Las Cruces, NM
(575) 524-9982
Nellie’s
This long time family run restaurant has the distinction of being the first New Mexican restaurant I tried in Las Cruces (other than La Posta in Mesilla, a suburb of the city although I think technically Mesilla was the original settlement and Las Cruces is tndhe “suburb”). Nellie’s was the favorite of my relatives and the one we headed to first when we were in the City of the Crosses. From this time in the mid 1970’s until the 2000’s I never noticed a change in the quality of Nellie’s, and it has always been as good as I remember from the first time I ate here.
The only thing that has changed, though, has been the hours (and of course the prices have gone up over the years). They are only open three days a week (Tue, Wed, and Thu) and are open from 8 am to 3 pm. While not a change from the old days, they are also closed from Christmas until about the third week in January, and again for a vacation in the summer. I either read or was told that this is the way they have been able to keep this family owned business alive for so long without facing burnout and having to close.
This is the restaurant where I developed a great love for the sopapilla compuesta, and this is my favorite dish here. Really, though, everything is good (a friend of mine tells me they have the best huevos rancheros ever).
Nellie’s has always been my idea of what southern New Mexican style food should be. The red chile has been my longtime favorite here, but others have told me the green chile is best. Because of some of my more recent visits where I have ordered both red and green chile I am now more open to the idea that green chile really is the best one, and in fact I am convinced that this is one of the best green chiles in New Mexico. They do vary with the different chile harvests, but Nellie’s always seems to use the best of both the red and the green.
Nellie’s is also one of my candidates for having the best red chile in New Mexico, although about three or four places in town are equally good. The red chile is served plain on enchiladas but the version with meat served on the sopapilla compuesta is the one that really stands out. I think this one really compares favorably with the famous red chile at Mary & Tito’s in Albuquerque
Sopapilla Compuesta
Sopapilla compuesta with red and green sauce
The Sopapilla Compuesta is my favorite dish, and I am very glad I can go back and get the same dish I have enjoyed over the years. This dish is related to the stuffed sopapilla, but the beans, meat, lettuce, cheese, and tomato are put on top of the sopapilla, along with your preference of chile (red or green). Over the years I have enjoyed the meatless version as much as the one with meat. Either way, I have usually ordered it with the red sauce, and have always thought this was a good choice. The one pictured above was “Christmas” (with both red and green sauce)–I am increasingly thinking this is the best choice in which I can still get the red chile that I love so much but where the green often surprises me with an additional flavor treat.
Sopapilla compuesta with red sauce
The Sopapilla Compuesta with Red Sauce pictured above looks a little different and not just because of the sauce (it seemed to have less cheese and more sopapilla). There are other variables such as the crispiness of the sopapilla but this is the way it is at Nellie’s–the food is home made style and there are slight differences from one visit to the next.
Both photos are of regular orders, but you can also get a smaller one (that as of 2022 costs a dollar less). If you do not specify then the large one comes by default–this is the one I prefer because of my infrequent visits to Nellie’s and my wanting to get as much of a good thing as my appetite will allow while I am here.
I think New Mexico sopapillas in general are not as sweet as the dessert sopapillas served in many parts of the country, but for sure the giant one made for the compuesta dish may be better thought of as a bread (I think similar to Indian fry bread). It is the base flavor which provides a contrast to the beans, chile, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and meat.
There is a good view of the kitchen from the dining room/cash register area, and it is apparent how each dish is individually prepared and that there is no assembly line production here. I think the chile is made in large batches, but the rest of it is prepared when ordered.
Red Enchiladas
Regular (rolled) red enchiladas with an egg on top and sour cream
Red Enchiladas are also excellent, and I always like to order them stacked. Because they do not come with blue corn tortillas they do not rise to the level that I would put the ones in northern New Mexico. The chile is quite good and is one of the best I have found in the Las Cruces area.
The default here is that they serve rolled enchiladas. You can ask for them to be stacked but I tend to forget because of the normal long periods of time between my visits here. Theoretically both should taste the same, but I do not think this is the case. I would say that the stacked ones tend to have more chile (because the cooks try to cover the top of the enchiladas completely) while the rolled ones have more cheese (this is put on the inside of rolled ones while stacked ones only have cheese on top). It is a little depressing that these are the types of questions I ponder, but hopefully it will brighten someone’s day by knowing which type of enchilada to order.
The egg here is mostly for flavor because I do not think the red chile is spicy enough that you would need the egg for its mouth soothing properties. You can also get sour cream with the enchiladas if you desire.
I should note that the Beans seem to have the perfect texture and lack the greasiness I find in many restaurants. I think this is a reason they go so well on items such as the sopapilla compuesta, or as a side on dishes such as the enchiladas.
Salsa
Chips and salsa
Another item for which Nellie’s is famous is the Salsa. It is spicy, flavorful, and fresh. I have bought some to take home several times, and this is something I would suggest if you have the opportunity.
Nellie’s also sells its red and green chile in take-home containers. I found out that they call all of these “salsa,” with the red chile being salsa roja, the green being salsa verde, and the salsa served with chips being salsa regular. This sheds some light, though, on the fact that there is some confusion between the term chile (which I and others tend to use) and salsa (which is the term most restaurants in El Paso and Las Cruces tend to use).
