque man got his fifteen minutes of fame and likely a spot on the America’s Dumbest Criminals television show. According to Police, a hungry housebreaker wanted his mother’s traditional New Mexican posole so much he broke into her home and stole a pot of it. The criminal complain indicates the ravenous robber texted his mom that he wanted some of her posole but she told him he couldn’t have any. The starving sneak thief was arrested on a charge of residential burglary. Hmm, I would hope my mom would never deny her eldest son some of her posole, but…
If she does, the next best pozole can be found at La Sierra. The pozole is available in two sizes. The larger size is about as big as a child’s wading pool. Even the small bowl will challenge trenchermen to finish it off. You might notice the spelling on the menu is pozole (from the Nahuatle pozolli) even though the spelling throughout much of the U.S. Southwest is “posole.” Who cares how it’s spelled provided this rich, comforting soup has the characteristic deliciousness and heartiness of an item that presents one of the three sisters (corn, beans, squash) so well. This pozole features tender cubed pork and soft, chewy hominy kernels in a broth flavored with chile and garlic. Chopped onions, limes and cilantro are provided in a separate bowl. This is probably the best pozole you can find at any New Mexican restaurant. It is simply outstanding!!!
24 April 2026: According to experts, there are three reasons eople skip breakfast: (1) lack of time in the morning, (2) not feeling hungry upon waking, and (3) actively trying to manage weight. Other reasons include not liking traditional breakfast foods, having a busy schedule, or experiencing a lack of appetite, which can be linked to stress, anxiety, or late-night. The “not liking traditional breakfast foods” can’t possibly be an excuse for New Mexicans. There probably isn’t a denizen of the Land of Enchantment who doesn’t love breakfast burritos, tacos, enchiladas or so many other traditional favorites.
La Sierra has your burrito hook-up with your choice of the burrito de chicharron special or the Santa Fe Sunrise (scrambled eggs, hash browns cheese and your choice of meat (bacon, ham, sausage, chicharron, adovada, chicken, taco asada). You can have your burrito with or without chile (what kind of burrito would it be without chile)…and because New Mexicans all love chile so much, you’ll want your burrito smothered with red or green chile. The red is phenomenal and La Sierra really does smother it. Already this is in the pantheon of breakfast burritos for me. Every bite is a delicious reminder of how glorious breakfast can be. Fortunately for those of us who use the “lack of time in the morning” excuse, breakfast is served all day (8AM – 3PM).
25 April 2026: As a bumpkinly nineteen-year-old stationed in Massachusetts, there were many things about the Land of Enchantment I missed. My dogs and family, of course, I missed most, but New Mexican cuisine was a close second. My Air Force friends and colleagues did their best to introduce me to seafood and Asian food I had only read about, but no matter how much they tried, they couldn’t conjure up restaurants that served New Mexican food. For the most part, my New England friends had never even heard about some of the standards with which I grew up: among them menudo, posole and tamales.
Once after lamenting how much I missed tamales, my friend Paul promised to take me to a restaurant that served tamales. He couldn’t believe anyone would like tamales. He said most people considered it throw-away food. I should have known we were talking about two different things. That became obvious when he took me to a lobster joint. He ordered two two-pound lobsters, one for each of us. After cracking his open, he proceeded to spoon out a soft, green substance found in the body cavity of cooked lobsters. When I asked what the heck he was doing, he said “I’m giving you the tomalley.” Tomalley IS pronounced “tamale.” Aargh, I was to find out some people consider tomalley a delicacy. Indeed, I do too…now. Tomalley has a rich, creamy, and briny flavor often compared to sea urchin or pâté. I’ve grown to love it though not as much as i love tamales.
At La Sierra, tamales are made on the premises. They’re available as an entree with beans and rice or you can have one a la carte. Either way, just have one (or six). These tamales have the optimum ratio of masa and pork. Even better, you can have them smothered with either red or green chile. You definitely want to do red. The masa has a pronounced corn taste while the marinated shredded pork is tender and mouth-watering. If you don’t like to mess with the corn husks with which tamales are usually wrapped, you’ll love La Sierra’s tamales. The corn husks have a tendency to render tamales a bit on the dry side.
25 April 2026: In a 1970s commercials, Wendy’s spokesperson Clara Peller, a tiny octogenarian, posed the question “where’s the beef.” after ordering a burger and receiving a monstrosity that was all buns and only a hint of beef. I can tell Clara where to find the beef. It’s at La Sierra. When craving burgers, I very, very, very rarely order anything other than a green chile cheeseburger when it’s available at a New Mexican restaurant. Though he told me the green chile cheeseburger is terrific, Gabriel recommended the La Sierra burger (two patties, bacon, guacamole, green chile).
