{"id":69454,"date":"2025-07-23T00:01:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T06:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69454"},"modified":"2026-04-03T13:38:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T19:38:27","slug":"isleta-grill-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69454","title":{"rendered":"Isleta Grill – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
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Isleta Grill on Route 47 in the Isleta Pueblo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When the Spanish arrived in the late 1500s they named the village south of Albuquerque Isleta, <\/i>a diminutive of “isla” which means “island.”\u00a0 Fast forward 600 years, and may as well have been christened “desert island” as in short for “deserted island.”\u00a0 Despite being one of the largest of New Mexico’s nineteen Pueblos, drivers may not have even known that Exit 215 off Interstate 25 will transport them to the home of some 3,000 inhabitants.\u00a0 \u00a0That is until the Isleta Resort & Casino began operating in 1986.\u00a0 Calling itself “New Mexico’s Grandest Casino Resort,” the Isleta Casino Resort boasts of the best of headline entertainment, capacious meeting rooms, gaming, dining and more.\u00a0 It’s located just minutes South of Albuquerque’s Sunport and in fact, it has an Albuquerque address.<\/p>\n

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Isleta Grill’s Dynamic Owner Leticia Romero Stands by Her Well-Seasoned Flat Top Grill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So does the Isleta Grill which itself might have remained a hidden treasure had it not been for the New Mexico State Fair’s green chile cheeseburger challenge.\u00a0 While the New Mexico State Fair hosts a number of food related competitions, none garner as much attention as the green chile cheeseburger challenge.\u00a0 Unlike political elections, the public is not subjected to a months-long bombardment of torturous and borderline slanderous messages.\u00a0 Instead, an\u00a0online call<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0goes out to prospective candidates (established brick-and-mortar restaurants only) with an entry deadline and a non-refundable entry fee of\u00a0 $25.\u00a0 \u00a0In 2024, ten contestants from throughout the Land of Enchantment competed for top honors.<\/p>\n

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In 2024, the Isleta Grill Won the Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge at the New Mexico State Fair.\u00a0 The Isleta Grill would repeat in 2025, earning both People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice awards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the day of the competition, the process (as explained on the New Mexico State Fair website) is pretty straight-forward.\u00a0 \u201cThe order to \u201cFire Up Your Grill\u201d\u00a0will be given at approximately 11:30 am. Introductions and announcements will begin approximately 11:50 am.\u00a0The contest will kick off at approximately 12:00pm, with the first burger presented for judging around 12:20 pm. (Exact times will be determined on the day of the event) Once all competitors have finished presenting their respective burgers for judging and the on-site coordinator has declared the competition complete, the \u201cPeople\u2019s Choice Competition\u201d will begin. (Ballots are limited on a first come first serve basis)<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Award-Winning Green Chile Cheeseburger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Almost invariably, there\u2019s a difference of opinion among judges and the people.\u00a0 In 2024, judges awarded best green chile cheeseburger honors to Isleta Grill while the people\u2019s choice was Albuquerque\u2019s Craft Republic<\/strong><\/a>. While not everyone may have agreed with the results, there were no \u00a0post-voting demonstrations and celebrity lamentations or threats to leave New Mexico afterwards.\u00a0 \u00a0Instead, diners began pilgrimages to both winning establishments and sampling the burgers for ourselves.\u00a0 If only political elections were so cut-and-dry.\u00a0 (Yeah, I know political elections have\u00a0 more significant consequences than voting for the state\u2019s best burger, but damn, election pandering sure gets tedious).\u00a0 \u00a0In 2025, the Isleta Grill didn’t have to share honors with anyone, sweeping both the people’s choice and the judge’s choice.\u00a0 Two years in a row is a significant achievement.<\/p>\n

4 February 2025<\/strong>: After the green chile challenge results were announced, the Isleta Grill saw a significant increase in the volume of diners.\u00a0 Gregarious owner Leticia Romero told me that after the competition, diners were lined up in some cases for nearly an hour.\u00a0 The din has slowed somewhat, but diners still visit from throughout the state.\u00a0 Leticia invariably asks where they’re from and invites one and all to “come back.”\u00a0 Even if distance prevents frequent visits, most of them will return to enjoy another green chile cheeseburger.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Over the years I’ve tried every single burger that’s won the state fair event.\u00a0 In some cases I’ve questioned whether “blind judging” also meant other senses (particularly taste) were incapacitated.\u00a0 In my estimation, not all burgers have been worthy.\u00a0 The Isleta Grill’s burger IS.<\/p>\n

