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Tomasita's offers classic New Mexican meals during Albuquerque Restaurant Week
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Tomasita’sbegan with a bean burrito, a cigarette and a brimming pot being stirred.
A New Mexican cuisine icon, the restaurant has just celebrated its 50th anniversary.
In the early ’70s, Georgia Maryol went to a small café for a bite to eat. It was there that she met Tomasita Leyba, the chef, stirring a pot with a cigarette hanging from her lips.
Leyba and Maryol would become close friends and Tomasita’s would bloom into a restaurant that brings in hundreds of hungry patrons every day.
“We focus on getting the best ingredients we can,” said George Grundy, owner of the restaurant and Maryol’s son. “The way we make food is like a craft, an art.”
Tomasita’s will unveil new menu items and specials as part of Albuquerque Restaurant Week, an event that highlights and celebrates local restaurants in New Mexico.
“Restaurants provide so many important services to the community,” Grundy said. “Restaurants are where people come together to connect with the community.”
The food-inspired celebration week will begin on Friday, April 4, and run through Friday, April 11, and features exclusive menus and special promotions to remind patrons of all the food New Mexico has to offer. This is the first time restaurant week has returned since the pandemic.
Patrons who choose to dine in at Tomasita’s during Restaurant Week will have a special, tiered menu to enjoy. Tomasita’s has two locations — one in Albuquerque near the Pan American Freeway and the second in Santa Fe, though the company is hoping to expand further into Albuquerque.
Both locations will offer the Tomasita’s Restaurant Week special.
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For $33, guests will receive a three-course meal, including an optional alcohol pairing of a Lavender Mojito or Toasted Coconut Margarita.
To begin, patrons will choose between one of two appetizers: an order of Tortilla Soup with tomato, posole, pinto beans and chicken, topped with crisp tortilla chips; or the Small Southwest Chicken Salad, which features grilled strips of chicken on top of romaine salad mixed with salsa, veggies and a citrus vinaigrette.
Guests have three main courses to choose from. Pair a starter with the Enchiladas, which can be filled with cheese, chicken or ground beef; a combination plate that includes a cheese enchilada, a taco, Spanish rice, posole and pinto beans; or the Grilled Vegetable stuffed sopaipilla, a deep-fried dish stuffed with red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, squash and other vegetables for those who prefer a meatless option.
To end the meal, choose between two classic New Mexican dessert options: Natillas — a custard made from Leyba’s original recipe — or Flan topped with caramel.
“We’re committed to traditional, New Mexican cuisine,” Grundey said. “We want to continue to be a family restaurant that is multigenerational.”
