Chope's Bar & Cafe

Remembering the Historic Bracero Program at Chope’s in La Mesa, New Mexico | Eater

"This family-run, century-old ranch-style adobe restaurant on Highway 28 in La Mesa, New Mexico, began in about 1915 when Longina Benavides sold enchiladas from her home and was expanded in the 1940s by her son José and his wife Guadalupe. It has long been a community hub — a place for birthdays, graduations, weddings and for locals and weekend bikers to crowd its red vinyl-lined tables and neon-lit bar — and the Benavides sisters continue to run the business out of the same buildings, including a smaller adobe bar painted with vintage 7-Up and wine imagery. The kitchen is famous for classic New Mexican dishes, especially their enchiladas and their chiles rellenos (whole chiles stuffed with cheese, dredged in flour, dipped in egg batter, and fried), and Guadalupe also created affordable luncheon plates for fieldworkers — hearty meals of pork chops or sirloin with salad, rice, beans, and tortillas — that were available for $1–$2 and sometimes taken in barter. The restaurant’s food traditions rely on local red chiles and Hatch green chiles, though increased demand has pushed some produce sourcing to El Paso, and chiles rellenos production has grown from about a dozen a night to hundreds a day. In 2015 the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its historical significance, in part because it preserves memories of the bracero era and served as one of the few local places that welcomed and supported Mexican farmworkers; the owners were also known for community services such as hosting a long-running coffee club, helping with notary and translation needs, and keeping the place intentionally welcoming. The sisters are aging and hope an heir will continue the exact menu, atmosphere, and staff so the restaurant’s legacy and role in regional history endure." - Amy McKeever