El Bruno's Restaurante y Cantina — Restaurant in Cuba

Sadly, I must edit my review of El Bruno's from two years ago. We had visited once in the meantime and it was okay. We visited on 7/28/2025 and it was miserable. I will leave the text from my original review below. This time however, was a total disaster and we will never return, and I cannot recommend visiting El Bruno's. Too much went wrong to think it's just minor slips. We stopped for lunch about 2 PM 7/28/2025, at the end of a trip up north. Our lunch took approximately 1 and 1/2 hours, and should have been MAYBE 45 minutes. The dining room was freezing. Went out to the car to get sweaters etc. Were never offered outdoor seating. Service was super slow from start to finish. Prices were WAY higher than the last posted menus; for example the famous Pollo Con Pinon had gone up from $18.95 to $24.95. The menu online listed chips and salsa as included, and the waiter tried to tell us there was a charge, but it didn't show up on our check. One of of us ordered a chardonnay, and the waiter brought a red wine, then insisting it was chardonnay. We had to go argue with the bartender about whether chardonnay was a red or white wine. There used to be several enchilada choices; now it's just a couple. My choice of Enchiladas Herrera had just a HINT of pork, and the tortillas were uncooked. The red chili was INSANELY hot, overpowering any hint of flavor. This is coming from a guy who can and does eat Young Guns Hatch Extra Hot Green Chili for breakfast. The red was stupid hot, and not in a good way. I tried once to taste my companion's food, and couldn't taste anything. The rice and beans were barely recognizable under a huge layer of cheese. Our party also had the Pollo Con Pinon. It had been great in the past. Yesterday it was MEH. Overcooked chicken, and not much flavor in the sauce, they said. One of us had fries as part of a meal, and they were in a large clump. I tried the El Bruno's Lager beer on tap; flat as a board. Seems like there's not very good quality control in the kitchen, and there's a challenge to provide good wait staff. That doesn't justify raising prices by 28% does it now? Sorry that an iconic NM dining experience seems to have fallen prey to under-management, greed in pricing, and mediocrity in food quality. It's all too common these days and tragic.

What follows is my original review of El Bruno's. We visited once in between the original review and the most recent, and it was good then. .................................................................................................. We FINALLY got to eat at El Bruno after passing through Cuba occasionally for many years. We loved it. Some of us had beef enchiladas with red. One was with shredded beef and the other two were with ground beef. We can't wait to try some of the chicken dishes and with some green. The red chili was REALLY good. One of us had a burger. The burger was very good and the fries were really excellent, obviously cooked from scratch and maybe in the true two stage method. Our waiter Nate was very friendly, professional and attentive. He really made our experience positive.

The dining room was very cold even on a summer day after some rain, so we opted to eat out in the courtyard and...

Wait was a little long due to being short staffed but they made up for it in kindness and hospitality. They have a small gift shop with so many beautiful things that occupied our time so it didn’t feel like we waited long. The owner was working hard along side her employees which was quite the site, and she did say hello and thanked us for stopping in. After we were seated in the dimly lit romantic patio area where they had a local playing guitar and singing. They started us with a basket of warm tri-colored tortilla chips and a bowl of one of the best restaurant salsas I’ve ever eaten… and I’m very picky about my salsas! It had perfectly blended flavors. I had a very tasty margarita and my fiancé had a beer specifically brewed for the restaurant that he enjoyed. My fish tacos were crunchy, well balanced and so delicious served with a small ramekin of whole pinto beans topped with melted cheese that were just like we’d make them at home. I ate them all which is rare for me at a restaurant. My fiancés chicharrón burrito was amazing too. He kept saying he was full but didn’t want to stop eating it. My only complaint is they didn’t have my favorite “calabacitas” available as a side that you’ll find in other New Mexican restaurants. However, This place is a must stop for authentic New Mexican food if you’re driving through. Really great experience over all!...

I ordered a plate and advised that I did not want cheeze or crema as i am alergic to dairy. Well it took for every to get the meal and i know it was buzy but there were several time i asked for more chips and utenss and a napkin and it was forgotten several times i was there with 8 people and had an automatic gratuity... my plate came and it had cheeze all over it. They took it back saying they will re make it. Well they brought it back and by the cheese pieces remaining it was very evident they just pulled the cheese off and sent it back out not to mention it only took 5 min. I showed him the cheese and said i can't eat it due to allergic to dairy. He looked at me and said well it's going to take 10 min to recook another one as if i was being unreasonable. I said well i can't eat this so what ever it takes. I waited 15 to 20 min. My family was done eating and i finnally got my lunch. Well the chicken looked like it was thrown in the fryer for a second time, probably the same chicken again, but the potatoes looked fresh and did not have cheese, so i thought. 45 min after eating( it was delicious sans the extra fried chicken that was a bit dry) I felt very sick and spent the rest of the night with stomach issues consisting of symptoms the same as when i consume dairy. I'm pretty sure it was the same chicken and posibly...