La Guelaguetza

This place is exceptional. Absolutely phenomenal tacos. My tacos dorados (golden tacos) almost brought me to tears! I wish I was in ABQ to eat here more often. The waiter was extremely kind and helpful, even re-filling my water bottle. The food came out very quick and was so unbelievably good! They start you out with home made kettle chips and two bottles of homemade salsa! Unbelievable. I will be thinking about this meal for a long long time…..

Came here solo after reading reviews of hidden gems in the Albuquerque. This is definitely one of those spots! Don’t skip it! Came in around 615pm on a Monday. Plenty of open seats and just in time before the dinner crowd came in. A lot of folks ordered to go food as well. Constant flow of people ordering their delicious meals. Speaks volumes! Ordered the Quesabirria tacos which was plenty of food for me and very good! You also get complementary homemade potato chips. Yum! Note - alcohol is not served here. Enjoyed a Mexican Coke instead. Total Meal was $16 and change before tip. So one table order the Pizzabirria which looked awesome and enough for two people to share.

I enjoyed the meal. Staff was friendly. Chile was fire. Overall I'd loved my experience. I recommend trying it and I'd come back.

Ok I'm from Texas and this is the best Mexican food I have ever tasted!!!! Flavors my toungue did not know ! I cant even describe it its so flavorful Amazing, Everything is from scratch, Tacos , Enchiladas, Quesabirra, Quesadillas , n burgers all home made , i got a taste of Mole home made!Highly recommend this restaurant! Oo and they give u fried potato chips instead of chips!

I love this place so much. Birria pizza is so delicious, and HUGE. Can serve 1 very hungry person, but can be split by 2. We did that and this amazing shrimp salad our server recommended. So tasty and flavorful!

I had one of the most amazing dinners I’ve ever had tonight at Guelaguetza in Albuquerque. From the moment I walked in, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming—full of color, music, and the aromas of authentic Oaxacan cooking. The service was impeccable—friendly, attentive, and genuinely proud of the food they serve. Every dish was beautifully presented and bursting with flavor. The mole was rich and complex, clearly made with care and tradition. The tlayudas were perfectly crisp and loaded with fresh, flavorful toppings. Even the tortillas tasted like they came straight from someone’s home kitchen. What really stood out was how everything felt balanced—deep, layered flavors without being heavy, and generous portions without being overwhelming. It was the kind of meal that makes you slow down, savor every bite, and already start planning your next visit. If you’re in Albuquerque and want authentic Oaxacan cuisine made with heart, this is the place. I can’t recommend it enough.

Excellent experience! We arrived 15 minutes before they closed and all the employees were super friendly. Our food came out very fast and was extremely delicious! Would recommend 5/5 all around.

The food is here absolutely amazing! Everyone is very polite and welcoming, reminds me of home! The Birria pizza was fantastic, very flavorful!

Food was so good. Was craving good Mexican food and this definitely hit the spot. Service was great and the music was great too

The food is amazing!! The server was funny with his broken english!! Prolly the best Mexican food I ever had in my life, NO CAP!

the food was so good!! my fiancé and i both got the quesabirria tacos and they were dripping with goodness ! the service was outstanding and the horchata unmatched! 10/10 recommend!

We love this place. The different types of mole with chilis are wonderful. They are full of taste and we have started craving them. We also love their pizza and tacos. Everything is good here. We highly recommend it. Great service too.

Our quesadillas were delicious, but we were warned that the guacamole was too spicy for us. I would have liked to have made that decision for myself. Charming, authentic Mexican restaurant with limited seating and a friendly staff. Great lunch spot.

Don't get me wrong, I love New Mexican/SouthWest food. But I'm also from California originally and every now and then I wan't some tipico Mexican Food. This place delivers. It's a simple place with a good vibe and very friendly staff. The menu offers all kinds of tasty things, tacos, tamales and all that good stuff. We ordered the Biria Pizza, and mole and, my favorite, asada huaraches. Our super friendly waiter who is also the owner and chef also suggested we order the "green chile soup" which has a heck of a kick; it's made with Seranos, not Hatch chiles. Everything was delicious, the mole and Huaraches. The owner is proud to come from Oaxaca and both of those dishes were as good as any I've had there. Great place!

