While perusing the menu at Spicy Junction, you might hearken back to The Dream, the very eclectic restaurant owned and operated by Pakistan emigrant Babu Bhatt in an uproariously funny episode of Seinfeld. As Jerry Seinfeld observed about The Dream’s menu, “he’s serving Mexican, Italian, Chinese. He’s all over the place.” Spicy Junction’s menu is similarly diverse, a melange of Indian, Venezuelan, Middle Eastern, Indo-Chinese and even pizza and burgers splayed temptingly onto three individual menus. That the menu is so “all over the place” makes great sense in that the chef worked as a chef at the location’s previous tenant, El Chamo Arabe.
In 2023, El Chamo Arabe introduced Duke City diners to a melange of Venezuelan and Mediterranean foods all in one menu. While El Chamo Arabe now operates at Rio Rancho’s The Block (7805 Enchanted Hills Blvd.), its former chef and his bride took over the Menaul space. They’re both Indian, but rather than serve Indian food exclusively, they decided to retain the existing menu and have added pizza. If it sounds like an adventure in cuisine types you may not have thought go so well together, you’ll be more than pleasantly surprised at just how diverse and enticing the menu is.
Spicy Junction is located in the space previously occupied by El Chamo Arabe, El Alwan Cafe and before that Need A Pita. Some of you might even remember that location as the former home of Bayti Mediterranean Delicacies. Spicy Junction assumed the space in January, 2026 and has been welcoming converts since day one. During our inaugural visit, we were actually handed three menus. A large plastic menu still bore the name “El Chamo Arabe” while another listed Indian food options. The third menu, a wrinkled paper sheet listed four pizza options the likes of which you probably haven’t seen. Our delightful hostess apprised us that all three menus will soon be consolidated.
Spicy Junction has retained much of its predecessor’s Venezuelan art work…at least for now. One of the more intriguind pieces bears a striking resemblance to New Mexico’s Zia flag symbol. This artwork features a vibrant red and yellow geometric design reminiscent of a traditional Andean Chakana symbol. Whether its contemporaneous with or predates the Zia symbol isn’t known. Several flat screen televisions occupy other space on the walls. One was tuned to what (to us) appeared to be an Indian MTV program playing videos of Indian nationals frolicing like Americans do on similar videos.
Classifying the menu isn’t easy. Except for the pizza and burgers, both prepared “Indian-style,” it certainly isn’t “fusion” in that the multicultural dishes aren’t blended in unique ways to create innovative and novel dishes. The menu does, however, offer a number of specific categories from which you can select: Venezuelan and Mediterranean, Kids, Snacks and Chaat, Indo-Chinese starters, Paratha (with butter), Rice, Pulao, Raitas and Yogurt, Indian-style burgers, Indian-style pizza, Sides, Desserts and Beverages. Perusing the menu will take some time so you’re well advised to enjoy a mango lassi while you do so.
With an avian appetite and an aversion to spicy foods, my Kim is not able to enjoy the entirety of Spicy Junction’s menu. Couple that with a lack of adventurousness and she’s always likely to order foods with which she’s familiar. Still, chicken wings as an entree? Aargh! Spicy Junction offers a variety of sauces and rubs for their wings. While my choice would have been Buffalo hot sauce, my Kim preferred the Parmesan wings which were both sauced and dusted with a garlicky Parmesan. These wings were of the “hummingbird-size” variety and didn’t offer much meat. At six to an order, many of us would consider the wings a light snack.
On the Chamo Arabe section of the menu, you’ll find the Mediterranean Sampler (three falafel, two pita bread, three dolmas, hummus, baba ghanoush and a side of house garlic sauce). It’s about as generous and good as any Mediterranean starter platter you’ll find anywhere in the city. Most noteable is the pita bread which is made in-house (so is naan). Fresh out-of-the-oven, the pita bread is warm and pliable. Fashion it into “spoons” and scoop up the smoky baba ghanoush for a special treat. Both the baba ghanoush and the hummus are sprinkled with a copious amount of sumac, my favorite Middle Eastern spice. Three falafel, roughly the size of golf balls, are enriched with herbs and spices that give them real personality.
Indian-style pizza, a unique fusion that tops classic pizza dough or naan with traditional Indian curries, spices, and ingredients has not made significant inroads in the Land of Enchantment. In fact, the first time we learned of it was on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives when host Guy Fieri visited Curry Pizza in Utah. Naturally I cursed New Mexico for being late to the party…again. Spicy Junction actually offers four Indian-style pizzas. My inaugural foray into the Indian-style pizza world was with the Junction Tika Paneer Pizza (Medium size. Creamy tikka sauce, marinated paneer, onions, bell peppers and mozzarella cheese, ginger, garlic, tomato, green chilli and cilantro). Not surprisingly, it’s quite delicious. Though as thin as New York-style pizza, it’s a bit on the stiff side. There’s no floppiness to it so you probably wouldn’t be able to fold it in half lenthwise. There’s also no cornicione (the Italian term for the raised, airy outer edge or rim of a pizza crust) meaning it’s flat all the way around. Tikka sauce offers up a rich, velvety blend of tangy tomatoes, savory caramelized onions, and heavy cream, balanced by a warm, aromatic spice profile. It’s got more depth of flavor than most pizza sauce. The green chilli (SIC) gives this pie a piquant persoanlity you can respect.
Spicy Junction may have the most diverse menu of any restaurant in Albuquerque, maybe in New Mexico. It’s the type of restaurant you should visit if your cravings are all over the map…just like the menu.
Spicy Junction
5017 Menaul Blvd., N.E.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 508-1058
Website |
LATEST VISIT: 26 June 2026
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$ – $$$
BEST BET: Juntion Tikka Paneer Pizza, Mediterranean Sampler, Parmesan Wings
REVIEW #1527