{"id":9768,"date":"2024-07-01T02:31:38","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T08:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=9768"},"modified":"2026-03-31T18:14:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T00:14:36","slug":"jerrys-cafe-gallup-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=9768","title":{"rendered":"Jerry’s Cafe – Gallup, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
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Jerry’s Cafe in Gallup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Land of Enchantment is bisected north to south by the murky and mucky Rio Grande which meanders some 700 miles through the state.\u00a0 Throughout the millennia, the fourth longest river in America has been the often tenuous lifeline upon which New Mexico’s citizenry has relied for sustenance and for recreation.\u00a0 Its precious waters are multifarious in their use–from human and animal consumption to the sustainment of agricultural systems and so much more.\u00a0 Depleted over time by human dependence and a perpetual drought condition, it is nonetheless a linchpin for New Mexico’s future even as demand for its resources increases and stresses on the river grow.<\/p>\n

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A Very Small and Very Busy Dining Room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Rio Grande Corridor is where the vast concentration of New Mexico’s urban centers exist and more than half of its population (over one million) resides.\u00a0 The four most populous cities in the state–Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho and Santa Fe in that order–are all within this riverine corridor.\u00a0 It’s been that way for the estimated 10,000 years in which New Mexico has been inhabited.\u00a0 The arable lands near the Rio Grande, for example, is where a vast concentration of the indigenous peoples the Spaniards named “Pueblos” chose to live.\u00a0 Considering their dependence on the river’s precious waters, it just made sense.<\/p>\n

In many respects, the Land of Enchantment outside the Rio Grande Corridor seems to garner less attention, maybe even less respect than the cottonwood-lined riparian zone bisecting New Mexico.\u00a0 That may be especially true of New Mexico’s culinary scene.\u00a0 Everyone knows Santa Fe is one of the most highly regarded restaurant cities in America while Albuquerque restaurants are increasingly being recognized for their diversity and deliciousness.\u00a0 Taos, Las Cruces and even the Socorro area, all within the Rio Grande Corridor, have received national attention for their restaurants.<\/p>\n

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Salsa and Chips<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ask visitors, maybe even locals, about the great restaurants outside the Rio Grande Corridor and you might get a blank stare.\u00a0 Many would be hard-pressed to name five great restaurants (maybe even five communities) outside that Corridor.\u00a0 Even on the New Mexico Tourism Department’s Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail<\/a> <\/strong>which I helped develop, the vast concentration of the state’s most celebrated green chile cheeseburgers were within the Rio Grande corridor.\u00a0 Thank goodness for the ubiquitous Blake’s Lotaburger<\/a><\/strong> or the number of purveyors of burger greatness we listed from outside the Corridor would have been even smaller.<\/p>\n

Reviewing my own index<\/a><\/strong> of New Mexico restaurants, it’s readily apparent I, too, haven’t ventured too far or too often from the life-giving waters of the Rio Grande for my restaurant visits.\u00a0 The “well eaten, well-beaten” path to restaurants on the Rio Grande Corridor, it seems, is a siren beckoning “give me your huddled masses yearning to eat more<\/em>.”\u00a0 Several years ago, New Mexico Magazine<\/a><\/em>,<\/strong> the very best official state publication in the fruited plain, showcased the terrific restaurants throughout the Land of Enchantment, not just within the Rio Grande Corridor, through its monthly Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner<\/a><\/strong> feature and other food-themed articles.<\/p>\n

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Two a la carte tacos–one with lettuce and tomato<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I had the great privilege of writing a few of those Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner articles myself (and at the risk of being accused of shameless self-promotion, you should all subscribe to New Mexico Magazine<\/em>).\u00a0 One assignment took me 139 miles from Albuquerque to Gallup, the “Indian Capital of the World.”\u00a0 A scant 25 miles from the Arizona border, it’s about as far as you can get from the Rio Grande Corridor without leaving the state.\u00a0 Route 66, the fabled Mother Road traverses the length of Gallup, and is home to many of the city’s 100 plus trading posts, shops and galleries.<\/p>\n

Thanks to a heavy presence of Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and other American Indian artists, Gallup is often considered the “Southwest center for original Native American art.”\u00a0 With prices sometimes substantially lower than other Southwest\u00a0 bastions of art (Scottsdale, Santa Fe, Taos and Sedona come to mind) it’s no wonder Gallup gallery owners sometimes boast that once art buyers discover Gallup, they stop shopping for Southwest art at the aforementioned art centers. In large part\u00a0 due to the art trade, Gallup is credited with having more millionaires per capita than any other city in the United States.<\/p>\n

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Stuffed Sopaipilla\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gallup is also home to some terrific restaurant finds, including some arguably the equal of restaurants of their genre anywhere in the Rio Grande Corridor.\u00a0 One of those is Jerry’s Cafe, the highest rated restaurant in Gallup according to TripAdvisor<\/a>, a travel forum by travelers for travelers.\u00a0 My friend and fellow restaurant blogger Steve Coleman of Steve’s Gastronomic Home Page<\/a> says “the red chile at Jerry’s is about as good as I have found anywhere<\/em>,” comparing its taste to “something I would expect to find in Santa Fe or Espa\u00f1ola<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