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Bowl of Beans with Green Chile, Onions and a Tortilla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In fact, this burger ranks up there as one of the very best burgers (top three) to have won the challenge and certainly one of the very best green chile cheeseburgers in New Mexico.\u00a0 It is simply outstanding! Best of all, the green chile bites back.\u00a0 It’s got piquancy native New Mexicans can respect.\u00a0 Leticia told me she pays more for extra hot chile, but doesn’t believe the current blend is especially hot.\u00a0 While it isn’t burn your tongue piquant, it’s got more heat than almost all similar burgers have.\u00a0 \u00a0This is also a green chile the size burgers used to be.\u00a0 That means a five-inch, it takes two hands to handle bun and a beef patty that extends just beyond those buns.\u00a0 That means lettuce, onions, pickles, tomatoes, mustard, green chile and cheese.\u00a0 It’s not a salad with a thin smashed burger patty.\u00a0 It’s a real burger.\u00a0 Think Lota Burger forty years ago.\u00a0 Moreover, it’s absolutely mouth-watering at a medium-well degree of doneness.\u00a0 Ingredients coalesce to bring you explosions of flavor.\u00a0 In particular that green chile warrants a salute.\u00a0 Though you can have your burger with fries, ask for the ribbon fries (pictured above).\u00a0 They’re fantastic!<\/p>\n

The Isleta Grill serves breakfast and lunch all day long (5:30AM – 3:30PM).\u00a0 \u00a0You can even get the award-winning green chile cheeseburger at 5:30AM if that’s what you’re craving..\u00a0 It is a small family-oriented business owned and managed by the same people who garnered such acclaim at the state fair.\u00a0 Leticia and her crew are very efficient and well-practiced at their craft.\u00a0 It’s a credit to Leticia that she’s made a tremendous success of her business.\u00a0 She’s a self-admitted former alcoholic and drug addict who’s become an inspiration for many of us.\u00a0 Her philosophy in developing her award-winning burger is “keep it simple,” an edict she lives by.\u00a0 Consistency and love are her mantra for all her food.<\/p>\n

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

4 February 2025<\/strong>: Isleta Grill’s menu is replete with New Mexican favorites such as burritos, enchiladas, sandwiches (including a Philadephia cheesesteak), pancakes and bacon, Frito pie, Indian tacos, green chile stew, posole (seasonal) and fry bread.\u00a0 One of my very favorite meals of all time–beans with green chile<\/strong><\/em> and onions, tortilla on the side–is also available and it’s very much reminiscent of the beans and green chile on which I was weaned.\u00a0 I may have involuntarily swooned at each delicious spoonful of New Mexico’s two official state vegetables combined on one plate.\u00a0 The green chile has a very nice bite that brought a smile to my face and evoked many wonderful memories (thank you, mom).\u00a0 This is another example of Leticia’s “keep it simple” approach to preparing and serving delicious food.<\/p>\n

4 February 2025<\/strong>: My Kim’s choice was a breakfast quesadilla<\/strong><\/em> (scrambled eggs, avocadoes, bacon, cheese, sour cream) on a flour tortilla charred the color of a pinto pony.\u00a0 \u00a0Four generous wedges of deliciousness on a plate will fill you up and make you very happy.\u00a0 Some people may consider a quesadilla to be a deconstructed burrito grilled long enough to melt the cheese, it’s got a personality all its owned.\u00a0 Isleta Grill’s version is replete with fresh ingredients and holds together well despite the moistness and freshness of those ingredients.\u00a0 I could only dream of what the quesadilla would taste like with some red and (or) green chile, but it was my Kim’s meal after all and she doesn’t do chile.<\/p>\n

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Fry Bread<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4 February 2025<\/strong>: You won’t find sopaipillas at the Isleta Grill, but you will experience some of the very best fry bread in the universe and you can have it in multiple ways.\u00a0 You can have an Indian taco (fry bread with seasoned bean and meat mix, chile, topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion) and even a fry bread pizza (green chile, pepperoni, tomato sauce, mozzarella on a fry bread canvas).\u00a0 If you, too, like to keep it simple, you can have fry bread<\/strong><\/em> sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with honey.\u00a0 My Kim’s assessment: “it’s better than sopaipillas<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

23 July 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 There’s a mistaken notion that a burger on a tortilla is still just a burger.\u00a0 In truth, a tortilla burger is a wholly different experience with a different flavor.\u00a0 Once you’ve had the Isleta Grill’s award-winning green chile cheeseburger in its award-winning form, you should try a green chile cheeseburger tortilla burger<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 \u00a0You’ll quickly see what I mean in declaring it a different experience.\u00a0 On some tortilla burgers, some of the ingredients are virtually lost.\u00a0 Isleta Grill’s tortilla burger makes good use of the tortilla real estate.\u00a0 With every bite you’ll experience the flavor of a medium-well beef patty, green chile, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and cheese.\u00a0 Ingredients are unfailingly fresh and the green chile packs some real heat.\u00a0 Experientially, this burger is actually a better hand-held canvas than traditional burger buns.\u00a0 You probably won’t spill a morsel.\u00a0 Next time I have a green chile cheeseburger tortilla burger, I’ll ask for green chile smothered on top of the entire tortilla.<\/p>\n

