The Best Restaurants in HATCH

Situated about 15 miles south of Mesilla on State Highway 28 is Chope’s where one would probably find the best ‘chile relleno’. They operate from a small comfortable home like-restaurant which gets crowded as soon as it opens every day. The ‘chilies rellenos’ are lightly breaded and served with three fried pods or can also be ordered along any of the combination plates. Milder than the rellenos are Chope’s red enchiladas or the green enchiladas but the one recommended is a stack, with a fried egg on top. They serve meat stuffed tamales which can be ordered three for a plate or as part of combination plate that includes an enchilada, a soft taco, rice, and beans. The menu over is a typical local one, featuring bowls of chili with or without beans or con queso (with cheese), as well as air weight sopaipillas.

La Posta run by Jerean Hutchinson was established by her grandmother in 1939 in a two-hundred-year-old building on the Butterfield Trail. It is a southwestern culinary landmark where authentic dishes are made from century-old recipes handed down from the Fountain, Chavez, and Griggs families and is known for its traditional hospitality, fine-food and spirits. The most famous dish on the menu is tostadas compuestas, crisp-fried corn tortilla cups into which are red chili con carne, beans, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. A combo plate includes one tostada compuesta plus a chili relleno (a large cheese-stuffed, breaded, and deep-fried chili pepper), and a taco as well as guacamole salad. Other native dishes include flautas, green chili enchiladas, sunset-hued carne adovada, and steak smothered in green chili and melted cheese. With every dish comes a basket full of warm sopaipillas for mopping up every last good bit of food off the plate. The dining rooms are bright and have more plants than a tropical rainforest.

Open only for lunch and breakfast Nellie’s Café serves traditional Mexican fare from Tuesday to Friday starting at 8 in the morning. The family run restaurant is in Las Cruces, the center of the chile country. Danny Ray Hernandez, the chef and Nellie’s son, makes vivid salsas using five to seven different types of chile. His specialty is the breakfast menu which includes ‘Huevos Rancheros’ (scrambled with jalapenos) and eggs with chile and meat served with either red or green chile or combination of both known as ‘Christmas’. According to Nellie, the chiles have become hotter in the recent years due to the dry growing conditions.