{"id":219,"date":"2025-09-07T00:01:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T06:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=219"},"modified":"2026-04-05T12:43:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T18:43:46","slug":"blakes-lotaburger-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=219","title":{"rendered":"Blake’s Lotaburger – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
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LotaBurger in Bernalillo Has a New Look and Feel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blake’s Lotaburger is a premier New Mexico institution founded in 1952 by long-time proprietor Blake Chanslor who owned it for half a century before selling it in 2003. While the marquee may still carry Blake’s name, the 76 store franchise with a presence in most of New Mexico’s larger cities and towns (23 in all) is now owned by Brian Rule, an Albuquerque resident. \u00a0On April 10, 2009, Chanslor passed away, having left a legacy based not only on having founded a New Mexico institution, but for his philanthropic endeavors.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, Lotaburger has, for the most part, retained the high quality that has allowed it to thrive despite the onslaught from deep-pocketed, worldwide corporate megaliths. \u00a0At least that’s the case for many of the state’s Lotaburger restaurants. As is often the case with multi-store chain restaurants, not all links in the chain are equally strong. \u00a0All too frequently, we have visited Lotaburger restaurants throughout the state in which service is spotty and the burgers don’t quite meet the high preparation standards for which Lotaburger has been known.<\/p>\n

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Blake’s Lotaburger (Photo courtesy of Sarah Rose)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though I have not tried nearly all of New Mexico’s LotaBurger restaurants, those I frequent most often (one in Rio Rancho and one in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque) exemplify the high standards that make Lotaburger a state institution.\u00a0 The wonderfully performing Lotaburger restaurants form the basis for the positive things written on this review, but I’ll also explain my rancor for lesser performing franchises.<\/p>\n

The restaurant’s motto, “If you are what you eat, you are awesome<\/em>” may describe in part why New Mexicans are fiercely loyal to Lotaburger. It’s a restaurant we proudly call our own (although you can now find Lotaburger in the El Paso, Texas and Tucson, Arizona areas). LotaBurger was grandfathered into the inaugural New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail<\/a><\/strong> in 2009, an indication of just how beloved this institution is throughout the Land of Enchantment.\u00a0 In 2011 the affection New Mexicans have for Lotaburger was not assumed with voters being asked to select their favorites for the second New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 The leading vote-getter from among more than 100 nominees was Lotaburger.\u00a0 No other restaurant was close.<\/p>\n

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A well-seasoned Lotaburger grill<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a 2006 edition of\u00a0National Geographic’s Passport to the Best: The 10 Best of Everything\u00a0book, Lotaburger was acclaimed as\u00a0the \u201cBest Green Chile Cheeseburger in the World<\/em>“. \u00a0You won’t find many locals who’ll dispute that it’s definitely one of the very best. \u00a0On the\u00a0Alibi’s<\/a><\/strong> 2003, 2004 and 2005 Readers Choice restaurant polls (as well as subsequent other polls), Duke City residents proclaimed loudly that Lotaburger serves the very best hamburger in town. While generations of New Mexicans have grown up appreciating Lotaburger, this local gem is also appreciated by many (though certainly not all) newcomers, some who have been known to become devoted loyalists after only one visit.<\/p>\n

In 2010, Gustavo Arellano, the brilliant and hilarious author of Ask a Mexican<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, a widely syndicated newspaper column published mostly in weekly alternative papers, asked the question “Forget Five Guys Burgers: Why Can’t We Get a Blake’s Lotaburger<\/em>.” It was his response to the influx of Five Guys Burgers in Southern California.\u00a0 Arellano reasoned, “If we’re going to have a regional burger chain invade our county and go up against our In-n-Out’s and TK’s, why couldn’t it have been Blake’s Lotaburger, the country’s most-ardent proponent of what’s perhaps burgerdom’s greatest manifestation: the green chile hamburger<\/em>?”<\/p>\n

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LOTA\u2122\ufe0f Burger New Mexico Style\u2122\ufe0f<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In recent years, Lotaburger has modernized many of its buildings, all of which are built by the company’s construction division.\u00a0 Until the modernization, one constant was the presence on the marquee of a jolly-faced ringmaster attired in top hat and red striped coat and bow tie. It’s been a familiar sight for all New Mexicans.\u00a0 With the exception of buns and drinks, everything that goes to a Lotaburger Stand comes from or through the company’s main commissary, just off Candelaria in Albuquerque. That might account for the unfailingly fresh ingredients that make it onto a Lotaburger.<\/p>\n

