Genaro's Cafe

I'm so obsessed with this place. The food is absolutely DELICIOUS. Everything I have ever ordered has been so good. The red pozole though? With a sopapilla? UNREAL. 10/10. SO GOOD.

Food is sub-par. It used to be good once upon a time. Now it is meh 😒 Undercooked tamale, Ground beef taco. 🌮 Sopapilla was tough and rubbery The cheese enchilada had too much cheese 🧀 Chips and salsa was good. Think I’ll hit up Gordo’s or Jerry’s from here on out….

From reading all of the reviews is what made my husband and I decide to eat here. Well...wasn't what we had read for sure. Street tacos, for example, the tortillas looked as if they were drenched in oil. My hands were soaked in grease!! The red cheese enchiladas were overpowered with so much chili powder they were horrible. They're also very proud of their salsa. You get one 3.25 ounce with your plate, each additional 3.25 ozs is $3.99!!! I won't take anything away from them on their salsa, best I've had in a long time but to charge a dollar an ounce is ridiculous!! Not even enough salsa to finish our chips with. Won't be going back there!!

We have gone to Genero's for years. Whatever you like to eat, get it smothered with fresh Hatch green chili. They are almost always a full house, so drop someone near the door while you go park.

Fantastic NM food and the staff are super sweet! Definitely eat here if you're in Gallup. The chile sauces were all fantastic. Very reasonable prices. When we got there it was packed with locals so we knew we'd hit the right spot.

I ordered a cheese burger with Christmas fries to go. Only traveled for 10 mins and they stuffed everything in one box with runny chili. Commone sense the hamburger is gonna get soggy as I suspected. Called to the place directly and the lady said what do I expect when I order chili fries with a cheese burger. Wow... great customer service!!! Usually other places will keep the burger separated from wet fries. Won't eat here again and would never recommend this place.

We are doing Route 66 and coming from Florida to Chicago to New Mexico, this is the best meal we have had! The stuffed sopailla was so good! Loved it!

Genaro’s Cafe is a long-time Gallup establishment catering to the lunch and dinner hours. Their specialty is New Mexican cuisine with dishes that feature the unique flavors of New Mexico chile. Their place has been hopping since we lived in Gallup nearly 40 years ago. Some things have changed since then, but a lot remains from the old days. The restaurant used to be more closed off and cramped inside; now it’s open with all the tables far enough apart to allow easy access. They have added a second entrance contributing to the more open and airy feel of the place. The salsa they serve with chips used to be famously hot, spicewise. The small bowls they served with the complimentary chips would set your mouth on fire. Back in the day I would go through at least one glass of water trying to cool the bucal inferno from that salsa. Now it’s completely tame — still quite tasty, but just as unaggressive as the salsa you will find at any of our local California Mexican joints. It makes me a little sad. One of the joys of certain specialty cuisines: Thai, Vietnamese, New Mexican, Chinese, etc., is the heat. To me, the endorphin rush from a high-capsaicin dish or condiment is a goal in itself. I really missed that from Genaro’s salsa. What I did not miss was the great, welcoming, warmth of Genaro’s superb red chile. Although it may be a bit more tame than it was is years-gone-by, it still has that great flavor, color, texture, that only comes from real New Mexico Red. I did a taste test between the excellent red chile from Jerry’s and Genaro’s. This trip, Genaro’s came out on top. Brilliant red, redolent with the earthy pungency you will only find in the finest New Mexico Red. Genaro’s is superb. Do not go in there expecting to get Mexican food like you will find in California or the rest of the country. Do not expect Tex-Mex, it ain’t happening there. What is happening is some of the best true New Mexican food you will find in the state. The restaurant is tucked into an otherwise residential neighborhood of Gallup, several blocks from Route 66. Parking can get tough during busy times since their parking lot is fairly small, but go try it anyway.. It is worth it.

They are not kidding with the patience with our staff sign at every table in this restaurant popular with locals. It is well worth the wait for the delicious cooking and the more than generous portions. The green chili is not as spicy hot as many other restaurants. Come hungry. Locals do know best.

