Cocina Azúl is another local success story

Restaurant expansions are fraught with peril.

Along with the financial burden, growth-minded restaurateurs face the challenge of maintaining the standards of the original. Anything less and the brand becomes diluted.

Take Cocina Azúl. The original restaurant on Mountain Road and 12th Street south of Interstate 40 opened in 2010 and quickly earned a following. Fueled by family recipes from founders Frank and Evelyn Barela, Cocina became a fixture on lists of the best New Mexican restaurants in Albuquerque. Its impact even extended nationally. In 2020, Lay’s Potato Chips launched a chile relleno-flavored chip inspired by the dish at Cocina Azúl. It was one of only five restaurants nationwide to earn the distinction.

Cocina Azúl’s expansions, however, have been a mixed bag. A foray to the West Side failed, as did a spinoff Downtown called the Azúl Burrito Company. Two other locations — one on Montgomery Boulevard in the Northeast Heights, the other in the Paseo del Norte corridor near Interstate 25 — are chugging along 10 and 7 years, respectively, after they opened. Online reviews of these two spots have been mixed, with many diners calling them pale imitations of the original.

Is the contempt fair or not? I made two visits to the Paseo del Norte location recently to find out.

The restaurant sits in a freestanding building that looks out on a busy stretch of Paseo del Norte. Though it’s only feet away from Paseo, getting to it requires heading north on San Pedro Drive and west on Holly Avenue. The building is handsome, its facade a mix of shingles and stone decorated with awnings and signage in royal blue. A shaded patio sits on the east side of the building.

The dining room encircles an elevated bar space decorated with strings of papel picado, the colorful Mexican banner flags. Booths line one wall, tables the other. Eight flat-screen TVs hang on the walls of the bar. The one behind the bar plays pop music videos at a modest volume.

The menu is presented in big, laminated pages decorated with photos of some of the dishes. Many of the menu items are named after people — presumably, Barela family members who created or inspired the dishes.

The back page features items from the all-day breakfast menu divided into Specials, Plates and Azúl Omelets. The Specials portion ranges in price from $8.95 for Azúl Huevos Rancheros made with two eggs and whole beans, to $15.95 for Chicken Fried Steak & Eggs.

A plate of Chorizo & Eggs ($12.95) was divided between a pile of two eggs scrambled with the spicy sausage and a flour tortilla folded over hash browns. The eggs were excellent, very fluffy and carrying a little sting and smoke from the chorizo. The other side of the plate didn’t fare as well. The tortilla was cold, and the hash browns were a little underdone.

The main menu kicks off with a selection of Starters that runs from $4.95 for salsa and chips, to $15.95 for dishes like Quesadillas, Nachos and Guacamole Salad. The list finishes up with two versions of loaded fries: Chile Cheese Fries ($8.95) and Asada Fries ($13.95). The latter was made up of battered fries topped with chile con queso, cubes of grilled marinated rib-eye and a scoop of sour cream served in a broad, shallow bowl. The small cubes of beef were tender and savory. The fries around the edge of the bowl stayed crisp, while the ones in the middle took on the consistency of mashed potatoes that soaked up the chile and cheese to make for a tasty and filling comfort dish.

The Azúl Bowls section offers a selection of soups and stews costing from $11.95 to $13.95. Each comes with a sopaipilla or tortilla.

A cup of Kristina’s Creamy Green Chile Chicken Soup ($9.95) was quite satisfying. The thick, golden broth was filled with lots of tender pieces of white-meat chicken and mushrooms and topped with fried tortilla strips for crunch. The broth had some razor-sharp teeth to it, and the accompanying sopaipilla, more doughy than flaky, helped tame the heat.

The seven Azúl Angus Burgers are made from ground chuck that is never frozen, according to the menu. Prices range from $14.95 to $16.95.

Alicia’s Brisket Burger ($16.95) was a hit with my friend. The half-pound patty was topped with a generous mound of brisket and an equally imposing pile of green chile. The fixings — onion, pickles, lettuce and tomato slices — were served on the side. The brisket imparted a tangy richness and the chile delivered a good, lasting burn. The buttered, toasted bun held up well to all the fillings. It’s a burger that could easily feed two.

The restaurant made its bones on New Mexican dishes, and there is a plentiful assortment on the menu. The Azúl Enchilada Plates feature stacked enchiladas with alternating layers of corn tortillas and meat. I tried the Carne Adovada Enchilada Plate ($17.95) topped with red and green chile. The juicy, shredded carne adovada alone was worth the price of admission, and the two chiles side-by-side allowed for some comparing and contrasting. In short, the green blazed, the red simmered.

Enchilada plates come with a choice of two sides. I chose the posole and rice.

Served in a small bowl, the Posole offered a good balance of hominy and tender cubes of pork in a murky, greenish broth with a splash of red chile sauce on top. The rice was fluffy and well-seasoned.

The lingering sting from the chile made me glad to have a cup of ice-cold Horchata ($3.95), its flavor uncannily like that of a cinnamon roll.

Desserts vary by the day. On my second visit, there were slices of blueberry and caramel cheesecake and a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake ($7.95) served with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. The donut-shaped cake was moist under a shimmering glaze and a slice of pineapple. The ice cream, however, was more icy than creamy, as if it had melted and refrozen.

I’ve seen complaints online about slow service at this location, but on both my visits, service was brisk, and the servers were attentive and well-informed.

There are numerous gluten-friendly options on the menu. The corn tortillas are gluten-free and there is no flour in the red chile.

Based on my two visits, Cocina Azúl off of Paseo del Norte holds up to the standards of the original. It’s proof that restaurant expansions don’t always mean a dilution in quality.

A bolt out of the blue: Cocina Azúl is another local success story