Mary & Tito's Cafe — Restaurant in Albuquerque

Going to an American Classic - Mary & Tito’s

When we first moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico from Italy everyone told us about a place we MUST go to for “true” New Mexican food. Not to be confused with Mexican food (and yes, there is a vast difference!). The place was called Mary & Tito’s which resides on the north side of Albuquerque (4th Avenue). It has since been recognized by the James Beard Foundation as one of “America’s Classics”.

This is back around 2007 when Mary was still alive. When you arrive at Mary & Tito’s it’s not what I would call an elaborate or fancy place. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s an older stucco building that could have been a converted home along 4th avenue. You’re seated either at one of the tables in the center of the place or in one of the booths along the windows. We got a booth that day. The place inside is not greatly lit.

The day we went we were with my mom and her husband who were in their ‘80s along with our grandson who was maybe 5. When we entered, Mary was seated up at the counter. Mary probably was in her mid 80’s at that time. She was looking over all the patrons in the restaurant. After we were served our chips and salsa and ordered, our food quickly came out and it looked and smelled absolutely amazing!

That’s when Mary started making the rounds to each table in the restaurant and asking each of the customers how they were doing and you could tell she knew many of them from past visits.

When she got to our table, she asked how everything was and of course we told her how great the food was. She talked for a bit with my mom and then she looked over at our grandson and asked if he had any chile on his food. He did not and told her it was too hot for him to eat. She told him, you must learn how to eat and appreciate New Mexican chile. She said just try a tiny bit on some of your food to get familiar with it. As you become more comfortable, put some more on. Over time you will get use to the heat and can enjoy how good and flavorful the chile is here in New Mexico. And then she said I’m going to make something just for you. She went back to the kitchen and soon came out with a small bowl of guacamole. She told him it had a little bit of green chile in it, but she thought he could eat it. And of course he ate it all! That was little Gabriels introduction to New Mexico chile.

Gabriel is now in his 20s and lives in Florida but from that day learning about New Mexican chile from Mary, he became a huge chile lover. He LOVES and cherishes it each time he returns to New Mexico. He can’t wait to get back to the taste of that flavorful New Mexican chile (from Hatch of course!).

Mary is now gone but her legacy of teaching young kids how to appreciate New Mexico...

This place has become my go-to for New Mexican fare. It's a well know "hole-in-the-wall" that still feels unassuming and as if you're walking into a well-guarded secret. Family photos adorn the walls and refrigerators and one really does feel like a friend of the family, even the first time dining here, and even when just ordering a bag of food to go.

Consistency is the name of the game for restaurants, and Mary and Tito's has that down pat. The red chile is bright and creamy, and always has a nice depth of flavor. The red has a small bite, nothing that out-of-staters can't handle, but enough to give a good zing to the meal. The only complaint with the red is that sometimes there are some small chunks of skin in the chile. This shouldn't be unexpected and isn't a big deal, just a small complaint in an otherwise delicious item.

Likewise, the green chile is phenomenal. Some of the best I've had anywhere. Flavorful, chunky, with a bright, smoky, light grassy flavor that is exactly what new mexican chile should taste like. It seems like this was just harvested, roasted, and diced up right before serving. It's got small bites of hamburger in the chile, though, so if you're going vegetarian this is something to know and ask about beforehand.

The servings are huge. One burrito or enchilada plate can make two meals. The rellenos are crispy and fresh--again, some of the best I've ever had. My only complaint with the rellenos is sometimes the peppers can be a bit stringy, but the gooey melted cheese, the smoky pepper, and the crisp and full masa make the stringiness seem slight.

In summation: this food is made with love. The family seems to really care about the place, and it shows. Sometimes generational restaurants fall off as the years pass, but Mary and Titos has kept going strong. The only thing I'd really change, is wishing I'd tried this place...

The food was great, the meat had a good blend of spices and the red chile had the right amount of heat that was enjoyable and not too overwhelming. I found this weird but substitutions are not allowed with their dishes, Tried to substitute out the enchiladas with some flautas but our main server just plainly said "no" ( I would have gladly paid extra for it, but she never gave the option) nor taking the cheese out if you're lactose intolerant. The service from the young hostess that sat us down was great, but our main server was rude and was not attentive to our table, her service was the worst I've seen in years. she might have been just tired since we got there an hour before closing, but that's not an excuse for the industry that she works in. I noticed that our server and another young man would go around and ask everyone how they were doing, which gave the restaurant a good warm feeling that they cared, but not once did they come to our table to ask how we were doing, felt like we were not welcome because we got there late. They also closed the front door 15 minutes earlier than the closing time, which was disappointing (doors should remain open during business hours), a couple of potential customers were sent away because of this. I would recommend this restaurant to my friends but would avoid it at night at all cost, unless you like being left alone at a restaurant, then I would go within the last hour, but before 15 minutes before closing. To make sure I'm clear- FOOD was great - SERVICE was like being a colored person in the whitest town in America...