Chris is from New Mexico and we try to visit once a year. Traveling with a New Mexico native has its perks when it comes to eating and drinking. Wondering what you should eat and drink during a visit to New Mexico? Read our tips for the best food and drink in New Mexico below:

All the Green Chile

The official state question in New Mexico is “Red or Green?”. This question is in regards to which type of chile to add to your meal. Most southern New Mexican dishes are served with green chile whereas to the north, red chile is the speciality. Since Chris is from southern New Mexico, he likes to eat green chile on everything. By association, I have learned to live by the same rule and eat as much green chile as possible during our visits to New Mexico. You can have green chile at breakfast, lunch, and dinner (or even in your booze!). If you get a little weary from all of the green chile, it’s okay to mix it up and give red chile a try. Another alternative is to order your meal and say “Christmas” so you can try both chiles at once!

Sopapilla

A delicious New Mexican dessert that you must try is the sopapilla. Similar to a doughnut these large puffed out and pillow shaped pastries are mouthwatering. They can be served with a honey butter or simply eaten with honey. Sopapillas can also come standard or covered in cinnamon sugar. Typically sopapillas are eaten as a dessert, but if you are struggling with the spicy chiles you can enjoy one along side your meal to take away from the heat.

Time for Wine

One may not normally associate New Mexico with great vineyards. For some reason, people think of the Sahara desert when picturing New Mexico, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

New Mexico has beautiful vineyards and great wine to try during your visit. We recommend Estrella de Norte Winery, a lovely family owned winery located north of Santa Fe. You can reach this winery by driving the beautiful High Road scenic by way that connects Santa Fe and Taos. We also recommend Casa Rodena, easy to access as it is located in Albuquerque. The grounds are beautiful and perfect to enjoy a glass of wine. If you find yourself in Las Cruces, stop by D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro to try some wine from New Mexico’s most popular winery, D.H. Lescombes (formerly known as St. Clair’s). D.H Lescombes also has tasting rooms in Deming, Albuquerque, and Farmington.

Coffee

If you are looking for the best coffee in New Mexico then you need to visit Pinon Coffee in Albuquerque. Their iced coffee is my favorite as they are one of those genius coffee shops that uses coffee ice cubes. As for flavor recommendations, I stick with the Traditional Pinon and Chris enjoys the sweetness of the Biscochito. You can even buy their beans online on Amazon. I made sure to get Chris multiple bags of coffee beans for Christmas.

Our final tip when it comes to food and drink in New Mexico is to save room in your suitcase. If you are like us then you will likely want to take home green chile and Pinon coffee to enjoy at home! We’ll be sure to add our brewery recommendations on our next visit.

Tags