We found a very mixed bag at the original Menaul outlet of El Chamo Arabe today. Food is tasty and…read moreplentiful for the toll. Service is fine, if not welcoming. The room is pretty but overly warm and reeks of grease. And there were some additional cleanliness issues. I want to return for the food, but if the other issues aren't addressed it may be the last time. Tons of grease smoke hanging in the air (the kitchen needs more serious ventilation - I texted and warned a friend not to come, as she hates the smell of cooking grease in her hair) when we came in at the early end of lunch (the place filled up pretty well behind us - it's Tuesday). It's a nice enough room (loved the painting of Bolívar and the Venezuelan tchotchkes in the case by the door) with plenty of seating - grab and read a menu, order at the front - it prompts you for a tip (went on the heavier side even with the counter ordering because I want El Chamo Arabe to stay around) and the counterwoman (not the friendliest person, but not rude) delivers everything to your table when it's ready (which will be a minute - but you're not here for _fast_ food). The room is pleasantly decorated but overly warm and - well, there's that grease smell issue: it was bad enough that we had to change clothes after eating here. Okay, prices seem reasonable. But when the food comes, prices seem downright _good_ - these folks give you a LOT of food. We got a $5 dolmas appetizer to start (juicier than what one usually finds; quite good) which came with the grape leaf rolls sitting on a pretty tasty dressed salad. We sure didn't need it, though: our mains (a shwarma plate with gyro meat and an arepa picada with one of chicken and one of beef) were really large. Really large. And it's tasty food. Enormous salads with both $14 plates: dressed well with great, fresh romaine leaves cut just right for easy eating. I'd note with some surprise that both the shredded chicken and beef on the arepas were pretty tasty, but was surprised to find the chicken grabbed me more. There is habañero salsa (albeit in a greasy bottle) on the tables if you need piquancy (why not? we're in New Mexico), and that was great. I'm not sure that the plentiful quantity of the mustard/ketchup (or was it Russian dressing?)/mayo sauce drowning of the arepa picada salad was a good thing. It was pretty, but it got to be a bit much for my taste down toward the bottom of it all - I'd ask for it lighter next time. The lunchmeat turkey and American-type cheese slice and perfectly cooked round fried egg certainly added to the salad, and the arepas themselves were a delight. My wife liked the rice and gyro meat and salad of her shwarma plate. Here's the thing: in addition to the grease-in-the-air situation, there were some cleanliness issues. The table where we sat (it was dead when we arrived, except for some waiting DoorDash drivers) hadn't been properly wiped and there were some old rice grains on it. The bottles of habañero and other salsas on the table were grimy and needed to have been wiped. The tray on which the silverware was brought to our table was greasy - repositioning it on the table to make room for our food made me want to wash my hands. And there was a hair (not ours) in the salad under my dolmas: I didn't mention to my wife because she would have stopped eating and I also didn't bring it up with the counterperson since the small restaurant was at that time full of lunching customers who didn't need to be troubled by hearing about it. And I know mistakes happen and I was not interested in a refund or apology; things happen. But I hope El Chamo Arabe customarily pays more attention to keeping things sanitary - the food is good enough that I want to come back and see. Food - 5 Service - 3 Atmosphere - 2 (lose the grease, fix the temperature and it's a 4) Cleanliness: 2 Value - ?

If I could give a zero I would. We placed an order for a chicken shawarma bowl and a beef shawarma…read morebowl with drinks. It came to over $40! This is for take out mind you. I asked her for a reminder buzzer to pick up when ready, and the girl claimed she gave it to my daughter. She did not. I went back to ask for it. She had to place a call to someone in the kitchen, in a separate building for my order number to get the right number. We sat down in the communal dining area for all the other mini restaurants there and waited over 20 minutes. I had gone back to see where the take out was. Finally I saw her bring it through the door from another location outside the food court. The chicken shawarma bowl was in the tray, but instead of the beef shawarma was a chicken shawarma wrap and cold French Fries. I told her she brought me the wrong order and begrudgingly she took it back outside to where she had brought it and 20 minutes later I got it. The bowl was 1/2 yellow rice, 1/2 romaine lettuce with almost no dressing and 3 of the skinniest sliced tomatoes I have ever seen and some cooked beef, very sparingly scattered on only the rice side of the bowl with a drizzle of a nondescript white dressing. My daughter was mostly done with hers when I got mine. I also orders the fried plantain side. It was 4 pieces, equivalent of one small plantain on one side of the cardboard serving boat and some shredded mozzarella on the other side! Now that is a bizarre combination! With almost no meat on either of our shawarma bowls, it was such a huge disappointment. The girl kept rolling her eyes with her mistake and then giving me dirty looks from behind the counter. In the 35 minutes we were there, we were the only people who had placed an order. With the lack of service, and overpriced items, this place will go out of business soon at The Block, just like the overpriced Thai place in the same complex that only lasted around 2 months!

