I got their barbacoa (beef cheeks if I recall correctly) torta, and it has the right balance with lettuce tomato mayonnaise. Their green mild salsa is so good, and they are kind enough to give me a few to go. Their atmosphere is exactly what you would look for: straightforward cozy feel of a restaurant next to a grocery store. No frills, lovely staff, and bomb food worth going back to. read more

Food was so fresh I couldnt believe it. Cooked fresh to order. Mouth watering! We were pulling a rv and it has easy pull through parking.

Excellent tortas, menudo, tacos. They have excellent service. The food is hot and delicious. They have Pepsi products on the fountain. The dining area is ok. Not comfy, but the food makes up for the lack of soft seats. It can be drafty when the door opens so take that in to consideration when picking where you sit. read more

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Horrible dirty place and food is old and the drinks and salsa is watered down. Eat at your own risk FYI. Service is slow

I have been here twice now and love it every time. The tacos are made fresh to order and are delicious! Just got the shrimp ceviche, and I love how homemade it tastes and the packaging feels. Will be back for more, you have to check it out for yourself read more

Easy lunch after visiting Chimayo. Good location easy to find. The Milanesa Torta and 4 tacos were spot on what I had hoped for. Friendly staff and general manager. Smiles all around. Try it! read more

Stopped here when Joann's was closed. Now I have a new favorite. Omg. So good. The bread was perfectly toasted -soft in the middle and crunchy in the right places. Can't wait to be back. read more

Tortas Rainbow - Texana Torta. - Mexican Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

Absolutely spectacular! The real deal. Well worth stopping in. Right off the main road

Tortas Rainbow is a place I always forget about when thinking of places to eat in Española. The tortas are enormous, my favorite so far being the Texana. The tacos are good and they have the BEST watermelon Aguas Frescas in town. read more

Tortas Rainbow - Torta Milanesa. It's enormous. - Mexican Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

I had a Barbacoa burrito, and it was delicious and ready quickly. The restaurant has only a few tables and not cozy. No alcohol served there. Next time I will order to go. read more

We found this gem en route from Abiquiú to Santa Fe. We took a detour to check it out. So glad we stopped. I'm sure we were the only folks from out of town. Tortas Rainbow, in heart of Española, is authentic Mexican Street Food says other reviewers, and not Tex-Mex. I believe it. We enjoyed platters of shredded beef enchiladas, one green and one red, with extra red chili sauce on the side. Perfectly spiced. Also had Mexican Coke, 10X better taste than USA-made Coke with corn syrup. Freshly prepared to order. Promptly served. Few tables for sit-in, or take out. We met the proprietor and learned he's owned and run the place for past 8 years. He's proud of his store, and friendly to new patrons. Menu in Spanish and English. No language problem. No beer or wine license. Tips: Ask for extra Red or Green sauce, and don't be turned away by the location in a tired Strip Shopping Center. read more

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The barbacoa and Hawaiian torta are my two favorites here, the owner is awesome and friendly. Great place!

Great food. I like holes in the wall. Food is authentic, prices are great, service is friendly. Locals eat here. Enough said.

Chicana and a cubano torta to gō-a. A side of Chile rellano. Perfect road eating. Good value and no long waiting. Will try another style next time i am up Norte in the espanola read more

Absolutely fantastic tortas. I suspect this will become a regular stop for me when in Española.

First visit to Rainbow Tortas, I was underwhelmed. Location is in the heart of Española, nextdoor to the supermarket. Girlfriend and I decided to split an order of chicken tacos (comes with 4) and a carne asada torta. Prices are fair, cheap even. However, the inside of the restaurant was filthy. All the tables and counter tops were dirty. We sat at a table by the overflowing trashcan and waited for our order number while babies murmured and occasionally screamed. It took a while, but our food finally came up. (If you don't speak Spanish, do a quick Google translation of your order number so you know when it gets called.) The tacos were good, particularly paired with the salsa rojo. Could've maybe used more cilantro, but no biggie. The torta was kinda good, kinda bad. I liked the taste of the carne, the bread, and the avocado; on the other hand, the carne texture was a little soft, and quite oily. The torta became messy and greasy fast. This place is fine by Española standards (that sounds bad but is based on my life experience). Calling ahead might be a good idea. These days, food trucks dominate the torta scene, so it's refreshing to find a brick-and-mortar shop that still specializes in them. read more

This place has the best tacos I've ever eaten, period. The barbacoa is especially good. They aren't fancy or even fancy tacos but they are soooooo good. We had the barbacoa, chicken pork, and steak. All were 6 star. And they were $6.99 for 4! Aside from The Pantry in Santa Fe this is the only restaurant I'd return to that I've tried in this region. And I'd return a lot. read more

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I love thier Carne as Ada burrito and people swear by their Tortas. Kind of hole in the wall spot but for take out amazing

Terrific food. Crowded on Sunday at lunch but worth the wait Chicana sandwich with green chiles really really good!

