Cocina Azul

First time to New Mexico and I was hungry after the 4 hour flight from the Northeast. For some reason, not a lot is open on a Sunday, but this place was and it got good reviews according to Unilocal so I gave it a try.
Lunch was served with chips and salsa (delicious) and I also ordered a desebrada. No idea what that means, but it was 3 soft tacos with braised meet inside and then lettuce, salsa, Guacamole and cheese to add to it. I also got 2 sides so unordered rice and beans. That dish was delicious. Little messy to eat, but I’m a white guy so tacos and burritos are tough to hold together while I eat. We also got a fried dough type dessert with honey inside as a dessert.
Everything was delicious and the place was super clean and very friendly staff. Total meal for me came to 13 dollars, so I was very pleased.

The worst huevos rancheros I’ve had. The green chile and beans are canned and just heated up and put on a plate. Don’t order latte in this place.

Had a wonderful lunch service today! Started off with our friendly server Ashley who was very knowledgeable of the menu (my first visit) and even offered to allow me to sample some unique hot tea choices I spotted after I had already ordered iced tea. FYI they get some of their hot tea products from across the street at the NM Tea Company.
It was a rather cold day, so I chose the creamy green chile chicken soup. Was perfect choice and had the perfect amount of heat (green chile)! My friends had cheese enchilada plates with red. They were very happy with their meal choices too. Seemed that the red also had some heat to it, always a plus to find places who don’t have to tone down the chile for tourists.
I used the Unilocal offer to unlock free chips with two dips — the chunky green dip was definitely quite chile hot! The rojo dip was not quite as hot and not the standard salsa version. Otherwise they do charge 2.95 for the appetizer.
After the meal was sopapillas, not too bad, a little different tasting and heavier texture than I’m used to. I think it was just the amount of extra yeast I detected. Was still okay and very fresh.
This was a great place to discover thanks to Unilocal and I’d certainly be back to try other menu items if I’m downtown again!

The owner is the nicest lady! I love this place! The staff is so helpful and nice as well. This is my family’s go to spot for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! :) best New Mexican food in Burque.

Disappointing considering we missed breakfast deals. If the price was lower, it might have felt better. Potatoes weren’t great. Go for the deal, or maybe go somewhere else. Much more casual inside than I expected.

Good and fresh, well seasoned dishes. Hard working servers, but at times short on staff. Overall, we were forgotten.: (it’s too bad, the salsa and chicken enchiladas are excellent!

Thank you Unilocalers for steering us in the right direction once again! We had a fantastic meal here today and it’s all thanks to you!
We started with the bottomless chips and salsa — while I’m generally against paying for chips and salsa… these are well worth the price of admission. The red salsa was good, but the green was out of this world!
I had the enchiladas deshebrada (shredded beef), and my husband had the chile rellenos. I have to say, while his was good, mine was excellent. The beef was absolutely tender — not stringy as shredded beef can be sometimes. I had it christmas style (of course) and both the red and green sauce were excellent. I had calabacitas as a side and they were wonderful– it is one of those simple things that when done correctly is just delicious. My other side — the papas were tasty too, only problem with them is I couldn’t stop eating them.
For a finale the sopapillas were some of the best I have had in a long time. They were perfectly cooked — just crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. They also had that perfect balance of sourdoughy sourness that offset the honey (served in a bear OF COURSE).
Yes, they are a little more expensive, and the décor is a little bit sterile/​coffeeshopish. But the food is right on the money. Service was excellent too. Definitely a hit! Thanks Unilocalers!

Flavorful and fresh. Chose this place for lunch based on other reviews; it was a score. Staff was very friendly and took care of us right away. We got the chips and salsa while we waited. Definitely not your generic salsa. Red was bright and bold with a medium even heat. Green delivered much more heat and had a well developed flavor due to the roasted chiles. Chips were even superb on their own!
I had the Adovada topped chile rellenos with green chile. Generous portion (enough for two meals) was served with 2 sides. Beans were awesome and the calabacitas were simple and delicious. Chile rellenos were very satisfying– lots of flavor and the egg batter was not a greasy sponge as you sometimes get with rellenos. The Adovada on top just set it off. Lots of robust flavor and heat. Others in my party had fish tacos and the posole– everyone liked theirs. Sopapillas served warm at the end were light and toasty. Perfect with a squeeze of lime and honey.
Décor is more modern that most New Mexican restaurants, but staff was inviting and we were in and out in less than an hour despite the lunch rush.

It comes down to this: Cocina Azul has my favorite red chile in New Mexico (and that’s a big statement, folks). Order the carne adovada (in any form) — you won’t be disappointed. I usually get the carne adovada plate (a no-​frills meat pile) and take the leftovers home to make an epic breakfast hash the next morning. I have strong neutral feelings about the sides (compared to the mains, they leave a lot to be desired). So I focus on the main event and just plow into my pork pile. I leave with my sinuses cleared and warmth in my belly — this is a beautiful thing.