First time here. SO satisfied with the food everything was delicious and the food came out quick…read more Will definitely be visiting the main location. Pelotero special: 10/10 the pork was juicy and tender, the sauce is amazing and the hot sauce is made in house. Great kick and the yuca fries were also nice and crispy Maduros: 100/10 crispy on the outside and soft on the inside I could've eaten 10 Arepa del patron: 8/10 the meat was juicy and the toppings were very flavorful. The arepa itself just a little dry but still good. Papelon lemonade was the star of the show and not too sweet, very well spiced and uniquely tasting with cloves and other spices. Really refreshing and tasted great at the beginning of fall.

Still the best Cuban I have had, along with the arepas are to die for!…read more Tostones cooked perfect, the garlic sauce, tomato, and the spicy arbol so much flavor!!!! Everything was perfect, they have a very friendly staff and it's a nice spot to be in. The plants hanging everywhere were so beautiful too. Food will always come back for. Thank you so much!

Whether you're staying at The Imperial, looking for a quick eat-in spot, or need some take-out for…read morethe night, this is some of the best food I've ever had. The Shredded Chicken, Cheese, & Green Chile empanada was light and full of delicious flavors. Fried plantains were sweet and filling. And I wanted to drink the fresh green Venezuelan Guasacaca Sauce. The folks who work here were friendly and knowledgeable. This is a must-stop eatery in Albuquerque.

Been following these folks through various venues, From railyards, to the pretty expensive sawmill…read moremarket, now they do the railyards, and they have a food truck that does its rounds, but their walk in location is inside the Imperial Dive, at High Street and Central (EDO). in a very good small food court alongside Vegan Vato and a Pupusaria, and a small desert place. Got a really really good Green chile Cheeseburger, was cooked perfectly. hot inside but just a thin line of pink, Tasty and spicy green chile, beautiful cheese melt on it. Smash patties are all the rage these days, but a nice thick well constructed patty is better in my opinion.

Friendly service. The owner/manager is really nice and super accommodating. He let me sample their…read morelemonade and talked me through the menu to figure out if there was anything I could make vegan. I ordered an arepa with black beans, sweet plantains, and avocado (no butter, no cheese). It was phenomenal! I also ordered a mango juice and I loved that I could choose with or without sugar because many times they don't give you the option and it comes out too sweet. I asked for no sugar and it was perfect. Indoor and outdoor seating was available and the bathroom was clean. I tried to come back a second time during my trip and they were sold out of their arepas. That goes to show just how good they are and how popular they're becoming, so definitely go check them out!

I've gone twice now and this may become a go to lunch spot in downtown. It's a small shop situated…read moredowntown with a cute patio to dine outside. The first time i visited, I tried the veggie arepa (black beans, plantains, aguacate and queso fresco) which was very tasty and filling. Then my most recent visit I had the pabellón which is shredded beef, plantains, black beans and queso fresco. Also very delicious. Their sides are ones best shared with a friend. Yuca Fries were garnished with chimichurri. Then they had the cheese wrapped in breading with a dipping sauce. I can't remember the actual title and don't see it on the menu but they were great. All in all a sweet visit. I will go back just just for the refreshing beverages alone and friendly service alone. Staff is very friendly and family run and can't wait to keep going back to support this small business.

We were new to Venezuelan food, so asked for guidance on what to order. I'm writing this assuming…read morethat you might be new to Venezuelan food as well. We had the Arepa de Pabellon, with beef, cheese, black beans, and platanos in a sort of fat corn tortilla, reminiscent of a split open pupusa. My mate liked the empanada de Camaron and the pastelon with beef. I liked the filling for that as well. We also had an order of chicken and cheese tostones, which are little cups filled with shredded meat. It is a peaceful and attractively decorated space. Our service was very fast. There is a pleasant dipping sauce. I can imagine having working lunches here. We'll try the Chinese options next time!

Great food! At first I was like "What? A Chinese and Venezuelan restaurant? Weird." But, it's so…read moregood! The empanadas are perfect, the boba is hoppin, and their won ton soup was the perfect comfort food. They are never busy and their dining area is really nice. Check it out!

I was really dissapointed with Santa Fe's dining scene -- but I was only there for a hot minute…read more This place, totally did not dissapoint. Excellent food, excellent service. We stopped in for lunch and stayed for the gluten free dessert. The food was very rustic and had more soul than the utterly forgettable fare in the downtown Santa Fe plaza area. Go here before you plunk down a bunch of your hard earned money on some generic Tex-Mex/New-Mex/Mex or some pretentious lounge that refuses to sit you if you don't look like a jeweler.

So...great food & drinks Grumpy man running cash register-…read moreolder -maroon plaid shirt-not kind to coworkers He is an arbitrary price-er. $18 for a cup of Togo red chili Nice wall art for sale Otherwise everyone great.

The food was amazing! Service was great. Cocktails were creative and delicious…read more An article posted in the restaurant told how they were once a food truck and now are a brick and mortar restaurant. The restaurant was busy and it appeared everyone was enjoying their food and service.

The food was delicious! We split a side salad prepared with fresh strawberries, cucumber, & tomato…read morewith vinaigrette that was so refreshing and tasty. I had the chile en Nogada I would highly recommend and my husband had the Santa Fe enchiladas with chicken and green salsa that we found to be outstanding. The house margarita was also very good. Service was good and attentive. The restrooms are down the hall and shared with other businesses and requires a combination code. This is perfect for a casual dining experience for authentic Southwest cuisine.