Great food . Service was good but a little slow . Granted they seemed to under staffed .

The ambiance is very friendly. Temperature is very cool almost cold. The food here is delicious and that's the only reason to put up with such poor front of house. Sign says check in at register, no one in register window to check you in. Except for the quality of the food ... !

Great place! This truly is one of Gallup's places to eat! Absolutely, New Mexico True y'all! I am definitely going to try their Stuffed Sopapilla challenge, I think it's 6 lbs. or something like that. Place is worth a visit, & worth the taste. Great atmosphere -- very New Mexican -- & The service is great! Legit hot salsa to, I guarantee You WILL NOT BE disappointed!

I give this place a hands down 5 star rating....i love Mexican food and this by far was the best! Great food great people

Everything went well. Friendly service, most excellent food in massive proportions at reasonable cost. Helpful staff. Owner came ver to see how we were doing. About 4 blocks off Route 66. They don't serve alcohol but given everything else, that was not a show-stopper for us. Ambience is as you might expect from a family run business but the food and staff make up for it.

Honestly, the service was horrible. It isn't what it useto be. Servers just stand around and watch you.. not to mention how they don't even bother to ask if you want refill, or napkins. The busser, Alex was nice he kept checking up on us, even tho he wasn't our server. The girl at cash out desk makes you wait at her register for a while until she "sees" you standing there. Thing went down hill at this place. To Go is prolly the only thing best for this place.

Best place in Gallup in eat. Large portions so come hungry. The sopapillas were bigger than the plate. Highly recommend

Stopped in tonight for dinner. Wonderful service and delicious food. We also noticed a young man bussing tables. He was hustling! Hard worker.

I love doing business with Genaros and Gigi. The restaurant is immaculately clean and remarkably busy from opening to closing. The service is great, knowledgeable and friendly. The food is all made on site, truly authentic to their recipes. They are one of the few places you can get Posole year round. The variety is wonderful, Chile top notch and the sopapillas spot on for freshness and not over or under cooked. Genaros has been part of Gallup from when most of the population were children. The food is stellar, the only thing that surpasses the food at Genaro's is the owner, Gigi. He work ethic to the business and her staff is well known. She takes care of her staff like family. Supporting a business that goes above and beyond for the welfare of employees is worth patronage, and getting an excellent meal and service is worth returning over and over again.

Always a great place to eat. When your have the chili craving. Staff is always friendly and helpful. Great place to meet up with friends & family

Neighborhood New Mexican cuisine. Food was very good. Service was friendly and timely. Does not serve beer or margaritas but the food is legit and you can always drink a beer another time

Genaro's Cafe is located in an impoverished neighborhood and one of the locals favorite. Their menu consists of both Mexican and American favorites. Looking at other customers orders the burgers fries and chicken wings looked delicious, but I would feel cheated not having enchilada's & tamales Christmas stile. Hubby and I both ordered the 'crispy taco, cheese enchilada, tamale, Posole combo', hubby had green chili smothered and I have Christmas style smothered. The red sauce was made with Guajillo peppers-delicious, the green it have to be Anaheim peppers (Green chilies) were chopped in a delicious green sauce. Hatch peppers are not in season. Cheese enchiladas was not to my liking they used shredded cheese that did not hold inside the corn tortilla which had the consistency of having been microwave. The crispy taco was your typical store-bought taco shell, nothing special - The ground beef in the taco lacked flavor. The tamale masa was very mushy surrounding a small amount of shredded pork. The Posole was not served as a stew or soup - just a side of hominy. The refried beans and rice were average. The large sopapillas were delicious - served with real honey, not honey sauce. Friendly service.

If no star rating was an option I would definitely use that feature. This place has really gone down hill. The service is horrible, the lady at the cash register is very rude and unfriendly. They have a sign that states "they are not a fast food place" and make customers feel like they are the rude ones. The lady in the front literally told me to "get the fuck out" after she cashed me out. At this point fast food vendors provide better service. Genaros has gotten too ghetto for business. If you want authentic Mexican food, Jerry's is the place to go.

