I happen to love New Mexican cuisine. La Cocina is an absolute treasure. What an adorable restaurant with so much charm. They have a designated dessert area, which is incredibly convenient for the on-the-go traveler; also a most lovely option for treating yourself or a loved one with something sweet to enjoy later. read more

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Service is really really good, they're on point and straight to it with refills and don't waste time with orders, not to mention very nice and welcoming too, cooking is fantastic aswell, they waste zero time making your order and dont mess around, bathrooms are great, and the overall vibe is nice and calm, no loud people or music, its always at a good volume and shows that Española has a really nice environment to provide within restaurants read more

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It feels really authentic. I accidentally ordered the senior breakfast (which was definitely not labeled the senior breakfast in the menu), which was simple but good. I had hoped to order sopapillas but we were there too early for them to be making them. As we were asking for the check, our server Leticia came by and asked if I still wanted a sopapilla. She brought one over to me with the check, for free. It was such a sweet small gesture--and it was delicious. read more

La Cocina - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

Waiter refused a vegetarian option and suggested I pay for everything I wanted on it separately & extra tortillas for 1$ more - I felt that I was an unwanted guest - ridiculous - stayed anyway - food flavorless excet for salsa - nice ambiiance & everyone else very pleasant read more

I have always loved La Cocina and supporting local businesses, but I will not be coming back after verbal abuse my child and her mother experienced.. This morning my daughter and her mother went in for breakfast. My daughter had her heart set on French Toast for some reason, and when they asked if it can be made they were told no. Which is fine, a lot of places won't make things that aren't on the menu. My daughter and her mother at that time decided they wanted to go somewhere else, as French toast was really what she was in the mood for. As they were leaving, an employee loudly said "oh the white girls are leaving because we don't have French toast." That is totally unacceptable. This is a 12 year old child you're insulting (who is half Hispanic, by the way). We frequently did online orders for breakfast burritos there and I occasionally dined in when I had friends in town, but this stops today. Would give 0 stars if it was an option. I'm very disappointed in this restaurant and members of my local community that could be this way. read more

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My family has dined here a few times and raved about it, now I see why. We've been traveling and honestly I was tired and didn't want to drive into Espanola for dinner, but was pushed into it. Not very hungry, I ordered a Frito Pie (what I consider a small dish that is always ok, but nothing special. ) First, this came with a large bowl of beans and ground beef in the best red chile I've ever tasted. After over eating at the restaurant, I brought half of this dish home for another meal. My wife had a small ground beef stuffed sopapilla with green chile. She said it was excellent and also had leftovers. My daughter had the Enchiladas Especial with Christmas and said it was outstanding as well. Dinner finished with three large and delicious sopapillas and honey. Service was excellent, the ambiance of the restaurant comfortable and relaxing. I can imagine there may be times we will drive up from Albuquerque just for a truly amazing New Mexican meal. read more

La Cocina - Frito Pie, once I remembered to take the photo. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

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Authentic. Friendly. Delicious. La cocina was one of our favorite restaurants on out trip thru Colorado and NM. I had the Carne Adovado and eggs. The adovada was loaded with tender pork and delivered alot of chili flavor without overheating. The building was big and clean. The service was the best we have had in a long time. The server was fantastic. read more

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Went last week in March 2026 now don't get me wrong this place has great food, great atmosphere but I wouldn't recommend this place if you have a large party their seating policy is Bul@&$!!. They don't take reservations (big minus) AND for example if you have a party of 10 and only 5 of them are present you won't be seated. Even if the other people are on their way 15 minutes out. This means your wait doesn't start until you are all present. Sundays are insanely busy and maybe that was my mistake. All I'm saying it's hard to get a large party all to arrive at the exact same time. It's as if they care more about shuffling as many people in and out as quickly as possible instead of making this place feel homey for folks. read more

Dog friendly patio and lots of Mexican food . The guacamole was prepared fresh in the bowl from avocado.

