Herencia — Restaurant in Albuquerque

What is not to love about this place? We had a reservation for 2 at 6pm Saturday. We arrived and were sat promptly by happy and attentive host staff. The server (his name Angel) was prompt to greet us, take drink orders and food orders and explain menu items. Owner (Henrique) was walking the floor greeting people and saying hello (and serving table side caesar salads - by the way, created originally by Cesar Cardini, so named Cesar salad). The server brought us a 3 salsa sampler with fresh and warm corn tortillas. All three salsas were spectacular! I had the entree Costilla de Res, which is a thin sliced ribeye over mole sauce, served with a very tasty poblano rice and fresh vegetables (squash and zucchini) and same fresh tortillas. This was amazing! My wife had the Camarones Al Ajillo, which is jumbo shrimp sautéed in garlic butter and white wine, topped with guajillo cream, and served with the same tasty poblano rice and fresh vegetables and warm tortilla. Hers was great as well. Our only regret is seeing the Cesar salad created at other tables and not ordering it ourselves (we will get it next time). Also, we didn't have room for dessert, so will try that next time as well. When asked about the regions represented by the food, our server Angel said the regions represented are Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Mazatlan. Also, I'm not sure if I heard Henrique telling his table or I saw it from an online review, but I believe that the Cesar salad is a Tijuana recipe (you'll have to go in and ask Henrique in person). The entire experience is an upscale authentic Mexican food experience (not New Mexican), that features fresh, wonderful food created in house, from regional family recipes, wonderful service, and amazing ambiance. The food is five star quality, but not five star pricing. I actually felt the pricing was very affordable, especially given the uniqueness and quality. Everyone who reads this, please try this place and see for yourself. This is my new, favorite locally-owned restaurant in...

So excited to try something new, so disappointed in the result.

My husband and I made a reservation, indicating it was a birthday dinner, and went to Herencia. First impression is that the dining environment does not match the menu prices - you’d expect something much more upscale when advertising $45 entrees. The birthday reservation proved inconsequential and was not even acknowledged. Typically, a special dessert offering is made but there was no acknowledgment of the special occasion listed on the reservation.

We were looking forward to the two lobster entrees, enchiladas and tacos, and much to our disappointment, these ARE NOT LOBSTER. We addressed the staff that we thought there’d been an error and were profusely assured that the content was lobster. However, their entrees are clearly made from langostino, which is a crustacean similar to a hermit crab that is not a true lobster and tastes / feels nothing like a lobster. Herencia should take note that Red Lobster was sued and settled, for falsely claiming they were using lobster when they were using langostino. Herencia’s menu clearly states LOBSTER. This is false advertising. Langostino is regulated by the FDA and must be specifically labeled on the menu as such - Herencia is in violation of this requirement. Additionally, they charge a real lobster price - appalling.

The food came out almost instantly indicating pre-preparation. The avocado was quite brown and accompanying vegetables were virtually non-existent - maybe two forkfuls.

The flan was very poor. The texture was clunky and it was buried in unnecessary fake whipped cream and an off-putting (due to texture) caramel sauce. A good flan stands alone and doesn’t require accompaniment. After having flan all over the world, including some small mom & pop’s establishments here in Albuquerque, this was the worst.

The waitstaff were prompt and very friendly. A full bottle of water at the table is nice.

This was our most disappointing restaurant visit in...

We ate at Herencia yesterday at about 2:30 pm. We ordered the only Portuguese white wine sold by the glass and it was amazing/served at the perfect temperature in the perfect shaped glass. They served their homemade tortillas with 3 different sauce/salsas. The portion of the tortillas reflected that it was an introduction to their cuisine. All 3 sauces were unique and tasty in their own way. The tortillas were special like you were getting them at someone's house. For late lunch I got the Castillo De Res which is described as a thin Ribeye with mole and gaujillo sauces. It was all very good. I really enjoyed how well seasoned the meat, rice and even the vegetables were. The squash was also perfectly cooked and tasted of fresh garlic. My friend got the Gaujillo Chilaquiles which she let me try and it was so good! I liked the white crema sauce on her Chilaquiles as it provided a nice contrast from the Gaujillo cooked tortilla chips. We also order the traditional flan and they even served the pecan sauce on the side for me as I have a mild nut allergy. The serving size of the flan was definitely a fine dining portion. I recommend going in between lunch and dinner because we pretty much got the whole restaurant to ourselves and we were allowed to pick where we wanted to sit. The restaurant was very clean and not worn as they just opened 4 months ago. The woman's bathroom is painted a pretty pink and very clean. But, what I wanted to say was how kind, attentive and informative our server was. Our host and server are sisters. They are so sweet. It was probably the best customer service I've ever experienced in New Mexico. Our server really made the whole experience feel upscale with her amazing knowledge, recommendations and attentiveness. I enjoyed the food but I would come back for the level of service we experienced...