Jerry’s Cafe is located one block south of Route 66 and similar to other local businesses, it has the look and feel of a bygone era.\u00a0 That includes a neon spangled sign complete with a flashing yellow arrow pointing toward the restaurant.\u00a0 The marquee reads “Mexican American Food,” what New Mexican food was called before New Mexicans determined our cuisine needed to be differentiated from Mexican food. The cafe is tiny, deeper than it is wide and tends to be crowded.\u00a0 It’s not uncommon to wait in line with long queues of prospective diners, many of whom are American Indian.<\/p>\n

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Te Gusta \u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Booths are small, most accommodating only two to four patrons.\u00a0\u00a0 The faux-wood paneled walls are festooned with framed artwork, but most diners seem to spend more time gawking at their neighbors’ plates than at the artwork.\u00a0 Frequent visits from artisans selling silver and turquoise jewelry might command just a bit more attention, but it’s the food that’s the real work of art.\u00a0 Service is friendly and accommodating with repeat customers greeted by name.\u00a0 One waitress has worked at Jerry’s for 38 years (as of November, 2010), having started when the original owner, Jerry Gonzales, opened the business some four decades ago.<\/p>\n

Today Jerry’s Cafe is owned by Archie Baca, Jr., of the dynastic Baca family which owns several restaurants in Gallup.\u00a0 Archie, Sr. owns Don Diego’s Restaurant and sister Leslie owns Grandpa’s Grill.\u00a0 I’d like to own the recipe for the cafe’s salsa.\u00a0 It’s a fabulous salsa, some of the very best in the state–even if it’s not complimentary.\u00a0 Our order arrived with two bowls of the stuff and housemade chips several orders of magnitude better than most restaurants serve.\u00a0 The salsa has just a slight bite to it, but it’s also quite flavorful, the product of tomatoes, green chile, onions in perfect proportion.<\/p>\n

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Beef Enchilada Christms Style<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6 November 2010<\/strong>: Few things in life evoke the sheer visceral pleasure of a perfect taco–a fried corn tortilla shell enveloping its constituent ingredients.\u00a0 Though my preference is for malleable grease-soaked tortillas, in a pinch the Taco Bell style hard-shelled corn tortillas will do IF they’re engorged with great ingredients.\u00a0 My Kim likes her tacos<\/strong><\/em> sans “salad.”\u00a0 No lettuce, tomato and onions for her, just ground beef and shredded cheese.\u00a0 The tacos at Jerry’s are special thanks to very moist ground beef, which I surmise may be ameliorated by beef or chicken stock and maybe onion powder.\u00a0 At any regard, the beef makes these tacos a sheer pleasure to eat.<\/p>\n

6 November 2010<\/strong>: The indisputable specialty of the house at Jerry’s Cafe is the stuffed sopaipilla<\/em><\/strong>, a fresh sopaipilla engorged with guacamole, beef and beans smothered with your choice of red or green chile (or both) and cheese.\u00a0 The guacamole, beans and rice burrito at Mary & Tito’s<\/a><\/strong> convinced me years ago just how wonderful guacamole inside an entree can be.\u00a0 Jerry’s stuffed sopaipilla reinforced that notion.\u00a0 The buttery, rich guacamole and the well-seasoned, ultra-moist ground beef are a winning combination.\u00a0 The red and green chile are about medium on the piquancy scale, but both are delicious with fruity accents defining the green chile.\u00a0 This is one of the better stuffed sopaipilla dishes in New Mexico.<\/p>\n

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“Te Gusta” Without Chile<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6 November 2010<\/strong>: Other entrees seem to indicate the menu at Jerry’s is just a bit different, not the seemingly standard template offered at many New Mexican restaurants.\u00a0 That menu is fun to read with cleverly named entrees described to whet your appetite.\u00a0 Take for example, the “Te Gusta<\/em><\/strong>,” grilled pork meat smothered with chili (sic) and cheese served with rice, bean, tortilla and sopaipilla as well as soup or a salad.\u00a0 The term “Te Gusta” can be used as an interrogative meaning “do you like it” or as a declarative as in “you like it.”\u00a0 Undoubtedly, the menu intends it as a declarative because you WILL like this entree.<\/p>\n

1 July 2024<\/strong>: Bite-sized cubes of perfectly seasoned grilled pork, a delicious red chile, melted Cheddar cheese–simplicity itself, but not a dish you see often and especially not so audaciously named.\u00a0 It certainly earns its appellation.\u00a0 You will like it!\u00a0 You’ll also like cutting up the silky flour tortilla and folding it into “New Mexican spoons” into which you can scoop up those chunks of porcine perfection. \u00a0During our second visit to Jerry’s, my Kim ordered the magnificent “Te Gusta” sans chile. \u00a0If anything, she enjoyed it even more.<\/p>\n

