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    Garcia's Kitchen Express

    3.0 (56 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Open 7:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Garcia's Kitchen Express Photos

    GARCIA'S KITCHEN EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Garcia's Kitchen Express

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    Combination plate. Tamale, beef taco and enchilada. So good and so filling.
    Lorelei P.

    This is our first time visiting this location. I must say that when we tried to visit the location off Coors, it was closed and we were a little disappointed. But that's okay, times are tough these days. This one seems to be hidden, since it is behind Mariposa park and I never knew of the place. Now, that I do. I'm happy to come back in the future with my family. We were able to sit where we wanted to. Staff was friendly and we were served right away. Looks like only half the seating was open, but thankfully we were able to dine in. I loved the menu, because it says that you can get breakfast all day. How awesome is that? I totally love breakfast. But today, I wanted enchiladas. And the menu is so big I couldn't decide. Neither could my family, I love the variety that they offer. And the green/red chili... delicious. Had to order more sopapillas because those are the bomb! We will be visiting again, hopefully on a day when it's not too busy. Thank you!

    Chile relleno plate with rice and papas covered with green chile
    Debbie D.

    Visiting from out of town. Family suggested this place. We were warmly greeted as we walked in. It wasn't busy so we were tended to as soon as we sat down. Great variety of food to choose from and reasonable prices. I ordered the Chile relleno plate with rice and papas covered with green chile. My food was flavorful, chile was not spicy. My cousin ordered red Chile chicken enchiladas with rice and beans. The red Chile was really tasty , she said her food was good and usually is as she has eaten there several times before. The sopaipillas were disappointing but the waitress did inform us that she wasn't pleased with them as the oil that they were fried in smelled burnt and asked the cook to change it. She offered an alternative, but I ate mine. It was ok but not as good as I know they can be. Overall very welcoming and friendly service and location. It was clean, food was good.

    Soggy green Chile chicken enchiladas

    This is my go to place to eat breakfast. Been eating here for 14 years. This morning I was extremely disappointed to find hair in my food. The waitress was so embarrassed and also disappointed. She compt our meal and sincerely asked us to come back again. Second chance perhaps...

    Sopapillas
    Michelle C.

    Garcia's is intensely New Mexican. I recommend all of my friends and family who visit from out of town to come and try some of the food. I had the Thursday Special for Beef Enchiladas with Red Chili, Papas, and Beans. My food was good, but 2 bites In I realized "Where's the beef?" So I called the server who came and brought me a side of beef and potatoes. I guess that was an ok fix. The chili was nice and hot! My kids had Burgers, one with Guac and the other with Bacon. Their exact words were that the burgers were intimidating, but so delicious. My Husband has the Fajitas with Fries. His Fajitas were perfect. Overall, the staff was friendly and attentive. We were very pleased with this visit!

    Leftovers after Christmas Day...green chile pork tamale & biscochito
    Jaime C.

    My grown up Christmas wish is pretty simple. Tamales, posole, and biscochitos. Throw a couple of cappuccinos in there, and a bourbon or two, and I'm glowing like a farolito on chilly December night. Garcia's saved my tushie this past Christmas...my schedule was overflowing with events, and peformances, and holiday to-do's, and since I don't have a stunt double on staff, there simply wasn't enough time to be all and do all. So, I picked up that smartphone, dialed up the Taylor Ranch location, and ordered up 2 dozen Tamales (1 dozen green chile chicken, 1 dozen red chile pork) to be picked up on Christmas Eve. But then there were a few friends I had been meaning to drop off some goodies to, so, heck, throw in a few dozen more to be picked up earlier, and now that I think about it, do I really have time to bake biscochitos??? No, no Sir, I don't. So while you're at it, how about 7 dozen of those bad boys, 5 dozen for drop offs, 2 dozen to be picked up Christmas Day..... *Bada Bing * Bada Boom,* done! The staff was so friendly and accommodating, talked me through the re-heat process for Christmas Day, gave me a few tips for serving. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Guys, the tamales were bomb diggity perfection. The meat so well seasoned, the tamales were moist and melted in your mouth. I even snuck a few away for leftovers the day after (see pic) - when I picked up my order, the process was painless, the restaurant was jamming pumping out the goods for their breakfast shift, and while I waited for my order to be packaged, I couldn't resist ordering a chile relleno to go, christmas chile smothered on top (but of course) to treat myself for all the hard work it took driving over there to pick things up *hehe* - Merry Christmas to me.

    Rice Pudding, but apparently NOT available at Taylor Ranch location which wasn't addressed when this was posted. Bummer.
    Courtney T.

    Update: we saw this photo on FB, and our daughter loves rice pudding so of course we went to get some!! What we got was a sad sad sad version of some rice with milk & spices, and it was very dissatisfying. The staff at the Taylor Ranch location said "we don't usually have this here" and it wasn't on the menu. I posted a comment on FB on the ad, and this is what I received: "We do greatly apologize for the inconvenience however Taylor Ranch is an affiliate location and they do not follow the same recipes as The Original Garcia's Kitchen. Generally our 6 other locations should always carry Arroz con Leche. Please try us out again at one of our other locations! Again we are sorry for the inconvenience we hope your next visit with us is nothing less than stellar!!" Disappointing "customer service", & I'm reducing my rating for that reason, and for false advertising. *************************************** Hands down better than Sadie's! The food was soooo good, portions were hearty but not over the top gut busting, and the second was great! At this location there's one kid, I can't remember his name (Isaac...) who was so friendly and funny, we loved it! The place is clean and the prices are just right.

    Huevos Rancheros
    Sandra G.

