Taco Shel

Food was very good. I got green chili enchiladas plus 3 sopaipillas and honey. Food was hot and spicy. Very good food and good prices. Will return next time I am in Albuquerque.

I don’t know what these people are talking about? I’m Hispanic and know great NM food and this place is one of my top picks for NM foo!

Food is not authentic. .anything really. .okay I guess it’s authentically canned. Salsa is watered down, chips are thick, stale and store bought. Soapapillas are yummy. Dining room is crammed with too many tables. Service is quick, cash only.

This food is CRAP!!! Your only choice of meat is ground beef, which has no seasoning. And they only take cash. WTF?

I don’t understand the good reviews for this place at all. The food is ok. Not bad, but not tasty. We had the tacos and enchiladas, and the enchiladas were good enough that I’d come back for them (because it’s a 5 minute walk from my apartment, I probably would never seek them out). The tacos, however, were literally just ground beef in a hard taco shell without any seasoning or even salt. The beans were standard, but the rice was reminiscent of the Spanish rice I remember eating in the cafeteria in elementary school, not good at all!
What really made me upset about this place was how rude our server was. I don’t know her name, she was an older lady with short hair, and I’ve never had anyone exude such strong annoyance with having to help people as she did. There were two other workers there when we went, a younger lady, and another older lady with short hair. Both of these two were very friendly, and are the reason I am giving more than star. Had I had on of the other servers, perhaps my feelings about this place would be different. But ok food and a jerk server — no thanks! If you want a truly delicious, hidden gem with New Mexican food, I strongly suggest Padilla’s instead!

This is the most consistently good New Mexican food in Albuquerque! If any review suggest that the food is not spicy, they are lying! This restaurant’s red & green chili is consistently hot. The food is always great, and has a loyal following.

This IS NOT MEXICAN FOOD. This is food like your gringo mom made for you when you were really, really young. Hamburger meat totally unseasoned even by salt apparently. Even missing the Shilling’s seasoning packet your mom used to use in the browned hamburger meat. Like soft tacos? Too bad; the only option here is those hard preformed hard taco shells (or is it shels?) The missing «l» on Shell is unexplained as is this place’s refusal to accept anything as payment other than CASH. Come on. It’s the 21^st century. My tacos were tasteless as were my wife’s cheese enchiladas. The beans weren’t bad nor was the rice but both easily may have been out of cans. The sauce wasn’t spicy at all. You can easily get better «Mexican» food at any Taco Bell. Service wasn’t bad but our server had zero charisma.

Kinda eh…
There’s lots better, but if if you like traditional NM fare. It’ll do in a pinch. The tamales are good but not great.

Nice little local place. Good service. Food is average to good. I would say not outstanding. Reasonably priced as well.

This place is one of those great staples that’s been around for years.
You walk in and are immediately greeted by friendly but busy staff and often the owner as well. You’re directed to a table where you can read the wall menu (none of those paper things other restaurants use!) and choose your plate. You can request whole beans instead of refried and they’re quite tasty. The cheese enchiladas are my favorite but everything I’ve ever tried has been great. The sopapillas are so good, tiny flaky little things and are delivered by the basketful; I could eat them all day.
Everything here is quick: the food comes out screaming fast and before you can finish they leave your bill on the table so you can pay at the till. Bring your cash because no plastic here, tho there is a BofA ATM in the parking lot if needed.
Neither the red or green are especially hot, if I could change something it would definitely be to increase the spice level. You do not get chips and salsa here but since I’m not eating here to hang out but rather a quick tasty meal, for some reason doesn’t bother me at this joint. Well ok it’s probably because then I have more room for those amazing sopas.
Days open Tue-​Fri so not always convenient but the food is good and worth scheduling around.

I know that there are people that swear by this place as the end-​all, be-​all of Albuquerque’s Mexican food experience, but I don’t get that. It’s not bad food, but it’s not the bee’s knees, either. If you’re looking for some decent grub at a good price, this place certainly fits the bill. I wouldn’t make a point of going out of my way to have this food again, but it’s not bad.
They are CASH ONLY here. The place was clean when I visited, and the service was pretty good.

The other reviews complaining must be ordering tacos or something. I can see where they might get under seasoned but that is the job of the chile. Chilaca with Green Chile is wonderful. We make trips out of our way for it. The salsa which is extra has a nice taste to it as well without onions or cilantro so choose to get it knowing that fact. Great fast service but it is cash only so bring your green.

How is this place still in business? The food is canned. The food has NO FLAVOR. What a waste of 15 bucks.

Really bland food. I don’t get the good reviews on this place AT ALL.
I’ve lived in Albuquerque for 14yrs. This place far from measures up. Chile isn’t spicy and the food is horribly underseasoned.
Pass.
PS: the service was excellent

First of all I’ll say this is the first time I’ve eaten there in well over 20-​years. So on this visit I would categorize the food as hardly memorable. It was okay but nothing to write home about. I ordered the #8 which was 3 beef enchiladas with red and a side of beans and 3 sopapillas. I thought the beef was a bit on the bland side, maybe some garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper could fix that. The chile was okay, it had a bit of a bite to it but wasn’t overly hot, but like the beef was kind of bland, perhaps some spices could fix that. The beans were the same style of beans that you would find at just about any Mexican restaurant in Albuquerque, and the sopapillas were small and yes… believe it or not, a bit bland without honey on them. Over all I was hoping for better food. I used to live in that neighborhood over 20-​years ago and I remember I ate there a couple times, unfortunately I don’t remember what I thought of the food way back then. But I can honestly say that if it was really good then I would have made an effort to go back. Over the years I’ve driven by on a Saturday or Sunday and they’re closed on those days. So I made a special effort to go back when I knew they would be open. On a positive note the person taking my order was very friendly and the restaurant was clean. I went there mid-​afternoon on a weekday and I was surprised as to how many people were eating a late lunch there. So obviously enough people like the food to keep that place open for several years without weekend hours. So maybe my taste in Mexican food is more discerning but at the end of the day I’ve had better Mexican food in Albuquerque.

Everyone in my extended family has been going to Taco Shel for years and years. 75% of them order the #3 (two cheese enchiladas with beans and rice) but the burritos and tacos (especially soft) are good as well. Chile is always consistently good, though it varies in how hot it is! The owner is very friendly and often present. The waitstaff are prompt and polite. And the food is quite tasty. Prices were raised a couple years back so it’s not the bargin it once was but it still delicious and you will leave full. Endless sopapillas that are probably the best in town.
Small place, menus on the wall, but super fast and really good!
Also, cash only (Bank of America ATM in the parking lot though)!

Albuquerque has many New Mexican food joints stashed away in innumerable strip malls but Taco Shel is by far my favorite. It doesn’t matter if you are Red our Green, they are both fantastic. The food comes fast, friendly and cheap, which in my mind is the best combo you can get. The portions are generous and the family who owns the joint is very friendly and hospitable. There’s a lot of other places to eat great New Mexican food, but this is where I go when I’m in Albuquerque!