El Bruno’s – Northern NM in Abq
8806 4th NW Albuquerque, NM 87114 & 6453 Main St, Cuba, NM 87013
Overall Bites:
Value: $13 for a large, I mean BIG, chicken stuffed sopapilla with green chile. The chips and salsa were complimentary. Value was good considering the part of town that you’re in and the other restaurants in the area (El Pinto, Casa Benavidez, Sadie’s, Farm & Table).
Taste: At El Bruno’s the sopapilla is big and it’s fried so it’s a bit crunchy. The taste was great it simply wasn’t what I was used to.
Presentation: The plates were a good size which doesn’t give you a good idea of how big the stuffy was. The food looked good and made you want to dig in!
Vibe: I went a little late so there wasn’t very many people in the dining area (I sat by the bar). There was a game on the TV’s but it seemed like a quiet evening for them. I’ve driven by during regular dinner and lunch hours and the parking lot is usually full.
Accessibility: Bruno’s is easy to find. If you’re familiar with northern 4th street then you’re familiar with all the restaurants I listed earlier. El Bruno’s is between Casa Benavidez and El Pinto, on the East side.
El Bruno’s started in Cuba, NM, a small city to the North. Since then they’ve opened a location in Northern Albuquerque on 4th street. There are plenty of other New Mexican restaurants along 4th and El Bruno’s does a great job of holding their own. The prices are more than fair when you compare them against their competition and the flavors are just as good, if not better.
I decided to check them out at the recommendation of a friend after a late meeting. I arrived at about 730 and there weren’t too many people in the dining area to watch the game on the TV’s. I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant, a mix of New Mexican and Mexican colors with items from both cultures. You can see that they didn’t spare the bathroom from getting the traditional look.
One item I have to mention are the tables in the dining area where the bar is located. They had a big round base which made it hard to pull my chair forward and have my feet comfortably in place. It seemed like I had to straddle the table, or bend forward in my chair quite a bit, to be able to eat. It seemed uncomfortable. I didn’t notice if the other tables were the same or not. They also had like a leather covering to it and the table had just been wiped down with a wet cloth. The water beads were still present and I had to use my napkin to dry it off. As soon as they brought the chips and salsa I seemed to forget about it.
The chips were nice and crunchy but needed a bit of salt. The salsa was very tasty. Not only did I eat my chips with it but I also put some more on my sopapilla when it was brought out. The wait staff was great about checking on me and also keeping my drink full.
The green chile and chicken stuffed sopapilla was BIG! I don’t think I’ve ever had something this size before. The presentation was a bit different than what I was used to. Most places will cut the sopa open and stuff the meat and beans inside then smother it with the green chile and the veggies. El Bruno’s cuts open their sopa and stuffs everything inside. The sopa itself is fried a little more making it crunchy. This makes it so the bottom softens up with the juices of the food but the top stays a bit crunchy. Like I said, it’s different than what I was used to. The taste though….they nailed it! The taste of their green chile was great and its spiciness was just enough. The chicken was also very tasty. Combine that with the veggies and you had one heck of a meal! I decided to add the salsa from my chips just to give it an extra kick.
I liked the decor, the service, the taste, and the portion of El Bruno’s stuffed sopapilla. They deserve 4 Bites. I couldn’t get over how uncomfortable I was while eating due to the big base on the tables and not being able to push myself forward enough. Next time I’ll sit in a different area and see if their tables are any different. Regardless if you’re close to your table, or a little further away, you can’t go wrong with the taste. Go check them out for yourself.
Also, check out their Website, on Facebook, and on Instagram.