Came back after a long absense and had the birria pizza. This is still wonderful. This is still a great place to eat some unique Mexican food. The people here are nice the service is good and inside the place is clean. This place is worth the trip if you are not close for something different.

Soooo good! Maybe the best birria I've had. Gotta get the birria pizza. hot damn! wow

This was a yelped review that brought us here on our way to Austin. They are a James Beard Award recipient. So, service, so friendly, so nice! Atmosphere is very casual, very homey, there's little frills or panache, modest decor and seating. Food was good, the chicken tinga tostada was good, but very soicy, and I like spicy. The chicken tacos were very good, we lived three years in Mexico City and it was akin to the street tacos we usually enjoyed. My husband ordered a few carne asada tacos and a al pastor. He said the carne were quite tasty, al pastor was pretty good. The guac we ordered was spicy, but I liked it!

The tacos de birria were delicious as well as the consommé. They were overflowing with meat. I'm very much looking forward to going back to try additional menu items. The person who took my order was also very friendly and shared details on menu items we had questions about. I know I now have a spot to go to for birria tacos

This is a hidden gem a little way off the beaten path. The service was great and the food was amazing. I would recommend stopping in for a meal.

Found this great little place on Yelp and glad we went. It seems to be in a bit of a sketch area but I'm not from the ABQ so don't know the safe and not safe areas. My boyfriend and I shared the Mexican pizza and it was amazing! The beef in the pizza was delicious. Our server was so friendly. I asked him if they had super hot salsa and he made a special sauce for me which was very spicy but had great flavor. Wish they bottled this stuff. The only negative is that they don't serve beer. Definitely recommend this place.

Not so hidden gem... FANTASTIC went here for lunch after reading the reviews. Building is on a corner lot and very plain front, but push through that for the FOOD and excellent service. We had a barbacoa burrito and the tostadas plate and both were so tasty. You can tell the ingredients are fresh and the barbacoa had such rich flavors. Be sure to get a side of the homemade potato chips and this is definitely a spot to go in ABQ for authentic Mexican food, clearly made by an upscale chef. Also, very reasonably priced - you'll want to try this restaurant, even if you drive 30+ minutes to do it, like we did!

Incredible!!! They were so nice to our whole soccer team. The food was amazing and they were willing to make breakfast food for one of the kids. Loved coming here and will be back. Thanks again!

It was what every 5 star review said- our 1st time Authentic real Mexican, not Tex mex food Fresh, aromatic delicious and big portions Mole (Colorado) was amazing Fast and friendly service. Just go there.....

Everything was delicious! It is a hole in the wall, but the food was out of this world. My husband and I shared the pizza birria which was the absolute best! The other couple ordered quesa birria tacos and Chicken Enchiladas Mole....so good and nothing left! The pizza birria was so big 3 people could have shared!

Was in town from Denver and we found this place on a whim and I have to say 5 legit some of the BEST tacos I've ever had in my life. I got the birria tacos, my family got the birria pizza and there was no crumbs left whatsoever. Deff gonna hit this place up next visit down to Albuquerque to try the asada tacos next!

Food was pretty good service was great cool little restaurant. We had the mole and fajitas

Very tasty food! We had the Pizzabrirria (aka Birria Pizza, not sure if it's misspelled or a play on words "open pie"), which was very good and we were able to ask for no cilantro garnish (not everyone is a fan...shocking, I know). We also had quesadillas that were also very good. The place has minimal decor, super casual and seats about 30 people. Pay attention because you can miss it, especially at night. The staff is extremely friendly and very attentive. I should mention, we did wake up the next morning burping quite a bit. I think the restaurant is pronounced "la-ge-la-get-za", in case you're getting tongue-tied.

Delicious birria (been to taco places across Mexico and SW US). Spiciness at a great level. Good ambience. Generous portions. Would return again!

Guys. They have Mexican sodas here!! We got a Sprite and a Fresca and they just hit differently than the American versions! We ordered the pizzabrirria & the green enchiladas which were SO GOOD! I honestly think the pizzabrirria can feed a small family with how big it is! We ordered way too much food for the two of us - but we took it home as leftovers so no complaints here. Service was great - very attentive and they brought out some homemade chips that were fire when you put the Valentina hot sauce on top of them! 4.3 out of 5 stars for us!