Closing Comments
Anyone who remembers restaurants from the 1970’s will probably know that many places placed an emphasis on utility rather than decor (unless it was a fine dining restaurant). Nellie’s, as a local hangout, provided all the tables and booths that could fit into a small space, and thus tried to avoid exorbitant waiting times for a table. Post-pandemic there were initially fewer tables with more space between each one, but as of 2024 they have placed the maximum number of tables possible in the dining room so that the frequent waiting time for a table can be kept to a minimum.
Nellie’s is cash only (they have an ATM machine if you need it). I think the prices are pretty decent, and this is probably a result of their “cash only” policy.
Note from Aug. 2019: Nellie’s was closed from Sunday August 4 until Friday August 16 (as reported by Yelp). This gives a general indication of when they take their summer vacation each year.
RATING: 26
Cuisine: Mexican New Mexican
Cost: $$
Hours: Open 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tue. through Thu. only
Smoking: No smoking
Special Features: Serves breakfast
Most Recent Visit: May. 30, 2024
Number of Visits: 10+
Best Items: Sopapilla Compuesta, Red Enchiladas, Beans, Salsa, Chips
Mexican Food Details
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Red Enchiladas |
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Green Enchiladas |
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Sopapilla Compuesta |
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Chips |
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Salsa |
Menu (Apr. 2022):
Living in Las Cruces for 11 years, I love Las Cruces’ local cuisine. It’s underappreciated by national foodies, but that leaves more room for cool people to feast, drink good cerveza and be merry.
Nellie’s is the biggest asspain of a local establishment. Understand that Mom & Pop establishments often prosper there just being open for breakfast and lunch. The menu often is simplified by that approach, the food quality higher.
However, I have given up ever eating at Nellie’s again because they never operate in any consistent manner to the public. If they want to spend more time away from the business, they could do it because they’ve prospered. They are an institution of sorts in & around LC… but I say close for good or just keep some damn consistent hours. When I go home to visit friends and crave good New Mexican food, I don’t have much time. Rub a dubdub, grab me some grub.
Meanwhile, other great local New Mexican joints in the City of the Crosses abide…. Miguel’s, Go Burger, El Sombrero, tiny El Patron Cafe, the funky Ranchway BBQ (that serves local cuisine as well) … as well as the excellent Andele in Mesilla – are all solid. Even the Santa Fe burrito stop in the Pic Quik convenience stores are a great breakfast grab. Miss them all badly here in Washington D.C. Pay $9 for a burrito? Get bent.
I have also been burned by Nellie’s schedule. They take vacations twice a year–at Christmas and also in the summer (either July or Aug. and I tried to go during this time). The schedule is consistent, though–it’s just hard to know if you are not there locally and plugged into the restaurant scene.
I started going to Nellie’s in the 1970’s, and I am glad they have been able to keep this family business going for all that time without burning out. I am sure the twice yearly vacations are necessary to keep this going.
I agree with you that there are lots of other good options in town, and that they are underappreciated.
I added your suggestion for El Patron to my Las Cruces Restaurant Guide, and I will keep an eye on people’s comments to add or delete restaurant suggestions as things change.
PLEASE BRING BACK SATURDAYS! I have been going to Nellie’s for over thirty years because I think they serve the hands-down best Mexican food in town – especially anything with their red chile sauce on it! However, I really wish they would bring back serving on Saturdays, which they discontinued about three or four years ago. Many people who thoroughly enjoy Nellie’s food have to work during the weekdays and therefore can’t go. I think Nellie’s is definitely missing out on a money-making day by not adjusting to customer availability times. They are closed on Mondays, so they apparently prefer to work only four days a week – perhaps they could shift workdays to be open Wednesday through Saturday.
I remember when they were open evenings, and there was a time after this when I think I accidentally caught it on a Friday night when they were open but it was not open the other nights. Now, as you say, they are only open four days a week and only for lunch time (Yelp says they open at 8:00 am so I am not sure how big of a breakfast crowd they have). At lunch they are crowded and I have had to wait for a table, so I am not sure how many people could plan to have lunch there on weekdays if even they have a lunch hour available to them.
Nellie’s does not seem to get much love on Yelp because they are not listed among the top 30 restaurants in the city. Like you, though, I think it is the best in town particularly when it comes to the red sauce. I suspect that some people have largely given up on it because of their limited hours (they also go on vacation twice a year) and the fact that it is so crowded when they do go. For me, I like the food so much that I will make the effort whenever I can.
Are you sure Nellies is open on Fridays? Seems like to me it Tue-Thur breakfast and lunch only. Hard to believe they are willing to give up the $$$ they could make on weekends or evenings…Oh well
Steve,
The short answer to this is that I went to Nellie’s last week and found out that it is open on Fridays but closed Sat., Sun. and Mon. One way to check the hours is to use the location maps I include at the bottom of the page. By clicking on “View Larger Map” this pulls up the information from Google Maps that will give the latest information about the restaurant’s hours (information that I am not always able to keep current). I do think, though, that Nellie’s current hours are the ones they have had since reopening and this seems to be the schedule they want to keep.