{"id":68105,"date":"2025-08-28T00:01:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T06:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=68105"},"modified":"2026-04-03T10:36:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:36:21","slug":"barkadas-abq-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=68105","title":{"rendered":"Barkada’s ABQ – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
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Barkadas ABQ, now in the Cottonwood Mall’s Food Court<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a self-confessed mama’s boy away from home for the first time, my transition to being on my own could have been much tougher.\u00a0 Thankfully I was “adopted” by Air Force veterans and the spouses they had married during tours of Vietnam, Korea and The Philippines.\u00a0 Those spouses were largely responsible for my introduction to Asian cuisine, none of which I had ever had as a sheltered bumpkin\u00a0 growing up in secluded Pe\u00f1asco.\u00a0 I wanted to try it all.\u00a0 In some cases, I would try foods (such as rancid kimchi and stomach-turning balut) my friends (some of whom had seen combat) were afraid to try.\u00a0 My willingness to try virtually everything endeared me to my friends’ spouses though my friends complained I was making them look wimpy.<\/p>\n

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On September 12th, Barkadas Will Celebrate its One-Year Anniversary With $1 Lumpia All Day Long<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although all Asian food seemed exotic in comparison with the beans, tortillas, and chile diet of my youth, I did experience one cuisine which was more relatable because it had the qualities of home cooking, the type of which my mom’s prepared for her family. That cuisine was Filipino.\u00a0 Norma would greet me to the family home with a traditional Filipino greeting of “Kain tayo<\/em>!”.\u00a0 That greeting doesn’t translate to “welcome to our home<\/em>,” but to “Let’s eat<\/em>!”\u00a0 In Filipino culture, that means the same thing.\u00a0 I was to learn that Filipinos have a deep sense of community and belonging\u00a0 They have a compulsion to sharing their food.<\/p>\n

Larryl Lynch<\/a><\/strong> (publisher of Albuquerque The Magazine<\/a><\/strong>) and I experienced a sense of belonging the moment we were greeted by Cindy Recile, owner-chef of Barkada’s ABQ, the city’s only Filipino dining opportunity.\u00a0 \u00a0 When Larryl and I visited Barkada’s in September, 2024, it was located on 4th Street south of I40 and it was exclusively a pick-up operation operating out of a commissary kitchen.\u00a0 \u00a0 Today, it’s got a presence at the Cottonwood Mall food court where plenty of seating is available. For guest convenience, Cindy asks that you place your order through one of its social media platforms:\u00a0 Kyoo<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0 Doordash<\/strong><\/a>, Ubereats<\/strong><\/a>, or Grubhub<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 You can also text your order to 505-738-3505\u00a0<\/strong>(pickup only). \u00a0Better still, the next time you have a family gathering ask Cindy to cater it for you.\u00a0 Barkadas is open Tuesday through Thursdays from 12:00pm to 7:00pm though during the weekend you can also find Cindy at various markets and pop-ups across the city.<\/p>\n

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Green Chile Lumpia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

28 August 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Barkadas relocated to the Cottonwood Mall’s food court in March, 2025, six months after its initial launch on the 4th Street storefront.\u00a0 \u00a0The food court has numerous options for diners who aren’t sure what they want to have.\u00a0 Sadly, far too many unadventurous diners queue up for Burger King.\u00a0 In the sweltering summer of 2025, the Cottonwood Mall’s air conditioning system failed miserably.\u00a0 Visitors avoided the Mall as they might a graduation party for someone they barely know.\u00a0 Vendors were made to endure food wastage and lack of business.\u00a0 If local, print and social media had not publicized the debacle, the untenable situation might not have been resolved.<\/p>\n

Owner Cindy Recile is a whirling dervish with a perpetual smile.\u00a0 If likeability, passion and outstanding cuisine bode future success, the radiant Cindy will thrive and grow her little operation.\u00a0 \u00a0Barkadas translates from Filipino to “friends<\/em>” or “group of friends,<\/em>” an apropos appellation considering spending time with her is akin to visiting a friend.\u00a0 She chose the name Barkadas because cooking in the Filipino culture is often a community event in which friends cook together to feed one another.\u00a0 She related the practice of making lumpia (fried Filipino eggrolls) to Hispanics in New Mexico getting together to make dozens of tamales or to bag freshly roasted chile.\u00a0 Because the Spanish ruled over The Philippines for 333 years and colonized New Mexico, Cindy sees a lot of cultural, culinary and language similarities between her family homeland and her adopted home of Albuquerque.\u00a0 Her logo incorporates aspects of the Phillipine flag and the Zia flag of the Land of Enchantment.<\/p>\n

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A Fabulous Combination Plate with Picadillo, Chicken Adobo, Rice and Lumpia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cindy is pragmatic about Barkada’s growth, taking a “watch and see” approach.\u00a0 Ultimately she hopes to take Filipino cuisine to the denizens of the Duke City and operate out of a food truck.\u00a0 After moving to New Mexico a few years ago, she observed the lack of diversity in Asian restaurants.\u00a0 Unlike her hometown of Manhattan, the Duke City does not have a Filipino restaurant.\u00a0 She launched Barkadas on August 24th not just to serve the Filipino community, but to introduce her homeland’s cuisine to the masses.<\/p>\n