The Pizza Birria was AMAZING. So juicy and tender. The service was very kind and attentive to helping us decide what was best to eat considering it was our first time. The authentic Mexican environment was comforting to see!

Food/Taste/Flavor: 5/5 - we ordered based on recommendations from the server of Quesabirria Tacos and Chicken Enchilada with Black Mole. Quesabirria tacos were tortilla with melted cheese and birria-style (meat-stew) beef folded in with a side of savory beef broth for dipping. Absolutely delicious, quite a quick, and much heavier than it looked. The lime is needed to cut through the heaviness. The enchilada was good but the mole was quite interesting! It tasted very earthy and smoky with a sweet aftertaste. Service: 4/5 - slight language barrier but very friendly! If you don't read Spanish, the English menu is quite lacking with no pictures or prices and the items available area slightly different as well. Ambiance: 5/5 - the outside was a little bit scary but inside is clean overall even though it seems like a much older building and establishment. There's colorful decorations on the ceilings and walls and festive music playing. Value for price: 4/5 - we didn't see the quesabirria tacos on the menu and was a bit surprised by the $15 cost but it was delicious!

Great little place off the beaten path. Clean with clean bathrooms. Was greeted and seated immediately after I walked in. Put my order (chicken enchiladas mole and and a quesabirria taco) in and got my meal in 7-8 minutes. Everything was amazing with the med spice level spot on. I would definitely return.

The pizzaiberia is outstanding. If you come here, order that. Got the chicken enchiladas and asked for all 3 mole sauces. One was spicy but I would have rated it a 7. It was really good. My one complaint is that the chips could have been fried a bit longer. The green chili soup was really good. No alcoholic drinks. Service was fast and the servers were funny. Place was clean but don't expect something fancy. This is a place to go eat yummy food. Portions were generous.

So delicious so recommend. The beef was incredible. Pastor is authentic and served with pineapple.

One of the best places I've ever eaten at. A simple space with a simple menu, but what elevated our experience to 5 stars was the quality of service and care. I imagine the two men who were hustling taking orders and cooking are probably owners. They took to making sure we understood what we were ordering and looked out for us when it came to spice level. Upon serving, one of the guys proudly explained he made the green soup and the salsa. Now the food. Nothing overly fancy, but it didn't need to be. The quality was in the ingredients and the preparation. All top notch. After stuffing my face, I praised their food and the same gentleman mentioned they also make their mole sauce on house. Of course, I was too full to order a plate but he brought me a small sample of just the sauces and was blown away. Excellent, all the way.

We got the birria pizza. That thing was STACKED.. two layers of birria and tortillas. Enough for two big people to share. Great service. 10/10.

Son wanted birria tacos so i found this place. I ordered to go but it was super fast and hot food. He said they were really good. Would order from here again. Definitely a hole in the wall place so you gota look for it but inside was clean and it was family oriented with the service. The cooks and staff come out to the tables and hold conversations and it was fairly busy for a sunday afternoon.

Oh my goodness! Seriously the BEST tacos you will EVER eat! The sauces are made from scratch that take over 15 hours. We didn't want to finish it because it would be over... sooooooo good! Customer service was AMAZING as well. Just come!

Stopped here on a road trip. Great service!! Had some yummy tacos and I intend to get some mole on the trip back. Worthy of seconds!

Food was delicious. The chicken mole was honestly the best I've ever had. The customer service was great too.

I found this place on Yelp and I'm so glad I did! The food is truly authentic Oaxacan. We tried the enchiladas de mole, burrito, barbacoa taco, pelliscadas, and pancakes - everything was delicious. I definitely recommend this spot. I even took some mole to bring back home to Vegas! Staff is awesome!

Loved it here! The space is really nice and simple very neat. The food was also very great, Amazing staff, will be back.

Recommend by the girl at the front desk for good, authentic Mexican food. She did not disappoint in sending us here. When I pulled into the parking lot it was a little confusing because there are about 5 doors you can walk through but only one is the door to the restaurant. The first door we tried was actually the kitchen, the next one was locked so we tried our 3rd and final door. It was not labeled so it was a guess. Seated right away and brought homemade chips and salsa. Always the sign of a good Mexican restaurant. ( it must be homemade to be good). I got the birria tacos. OMG, they were some of the best I have had. The cheese was nice and gooey and the dipping sauce had a really good flavor with a touch of heat. My coworker got a taco and enchilada meal but started eating it so fast, I could not get a picture. Go try them out. From the parking lot it is the middle door between the two wings of the building.