Haven't eaten here in years and was hoping it was better than I remembered but unfortunately the food was terrible along with the service. My niece and I both got food poisoning shortly after eating the enchiladas. Definitely would not recommend. Bad food. Bad service.

I had the Genaro special stuffed sopapilla with ground beef and red chile and it was delicious!the red chile was a good medium and had a great taste and flavor! When in Gallup and you would like to enjoy a great traditional Spanish stuffed sopa...I'd make a stop at Genaro's...! And service was good as well...chips & salsa delivered to table to moment I sat down...thank u!

Dry food and service could improve. The single tamale plate was dry, the rice looked mushy, and the beans were non-appealing. My last visit was the same and the one before that. I gave this place a chance but it's not living up to my visits years ago when founders were around. And this visit was odd with signs that say be patient and nice to servers. It was very unusual. Service could improve, like the food. I won't be returning with hopes this place will do better. I would not recommend this place.

The restaurant is very fast paced, it's like the employees are working fast to get you in and out. Our waitress had no interest in caring for her customers. As soon as we came in, she yelled at us asking what we'd like to drink. The chips and salsa are good, unfortunately you have to pay an extra $2.99 for a refill on the salsa (chips are free). When we got our food the presentation was pretty, like every other Mexican-American restaurant. However the food wasn't that great. I got the combination plate and it was not great. My plate came with one taco, one enchilada, one tamale, rice, beans, and pasole. My taco fell apart, it was mushy. My enchilada and enchilada was cover with green chili sauce. The green chili sauce was beautifully delicious. However the enchilada and tamale was mushy. Not really my first, second, or third choice to eat. I am not familiar with Gallup, maybe there are better places to eat in town. Unfortunately I do not recommend this place. If you're curious, try for yourself. I give it 1/5, 1 only for the green chili sauce.

Really good food! Everything we have ordered from here has been great. Love the red chili sauce. Can't wait to get back to Gallup.

Nice little place, grandkids like the tamales. Busy place a bit cramped in finding room. But that's because the food is good. Recommend for a nice meal, large portions.

Omg, they just said if you want refill on free chips it will cost you $2.99, for real, they said that! The chips are free but you are going to charge for refill? Service is not that great, they try, but not help fit and just keep asking if ready to order and when told not get an attitude. The food, I must say is great stuffed green chili sopa looks awesome. I had an enchilada with red and beef, can't complain.

Great food We always get the Menudo and Christmas style chili cheese fries Don't forget to buy a pint of salsa

Been a Gallup resident for over 10 years now. Not really a fan of Mexican food, but started getting into it. Phoenix Az, has the best authentic Mexican food, but their chili is weak. NM Mexican food is all about chili. This place was good and would recommend. Stuff sopa was the best I've had. Would I come back here and try more? I sure would. Staff was ok, place wasn't packed. Server we had didn't come check on us maybe just once. Came in thirsty and had a cup of empty water for awhile. Good place to eat just need to pay more attention the guest ..

Portion size was huge and filling. Flavors and presentation was delightful! Service was amazing! The servers seemed to be one step ahead. I got a go cup for my drink brought out to me like they were reading my mind that I was going to ask for one. Very great dining experience.

This restaurant is a landmark in Gallup. When you mention to the locals that you're going there, there eyes light up. Service is wonderful and the portions are huge. Bring your own "take home" containers.

This place rocks authentic. Best grilled chicken tacos. My daughter had the grilled chicken sandwich & it was legit. It had a family run joint feel in the best way. It was super busy for mid-afternoon Friday I thought. They keep the tables clean. Considering every table was full up, our order came to table pretty good pace. If you want a place where they are going to make a big fuss over you, this ain't it though (toughen up buttercups!).

The stuff sopapilla is a good choice. If you like spicy ask for green and red chili service is good. Have to seat yourself and find a parking spot .