One concession Lotaburger has made over the years is adding drive-up service. While this may be a wonderful convenience, trying to devour a Lotaburger while you drive can be a messy proposition because each burger (prepared to order) can be crammed with lettuce, tomato, green chile (optional), onions and mustard.\u00a0 If you’ve got the time, it’s still best to eat in and observe the cooks in action, listen to the sizzle of the grill and especially imbibe of the aroma of your burger being prepared to order.\u00a0 That grill is so well seasoned that my buddy Bill Resnik has thought seriously about taking a weekend job at Lotaburger just to figure out how Lotaburger seasons its grill so perfectly.<\/p>\n

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Double Meat Double Green Chile Itsa Burger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The green chile cheeseburger (rechristened LOTA\u2122\ufe0f\u00a0<\/span>Burger New Mexico Style\u2122\ufe0f<\/span>)<\/strong><\/em> is Lotaburger’s signature menu item and one of the things we missed most about the Land of Enchantment all the years we were away. Delicious Angus beef orbs are ameliorated by toasted buns and unfailingly fresh ingredients. The green chile has never been piquant, but it is unfailingly fresh and delicious. There are only three burgers on the menu, the “LOTA\u2122\ufe0f\u00a0<\/span>Burger New Mexico Style\u2122\ufe0f<\/span>,” “Lotaburger” and the “Itsaburger,” the latter being the smaller of the three.\u00a0 All are constructed with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and mustard.\u00a0 You can also ask for mayonnaise, cheese, bacon and any burger can be made with double meat, double cheese and (or) double green chile for a pittance. \u00a0If you like grilled onions on your burger, Lotaburger will accommodate you here, too.<\/p>\n

12 February 2023<\/strong>: Native New Mexicans who were practically weaned on Lotaburger lament “it’s not the same<\/em>” about the size of the burgers.\u00a0 Indeed, Lotaburger was famous for its six-inch (at least) buns and thin meat patties.\u00a0 Burgers were of the “it takes two hands to handle” variety.\u00a0 Today, the Burger New Mexico Style\u2122\ufe0f is much taller than Lota’s burgers of my youth.\u00a0 It’s stacked high with ingredients–lettuce, tomato, onion.\u00a0 Two patties are placed atop the vegetables, each blanketed by melting cheese.\u00a0 The top patty is covered with green chile.\u00a0 It’s not the most piquant green chile you can find, but it’s got a nice roasted flavor.<\/p>\n

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Lotaburger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Lotaburger is wholly unlike any of the ubiquitous institutionalized fast-food burgers on every street USA.\u00a0 You’ll never find a Lotaburger sitting under a heating lamp for ten minutes before your order.\u00a0 In fact, the beef doesn’t hit the grill until you place your order–and the grill is cleaned after each burger is done, one of the reasons the restaurant earns recognition for its cleanliness.\u00a0 It’s taste, however, that makes Lotaburger aficionados crave these incomparable burgers.\u00a0 If freshness has a flavor, it might taste like a Lotaburger just off the grill.\u00a0 The coalescence of fresh ingredients with perfectly seasoned beef sandwiched by lightly toasted buns is positively addictive.<\/p>\n

28 January 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 Zero! None! Zilch!\u00a0 Zip! That’s precisely how many LOTA\u2122\ufe0f\u00a0<\/span>Burgers without green chile I had had in my 39 years on Planet Earth.\u00a0 I find the very notion appalling.\u00a0 You can put a gun to my head and I wouldn’t order a LOTA\u2122\ufe0f\u00a0Burger without green chile (preferably a double portion).\u00a0 Despite making it doubly clear that I wanted a double-meat LOTA\u2122\ufe0f\u00a0Burger with\u00a0 double green chile, the Lota Burger in Bernalillo omitted the green chile AND the cheese.\u00a0 That’s as close to an unpardonable sin as a restaurant can commit.\u00a0 So how was it?\u00a0 Choose your favorite synonym for “awful.”\u00a0 There are very few burgers on this planet that are palatable without green chile.\u00a0 This isn’t one of them!\u00a0 If you’re wondering why I didn’t send it back, I didn’t want to drive five miles in traffic to return it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ranch Chicken Sandwich (no longer on the menu)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To this point, I’ve praised LotaBurger ad-infinitum, so why the reason for my relatively low rating. It’s forgivable that the green chile lacks in the piquant bite many New Mexicans crave, but it’s sacrilege for some of the restaurant’s chefs to absolutely mash the beef to the grill with the spatula. My skin crawls at seeing the meat mashing cooks take away whatever moistness any slab of beef may have with their spatula pressing. So there–discard the spatulas; they don’t accelerate the preparation process by that much.<\/p>\n