Absolutely fresh and delicious Good prices, French fries..yum. . watermelon lucado ... addicting.

Service was phenomenal! Such a great atmosphere. I ordered tacos to go, although they were a bit on the skinny side (less meat than I'm used to) they were delicious. I also think they put less meat because they had to fit everything in a to go plate, not a problem. I will be visiting again!! Muy amables! Qué gran ambiente. Pedí tacos para llevar, aunque vinieron con poca carne estaban deliciosos. Es posible que los tacos los hicieron delgados para poder caber en el plato de llevar, de todos modos estuvieron deliciosos. ¡¡Estaré visitando nuevamente!! read more

My family stopped by for a quick bite to eat on the way back to Santa Fe. The restaurant is a quaint restaurant, serving a wide variety of tortas and other Mexican food variety. The pricing on the food is perfectly average for what you'd expect, approximately $10~ per serving. I wasn't very hungry and sharing a barbacoa torta was just enough to sate my appetite. The meat was very tasty, tender and pleasant greasy; it was everything that you want from a quick lunch stop. Several of my family members also order the chili relleno and were very happy with their meals. We left as very happy and fully satisfied customers. read more

Stopped in for a quick bite on my way north of Espanola. Service was fast, friendly and the steak burrito was simple and delicious! No fillers like beans and rice (just the way I like it), and green salsa that came with it delicious and slightly spicy. Unassuming storefront, but clean and definitely a place I will be visiting again. read more

Excellent cheese enchiladas and chili relleno. Lots of home made sauce with just the right amount of spice. Great staff! We found it by accident when shopping at the Central Grocery next door. read more

Tortas Rainbow - Cheese enchiladas and a chili relleno (they only had one left, so we shared it. - Mexican Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

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Great place to eat! We were visiting from Colorado so we were looking for a good, affordable place. We ordered enchiladas, tamales and tacos. The enchiladas plate came with three and I asked for one to be replaced with a tamale, which he didn't object to. The tamales were extremely good, some of the best I've tried. The refried beans had a special touch to them, not sure what, but they were so good!! They also have a variety of aguas naturales: horchata, mango, watermelon among others! The owner is super nice and talkative. The prices are more than reasonable given the quantity and quality of food. The place is small but has plenty of seating. read more

This place is great! - Great aguas frescas. Not watered down and very fruity - Tortas were incredible. Bread was fluffy and crisp in all the right places. Meat was cooked and cut in good size pieces. - Prices are relatively cheap, especially since you're getting a freshly cooked meal - Great service read more

Tortas Rainbow - Tongue (lengua) torta - Mexican Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

Thanks, Yelp, for calling this place to my attention! I've probably driven past this unassuming little hole-in-the-wall a hundred times, but I never noticed it, tucked away as it is in the corner of an unpromising-looking strip mall. But man, I've been missing some great food all these years. The beef barbacoa burrito with pico de gallo and avocado is delicious, with wonderfully seasoned beef. The chicken burrito is excellent, too. Another pleasant surprise: they have awesome Mexican-style shrimp cocktails! I've been on the hunt for good versions of these in U.S. ever since I fell in love with them in Mexico. The ones they have at Tortas Rainbow are at least as good as my previous favorite -- Mariscos la Playa, a few blocks to the north -- and maybe even a bit better. The ones here have a bit of a spicy kick to them. Atmosphere is divey fast food joint, with just a few fast-food-style tables to sit at, but the food is down-home, wonderfully prepared, deliciously spiced Mexican. It's popular with the locals, and so well hidden that they pretty have it to themselves. So coming here gives you a taste of "real New Mexico" -- none of that Santa Fe touristy stuff here. Every time I've been here, I'm the only one not speaking Spanish, which I find kinda cool. Pretty good fruit smoothies, too! I'll definitely be back whenever I'm heading north and need a quick fix of super-tasty authentic Mexican (not New Mexican) food. read more

Tortas Rainbow - Shrimp cocktail and burrito - Mexican Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

Best tacos I've ever had. Ordered 2 barbacoa, 2 carnitas, with watermelon aguas fresca, all absolutely delicious. Had to get more watermelon to go, couldn't get enough of it. Very refreshing, not too sweet. As another reviewer said, pretty sure we were the only people from out of town too - ha! read more

Tortas Rainbow - Barbacoa and carnitas tacos - delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

Delicious Mexican food!! I go often I suggest the tortas or the tacos but everything on there menu is delish!!