Family owned humble spot well worth a visit. The service is friendly. We tried the following: - Pizza birria (really balanced, lightly spicy tender birria quesadilla shaped like pizza). This was a total win. - chicken with excellent mole; the mole is incredible. Truly. I just wish the chicken wasn't white meat and fry. Or if it had been shredded I might not have noticed as much. All that said, a lovely spot well worth a visit.

Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: casual, bright and warm I've had tacos in NYC, Miami, SF, and Dallas and I would consider these to be one of the best tacos I've had. Definitely a great place for dinner or a stop along the way to Santa Fe. Spicy = truly spicy

Our last day on a 16-day southwest tour - I saved this one for our last lunch before heading to the airport. While not much for the location or atmosphere, the reviews of the mole got me excited. I ordered the chicken enchiladas mole, and my wife ordered the birria tacos. The mole came in 3 styles, each was the best I'd ever had. The hot one brought a few beads of sweats, and the mild was full of flavor. The beef tacos were also amazing. My wife's only complaint was that the freshly fried tortillas were a bit oily for her. By far, this was the best meal that we had over the last 2 weeks. Also, one of the most affordable. This is a don't-miss for any future trips to Albuquerque!

Wow! Don't be put off by the humble surroundings. This was one of the best Mexican meals I've ever had. The chimichanga was humongous and delicious. The green chili soup/stew that came with it was absolutely amazing and so good as a dip for it. We also got shrimp street tacos which were cooked perfectly

Best Mexican food I have ever had. The mole was rich and flavorful!! if i lived in the area id eat there everyday.

Casual, delicious and well worth a visit. We dropped by on a Friday evening and were greeted by a homestyle full dining room with color decor. Barebones (we only saw 2) waitlist scurried around to take care of everyone and we were promptly served once we finally sat down. A word of warning the English menu has no prices and is different from the Spanish one. The dishes are reasonably priced though - fed 4 adults and 2 kids for ~ $70. Our favorites was the pizza birria ($23) - absolutely loaded with delicious birria and came with a hearty consome. This dish is massive and can easily feed 2-3 people. We also shared the chicken mole coloradita and chicken enchilada mole negro. Everything was beautifully cooked and tasty. The horchata and jamaica agua frescas were also tasty.

Best birria tacos I've ever had. Great staff. Clean restaurant. You don't want to miss this one.

Pizzabirria has surpassed the quesobirria for me. The crispy outer edges to the tender meat and the flavor filled consume. Once you sit down you are constantly waited upon. The service is unmatched. Seating is spaced to keep the room feeling open. Quiet dive that I enjoy monthly!

My husband and I both had the birria tacos. Top 5 tacos I've had in my life. Spicy but not too spicy. The workers are also super friendly as well. We live out of state so it's not easy for us to come back but wish we could. The inside of the restaurant feels homey and is clean. Highly recommend.

Their food had sooo much flavor. It had some heat but not overpowering just right. Very friendly. Festive decor. Nice happy music.

I walked in, and I was clearly the only non-Hispanic white person there. That first impression is how I knew I would be in for a treat. And BOY I got one! I ordered the quesabirria tacos, and they were fantastic! PACKED with meat, served with a spicy and densely flavor broth, and leveled up with their verde salsa, I enjoyed every last bite! I paid about $18 including tip for 4 stuffed tacos. Considering prices in 2024, that isn't great, but not too bad either, especially since you are getting quality food! I would put La Guelaguetza in the top 3 for Mexican restaurants in ABQ next to Foodtopia and Los Olivos! Well done! 100% I need to come back for their mole enchiladas.

Delicious Birria pizza and the sauce was great. Must try if you are in Albuquerque NM

Their Birria Pizza was to die for. My favorite dish we had on a weeklong trip! My sister also loved the barbacoa tacos. 10/10 recommend!

Authentic Mexican food and quick service. Interested to try the pizza next time. We'd come back.