12 September 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Although the 4th Street location did not have seating for diners, Cindy graciously set up a table so that Larryl and I could enjoy a meal and get to know about her and her operation.\u00a0 First to grace our table was lumpia<\/em><\/strong>, the most recognizable of all Filipino foods.\u00a0 Lumpia is the Filipino version of a fried eggroll.\u00a0 Cindy offers lumpia in three varieties.\u00a0 New to her menu is green chile lumpia<\/em><\/strong> which includes New Mexico’s sacrosanct official state vegetable as well as Mexican cheese.\u00a0 The green chile lumpia has a piquancy fire-eating New Mexicans will love.\u00a0 She also offers lumpia made with beef, but her signature lumpia is made with minced shrimp, pork, cabbage, water chestnuts and garlic in a rice wrapper and fried.\u00a0 Her lumpia was reminiscent of the lumpia I enjoyed so much with my adopted Filipino family in Massachusetts.\u00a0 Cindy serves it with a light vinegary sauce punctuated with Thai bird peppers.\u00a0 You’ll fall in love with the lumpia.<\/p>\n

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Banana bread cookies and Ube cookies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

12 September 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Cindy served us a melange of menu items that showcase just how diverse and delicious Filipino food is.\u00a0 On the biggest styrofoam container Larryl and I had ever seen, she served us hearty portions of chicken adobo<\/em><\/strong> (chicken thighs and drumsticks cooked in soy and vinegar and served with garlic rice and bak choy), Filipino picadillo<\/em><\/strong> (ground beef with potatoes, carrots and peas served with white rice and a fried egg) and iced passion fruit tea<\/em><\/strong> sweetened with honey.\u00a0 \u00a0Everything was absolutely delicious.\u00a0 The chicken adobo is likely the best I’ve ever had (with apologies to Norma).\u00a0 It’s an exemplar of Filipino home cooking at its very finest.\u00a0 If you’ve frequented Mexican restaurants (Papa Nachos<\/a><\/strong> comes to mind) in Albuquerque, you’re probably acquainted with picadillo.\u00a0 Cindy’s version is comfort food at its finest, a filling, rich and soul-warming treat.<\/p>\n

12 September 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 For dessert, Cindy’s partner (and boyfriend)\u00a0 bakes ube cookies.\u00a0 Though often referred to as purple sweet potatoes, ube are yams with a dark, rough-looking skin. Ground into a powder, ube is then used in Filipino desserts characterized by their bright purple color.\u00a0 Among those desserts is ube cookies<\/em><\/strong>, delightfully delicious and dense cookies with a crunchy (not like potato chips; more like bread) exterior.\u00a0 They\u2019re gooey and moist on the inside which is studded with white vanilla chips.\u00a0 Unfortunately, there were no cookies available for Larryl and me so we had to enjoy more lumpia for dessert.\u00a0 Cindy’s fiance is from Mora, essentially “on the other side of the mountain” from Pe\u00f1asco.\u00a0 Like Larryl’s hometown of Thoreau, Mora has been a long-time rival of Pe\u00f1asco’s basketball teams.\u00a0 (Larryl will be happy I didn’t mention Pe\u00f1asco having thumped Thoreau in a state championship basketball game many years ago.)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pancit Canton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

28 August 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Not only were the fabulous ube cookies available during our second visit, Barkadas also offered banana cookies.\u00a0 \u00a0Each is hermetically sealed to ensure freshness and moistness.\u00a0 My Kim had never before had an ube cookie<\/strong><\/em>, but her enjoyment ensures her first time won’t be her last.\u00a0 \u00a0Ube cookies have a mild and subtle flavor compared to more intensely flavored yams and sweet potatoes.\u00a0 They’re sweet, nutty, earthy and absolutely addictive.\u00a0 Though the banana bread cookies<\/strong><\/em> were quite good, it’s the ube cookies we came away raving about.\u00a0 These are delicious almost to a fault.\u00a0 Larryl, you’ve got to return to Barkadas to enjoy a few of them.<\/p>\n

28 August 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 The move to the Cottonwood space allowed Cindy to expand her menu.\u00a0 The Barkadas menu still offers only a few items, but they’re prepared as well as full-service Filipino restaurants would prepare them.\u00a0 New Mexico appears to have fallen in love with the lumpia, particular the lumpia made with green chile and Mexican queso.\u00a0 My Kim’s favorite Filipino dish is pancit Canton<\/strong><\/em>, a popular Filipino offering made with Cantonese-style\u00a0 chow mein noodles stir-fried with mixed vegetables and (for a pittance more) chicken in an umami-rich sauce.\u00a0 \u00a0Interestingly, the noodles are cut to less than three inch slices.\u00a0 That makes them easier for utensil-challenged diners to eat.\u00a0 Though this dish is available as a vegetable option, even those of us who don’t\u00a0 particularly like chicken (blush) that isn’t fried will love the stewed texture and especially the sauce in which that chicken is marinated.<\/p>\n