TL;DR, Amazing food, so-so service. The salsa for the chips was spicy and flavorful, though could've done with more sweetness to balance the slightly-excessive saltiness of the chips. I had the stuffed sopapilla with carnitas and red salsa. It was mostly meat and beans, despite promising guacamole and other fixings (which it did have, just barely), but I personally won't complain about having more meat. The salsa smothered the sopapilla in a delicious blanket of flavor and spice. It is reminiscent of red enchilada sauce, but boasts a bold, complex flavor which is a tell-tale sign of fresh peppers. This place certainly does the famous peppers and chilies of New Mexico proud, and is an excellent introduction if you're coming through on the east-bound side of Route 66. On the other hand, the service was quite lacking. We were seated and needed to combine some tables. We were given a bit of a look by the hostess when we asked to do this, but we were allowed to. A male waiter took our drink orders and brought them out very quickly. A female waitress came after about eight minutes to take our food orders. I was with my great aunt and my grandma, both of whom speak English as a second language. I was surprised that our waitress at a Mexican-style restaurant couldn't speak Spanish, but honestly, that wasn't even the irritating part. She noticed they were having trouble understanding her, and she continued to speak in English, very quickly, and didn't care to explain anything for them. I get that sopapilla are what they are known for, but she kept saying that word expecting my aunt and grandma to know what that was. When my grandma ordered a carne asada taco (which they don't have), she said very quickly that they only offered chicken, ground beef, or carnitas. My grandma had no idea what she had said. So she tried to clarify that she wanted carne asada, but the waitress kind of sighed like she was annoyed and I translated for her. I don't know if I explained the situation well, but gosh, the service was bad. I know service jobs can be hard, but you don't need to take that frustration out on customers who just walked in. And you also can't talk to new, first-time customers like they know how your restaurant works. For me, sitting there waiting for our food, I was anxious to finish and get out of there. But then the food came out. Honestly, I hope they split the tips with the people in the kitchen, and that they get chiropractor benefits in their health plan, because they are carrying that whole restaurant on their backs. If not for that amazing food, I would have given a two or one star review. If you go in expecting the service to suck, then you might be able to bear it, but you'll certainly enjoy the food. Alternatively, you might just want to call ahead and place a takeout order.

Mmmm mm good is all I can say!!! One thing that immediately swept me up about Genaro's, was the warm and upbeat customer service that I experienced when I walked into the door. The salsa and chips were great! the chips had a nice kick to it and homemade flavor essence going on. I ended up ordering the grilled steak burrito, that was smothered in green chile. Talk about some powerful flavor?! Oh my goodness!!! The batch of green chile was so fresh and oh so hot! With it marrying the flavors of the grilled stick with each and every bite! I also loved how they gave you a sopapilla and a side of honey with your meal, sopapillas are already delectable, and they pair great wirh a nice cool down for a hot batch of green chile. Our waitress made regular checkups at my table, and I was beyond satisfied. Great food, Great portions and great service!!

The food here is always delicious! CHILI IS ALWAYS HOT!!! I ate here for lunch and I got myself a combination plate with red chili, usually the red chili isn't as hot as the green but the red was super hot!! If your not a chili person be sure to as for chili ON THE SIDE or even LIGHT CHILI. I suggest getting a combination plate for yourself because it is super delicious!! Service is always great when I come here!

Terrible food. No seasoning or flavor. Claiming world famous salsa not sure why other than it was hot again no real flavor. Got our order wrong, no big deal it happens but I noticed it happened a lot the short time we were there.

Passing through New Mexico to California. Pleasantly surprised at how fresh and delicious all the food tasted. We ordered cheese enchiladas with blue corn tortillas, chicken enchiladas with green sauce, beef tacos and guacamole with chips. Loved everything!

If you can get in and, at times, put up with a busy waitress, it is worth the wait. Everything is tasty and you leave wanting more despite the big portions they serve. Try the stuffed sopapilla! This food is New Mexico. If you leave here saying otherwise you do not know comida o cocinas!!!