He explained that the burger is constructed from two hand-formed, thick beef patties seasoned to perfection. The green chile comes from Hatch and the guacamole is made fresh. This is a skyscraper tall burger. You need a mouth like a python or like Guy Fieri to take a full bite. Or, you can smash it down a little though that will mean lots of messy guacamole all over your fingers. It helps to be extra hungry because this burger is big enough for two people (though you might not want to share it). On the rare occasion I’m unfaithful to the sacrosanct green chile cheeseburger, it’s nice to know La Sierra burger is there for me.
2 May 2026: One of my favorite culinary activities that didn’t involve eating was making chicharrones with my mom. Though the very best chicharrones come from a matanza (the traditional, celebratory winter slaughtering of pigs to prepare meat for the year) we often made chicharrones from pork remants my Kim and I would buy at the Kirtland AFB commissary. These crispy, meaty-fatty gems retain an exterior crispness while being juicy and tender on the inside. Memories of the great times with my mom flooded back when Jasmine delivered a gigantic chicharrones burrito to my table. At some New Mexican restaurants, chicharrones are sparse. At La Sierra, chicharrones are plentiful. They’re large and delicious, especially when smothered by that magnificent Chimayo red chile and topped with melted, shredded cheese.
2 May 2026: It probably won’t be long before New Mexico’s ineffectual state legislature declares green chile stew as the Land of Enchantment’s official “state stew.” Not that it’s not warranted. It certainly is, but not at the expense of addressing more serious issues that perpetually rank New Mexico lowest in so many quality of life factors. La Sierra’s green chile stew would make an outstanding poster child for any official (or unofficial) stew. Available in large and small (pictured above) sizes, this is a superb stew replete with green chile and pork. It’s an anytime-of-year green chile stew with plenty of piquancy and deliciousness. For a feeling like being wrapped in your most comfortable blanket, it’s a must-have.
14 April 2026: There are only three desserts listed on the menu. When in New Mexico, however, you do dessert the way New Mexicans do dessert. That means sopaipillas. La Sierra’s sopaipillas, while not especially puffy and large, are superb. Moreover, they’re served with real honey, not that vastly inferior honey-flavored syrup. The sopaipillas were made to order and arrived steaming hot to our table. Though not a dessert per se, the horchata is as sweet as left-over milk from a kids’ breakfast cereal. Kids of all ages will love it. My Kim praised the copious amount of cinnamon on the horchata. Just as good are the mango agua fresca.
La Sierra is the type of restaurant every New Mexican would like to have in their neighborhood. For outstanding chile, convivial service and reasonable prices, you can’t beat it.
La Sierra New Mexican Restaurant
10701 Corrales Road, Suite 25E
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 494-5966
Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 2 May 2026
1st VISIT: 14 April 2026
# OF VISITS: 4
COST: $$
RATING: Outstanding–A stand-out; delivers a memorable dining experience through a harmonious blend of exceptional food, attentive service, and consistent quality
BEST BET: Chips and Salsa, Fajitas, Horchata, Sopaipillas With Honey, Santa Fe Sunrise Burrito, Pozole, Mango Agua Fresca, Pineapple Agua Fresca, La Sierra Burger, Tamale
REVIEW #1522
Lol, so you’re saying they can’t get orders right? 🤣
J/K
It still looks yummy.
It’s more likely they didn’t understand my order through my drooling.
I went to the sister Sierra on Menaul. The highlight was the red salsa, remarkably good as you say. I had combo plate #2. The food came out in a hurry. The chow was lukewarm temp-wise; I’d characterize the service as the same. Here was an attractive and generous plate that I almost didn’t finish. Almost. Heavy on the melty cheese, which always agrees with me. Not bad, all in all. (True to the area, we were joined by a sketchy guy who created a minor incident.)
I would not hesitate to go back, but then again my regular hang ¡Ay, Mi Mexico! is just up the street (better food, higher prices).
A successful restaurant opens a second location and the food is only stellar wherever the owners are! Sad.
The hallmark of truly great restaurants is consistency over time. That’s what I’ve found at Mary & Tito’s. Great restaurants shouldn’t be like Sybil. They should serve great food all the time, regardless of location.
Is it just me, or do the enchiladas look rolled, not stacked? Might just be the angle. I prefer stacked because, as you said, that’s what I grew up on.
Either way, this place sounds delicious! We’ll have to try it sometime.
Aargh! You’re so right, my friend. I was so rapt with joy at the aroma of the Enchanted Enchiladas that I didn’t notice they were rolled not stacked (the way all Norteños prefer them).