El Modelo Mexican Foods

Red green Christmas. Love me some good barrio grub. Order at the counter. Get it to go. Best New Mexican in the city.

I've been eating El Modelo's stuffed sopapillas since I was a little girl. I have never found another stuffed sopapilla that can match or top El Modelo's. They are big and loaded with refried beans, cheese and red chile. I'm obsessed with how crispy the outside is combined with the red chile heat. These are the best out there.

An Albuquerque staple! Haven't been here in 15 years but I'm traveling in Abq and had to stop as it's near the airport. Everything is pretty much the same. Counter service, short wait and lines go quick. As for the flavor, it was just as good as I remember. Here's what I had:Tamale- The masa is flavorful, the pork is tender, and the taste is delicious. It's also a big tamale! 5 of 5 stars.Stuffed Sopapilla- Daaaang this is good. Full of chicken and beans and lettuce and cheese. The sopapilla is large so it's a big meal in itself. 5 of 5 stars.

Happening takeout place with a few picnic tables outside and a parking lot. It was our first visit and they let us sample the meats. The food is very good and filling.

Always a great place to get lunch. Everything here is great but the tamales are what they are known for. Will absolutely recommend to anyone.

El Modelo was my second "must eat" recommendation from local friends. I stopped in for a late breakfast and after a moment with the menu, chose the Huevos Rancheros. The ordering system and the wait for your order is a little chaotic. Just be patient and if you're unsure, ask. Everyone's friendly here!My food only took about ten minutes until my number was called. There is no dining room here. A picnic table outside might be used by some, but I brought my meal into the van and dug in.Eggs over medium, spicy beans, delicious tortilla and all of it was a great flavor. A little bit messy but absolutely tasty. And this is about as local as you can possibly get. El Modelo is coming up to 100 years and it's awesome. ¡Salud to another 100 years![Review 21089 overall - 136 in New Mexico - 52 of 2024.]

Okay, this has been the best "New Mexican" restaurant I have been too. If you have a friend visiting from out of town then I 100% recommend visiting El Model to give them the authentic ABQ New Mexican experience. Order ahead because you will wait forrreeevvverrrr for your food. I have been here a few times and every single time it takes a while. Service...is...slow...but, the food is delicious. Don't worry about over ordering because the leftovers taste even better haha For the price you get a huge portion. So, excellent prices, large portions, and delicious Authentic New Mexican food - it's a win. Again, expect to wait for your order if you don't call ahead. This place is always busy. Always. Even when you go and you think it's slow - they have several pick up orders. Provecho!

It's been about 5 years since I've been here. I'd only been here once before. The service was friendly and the food came out fast considering there were a lot of people here on a Sunday morning. I ordered the #1 and I ordered my daughter the tamale plate. The chips that came on my plate were pretty stale. I really didn't like the taco meat on the tostada either. My tamale was huge and the red chile wasn't hot but it was good. My sopapillas were good. My daughter's plate had 3 huge tamales and she couldn't get close to finishing it but it looked great. Portions here are large but Eating outside sucks and there's lots of flies you have to protect your food from. This place is ok from time to time but it's not one of my favorites. I'll come back in 5 years and try it again.

I couldn't visit ABQ without stopping at El Modelo. The carne adobada burrito was delicious 10/10!My kids are kinda picky, so I played it safe and got them bean and cheese burritos, plain. They were ok, but not great. My mother had the Chile relleno burrito. She said it was ok but rather bland. It's a chopped up Chile relleno inside a burrito. We thought it would be a while Chile relleno inside a burrito. That would have been awesome. You can't go wrong with their carne adobada burrito or stuffed sopapilla.

I got a green chili chicken tamale and a red chili pork tamale. The pork was ok, maybe a little dry, but the chicken one was probably the best tamale I've ever had. Super moist and flavorful. Next time I happen to be in ABQ I'm buying a dozen and taking them home.