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Tortilla Burger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Isleta Grill has very limited seating, maybe seven tables (mostly two-top), but it’s take-out business is robust and very well managed.\u00a0 This could be one of New Mexico’s very best restaurants of any genre and I don’t say that about many restaurants.<\/p>\n

Isleta Grill<\/strong>
\n4047 NM-47
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(505) 869-2046
\nFacebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 23 July 2025
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>:\u00a0 4 February 2025
\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>:\u00a0 Green Chile Cheeseburger, Bowl of Beans with Green Chile, Breakfast Quesadilla, Fry Bread, Tortilla Burger, Green Chile Cheese Fries
\nREVIEW #1450<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the Spanish arrived in the late 1500s they named the village south of Albuquerque Isleta, a diminutive of “isla” which means “island.”\u00a0 Fast forward 600 years, and may as well have been christened “desert island” as in short for “deserted island.”\u00a0 Despite being one of the largest of New Mexico’s nineteen Pueblos, drivers may not have even known that Exit 215 off Interstate 25 will transport them to the home of some 3,000 inhabitants.\u00a0 \u00a0That is until the Isleta Resort & Casino began operating in 1986.\u00a0 Calling itself “New Mexico’s Grandest Casino Resort,” the Isleta Casino Resort boasts of the best of headline entertainment, capacious meeting rooms, gaming, dining and more.\u00a0 It’s located just minutes South of Albuquerque’s Sunport and in fact, it has an Albuquerque address. So does the Isleta Grill which itself might have remained a hidden treasure had it not been for the New Mexico State Fair’s green chile cheeseburger challenge.\u00a0 While the New Mexico State Fair hosts a number of food related competitions, none garner as much attention as the green chile cheeseburger challenge.\u00a0 Unlike political elections, the public is not subjected to a months-long bombardment of torturous and borderline slanderous messages.\u00a0 Instead, an\u00a0online call\u00a0goes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70689,"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":[440,525,112,141,563],"tags":[4698,4702,4697,4700,4696,3686,842,4699,4701,4072,2950,1340],"class_list":["post-69454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-native-american","category-new-mexican","category-new-mexico","category-rating-excellent","tag-bowl-of-beans-with-chile","tag-breakfast-all-day","tag-breakfast-quesadilla","tag-craft-republic","tag-fry-bread","tag-green-chile-cheese-fries","tag-green-chile-cheeseburger","tag-judges-choice-best-green-chile-cheeseburger","tag-leticia-romero","tag-new-mexico-state-fair-green-chile-cheeseburger-challenge","tag-tortilla-burger","tag-tortillas"],"yoast_head":"\nIsleta Grill - 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=69454\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Isleta Grill - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When the Spanish arrived in the late 1500s they named the village south of Albuquerque Isleta, a diminutive of “isla” which means “island.”\u00a0 Fast forward 600 years, and may as well have been christened “desert island” as in short for “deserted island.”\u00a0 Despite being one of the largest of New Mexico’s nineteen Pueblos, drivers may not have even known that Exit 215 off Interstate 25 will transport them to the home of some 3,000 inhabitants.\u00a0 \u00a0That is until the Isleta Resort & Casino began operating in 1986.\u00a0 Calling itself “New Mexico’s Grandest Casino Resort,” the Isleta Casino Resort boasts of the best of headline entertainment, capacious meeting rooms, gaming, dining and more.\u00a0 It’s located just minutes South of Albuquerque’s Sunport and in fact, it has an Albuquerque address. So does the Isleta Grill which itself might have remained a hidden treasure had it not been for the New Mexico State Fair’s green chile cheeseburger challenge.\u00a0 While the New Mexico State Fair hosts a number of food related competitions, none garner as much attention as the green chile cheeseburger challenge.\u00a0 Unlike political elections, the public is not subjected to a months-long bombardment of torturous and borderline slanderous messages.\u00a0 Instead, an\u00a0online call\u00a0goes…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69454\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-23T06:01:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-03T19:38:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/IsletaGrill08-1024x955.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"955\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69454#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69454\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/28268e3f2056794f14f3b1b033bf5cbd\"},\"headline\":\"Isleta Grill – Albuquerque, New Mexico\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-23T06:01:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-03T19:38:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69454\"},\"wordCount\":1705,\"commentCount\":4,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69454#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/IsletaGrill08-scaled.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Bowl of Beans With Chile\",\"Breakfast All Day\",\"Breakfast Quesadilla\",\"Craft Republic\",\"Fry Bread\",\"Green Chile Cheese Fries\",\"Green Chile Cheeseburger\",\"Judges' Choice Best Green Chile Cheeseburger\",\"Leticia Romero\",\"New Mexico State Fair Green Chile Cheeseburger challenge\",\"Tortilla Burger\",\"Tortillas\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Albuquerque\",\"Native American\",\"New Mexican\",\"New Mexico\",\"Rating: Excellent\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69454#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69454\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69454\",\"name\":\"Isleta Grill - 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