Nellie's Cafe — Restaurant in Las Cruces

We happened upon this little local gem. We knew it would be traditional mexican fare when we walked in and the cafe was buzzing with busy waiters and everyone was speaking spanish! This is a "traditional grandma's mexican" as i refer to the simple type of cooking i was familiar with from my highschool best friend's grandmother. She was from Mexico, lived with her family and did all of the cooking. It was basic, fresh and good - made with love. Nothing fancy or over the top - just what you'd expect from a good solid neighborhood favorite place like this. Although we hit the rush hour - the service was still good, and yes, we did have to wait a bit for pur meal. But we were happy overall with the food. We would reccomend this cafe , with caution to those people who want a more sophisticated and gourmet meal. But if you want good "traditional grandma's recipes " this will do juat fine. The staff was friendly and the owners were hands on. Of note, this cafe only takes cash or checks, and they do have...

We eat at Nellie's 2-3 times a month. This is the best Mexican Food in town. It is a very small restaurant and it is crowded but no one minds as the food is great. The waitresses have been there for a long time and get to know you. It is like a family as we know the owner and he is there working along with the waitress and his mother Nellie, is in the kitchen cooking. The red enchiladas are so delicious, the burritos are full of goodness and chile is served on top with plenty of cheese. Tacos are great. The salsa is hot and spicy and crisp tostadas. They serve you quickly and food is always fresh, hot and tasty! Love this place, and our friends meet us there and we usually have a table with 6-8 persons. We are all retired so we go at 11:00 am to beat the lunch crowd! Everything on the menu...

I absolutely do not understand the hype about this place. Touristy. Bland, CASH ONLY with no warning of this, but there is a gouging ATM in the corner - they don't bring the check to you but just stop coming to your table and stop refilling or helping when they think you should leave, and the tiniest amount of chips and salsa (they were out of the red salsa) I've ever seen was literally plopped down unhappily on a (none-too-clean) table. Service was sour, unhelpful. I'm originally from the oilfield and like to leave big tips but unh-unh, couldn't do that here bc of the unfriendly attitude. Strange perfumy corn tortillas. I guess this place is busy for the same reason Taco Bells are busy - there's no accounting for tastes. Sorry, but the prices, food, and service are just a...