Diners crowd into booths at Jerry’s Cafe in Gallup for American and New Mexican staples with a twist. “We just don’t do the norm,” owner Archie Baca says, pointing to their breakfast stuffed sopaipilla. “We get locals, but people come from all over.” He recalls an Australian fan who replaced a Jerry’s T-shirt after her dog ate it. “My son was in Europe and wearing our hoodie when someone said, ‘Jerry’s! We ate there.’ ” TRY THIS: Stuffed sopaipilla with eggs, green chile, and beans, smothered in red chile.
With craveable sandwiches, The Cuban Guy created a sensation when it debuted last June. Open just three hours per day on weekdays, the eatery has lines out the door and, despite rolling in several cafeteria-style tables, seating is scarce. “Who goes out to lunch at 10:30?” jokes owner Mario Garcia. As you wait, watch him prepare his grandmother’s recipes to Cuban salsa music while I Love Lucy reruns play on TVs in the dining room. TRY THIS: The Cubano—pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, and mustard on hot-pressed Cuban bread basted with butter and pork fat. “Así viene el sandwich,” Garcia says, quoting Scarface.
MAD JACK’S MOUNTAINTOP BBQ, CLOUDCROFT
A crowd is always willing to wait for a meal from Cloudcroft’s Texas-style barbecue joint, famous for succulent brisket and ribs. “We opened Memorial Day weekend of 2015. That first weekend was busy. Every year we’ve gotten busier,” owner James “Jack” Jackson says, shaking his head at the sometimes two-hour-long lines. “In the summer months, we’ll do somewhere around 2,000 pounds of brisket a week.” Pay no mind to the hours; Mad Jack’s closes when the food runs out. TRY THIS: The Mad Jack sandwich, with chopped brisket, peppers, onions, and pepper jack.