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Pork Lechon Kawali<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

28 August 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 New Mexicans have a deep affection for chicharrones, deep-fried pieces of crispy and savory pork belly.\u00a0 Often served with our sacrosance red chile (Mary & Tito’s<\/strong><\/a> version is the the best!!!), chicharrones are made by first boiling then frying sliced pork belly until the skin is crispy and the fat is rendered.\u00a0 If you love New Mexican chicharrones (and what New Mexican doesn’t), you’ll love pork Lechon Kawali.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 Call them amped up chicharrones.\u00a0 They’re crispier and even more flavorful than most chicharrones.\u00a0 Unlike chicharrones, they retain more fat and have more pork meat.\u00a0 The skin and outer surface is where the delightful crunch happens.\u00a0 Inside, the pork is meltingly tender and absolutely delicious.\u00a0 This dish is served with a slightly tangy garlic white rice and fried cabbage.\u00a0 It’s a wonderful meal…even without the red chile.<\/p>\n

28 August 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 One of the Filipino women who fed the young me in Massachusetts called pork sisig “the Filipino hot dog,” not because it’s served within buns, but because the dish is made with sundry parts of the pig: face, ears and belly, all of which are boiled, grilled then finely chopped and stir-fried.\u00a0 The chopped meat is seasoned with onions, chilies, garlic and calamansi (a Filipino citrus), often with the addition of chicken liver or mayonnaise.\u00a0 While my Air Force colleagues didn’t want to hear about the composition of the dish, it didn’t faze me at all (nor did my description of menudo and morsillas faze the wives).\u00a0 Pork sisig<\/strong><\/em> remains one of my very favorite dieshes of any genre.\u00a0 This savory, flavorful dish combines savory and tangy flavors.\u00a0 Crispy pork belly lends a rich meaty umami while onions, garlic and ginger contribute delightfully aromatic and slightly sweet notes.\u00a0 Cindy’s version of pork sisig is so reminiscent of the Filipino home-cooked version I so enjoyed in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

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Pork Sisig<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Barkadas and its ebullient founder exemplify the Filipino spirit of Kain Tayo.\u00a0 Not only will you be served outstanding home cooking, you’ll be served by someone who’s passionate about her culture and bringing her homeland’s food to New Mexico.\u00a0 Even if it wasn’t Albuquerque’s sole Filipino food offering Barkadas ABQ would likely be the best!<\/p>\n

Barkadas ABQ<\/strong>
\n10000 Coors Bypass, N.W. (Cottonwood Mall Food Court)
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(505) 738-3505
\nWebsite<\/a><\/strong> | Facebook<\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT:\u00a0 <\/strong>28 August 2025
\n1st VISIT:\u00a0 <\/strong>12 September 2024
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 2
\nRATING<\/strong>: Excellent<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 High quality dining experience; very good to excellent food, attentive service, and a well-maintained atmosphere; worth a detour.
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Shrimp and Pork Lumpia, Beef Lumpia, Green Chile Lumpia, Chicken Adobo, Filipino Picadillo, Passionfruit Iced Tea, Garlic Rice, Pancit Canton, Pork Lechon Kawali, Ube Cookies, Banana Cookies, Pork Sisig
\nREVIEW #1416<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a self-confessed mama’s boy away from home for the first time, my transition to being on my own could have been much tougher.\u00a0 Thankfully I was “adopted” by Air Force veterans and the spouses they had married during tours of Vietnam, Korea and The Philippines.\u00a0 Those spouses were largely responsible for my introduction to Asian cuisine, none of which I had ever had as a sheltered bumpkin\u00a0 growing up in secluded Pe\u00f1asco.\u00a0 I wanted to try it all.\u00a0 In some cases, I would try foods (such as rancid kimchi and stomach-turning balut) my friends (some of whom had seen combat) were afraid to try.\u00a0 My willingness to try virtually everything endeared me to my friends’ spouses though my friends…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70940,"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":[440,277,539,141,563],"tags":[1560,4341,4343,4347,5117,4339,4350,4338,4344,4346,4342,4349,4348,5116,4345,5118,4340,4351],"class_list":["post-68105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-asian","category-filipino","category-new-mexico","category-rating-excellent","tag-4th-street","tag-beef-lumpia","tag-chicken-adobo","tag-cindy-recile","tag-cottonwood-mall-food-court","tag-delivery-and-pickup-only","tag-doordash","tag-filipino","tag-filipino-picadillo","tag-garlic-rice","tag-green-chile-lumpia","tag-grubhub","tag-kain-tayo","tag-pancit-canton","tag-passionfruit-iced-tea","tag-pork-sisig","tag-shrimp-and-pork-lumpia","tag-ube-cookies"],"yoast_head":"\nBarkada's ABQ - 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Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. 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