A tasteful legacy: Bob's Burgers continues to impress, 60 years since beginning in Albuquerque

Blake’s or Bob’s?

It’s a debate that goes back decades among Albuquerque burger fans.

Allegiances are strong. Many line up behind Blake’s New Mexico-style LOTA Burger, two patties topped with cheese and Hatch green chile. Others insist on Bob’s Ranchero Burger underpinned with a thick, smoldering green chile sauce.

Since I reviewed Blake’s recently, I though was it only fair that I check out Bob’s and do some comparing and contrasting.

Bob Salas launched his namesake burger joint in 1963 when he was only 19. The first restaurant was Downtown at Copper Avenue and Sixth Street. Today there are 11 locations in the Albuquerque area. One of the most centrally located spots is just a quick hop off Interstate 25 on San Mateo Boulevard south of the Academy Road intersection.

The squat, cherry-red building is set back from the road behind a patio that holds five tables. The cramped space inside is not designed for lingering. Seating consists of stools along a counter that face the parking lot. You order and pay and then wait for your number to be called. When I visited for lunch, the only sign of the 60-year anniversary was a poster on the wall advertising $1.60 Taco Burgers for six days in mid-November.

Burritos and tacos dominate a breakfast menu that’s available until 11:30 a.m., according to one of the servers. Outside of burgers, the rest of the brief menu offers some chicken dishes and Frito Pie. Most things cost less than $5, and there are daily specials listed on a sheet of paper taped up next to the counter.

The Ranchero Burger with green chile sauce headlines the menu. The addition of cheese, lettuce and tomato elevates it to the Ranchero Supreme. I got the Supreme as a Combo with fries and a drink ($10.10), with another $1.25 tacked on for Green Chile Cheese Fries.

The first thing I noticed upon unwrapping the burger was its impressive width: five inches across, or about the size of a Whataburger. The patty was thicker than the one at Blake’s and a spread of green chile sauce on the bottom bun gave it more sting. The bun was fresh and soft; perhaps too soft, as it started to fall apart after a few bites. Better than Blake’s LOTA burger? No, just different.

The fries arrived under a puddle of yellow cheese flecked with green chile. The few fries gamely rising out of the cheesy tar pit retained some of their texture, but the rest were softened to the consistency of a twice-baked potato. The cheese sauce congealed quickly, making me wish I had gotten the fries unadorned.

The Taco Burger ($2.70) is undoubtedly one of the more popular items on the menu, judging by the assembly line set up on the grill. A couple dozen half-moon-shaped burger patties sizzled there, each with a slice of cheese on top, while a row of corn tortillas sat on the adjacent counter, waiting to be filled.

Sampling one, I quickly understood the attraction. The gooey melted cheese made a kind of glue that fastened the thin, crackling crisp tortilla to the burger. The bite started with the shattering of the shell and finished with a shot of heat from the green chile sauce lurking in the crook of the taco shell. Tasty, filling and inexpensive, it’s terrific fast food.

A small order of Chicken Taquitos ($4.25) delivered a similar experience. The three cigar-sized pieces were filled with white meat that was crisped to a dark brown on the ends. They paired ideally with the red chile sauce that sizzled on the back of the throat.

Like Blake’s, Bob’s offers several variations of hot dogs, corn dogs and chili dogs. The Chili Dog ($3) was served sliced along its length under a spread of smoky chili and a pile of shredded cheese. Unlike Blake’s chili, I did not detect any ground beef in Bob’s version. Instead, the chili was silky and earthy and very good. I would have liked more of it.

Apple Bites, the lone dessert on the menu, are like miniature versions of the apple pies at McDonald’s. A small order ($2.10) consisted of three pieces. The flaky crust, spiced with cinnamon, impressed; the paltry amount of apple filling did not.

In the face of a steady procession of customers, the counter staff remained impressively efficient. Orders were ready in a few minutes. Gluten-free diners should proceed with caution, as cross-contamination is likely.

The Blake’s versus Bob’s debate will never be settled. As with red and green chile, let’s just appreciate that we have both.

6 pictures of treats from Bob's Burgers