On a food trail in Old Town Albuquerque

Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The only state in the USA where Spanish is a registered second language and a city highly influenced by Mexican traditions. New Mexico was previously a part of Mexico, but did actually get its name 223 years prior to the establishment of the country Mexico as we know it today.

With such a strong Mexican influence, I wanted to find out what the food traditions are in Albuquerque and decided to go on a morning food trail in the historical Old Town. The Old Town is an authentic Spanish style village with colourful bungalows, narrow streets and courtyards.

Everyone I asked told me Albuquerque is known for their chilli. Particularly green chilli in foods, but the red chilli is also prominent in dishes as well as sun drying outside numerous gift shops. Cactus Jelly made with prickly pear juice is also to be found in most of the Native American gift shops around town. We’re in the desert, after all.

I started my journey at Church Street Café – one of the old, historical restaurants in the Old Town. Built during the founding of Albuquerque in 1706 the building still has it’s original features intact. We sat outside in the sunshine accompanied by the cactuses, but took a little tour inside, and what looks like a tiny building opens up into a large restaurant spread out over 4 dining rooms.

To start, we were served nachos with their own homemade salsa. Church Street Café has three award winning salsas on display – and you can also buy glasses to take home, as well as traditional Mexican pastries.

I chose the beef taquitos and my friend went for the chilli soup, which I would highly recommend. Not because it’s necessarily the best thing I’ve ever tasted; it doesn’t have the sweetness of a normal chilli. It’s spicy and bitter, with a strong flavour of paprika – but that’s exactly how they make it here. It’s an authentic taste of New Mexico. Church Street was really busy, and the service wasn’t excellent, but this is still an establishment you have to visit due to its long history as one of the oldest structures in the state of New Mexico.

Next stop was Velvet Coffeehouse. Hidden away in a little courtyard near the square, they serve excellent espresso drinks as well as Mexican Chocolate Chilli Mochas – should you be up for more spice. When we were there a local musician was strumming away on his guitar, certainly setting the atmosphere.

I got a cold brew to go and kept wandering the streets of Old Town. I stumbled by the sweet shop Candy Lady, mainly as they were advertising a wide variety of Breaking Bad Tours in the window. Yes, if you’re into it; Breaking Bad was set in Albuquerque and many different companies offer guided tours to explore the spots. Candy Lady might be the perfect place to start, as you can get plenty of local, homemade sweets with you on the go.

(Or if you’re on in a naughty mood, they’ve even got an X-rated section with adults-only chocolates!)

I fell for their large selection of homemade fudge. There are plenty of tasters on display to make sure you get the right one. Being true to the town, I got the white chocolate chilli and the pecan maple fudge, and honestly had to hide them well to not eat a pound of fudge in one go!

I walked via Hotel Albuquerque to have a look at their restaurant Guardunos. The food here is supposed to be excellent, but the menu and the atmosphere was a little too standard commercialised Mexican for me, so I decided to give it a miss for some more authentic spots. However, if you’re staying for more than just an afternoon – I’d stay in this hotel, and also try out the neighbouring fine dining restaurant Seasons which is only open for dinner.

5 minutes walk from the hotel you’ll find the winery St Clair’s. The wine industry is small in New Mexico and this is a rare business founded by a family with roots from Poland, growing up in Algeria and learning the wine trade in Burgundy, France. Fifth generation wine maker Hervé says the climate and conditions in New Mexico are similar to his native Algeria, and in 1981 he established his wine venture in Albuquerque. The small operation expanded over time and St Clair’s is now one of the largest wine producers in New Mexico.

I came in to taste a selection of their wines at the bar. They offer a “six for six” deal where you can pick six of their large selection of wines for only $6. They also have a lovely bistro restaurant, should you be hungry, as well as a wine shop selling their full range of wines.

I opted for a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Pinot Grigio, a Chardonnay, their sister producer D. H Lescombes’s rosé blush and Brut, as well as a Port. The easy drinking Chardonnay was the simple table wine that came home with me, however, I did regret not buying a bottle of the port as well.

The tasting is very simple, and you’re mainly left to yourself, so don’t expect to be guided through the wine selection – however, this might be different if you’re coming as a group rather than solo.

For my last stop I wanted to visit High Noon Salon, another restaurant in one of the old houses of Albuquerque. This is a friendly, quiet spot with a lovely atmosphere. The head bartender is an award-winning Margarita maker, so though going alcohol-free, I had to try one!

I had the beef bites as recommend. Really tender meat in a rich, slightly spiced tomato sauce, and different to any Mexican food I’ve had before. Maybe this is a truly New Mexican dish as well?

I can imagine High Noon is a lovely, romantic spot for a candle-lit dinner.

As you can see, there are plenty of foods on offer. There are a limited selection of organised food tours, but I’d say you can easily create your own walking tour, as I did. Get ready to shock those taste buds!

Stay:

Hotel Albuquerque is in the heart of Old Town and in walking distance to many of the attractions.