SRB serves up quality sangwiches at Marble Brewery

Bocadillos is back. Or so I’ve heard.

The Downtown staple, which earned chef Marie Yniguez a semifinalist nod from the coveted James Beard Foundation in 2022 — the same year Bocadillos closed — has returned. It now operates in the lot behind Marble Brewery’s flagship location as a festively painted truck.

Now called SRB Sangwich Shop, an abbreviation for “Slow Roasted Bocadillos” followed by the way my abuelita pronounces sandwich.

I must admit, I was not living in Albuquerque before the iconic brick-and-mortar shut its doors in 2022, but I’ve been fortunate enough to try Yniguez’s other project, My Moms, a New Mexican comfort-style restaurant, which I greatly enjoy.

While many aspects differ between the two, the quality is roughly the same.

Where My Moms exists mainly as a cozy Downtown spot to step away for a long lunch from your 9 to 5, SRB is a place to dig into sandwiches with your friends at a post-work happy hour or weekend hangout where you don’t have to worry too much about staining your chinos with the dripping fat of slow-roasted beef.

SRB Sangwich Shop is the fun cousin to My Moms. Yniguez’s creativity is on display more. The portions are bigger, the dishes are more ambitious — sometimes to a fault — the prices are higher, which makes sense because, according to previous Journal reporting, the original Bocadillos closed its doors due to rising meat prices.

The cheapest sandwich on the menu is a $12 Grilled Cheese — an extra $6 for slow roasted meat. Maybe those prices don’t seem too steep after a couple of Double Whites or Desert Fogs.

A standout on the menu is The Big Dipper. The sandwich offers several familiar flavors, with slow-cooked beef chuck roast seasoned to taste like a British Sunday Roast on some bites, accompanied by green chile and caramelized onions, bringing a taste of New Mexico on others.

The sandwich, while good on its own, is enhanced when dipped in the au jus — French for beef broth — that comes served on the side.

It’s hard to go wrong with the Duke City Reuben, which comes served on marbled rye bread and is filled with the common fixings of the traditional sandwich. But the housemade kraut, the cooked-to-perfection corned beef, brings the sandwich to a new level with perfectly melted asadero cheese, clinging to the edges of the rye.

The only thing I don’t enjoy about it — and most Reubens, for that matter — is how dry the sandwich is.

For sandwich purists, the “Big Bertha” might not be a favorite. For burger enthusiasts, it’s sure to be.

I’m personally not a fan of most things with pickles and mustard, and I’ve never been a big fan of bacon. Additionally, upon unboxing the sandwich, I was overwhelmed by how loaded it was, especially compared to the others at the table. But the delivery was one of the best.

The classic flavors of a burger, with green chile added to balance it out, and well-seasoned double meat patties with cheese to accompany it.

Each bite is complemented with a thin, lighter baguette instead of a hardened traditional burger bun. The execution from the kitchen delivers a product likely to send you into a carb coma, but not without a packed punch of flavor delivered in the process.

The 505 Philly is a solid option too, one of the cleaner and simpler options on the menu, and also using beef chuck accompanied by a nicely melted cheese and green chile to bring a tinge of New Mexico taste to the East Coast staple.

While I have praise for most of the menu, similar to my review of My Moms, there is one sandwich that I feel obligated to take issue with.

Called the “Filthy,” one of the featured sandwiches offers two of my favorite ingredients: green chile and gravy over chicken-fried chicken, one of my favorite preparations of the bird.

However, unfortunately, the sandwich is lacking in flavor, and any that it might have had is drowned out by the pool of gravy that engulfs the centerpiece, the chicken-fried chicken.

In addition to the Filthy sandwich, the sides offered by SRB don’t impress, with the options of overcooked fries or run-of-the-mill tortilla chips leaving much to be desired.

All in all, SRB, the resurrected Bocadillos may not be the best bang for your buck, but the boldness brought back to Burqueños behind a staple brewery is some of the best you can get between two slices of bread.

SRB serves up quality sangwiches at Marble Brewery