Nellie's

"New Mexico's favorite breadstuff: puffy sopaipillas, so hot from the fry kettle that they're a little hard to handle when you want to pick one up, tear it open and pour honey inside. Sopaipillas are great for mopping the last of the chile from a plate."
Michael Stern






"Huevos Rancheros -- ranch-style eggs -- come with green chile, sided by refried beans and rice."
Michael Stern



"A close view of Nellie's four-alarm green chile. It is a star at both breakfast and lunch."
Michael Stern



"The salsa that comes with preprandial tortilla chips is complex, earthy and tongue-tingling hot."
Michael Stern



"Here's an eye-opening morning meal: sunnyside-up eggs hugged by dual servings of red chile (hot stuff) and green chile (very hot stuff). The red and green combo is known hereabouts as Christmas."
Michael Stern



"The fajita burrito doesn't really look like a fajita or a burrito, but made a fine breakfast anyway."
Cliff Strutz



"Nellie's is decorated with attractive art, usually featuring the chile pod."
Cliff Strutz



"In what other region of the country is the local crop so imbued with personality?"
Michael Stern



"Danny and Nellie Hernandez began selling burritos from a wagon in 1962, which earned Danny the appellation of Las Cruces' Burrito Man. They opened a mobile kitchen and Nellie's restaurant soon followed. Danny has passed away; Nellie is still around; and their son Danny Ray and daughter Josie Marie now run the business."
Michael Stern