Jerry's Cafe

The 29 Best Diners in America | Eater

"A narrow, one-room Route 66 stalwart near downtown Gallup, this brown-booth diner serves classic New Mexican plates smothered in red or green chile: flat enchiladas, chile rellenos, huevos rancheros, and other regional favorites. Meals often finish with piping-hot sopaipillas and the requisite sticky honey for drizzling, delivering an earnest, sauce-forward dining experience." - Eater Staff

Where to Eat Sopapillas in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Across New Mexico - Eater

"This small, unassuming diner off of the historic Route 66 in Gallup is always packed with locals and visitors who know that the food is among the best representations of New Mexican cuisine in the state. Sopaipillas come with most meals, but get the stuffed sopaipilla swimming in green chile for the best of both worlds." - Asonta Benetti

"Answer New Mexico's state question at Jerry's Café Yes, New Mexico actually has an official "state question"--since 1996, referring to the ubiquitous chile sauce, it's "red or green?" Fortunately you don't have to choose just one; the local way to say 'can I have both' is just one word: "Christmas." If you're driving through New Mexico on the way to Arizona and points beyond, the only town of any size on I-40 between Albuquerque and Flagstaff is Gallup. For road-trip food here, get away from the Interstate and its humdrum chain restaurants. Seek out Jerry's--a block off old Route 66. You can't miss the retro neon sign, and there's often a line out the door for its New Mexico-style fare. Gallup is surrounded by Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni lands--you might well be one of the few non-Native-Americans eating here at breakfast or lunch. The restaurant allows local vendors to come in and show their wares--usually jewelry and bracelets--while you eat. (You can request a 'do not disturb' sign for your booth if you want.) "Hole in the wall" gets overused, but Jerry's definitely fits that description. Nothing pretentious here--but the flavor of the chile sauce is as good as you'll find in Albuquerque or Santa Fe. A recommendation: the flat cheese-and-onion-enchiladas, topped "Christmas" style with a fried egg on top. And don't forget to sop up the sauce with the sopaipillas, saving some of the frybread to top with honey as a dessert afterwards..."