While driving through Gallup there are very limited choices when it comes to tasty food. We tried several other restaurants before this one, but unfortunately they were closed for the day. Apparently yelp did not get the hand written sign from the window. Upon arrival we were excited because the cafe seemed to have many patrons inside. What a disappointment once inside. I could look past the small tight tables and loud ambience, but I could not get past the terrible excuse for "Authentic Mexican " food. It was not only sloppy and lacking in presentation, but the taste was similar to eating while sick in the hospital. How can they mess up Spanish rice? Well don't ask and don't eat. Smh ... save yourself the disappoib

So gross, I ordered the enchilada and it was horrible. This is the worst Mexican place I ate at. Stay away! This place is a shit hole! I'm certainly sticking with Jerry's!!! Never again will I go to Genaro!

Very good Mexican food. Red salsa was so good with a little kick, but not too much just enough.

First time having authentic New Mexican food and this was superb!! Every dish was on point! Chicken enchiladas, salsa, guacamole, quesadillas, all of it was amazing!! Great service equals the food!!

The best hidden restaurant in Gallup. They have best stuffed Sopaipilla around. Their green Chile never disappoints. If you love spicy this is the place to go.

The food is great bit theor service sucks some seriously! The buser was quick to clean up and get our drink but had to wait nearly another 8 mon before our server acknowledge up and with some attitude to boot.

This restaurant has excellent service and food. Although busy on most weekends, it is worth the wait. Place is super busy on Saturday's from 11-2 or so. Wait can be upwards to an hour or more. However, Food selection is great and their salsa is always superb. I recommend you get there early on a Saturday to try this place out! Do for a stuffed sopapilla.

Wow!!! Genaro's is amazing!! This is now my favorite restaurant in NM. The food is very authentic to Mexican traditional dishes. You can tell this is a local favorite to the area. Their red chili sauce is to die for...It takes you to the edge of spicy and then the burst of chili flavors stimulates the palette. I truly enjoy their bean burrito smothered in the red chili sauce. Their sopapillas are fantastic!!! Warm and so good with a drizzle of natural honey. It's heaven on a plate!!! Do yourself a flavor and check out Genaro's, you're gonna love it!!

So I asked my buddy, "Duane, where's the best place to eat in Gallup NM?"...Duane replies, "Genaro's bro" That's all it took for me to give Genaro's a try. I've heard from other people that Genaro's was good but I'd have to try it for myself. Genaro's, it's a local "yocal" place to eat, it's a little hard to find but it's well worth the search. It's like a treasure hunt, the the treasure is a fine delicacy of Mexican food! The service was ok but I imagine you don't come here for the service. I wanted to try a little of everything so I ordered the combination plate with green chile . We munched on the chips and salsa as we waited ...which was delicious and didn't disappoint. My brochacho ordered the stuffed sopaipilla with red Chile. When our order was brought to our table, I couldn't believe my eyes! The food looked terrific, succulent, and delicious! My mouths waters just to even think about what I ordered at Genaro's as I write this review...yes it's that good. The food was excellent and I was impressed by the amount of green chile on my plate, I love green chile! Duane's plate was smothered in red chile and it also looked just as impressive as my plate. We ate every last bite and I am left with the feeling that I will be back another day, when I pass through Gallup NM again. I highly recommend eating here, the food is great, it's a local hot spot and you won't be disappointed. Just make sure that you leave room for your plate! Enjoy!

We've stopped and eaten here several times on our way from Albuquerque to Barstow. It's a nice little-ish family place. Four generations according to the cashier when we checked out Thursday (she's the granddaughter). As a lifelong Mexican food eater, I'm not sure why anyone would say this is the best Mexican food they've ever had. The place is always packed at lunch, so it's obviously not the worst either. It seems like they get a lot of State workers from the office building nearby. They also allow jewelry sellers to wander through, so be prepared to be hit up during your meal. Not to criticize the sellers... I bought two necklaces last time, got a good deal and love them. 15 minutes later a guy came through with fabulous belt buckles and concha belts, but we were tapped outta cash by then. This trip the waitress kinda rushed us and I couldn't decide, so she talked me into the stuffed sopapilla. Unfortunately, hamburger is the default meat, and I expected chicken. I wouldn't order this dish again. The sopapilla gets tough with the fillings. Better to order it on the side and fill yourself. This is a reliable restaurant. Food is dependable, service is (reasonably) quick, prompt and courteous. It's not gourmet, it's Gallup.