    Garcia's Kitchen Express is my favorite go to for delicious and affordable New Mexican food. I love the huevos rancheros and the potato, cheese and red Chile burrito. The staff is always so friendly and food is always great! I love how the food taste just as great during the pandemic. My husband loves the chicken stuffed sopapilla plate with red. The tortillas here are delicious too!

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    3 months ago

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    9 months ago

    Eat there once or twice a week. Food is always great! Staff are friendly and always check to make sure we are happy.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    We keep coming back on our visits! Always good and never disappoints! Service is fantastic and friendly

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    6 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Super slow service. They cook everything in butter. Even the beans. Impossible for someone with a dairy allergy to eat there safely.

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    Frontier

    Frontier

    4.2
    (2.7k reviews)
    7.2 mi
    $$

    Yes, I get the hype, and in my opinion, totally worth it!…read more I came here on a Sunday night and they were very busy. The place is huge so they have plenty of tables available. I stood on line to order for maybe 10 minutes or so. I had the Carne Adovada Burrito, one soft Beef Taco, and rice and beans. Everything was excellent and tasted delicious. The price was very reasonable. I wish we had a restaurant like this on Long Island.

    It seems like this place has been around forever. I remember passing by this restaurant as a kid…read moreand seeing the wagon wheel chandeliers from the road. Directly across the street from University of New Mexico's main entrance, this place is packed when school is in session. This place is huge, but not at first glance. Walk into the retro-looking, Western themed dining room, and you'll see a huge menu board above the order counter. There is are several freestyle soda machines in the middle of the room. There are little digital screens in the corner where you watch for your order number and a counter in the corner where you go pick up your food. It's not until you go into the next room that you discover there is another "next room," and then another. There is a lot of art on the walls, including several John Wayne pictures. The girl at the counter who took our order was an absolute ray of sunshine--so friendly and sweet. We ordered the green chili cheeseburger with onion rings and the daily special which is the "green pile-up" (beans, hash browns, scrambled egg, and green chili beef). The good came our talented quickly, and was quite yummy. Frontier is an Albuquerque classic. If it old? Yes, but it has a huge faithful following, not including the things of UNM students that pack this giant diner during the school year. It may not be a "must try" for some, but if you want Albuquerque nostalgia, this is your place. Btw--it's pretty darn cheap,!

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Complimentary Sopapillas ($0)
    Complimentary Sopapillas ($0)
    Mexican Combo ($11) w/ Christmas enchiladas, rice, beans and a crunchy taco

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    Mexican Combo ($11) w/ Christmas enchiladas, rice, beans and a crunchy taco
    Herencia

    Herencia

    4.5
    (133 reviews)
    10.6 mi

    We were traveling from North Carolina to our home in San Diego…read more We looked up places to eat and were tired of "road trip food". We found Herencia and took a chance. We know good Mexican food, as we are from San Diego, and wanted to try the southwest fare. WHAT AN AMAZING CHOICE! The lovely hostess was charming, engaging and sweet (wish i had her name) and our waiter (Edgar) was authentic, personable and fun to chat with. We had been at a movie and had eaten a bit too much popcorn so we did not order a lot. The three of us shared the free blue corn (not fried) chips with three salsa samples. We then shared a salad and the amazingly good four taco sampler. Thank you Herencia (Enrique the owner, and staff) for this wonderful evening.

    Very expensive Mexican food with small portions. Food was good but not worth the price. They took…read morethe food too artsy and shrinked the sizes too much. Service did not match the price. Server didn't check on us too often and let someone at the table run out of water for 5 minutes until we asked for more. I had the pork al pastor ($26). It was cooked well and seasoned really nicely. Lobster enchiladas were nice but unique just to be unique. I asked for recommendations and all of the options were the most expensive on the menu which was odd to me. If they have a cheaper lunch menu it might be worth trying, but I think the dinner isn't worth it for the price. Four entrees and a soda was $130 plus tip.

    Photos
    Herencia
    Tacos
    Tacos
    Costilla de Rez

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    Costilla de Rez
    El Pinto

    El Pinto

    3.4
    (1.9k reviews)
    5.5 mi
    $$

    Late lunch/ early dinner today. Hotter than heck outside so decided to hide at El Pinto for…read moreawhile. Ordered cold beer and cocktails after we were seated inside Lotsa flies.....we get it....pretty much an open-air restaurant this time of year They did set a spinner on our table which helped. Was decently cool inside too I have been wanting to try their Kizer beef and pork offerings so i threw down on a cheeseburger (hard to not order New Mexican food here) But that burger was perfect! Delicious I recommend and was plenty big Of course i dropped a big spoonful of green chile on it And the green chile strip appetizer was outstanding Summer at El Pinto. Enjoy!

    This place has amazing vibe, livelihood, and outdoor, cute seating areas. The place looks vibrant…read moreand lively. But the overall food is average. I had the house special chili ribs and the ribs aren't flavorful. There is no distinctive taste to these ribs but chilied. But since the chili is tasteless themselves, it doesn't contribute to the overall flavor of the ribs anyway. 2/5 Stuff sopadillas with beef is very large and filling. For the lunch menu, the price is rather affordable for how much food I ordered. The tastes? I can't tell because it is comparable to any other restaurants. Nothing really stands out to me. 4/5 The regular sopadilla with honey as a side dish is amazing and you can't really go wrong with sopadilla and honey 5/5. Chips and salsa is continuously refilled as requested. Overall service is average, with water refill being done per request, not automatically. I personally would take tourists here to experience the cute vibe of New Mexico that this restaurant gives: a cute brunch with the ladies, a nice hang out and gathering with friends.

    Photos
    Come on in!
    Come on in!
    Hatch Chile and Chicharrones
    Hatch Chile and Chicharrones
    Interior entrance

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    Interior entrance

    Garcia's Kitchen Express - mexican - Updated August 2026

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