28 May 2020<\/strong>: In May, 2020, Lotaburger entered the chicken sandwich war with two options: Blake’s Chicken Sandwich (two chicken tenderloin strips, pickles and Blake\u2019s sauce, our signature creamy green chile sauce) and the Buffalo<\/em><\/strong> Chicken Sandwich<\/strong> <\/em>(two chicken tenderloin strips tossed in spicy Buffalo sauce, Ranch and pickles) that was filling, but not exactly brimming with deliciousness.\u00a0 In fact, the biggest impression it made was for its rather diminutive size.\u00a0 It’s not much bigger than a slider with perhaps a four-inch bun.\u00a0 The pickled onions left absolutely no impression and the Ranch sauce could have used more personality (green chile, anyone?).<\/p>\n

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Classic Breakfast Burrito Christmas Style<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

28 January 2024<\/strong>: In the mid-1990s, Lotaburger began serving breakfast burritos at select locations. The burritos are more like burrotes; they’re enormous and require two hands to hold. Offered with Hatch grown green and red chile, most of them come standard with hashed browns, scrambled eggs and your choice of other ingredients such as beans, sausage and bacon. As much as I revere Lotaburger’s green chile on its famous burgers, there just isn’t enough of New Mexico’s favorite condiment on the burritos for my liking. Ditto for the red chile.\u00a0 The classic burrito (pictured above) with beans is filled with eggs, hash browns, cheese and…far too little green chile.<\/p>\n

The parsimony with which the chile is applied and its lack of piquancy was certainly no deterrent to the staff of Albuquerque the Magazine<\/a><\/strong> who, in the September, 2011 undertook the ambitious challenge of naming Albuquerque’s very best breakfast burrito.\u00a0 Lotaburger’s breakfast burrito was the second rated from among dozens of choices evaluated.\u00a0 It’s the most popular breakfast item proffered at the restaurant.<\/p>\n

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Breakfast Sandwich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10 February 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Better than the breakfast burritos is a simple breakfast sandwich<\/strong><\/em> in which fluffy eggs, cheese, bacon and green chile are sandwiched in between two buns. It’s a morning picker-upper that tastes great.\u00a0 Breakfast is served only until 11AM which may be a shame because a burrito or breakfast sandwich for lunch might be another draw.<\/p>\n

The chocolate and strawberry shakes are cloying and both have the “artificial flavoring” taste. \u00a0Better, but still pinging-off-the-walls sweet is the cherry Coke (which Blake’s served well before it was a commercial product).<\/p>\n

Blake’s Lotaburger <\/strong>
\n6210 Fourth Street, N.W.
\nLos Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico <\/strong>
\n505 345-0402
\nWeb Site<\/strong><\/a> | Facebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 10 February 2025
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 28
\nRATING<\/strong>: Very Good<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Good to very good food; generally solid; delivers consistent quality, strong technique, and a comfortable, enjoyable dining experience
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: LOTA\u2122\ufe0f Burger New Mexico Style\u2122\ufe0f, Frito Pie, Breakfast Sandwich, Seasoned French Fries, Double Meat Itsa Burger, Classic Burrito<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Blake’s Lotaburger is a premier New Mexico institution founded in 1952 by long-time proprietor Blake Chanslor who owned it for half a century before selling it in 2003. While the marquee may still carry Blake’s name, the 76 store franchise with a presence in most of New Mexico’s larger cities and towns (23 in all) is now owned by Brian Rule, an Albuquerque resident. \u00a0On April 10, 2009, Chanslor passed away, having left a legacy based not only on having founded a New Mexico institution, but for his philanthropic endeavors. Thankfully, Lotaburger has, for the most part, retained the high quality that has allowed it to thrive despite the onslaught from deep-pocketed, worldwide corporate megaliths. \u00a0At least that’s the case…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":62970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440,540,25,574,588,5631],"tags":[2700,2702,2697,1620,2707,2699,2706,2705,2698,2704,2703,2701],"class_list":["post-219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-breakfast","category-burgers","category-new-mexico-green-chile-cheeseburger-trail","category-new-mexico-green-chile-cheeseburger-trail-2011","category-very-good","tag-you-are-awesome","tag-ask-a-mexican","tag-blake-chanslor","tag-breakfast-burrito","tag-breakfast-sandwich","tag-brian-rule","tag-chicken-sandwich","tag-chili-fries","tag-founded-in-1952","tag-itsa-burger","tag-lota-burger-new-mexico-style","tag-readers-choice"],"yoast_head":"\nBlake's Lotaburger - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=219\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blake's Lotaburger - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Blake’s Lotaburger is a premier New Mexico institution founded in 1952 by long-time proprietor Blake Chanslor who owned it for half a century before selling it in 2003. While the marquee may still carry Blake’s name, the 76 store franchise with a presence in most of New Mexico’s larger cities and towns (23 in all) is now owned by Brian Rule, an Albuquerque resident. \u00a0On April 10, 2009, Chanslor passed away, having left a legacy based not only on having founded a New Mexico institution, but for his philanthropic endeavors. 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