Kind and quick staff. Very nice music and cozy decor. There are always a lot of customers, but I have never had to wait long. Love the red and green chile here! Huevos rancheros, breakfast burritos, and taco salads are some of my favorites! read more

La Cocina - Taco salad - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

La Cocina has been my favorite restaurant for years! The service is always great- even when they're super busy. The food is consistently good. The heat of the chile varies but is always good as well. They've got several different dining rooms all decorated in traditional New Mexican style which I find wonderful. My favorite meal there- stuffed sopapilla with the shredded beef and red chile! Mmm mm mmm!! read more

Favorite dine in restaurant in Española. Great food. Great staff. Great clean spaces. I always get the Carne Adobada Breakfast with a side of a Blue Corn Piñon Pancake read more

La Cocina - Carne Adovada + Blue Corn Pinon Pancake side - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

So I am told this is the place to eat, but they make you wait forever. The place is large you would think they could accommodate one person. Seems like a nice place. Lots of empty tables but they are not seating. So I have finally got a seat, there is an entire section that is empty. About 30 people wait they could have sat them. Glad that as soon as I sat down someone took my order. I wanted the Posole, hope it is good. Waitress is top notch, didn't even ask for more ice tea, she showed up with it. That I like. So I ordered posole red. It has a good taste, had better. Some of the hominy was not cooked well enough, maybe they were getting low and added some hominy. All in all don't know if I would come back here for posole. read more

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Stopped in for lunch. Had the club sandwich. It was really good. Could only eat half of it. Nice little cafe atmosphere. Good menu with many options. Enjoyed it. read more

Delicious! Never disappointed when we go. The enchiladas were so good, definitely ordering again Our waiter was friendly and informed us right away there would be a delay in getting our food. Which we appreciated. The dessert case is filled with some tempting options but we are always too full to have. The dia de los muertos display is a sweet reminder. read more

La Cocina - Enchiladas - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

2nd time eating here. Great breakfast options and we like both the red and green chili.

Authentic New Mex! Had the stacked shredded beef enchiladas w blue corn tortillas and red and green chilies. Service was excellent and the atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable. read more

La Cocina - Shredded beef enchiladas supreme - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

The restaurant is great and the staff is even greater. We both had burritos which were excellent and they had a good selection of beers. I would highly recommend this restaurant. read more

The multi-roomed restaurant has rustic New Mexican decor. It was quiet for a Sunday morning, and the huevos rancheros were incredible! Egg over easy cooked perfectly, corn tortillas nicely crisped, flavorful beans, and fantastic green chile! I'm so glad we picked this gem of a restaurant for brunch on this trip!! read more

La Cocina - Huevos Rancheros with Christmas chile - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

Great Waiter, Great Food. Homemade tortillas were delightful. We also got some to go. A bit pricy but now days everything is.

Our server Cathy was fantastic! Great selection of menu options. My lamb sopapilla covered in green was best I ever had! Ole lady had shredded beef tewa and really liked it. Coffee was really good as was my brew to wash it all down. read more

Great fun waitress. Fajitas are good tasting and a lot of food. Sopaipillas served with mains and were delicious.

Great food and service. New Mexican food as it should be. Worth the trip if you are in the neighborhood.

The best food I have ever had. We had a little wait, I would have wanted an hour to eat here. Our waiter was busy but still managed to take care of us. Highly recommend. When back in New Mexico I will eat here again. read more

La Cocina - Stuffed Sopaipilla. To die for. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

Service was excellent , food was good. We were promptly seated and served tortilla chips and salsa. I did not care for either. For lunch I ordered guacamole enchiladas , my husband beef enchiladas. They are served with whole pinto beans, and I had calabacitas (squash) and he had rice as the extra side. While my husbnavd raced about his , I didn't really care for mine. The pinto beans were good. I did t eat the calabacitas (I'm not a big squash eater). I'd visit again, try something different. Plenty of good reviews and they've been in business for many years. Very nice interior and I liked the patio area! read more

