Padilla’s retains the quality dishes that made it famous

The first rule of dining at Padilla’s, the New Mexican restaurant on Girard Boulevard near Indian School Road, is to bring cash or a checkbook. Credit cards and debit cards are not accepted. If you forget, there’s an ATM at the edge of the parking lot.

The second rule: be prepared for a wait during peak hours. The dining room is open Monday through Friday and unless you eat in the quiet pocket between the lunch and dinner rushes, you might have to wait for a table.

These minor inconveniences are a small price to pay to dine at one of the city’s most celebrated restaurants.

Padilla’s opened way back in 1984 and built a reputation for reliable food and friendly service over the ensuing decades under the stewardship of married couple Bennie and Mary Padilla. Mary was famously a fixture in the kitchen, where she stirred up pots of chile and the pudding-like dessert natillas until shortly before her passing in 2023 at age 90. Bennie died a year later, leaving their two daughters to run the place.

The loss of its two founders was a heavy blow to the restaurant, but not a fatal one, judging by the crowd on a recent Friday night. The parking lot was filling up when we arrived just after 5 p.m. with a pocketful of cash. Numerous out-of-state license plates spoke to the place’s reputation and its proximity to the interstates.

Padilla’s sits in the middle of a small strip mall, distinguished by the red tile roof that hangs over the top of the facade. Inside, two dining rooms split off the entrance. When we walked in, a server greeted us and told us to sit wherever we wanted. Our table for two by the front door provided a good vantage from which to watch the steady stream of customers filing in over the next hour. Staff greeted many of the regulars with friendly shouts and hugs.

Along with the parade of customers and the numerous awards hanging on the wall, one other sight stood out in the dining room: the dozens of elephant figurines arranged around the space. Apparently, the Padillas collected them, and over the years customers brought in their own figurines to add to the displays. Each one faces east, the server told us, an orientation that in Indian and Chinese cultures is believed to bring good fortune.

The two-page menu of New Mexican favorites is refreshingly uncluttered. The enchiladas, tamales, and chile rellenos are supplemented with carne adovada specials on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and carnitas, papas and edible wild greens called quelites on Thursdays.

The meal began with complimentary chips and salsa. The chips were thick and firm and had a grainy texture, while the smooth red salsa carried some zip, a harbinger of things to come.

One side of the menu is devoted to plates, numbered from 1 to 9, that come with beans, rice and two sopaipillas and cost $11 to $13.75. The No. 1 is a Combination Plate ($13) comprised of a tamale, a cheese enchilada and a ground beef taco. I ordered mine with red and green chile sauce side by side. The masa coating on the tamales was moist and fluffy, and there was a good balance between it and the shredded pork. The stars of the dish were the two chile sauces, the green tangy, the red a little sweeter and more complex in flavor. Everyone’s heat tolerance is different, but for me, these sauces were just right, assertive but not overbearing.

The beef taco was served on a separate plate. Unlike the dry and crumbly mix familiar to the genre, the ground beef inside the thin, crispy tortilla shell was moist and tender, almost like it had been stewed. The heat from the red salsa and the crunch of the lettuce complimented it well.

The Blue Corn Chicken Enchilada Dinner ($13.50) is one of the most popular dishes at Padilla’s. It’s served New Mexico style, the stack of blue corn tortillas layered with savory white meat chicken in the middle of the plate flanked by rice and beans and topped with melted cheese. We had ours with the green chile on the side. A simple, balanced dish that lets the chicken shine.

Each plate comes with two of Padilla’s highly regarded sopaipillas. Notable about these puffy, golden-brown pouches was their lightness. Crisp on top and not at all greasy, they lived up to the hype.

The a la carte side of the menu offers tacos, burritos, tostadas and stuffed sopaipillas priced from $3.25 to $10. Add an extra $4.50 for dinner.

It seemed fitting to order the Natillas ($4), as the custard dessert flavored with cinnamon was once Mary Padilla’s domain. Purportedly, she would not let anyone else make it. I’m happy to report that the kitchen maintains the standards she set. The cinnamon-dusted pudding that overflowed the small bowl it was served in was enough for two light eaters to share. If you ever wondered what rice pudding would taste like without the rice, here is your answer. Smooth, thick and creamy, its mild level of sweetness enhanced by the cinnamon, it was a satisfying end to the meal.

Drinks include a selection of beers for $5.25 to $5.50 and a few wines at $5.25 a glass.

As it so often does, the initially brisk service slowed as the dining room filled — another reason to get there early. The bill was delivered on an old-school handwritten check. Payment is made at the front. There are gluten-free options on the menu, although both the green and red chile sauces are made with flour.

It’s heartening to see that Padilla’s retains the buzzy atmosphere and quality dishes that made it famous. Mary and Bennie Padilla left their restaurant in good hands. It remains a true New Mexican classic.

Padilla’s retains the quality dishes that made it famous