Genaro's is excellent New Mexican food. Awesome red and green chili that is spicy, delicious and consistent. The chips and salsa are great as well. There's honestly nothing bad on the menu Stuffed sopapillas, enchiladas, burritos, chili cheese fries, rellenos... all good!

We stopped here on our way to Keystone, and found it to be a delight! The soup was excellent, the bread was divine, the lasagna amazing... but the tiramisu!!!! I would eat it every day for the rest of my life. The service was very fast and efficient. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

This is possibly the best Mexican food I've ever had in my life. Seriously. So I was in Gallup visiting the boyfriends family. We were wanting some good New Mexico food and he knows I love spicy so this was the obvious choice. Guessing by everyone's recommendations and reactions to our visit, this place is KNOWN for spicy ... The hottest green chili in town. Well the entire experience was delightful. The restaurant was clean, the staff was very nice, prompt and polite. The chips and salsa started us off right - fantastic (I'm guessing home made) chips and SPICY salsa but so awesome. We ordered stuffed sopapillias - one chicken and one beef with both red and green chili (I got mine on the side, I'd recommend this for newbies so you can cater to your desired heat) ... SO GOOD! For dessert we had more sopapillias with honey. Everything was fantastic and the prices were good. I will 100% return next time we are in Gallup again!

My favorite restaurant in Gallup for over 30 years. Still run by the same family. Some of the best posole and rellenos in New Mexico. Don't miss it!

[5+ Stars for Gallup an easy 3.5+ by NM standards] A friend kept posting on his facebook page how he loved the food there and on several recent business trips he was now a regular at the restaurant. My interest had been officially piqued and the opportunity to stop in and try out the place presented itself on a road trip to visit family in NM. The timing was perfect, just before noon on a cloudy Wednesday. Waved in by the a few of the waitstaff and told to sit anywhere I liked. The service was polite and speedy. A basket of chips and a serving of savory salsa, whose heat slowly creeped up on me after about 6 chips, was addictive. Having been craving enchiladas, that is what I ordered. When asked red or green of course I opted for both not knowing their specialty (but I am typically a red fan)...then the next question...Tortilla or Sopapilla...Sopapilla of course (now I know I am back in NM). The serving was generous and while I was only expecting rice and beans on the side I was pleasantly pleased to see a serving of posole on the side too. The rice was meh a little to tomato saucy for my tastes and the beans, I have had better, but the posole was GREAT. I would return for just a bowl of posole with either red or green chile or plain any day. The chile...the RED was amazing and I am rather picky about my red chile [my grandma's is still the best, red or green]. As for the green I was pleasantly pleased at it's simplicity and flavor. The red just knocked my socks off though. The sopapilla was the size of the salad/desert plate it was served on and done perfectly (perfect for stuffing, I may have to try one of their stuffed sopapillas next time.)

Genaro's is well known in Gallup and somewhat of a local institution. Unfortunately, as often happens with institutions, I think this restaurant is trading on its glory days as they just don't live up to their reputation. To be fair, I had high expectations but the food on offer is quite ordinary Mexican. Genaro's is not afraid to pack on the "heat" and most everything from salsa to chile has an energetic kick to it. Hotness does not save the food though from a bland death. After enjoying the homemade salsa and chips, I started with some soft tacos. The abused meat was dessicated and devoid of any flavor. The accompanying beans were swimming in their own juices, while the spanish rice had a gelatinous gooey consistency. It had the appearance of coming straight from a box of Rice-a-Roni but was definitely not a treat. Next came the tamales and while the masa had the proper thickness and moist texture, the filling was too macerated for my taste. There was also an unpleasant bitter finish with a slap of hot pepper thrown in for spite. I really wanted to like this restaurant but emerged from my experience disappointed. There are much better options elsewhere in Gallup.