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Amber Ward, the general manager of Fiesta's Restaurant & Lounge, holds a combination plate that contains a cheese enchilada, tamale, taco, guacamole, rice and beans along with red and green chile. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal)
The sign is too cheery – all bubbly yellow letters and confetti – and that corner of Montgomery and Carlisle just off the freeway is too sparse and almost run-down to make one think that the businesses are worth investigation.
But there it is, Fiesta’s Restaurant & Lounge, perched as you drive by year after year, either oblivious or wondering. But find a customer of Fiesta’s – something easy to do online these days – and hear their story, and you’ll be making lunch plans in no time.
Pet names uttered by experienced waitresses is a treat I don’t get to hear often enough, and it started at the door at Fiesta’s, “For lunch, Love? Dining room or lounge? Right this way, Sweeties.” Now, the words may not be exact, but the sentiment is clear: This woman could not be happier that you are visiting her restaurant. We plopped down on cushy booth seats and took a gander at the massive menu – everything you’d find in a diner plus everything you’d find at a New Mexican restaurant is on hand and ready for your appetite.
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Fiesta’s Restaurant & Lounge LOCATION: 4400 Carlisle NE at Montgomery, 881-0478 HOURS: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays FULL BAR |
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Only a few minutes were needed for our decisions, as the rest of the genuinely retro dining room amiably chatted with their companions: families, co-workers, friends. Given their comfort level, many were likely regulars just out for a routine meal. And why not? Fiesta’s portions and prices are welcome relief for budget-aware diners.
Warm chips came out immediately with uninteresting salsa, so an order of guacamole ($3.95) was dispatched and it fared far better. Posole with pork and green chile ($3.95 cup) was delicious simplicity with mild heat that would please both locals and visitors who haven’t yet tested their chile “wings.”
A full bowl of that soup would be an excellent meal, but we were hungry and the eye-popping lunch plates were a sight to behold. Chicken Enchiladas ($5.95 as daily special, $7.50 otherwise) were draped in tangy red chile with more flavor than heat.
The Navajo Burger ($6.45) places a beef patty on fry bread with refried beans, dousing the whole affair in whatever chile you’d like, plus cheese, lettuce and tomato. Like many New Mexican plates it looks like a holy mess, but tastes divine. The amazing whole pinto beans are my choice of side rather than the standard French fries, but that’s more a testament to the beans than a criticism of enjoying fries with a burger.
Kathy’s Burrito ($8.50) tops the scales at “boy that must be way over a pound!” While it took the prize for heartiness, its carne asada filling won on both tenderness and taste, causing at least a few extra bites to be nibbled after the point of satiation. Each morsel of beef yielded to the gentlest of bites, spicy marinade shining through.
Dessert wasn’t in the cards with such a spread behind us, but other regulars say the natillas are fantastic and worth asking for under less belt-loosening circumstances. Based on our limited tour of the menu and the exuberant service, there will be many opportunities in the future to sample those desserts.
