Cocina Azul – Very Inviting

Two locations in the ABQ area.  One is not too far from Old Town and the museums on Mountain and the other on Montgomery off I-25.

Overall Bites: 

Value: I had the flautas, 3 of them, with a side of rice and posole. With a tip it was just shy of $20. To top it off you don’t get chips and salsa or a sopapilla like most New Mexican restaurants.

Taste:  The rice was excellent, the posole was also very tasty, and the flautas were crisped perfectly. The guac wasn’t anything to write about but all together it was very well done.

Presentation: You can see from the pictures that the food looks appetizing. The same for other plates – enchiladas, tacos, rellenos.

Vibe: I’ve been to both locations. The Mountain one seems more inviting and brighter in the inside. Almost better suited for a brunch or lunch. The Montgomery location has a big bar area, and a bit darker, making it better suited for a later crowd.

Accessibility: The Montgomery location is super easy to find. Simply head East off of I-25 and it’s on the North side. The Mountain location is a bit harder to find but if you go to Old Town, take Mountain until you hit 12th and you’ll see it on the Southeast corner.

After doing office work for several hours I thought I’d grab a bite. It was well past the lunch hour and I thought I’d try a place I’ve only been to on two previous occasions. It didn’t disappoint before and I was hoping for the similar, if not better, experience.

Cocina Azul has two locations in Albuquerque. One on the Southeast corner of Mountain and 12th. The other is on the North side of Montgomery after going East off I-25. The latter is easier to find but if you’re site seeing in Old Town then the Mountain location is your better bet.

Now that I’ve been to both locations I can say that the Mountain location seems more inviting. It’s brighter in the inside, lighter colored tables and tile, and it seems better suited for a brunch/lunch meal. The Montgomery location is darker, features a big bar, and less light. More of an evening dinner but they do get their share of the lunch rush.

I visited just after lunch and decided on the Flautas which came with two sides. You could choose from potatoes, rice, beans, calabacitas and posole. I chose the rice and posole. The restaurant only had about 5 tables being used and there were roughly four tables that still needed cleaning from the previous customers. I placed my order and went to the bathroom. The floors were a bit sticky which was disappointing for such a nice looking place. I was also disappointed that Chips and Salsa weren’t complimentary.

The waiter was prompt and friendly and brought me my tea with a glass of water as well. A thought that I had was that I was surprised the restaurant didn’t offer more than your standard raspberry tea as options. Given that they had a bar they could easily add mango, peach, passion fruit or any number of flavors to their tea and make it for a more complete experience. If anything, to just offer more options.

The food arrived shortly after I returned to my table and it looked amazing. The presentation of my meal, and those around me, was done very well. The food looked fresh, the garnish of lettuce and tomatoes contrasted nicely with the red and green chile on the food which also popped off the white plates.

So what about the taste? Well, the White Rice was done real well. Salted well. Not crunchy and not mushy. Was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the taste very much. Too bad the side was so small. I could have used another small serving of it. The Posole was made without chile and had about a spoonful on the top. Spicy enough but anymore and it might have too much kick for me. I like to taste my food and not drown it with heat. I would have liked a little more oregano but it was very tasty nonetheless. The Flautas were actually two regular size tortillas wrapped to make one long Flauta and fried to perfection. Plenty of chicken inside too. They were salted well and looked amazing. Again, I could have done with one more to make this meal a great value and to be completely satisfied (filled). The guacamole was nothing special. Avocado with tomato, onion and jalapenos but I couldn’t taste any lime, garlic, or maybe even cilantro.

I will say this. The red salsa was amazing. Some of the best I’ve ever had. It had a smoky flavor to it, the onions were chunkier, and it had a hint of lime. It wasn’t too hot but it wasn’t mild. It was a very pleasant medium. It would have gone very well with complimentary chips (I could have ordered some for 2.95 more but with a tip I was already at nearly $20 for lunch). You can also purchase salsa by the quart – at least you could at the Mountain location. I didn’t ask about it at the Montgomery one.

All in all, Cocina Azul gets 3.5 Bites. I was disappointed in the portion of the meal, in the lack of complimentary chips and salsa (and also no sopapilla for dessert), the price for lunch Flautas, and the sticky bathroom floor but the taste of the food, the great tasting red salsa, and the great wait staff helped their score tremendously. At the end of the day it always comes down to taste and they excelled in that department. Not to mention that I had a very pleasant experience at the Mountain location previously.

Check them out for yourself and let us know what you think. You can follow them on Facebook and also on Instagram.