La Cocina - Dining room - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

We came for a late lunch on a Saturday. Lovely restaurant with friendly service. The tacos are delicious as well the beans and rice were not great but they were good. Could have had a bit more seasoning. However that being said, I ordered the Carnitas Plate. It was so disappointing. It's one of my favorite Mexican dishes and I'm used to the juicy tender park that is slow cooked. The Carnitas plate here was some hard , dry and tough pieces of pork in oily green peppers and onions. I would most certainly recommend ordering something else. Tacos perhaps. read more

Came here for lunch while driving from Taos to Albuquerque. We ordered jessies combination and the filled sopaipilla. Staff was very friendly, place is pretty big and was crowded. Had some tortilla chips while we waited for the entrees. Didn't take very long to come out. The portion size is very generous. You have the option to get chilis on the side which we did. I liked everything in the combination mix. It also came with some sopaipilla which tasted great. Healthy amount of cheese on everything. I probably should have boxed most of it for dinner, but ate too much. The chilis weren't that spicy could have put it directly on the food. Highly recommended read more

La Cocina - Stuffed Sopaipilla - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

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Great food. Great atmosphere. Very polite staff. The best is their green chili stew.

Fantastic, Authentic NM food inside a nice restaurant. Visiting family from out of town and loved the food! Blue corn beef and brisket enchiladas stuffed with plenty of meat with Christmas/ red & green sauce, homemade charro beans, chips and salsa. LOVED the sopapillas as well! Only recommendation: I asked for my refill of ice tea to go however server said they do not have to go cups which I found odd... otherwise great! read more

Really good service good food I had an amazing time hereI love this place I would come again I do recommend

This spot is a local institution whose parking lot is always full. Our server, Devon, was sweet, attentive and speedy! Unfortunately, something was going on in the kitchen that he had no control over. First the bad news: wrong order on 2 out of 3. (We know our order was put in correctly because it's on the ticket) The taco plate was not 2 hard /1 soft, but 3 hard & the side of beans were delivered cold. The taco eater reported "blandest taco I've ever eaten" & this eater is from NH who does not eat salsa. The sides on the taco plate and the combo were inaccurate & for vegetarian-pozole w pork. The hash browns with the Huevos were slightly raw. None of this fatal, but just too many small things off. Overall- this is NOT a vegetarian friendly restaurant. But they've been in business for 53 years so if you eat meat I'm betting there are many delicious options. The good news: The red chili is some of the best I've ever had. The Huevos were cooked to perfection. Free chips and salsa appear immediately. Fresh hot sopapillas showed up to accompany the honey that you will see on every table. Bathrooms a bit drab but clean. read more

The grilled shell ground beef tacos are so good I can't recommend them enough!! The posole and pinto beans are 5 stars as well. Love this place. read more

This is one of our favorite restaurants in Espanola for an "almost" home cooked meal! Recent changes to their system don't allow for substitutions- like avocado instead of guacamole; not a big deal but what was once an option isn't anymore. Kinda disappointed over it.... read more

Most excellent food and atmosphere. Service was excellent. We were told 45 minutes again so we went to the bar for an "appetizer ". Didn't get a sip of my Dos Equis and they came and got us. read more

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Just had an amazing dinner at La Cocina with 5 star service! Super reasonable pricing. Carne Adovado, calabacitas, and the best salsa around. Nice patio dining. Wish I lived close Elkins to eat here again and again! read more

Today we ordered the chicken enchiladas Christmas style. The red chile was delicious but the green chile was a whole new level of amazingness!!! We ordered the special with 3 blue corn tortillas and it came with sour cream, beans and hot sapopillas. The chicken breast meat was so tender and lots of it. This reminded me of food from my childhood - homemade and authentic. I'm sorry to be leaving town tomorrow but not time I am back I will eat here again!! Plus I purchased some freshly cooked tortillas in a bag to go. The desserts sure were tempting! read more