One of my favorites here at home try the carnitas burrito smothered in green chili it's the best read more

Tortas Rainbow - Love tortas rainbow green chili smothered carnitas burrito - Mexican Near Me - Espanola, New Mexico

Manuel is the best the food is great!! Can't go wrong! Service is amazing and the atmosphere is good..

Pretty decent barbacoa tacos, a little on the dry side and not quite as moist as expected. Menudo was decent, could have used some umph, cilantro, fresh spices, fresh onion, you know, the good stuff. read more

Yummy tortas. Expect to come and spend some time. Yummy food like this doesn't happen quickly!

What a find! This spot may not look like much from the street, but it's home to fabulous tacos and licuados. :)

Best tacos I've ever had! We tried the carnitas, al pastor, and barbacoa. The tortas and breakfast burrito were also delicious.

Apparently all it takes to win my heart is stop-in-your-tracks delicious, greasy, cheap tortas paired with refreshing fruit drinks (agua fresca). Oh yeah, and casual, order-at-the-counter service, unpretentious wrappings, and generous spicy red-and-green-chile straight from the squeezy bottle. We got one carnitas and one barbacoa torta, with mango agua fresca. All of it was perfect - unable to be improved upon. Though we didn't need the English menu, we were offered it by the friendly man behind the counter, who kept eyeing us to make sure we were sufficiently stuffing our faces. (Don't worry, we were.) There was even a bucket of grilled whole chilies next to where the food came out that we could add to our plates as we so wished. This a place you'll drive right by if you're not looking for it. It's flanked by - I don't remember exactly - something like Subway or KFC or something, which is one of the great mysteries of life for me: How is it possible for a given location of Subway/KFC/insert name of national mediocre chain here to still be in business when a place like Tortas Rainbow is right next to it??? Can't be the price - TR is cheap (under $15 for the both of us). It certainly isn't the food quality - TR is miles better. It isn't that no one's willing to take a chance on a new place, right? Because one would think that word would get around a small town like Española. Who knows. This will likely remain a mystery. But I hope that there are legions of road tripping fans and locals alike, who will give this place the accolades and constant business it deserves. read more

Torta milenesa- yum! This was the perfect place to stop for a quick on-the-road dinner with seven native Mexicans. We arrived at 8:10 (they closed at 8:00) but the friendly man behind the counter welcomed all eight of us in and fired up the grill. The tortas were delicious, and we were offered red and green salsas in addition to mountains of chiles toreados. They also had plenty of bottled Mexican sodas- Sidral, Sangria Senorial, Jarritos, Mexican Coke, etc. The decor is kitschy and cute, with a stack of free magazines featuring Jennifer Lopez and some posters of local sports teams and musicians. And the milenesa I had beat the pants off of any fast-food hamburger (or Subway from next door) that we could have eaten in Espanola. Thinly pounded meat breaded and fried on a well-used grill, warm jamon, white cheese, veggies and a dot of mayo. And the bun was pretty scrumptious, too. I wasn't a huge fan of the mango licuado that I had (it was slightly sour) but I also probably shouldn't have ordered something with fresh mango in December. Don't waste your money on a bland sandwich from Subway- be bold, and eat a torta! read more

We stopped by this hole-in-the-wall restaurant during a road trip to from Albuquerque to northern NM. It's located in a small strip mall next to a Subway sandwich shop. They have a small but delicious selection of tortas (sandwiches), soft tacos, burritos, and liquados (fruit juice drinks). They also offer quesadillas and hamburgers for the unadventurous. The chicken (pollo y pico de gallo) burrito was delicious and had a nice spicy kick to it, and the bistek taco platter that a local guy was eating at the next table smelled and looked wonderful. I ordered a mango liquado made with water (you can get it made with milk but I'm lactose intolerant) and what I got was a thick fresh mango juice, like what a mango lassi would be without the yogurt. Very refreshing and not too sweet. The proprietors speak mostly Spanish, as does the majority of the clientele, but there weren't any language barrier problems so I recommend you drop by even if you only speak Gringo. read more

Hands down the best barbacoa I've ever had. We stopped by on our way to Chimayo and I got the barbacoa burrito and a watermelon aguas fresca. The watermelon was so refreshing but I found myself stealing sips from my wife's pineapple. She had the steak tacos which were great too. Friendly staff and good prices. Just need a reason to head back up there from Santa Fe! read more

I really don't know what to say other than that anyone who knows the smell of green chile will think this place was the template for heaven... read more