Isleta restaurant dominates Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge

Nine restaurants from across the state came together at the New Mexico State Fair Monday to compete in the Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge.

Isleta Grill prevailed, winning both the Judges Choice and Peoples Choice competitions.

“We originally came out just to get our name on the map and bring light to Isleta Pueblo in a good way,” Leticia Romero, owner of Isleta Grill, said. “And I think we did it.”

Grills lit up at noon, with each restaurant making burgers that were split among the 10 judges. The lineup of judges included Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, New Mexico State Fair Queen Kaitlyn Maria and 98.5-FM radio personality Chaz Malibu.

Malibu judged in the first Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge and has judged several times since. He said Best Green Chile Cheeseburger is a title every restaurant wants.

“It’s neat because nobody understands how the green chile cheeseburger is literally what epitomizes New Mexico meals … because it’s the go-to in New Mexico,” Malibu said.

A Willy Wonka-style contest helped determine some of the judges.

Fairgoers had a chance to line up to receive an envelope. Out of the 300 envelopes distributed, 100 contained a golden ticket that granted them a wristband, providing access to try every restaurant’s burger and cast a ballot.

Among the People’s Choice judges was Albuquerque police Chief Harold Medina, who said it is important to support these local restaurants — located from Albuquerque to Hatch to Questa — because it gets people traveling around the state to try out these burgers.

“You see how many people gravitate to actually travel to that part of town or that part of the state just to try them out,” Medina said.

Each burger had its differences, such as the Isleta Grill burger, which used frybread instead of a traditional hamburger bun.

“That’s another new staple of New Mexico … ,” Romero said. “We wanted to just elevate it and bring something different. We didn’t want to do the same thing.”

This was Isleta Grill’s second year in the competition and they won Judges Choice in 2024. The restaurant is in the Isleta One Stop convenience center, just north of Isleta Resort and Casino.

The other restaurants that competed included Downshift Brewing Co.; Fuego 505; Craft Republic; Owl Café; The Grill at The Sheraton; Sparky’s Burgers, BBQ & Espresso; Grill at the Monte Carlo; and Laguna Burger.

Medina enjoys trying all the restaurants’ burgers, he said, because it gives a chance to taste all the various techniques used to make a cheeseburger.

“Being able to be out here and get a taste of New Mexico (and) see how people can bring a different twist on a New Mexico classic green chile cheeseburger, it’s interesting,” Medina said.

Keller said the competition is “just so uniquely New Mexico.” He enjoys judging the competition, he said, because it supports the state and local economy and because it is fun.

“I think at the end of the day, we all have various challenges, but we can all love a good green chile cheeseburger,” Keller said.