La Cocina - Gone!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

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This is as authentic Southwest as you will find in New Mexico. Though only 20 or 25 miles north of Santa Fe, Espanola is "Northern New Mexico." A world away: many who live there have never been on an airplane. By New Mexico standards, La Cocina is somewhat upscale/pricey. The portions are large (as they are everywhere I ate, from ABQ to Espanola) and breakfast entrees $13 on average. It's a beautiful, large restaurant heavy on wood, tile, and Southwestern art. Beautiful baked goods, too. Everything in the large case to the left of the entrance looked excellent. My huevos rancheros very good. I ate very little of the beans, but some of the cheese that melded beautifully with the spicy green chile atop the eggs and corn tortillas. (The spiciest green chile, funnily enough, was at the Holiday Inn ABQ. I had a chicken wrap with lettuce and tomato, holding the provolone and pesto aioli so I could try the green chile, that set my mouth on fire. The menu features a few Southwestern specialties I had to look up, including huevos adovado (sort of a chile con carne). I would have tried the blue corn pancakes if I hadn't been watching my intake so carefully. Outstanding New Mexican /Southwestern fare. read more

La Cocina - Huevos Rancheros. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

I kind of love this place and am majorly obsessed with their frito pie right now... I work in Española and serve the community here- it does not have many non-chain food options especially since La Paragua has been closed since before COVID-19. I usually bring my lunch to work for this reason however lately I have been treating myself to lunch at La Cocina! La Cocina is so fluffing good! It's always busy, especially around lunch, it's probably my favorite new mexican food in all of New Mexico from what I have experienced thus far and the service has always been quick and kind. The building is huge so plenty of seating. Frito pie- 100/10. I get ground beed and red chile, its the most comforting meal. It is special and unlike anything I have ever eaten before. It makes me so warm and happy and I even had a somewhat spiritual experience eating it yesterday... just saying lol, worth it! Plus $8.95 for the small size which is bountiful- hard to find anything for $8.95 anymore so I am a huge fan! I have also had the pork tamales and carne adovada plate- both flavorful, hot and yummy! Chips and salsa come with every meal- both seem fresh, handmade and delicious. No rancid oil on chips and salsa is flavorful. Sopapillas are also the best I have had in NM. Warm, fluffy, and everything deep fried dough should be! The desserts in the case when you walk in look impressive and amazing! Im talking cakes as big as a small dog- yum! Unfortunately I am always to full after my meal to order dessert. In conclusion, this place is so good! The frito pie is life changing, I am drooling for one right now! The price is right, the service is efficient and attentive and the food and environment is authentic af. I will take pictures next time I am there read more

My oldest son had the ground beef enchiladas Christmas. I had chicken enchiladas Christmas. My husband had the stuffed sopapilla with ground beef. My youngest had the chicken fried steak. And we loved the complimentary chips and salsa and sopapillas. The food wasn't very hot when it was delivered to the table. It was lukewarm. And the service is friendly and child. You didn't feel rushed. read more

I lived along the border for a decade or so and love Southwest, Mexican, and New Mexican style food. Particularly stuff made with green chiles. La Cocina was recommended by our local AB&B host. The service suffered and you could see our server's frustration as it was over 30 minutes to get our meal on a Wednesday night. The food was ok. Chips and salsa clearly can tomatoes and sauce with green chiles added. Crispy shedded beef taco was good. Flauta plate was ok. Chicken was a bit soggy and unseasoned. Rice was traditional but I think under cooked and under seasoned. Refried beans were great. I am not a fan of yellow cheese on my Mexican food. The meal also included sopapillas that were not fresh and hot. They came with the meal delivery so underwhelming by the time we got to them. The place was nice with an eclectic mix of southwest, local arts, and countryesque miscellaneous. Overall just ok in an area known for for great NM style food. Probably 2.5 stars read more

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