Best New Mexican Food in El Paso and Las Cruces

The best New Mexican food in El Paso and Las Cruces is built on chile, and the first question in either town is red or green. The two cities sit along the Rio Grande, and the food blends Mexican, Spanish and Native American traditions with a border accent.

Say Christmas to get both. Carne adovada, enchiladas and a sopaipilla with honey are the dishes to know on a drive between the two cities.

What makes New Mexican food different?

New Mexican cooking is not Tex-Mex and it is not the food of central Mexico. Its signature is the chile: red, made from dried pods, and green, made from fresh roasted ones. Both are used as sauces, not as a garnish, and a plate of enchiladas or rellenos may be covered with one or the other.

Blue corn tortillas, posole, carne adovada and beans are other staples. If you order "Christmas," you get both red and green chile on the same plate.

Where is the best New Mexican food in El Paso?

El Paso-style food is New Mexican cooking with Chihuahua-style Mexican food folded in, and the enchiladas will look familiar. The classic El Paso order is rolled tacos dipped in a tomato sauce, sold at long-running taco shops. Small local chains are known for their tamales, and the restaurants that have lasted for decades are a good place to start.

El Paso has a reputation as an underrated Mexican food city. Allow time to eat several small meals instead of one big one.

Which Mesilla restaurants are worth a stop?

In the village of La Mesa, a family restaurant is often named by food writers as the best all-around New Mexican kitchen in the area, with chile rellenos a standout. The old town of Mesilla has historic adobe dining rooms praised for the combination plate and green chile enchiladas.

Some Mesilla kitchens take a more inventive approach and are known for red enchiladas and chile con queso. In Las Cruces, small family restaurants are frequently recommended for red enchiladas and stuffed fried bread. Restaurants change, so check that each is open before you go.

What about Hatch chile near Las Cruces?

Hatch is a village north of Las Cruces known for its green chile. The harvest is in late summer, and roadside stands roast chile in rotating drums, filling the air with a smoky smell. A roadside burger stop in Hatch is known for its green chile cheeseburger and its collection of statues.

If you visit in season, buy a bag of fresh roasted chile and freeze it. If you visit off season, look for dried red chile ristras and jarred sauce.

What are sopaipillas?

Sopaipillas are puffy pastries made from fried dough. In New Mexico, they are served warm with honey as a dessert or with a meal, and sometimes stuffed with meat, beans and chile. They are light and hollow, so the honey runs inside.

Tear off a corner and pour honey in. It is also a good way to cool your mouth after hot chile.

What are posole and carne adovada?

Posole is a stew of hominy, the large soft kernels of treated corn, simmered with pork and red chile, and it is served on holidays and cold days. Carne adovada is pork marinated in red chile and cooked until tender, then served as a plate with beans and tortillas or tucked into a burrito. Both are staples of the New Mexican table.

If you want to try them, order a bowl of posole as a starter and carne adovada as a main. Add a stack of warm flour tortillas to scoop it up. Both dishes are rich, so share if you are with a group.

How to plan a border food drive between El Paso and Las Cruces

The drive takes less than an hour on Interstate 10. A day trip might start with a rolled taco in El Paso, continue to Mesilla for lunch and finish with an afternoon in Las Cruces. If you have time, add a Hatch stop.

Check hours. Small restaurants in New Mexico often keep short or odd schedules.

How hot is the chile, and what should you order first?

Heat varies from year to year and from kitchen to kitchen. Ask for a small sample of the sauce before you order. Most restaurants will oblige. If you are not used to chile, choose red, which is usually milder, or ask for it on the side.

Water does not help much. Milk, bread or a bite of pastry with honey do.

The safest first order is a combination plate: one enchilada, one taco and a chile relleno, with rice and beans. It lets you sample the red and the green chile and judge the kitchen. A breakfast burrito smothered in chile is a good morning alternative and is available at many cafes.

If you cannot choose a sauce, ask for Christmas, and eat a bite of each. Most kitchens are used to the question, and a server can tell you which one is milder that day.

What to read next

For more Southwest food, read the Texas regional dishes guide. For Texas barbecue, try best BBQ in Dallas. The Oklahoma food worth a drive guide covers a neighboring state. See the US guides page for more.

Chile is a matter of taste. In the Mosey app you can rate each plate, note whether it was red, green or Christmas and build a border list for the next friend.