I had the green chile stew. It was hot! And just what I wanted. The Sopapilla was perfect. Try it!

Delicious green Chile chicken soup. Red Chile enchiladas, fresh sopapilas. Yum.
Slow service, but very kind. Its really loud in here. Not for conversation, just for staring at each other. Get it to go.

Food was OK. I have tasted better red chill. Vegetarian options are poor so if you are a veggie skip this place.

Delicious home-​cooked meal. Authentic and down right food for your soul! Customer service is impeccable — eating 2 times within a couple of weeks (for the first time ever) I feel like a family member. This is my hidden gem!

Yummy! I would normally order something simple like cheese enchiladas, but my dining companion insisted I try the Carne Adovada Enchilada Plate ($ 12ish) which was insanely flavorful! …and the portion was so huge that I was eating it for 2 days.
Service was friendly and they have local beers on tap.
The atmosphere is nothing to write home about… it’s minimal, loud & bright. I was there for lunch and can’t imagine that’d be comfortable for dinner.

Damn! This place was good! Real tasty food, great portions and extra friendly service with a smile! Oh yeah… all this for a reasonable price?! Very nice!!!

Dudes, I ate the whole plate of food plus the sides. I couldn’t stop. The adobada was fucking great and I wish I had just gotten a bowl of that with a chile on the side. Thank you Abq.

Another Unilocal recommendation brought us here and as always Unilocalers don’t disappoint!
The food was hot, fresh, and as authentic as it gets! Some of the tastiest we have enjoyed during our adventures in ALBQ.
We’ll be back and are looking forward to dining here again!

On our first trip to New Mexico, we had awesome New Mexican food. This was our first taste of southwestern food in ABQ, and it lived up to our expectations.
The restaurant is conveniently situated near Old Town. The building is over 100 years old, but is really modern on the inside. The service is awesome! Our waitress was so friendly, and she always kept us in the know as to what was going on. She was great.
We had the queso appetizer, free of cost. We went on the ABQ Trolley tour, and this was one of the All Stars. The queso was huge and delicious.
Our food was great for the most part. The enchiladas were heavenly. The green chile stew was awesome as well. However, the posole was slightly bland and the chile relleno was covered in cheese, even though it was stuffed in cheese. Come to think of it, EVERYTHING was covered in cheese. Nothing to stop us from coming again, but it wasn’t necessary.
This was an awesome first taste of New Mexican food in ABQ. We still can’t believe how awesome the service was!
I am writing this on all reviews where we used the ABQ Trolley Co. sticker: the deal was honored easily and without issue.

Closes at 8, best to get there before 6 to get a table on a weekend. Ok, well the service was slow at first, but I wasn’t that hungry so I wasn’t that impatient. Order drinks and chips right away. I ordered layered enchiladas with shredded beef and red chile, oh my goodness! This is the best red chile I have had in a long time. So many flavors and just enough spice, I could eat this on anything. The beef was really tender and with barely any fat pieces. I hate it when you eat beef, then you start to think is this bite worth chewing or not. None of those thoughts here. They only put a light sprinkling of cheese, I love the flavor of sauce more than cheese so this was perfect.
He also ordered something covered in red chile, that’s all you really eat while visiting New Mexico anyways. Entrees came with a sopapilla, which wasn’t that great to me, but not a big deal. This place was well worth the 2 mile walk we did that night.

«Dear Cocina Azul and State of New Mexico:
It’s official: You have ruined me on Green Chile anywhere outside of your borders forever.
Well, at least for three months.
Fondly,
California born, Arizona raised gal.»
When I saw fellow Phoenix Unilocaler Jared R. give this place high marks on one of his business trips, I immediately bookmarked it.
After a whirlwind day of running around meeting clients + the local team of the company I work for, I was ready to sit down and relax.
No frills, just a clean place with good service and food to match.
I didn’t realize this was «seat yourself» kind of place and stood in the entryway for a moment looking stupid.
Make sure you check in on Unilocal for that free chips and salsa offer, as the red and green salsas are good previews to the Red and Green Chile.
Amaris was my server. I decided on the Carne Adovada Rellenos. Came with pinto beans, calabacitas and a sopapilla.
So. Much. Food! Barely made a dent; almost ate half. The Green Chile was out of this world delicious and the spice was intense.
The sopa was one of the best I’ve had in a while. Warm, fluffy, perfect flavor and didn’t require a lot of honey.
Another tip, if you can, try to sit in Amaris’ section. She’s an absolute doll and we enjoyed a nice conversation once she found out I was from Phoenix on business. Amaris is in esthetician school, and based on our conversation, she’s going to run one hell of a business.
She also comped my Diet Coke because of the «long wait» with a party in the house. It wasn’t long at all, but what a nice gesture!
Like Jared, I’m happy I fly out to ABQ often. Cocina Azul will most certainly be a mainstay for me.