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Two Sopaipillas and a Tortilla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1 July 2024<\/strong>: In listing \u201cthe most unforgettable New Mexico experiences\u201d for Frommer\u2019s New Mexico<\/strong><\/a>, the wonderful writer-author Lesley S. King listed New Mexican enchiladas before anything else.\u00a0 She noted \u201cThere are few things more New Mexican than the enchilada<\/em>.\u201d \u00a0The more I thought about her bold declaration, the more I agreed. \u00a0It’s become my practice to order enchiladas at a New Mexican restaurant we haven’t previously visited. \u00a0Jerry’s beef enchiladas<\/strong><\/em> are exemplary. \u00a0They’re stacked in the style of Northern New Mexico. \u00a0Both red and green chile are relatively mild in terms of piquancy, the red especially so. \u00a0A fried egg (over easy) is a must. \u00a0There’s an almost pretetrnatural relationship between the yolk and chile that makes each better. \u00a0The accompanying beans are terrific, too, though the Spanish rice (like Spanish rice throughout the state) is on the boring side.<\/p>\n

1 July 2024<\/strong>: \u00a0In an age when almost nothing–salsa, sopaipillas–is no longer complimentary, it’s refreshing to visit Jerry’s and to discover that several menu items are accompanied by a sopiapilla and tortilla<\/strong><\/em>. \u00a0No ordinary sopaipillas are these. \u00a0They’re puffed up like a politician though infinitely preferable. \u00a0Served hot just out of the fryer, these sopaipillas just beckon for honey (though honey-flavored syrup will do, too). \u00a0The tortilla is rather on the thin side, but it does the job.<\/p>\n

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Apple Pie A La Mode<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1 July 2024<\/strong>: Jerry’s offers three types of pie: apple, cherry and pecan. \u00a0The apple pie a la mode<\/strong><\/em> is among the very best you’ll find in New Mexico. \u00a0Considering all the wonderful home bakers in the Land of Enchantment, that’s a bold proclamation. \u00a0The apples are crisp and delicious. \u00a0The crust is flaky and light. \u00a0Ask for this pie to be heated up and topped with a cold scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. \u00a0The ice cream melts quickly, flowing down both sides of the pie like lava onto a mountainside.<\/p>\n

As restaurants such as Jerry’s Cafe prove time and again, the Rio Grande Corridor has no exclusivity on great food.\u00a0 Jerry’s is easily among my top ten, maybe top six New Mexican restaurants in the state, ranking with Cuba’s El Bruno<\/strong><\/a> as\u00a0 perhaps the best outside the Corridor.<\/p>\n

Jerry’s Cafe<\/strong>
\n406 West Coal Avenue
\nGallup, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(575) 722-6775
\nFacebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 1 July 2024
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 6 November 2010
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 2
\nRATING<\/strong>: Excellent<\/strong><\/span> – High quality dining experience; very good to excellent food, attentive service, and a well-maintained atmosphere; worth a detour.
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Stuffed Sopaipilla, Te Gusta, Salsa and Chips, Beef Enchiladas, Apple Pie, Sopaipillas<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Land of Enchantment is bisected north to south by the murky and mucky Rio Grande which meanders some 700 miles through the state.\u00a0 Throughout the millennia, the fourth longest river in America has been the often tenuous lifeline upon which New Mexico’s citizenry has relied for sustenance and for recreation.\u00a0 Its precious waters are multifarious in their use–from human and animal consumption to the sustainment of agricultural systems and so much more.\u00a0 Depleted over time by human dependence and a perpetual drought condition, it is nonetheless a linchpin for New Mexico’s future even as demand for its resources increases and stresses on the river grow. The Rio Grande Corridor is where the vast concentration of New Mexico’s urban centers…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67339,"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":[112,141,588,563],"tags":[3314,4120,4121,4117,4116,4118,949,994,3593,1069,4119,3162],"class_list":["post-9768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-mexican","category-new-mexico","category-new-mexico-green-chile-cheeseburger-trail-2011","category-rating-excellent","tag-apple-pie-a-la-mode","tag-beef-enchiladas","tag-christmas-style","tag-gallup","tag-mexican-american-food","tag-navajo","tag-salsa-and-chips","tag-sopaipillas","tag-stuffed-sopaipillas","tag-tacos-a-la-carte","tag-te-gusta","tag-tortilla"],"yoast_head":"\nJerry's Cafe - Gallup, 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=9768\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jerry's Cafe - Gallup, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Land of Enchantment is bisected north to south by the murky and mucky Rio Grande which meanders some 700 miles through the state.\u00a0 Throughout the millennia, the fourth longest river in America has been the often tenuous lifeline upon which New Mexico’s citizenry has relied for sustenance and for recreation.\u00a0 Its precious waters are multifarious in their use–from human and animal consumption to the sustainment of agricultural systems and so much more.\u00a0 Depleted over time by human dependence and a perpetual drought condition, it is nonetheless a linchpin for New Mexico’s future even as demand for its resources increases and stresses on the river grow. 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