Charlie’s Spic & Span

What a cool place! Delicious food, excellent service and they make their own tortillas. Yum! The mushrooms in the omelet were not fresh though. I’ll try something else next time.

What started as a laundromat is now a restaurant and serves great food and pastries! It was a great stop on our way thru Las Vegas and would certainly come back. Great New Mexico style food with other options as well.

The food was very good, giant portions. We loved the tortillas and the doughnuts. We would go back any time except for one major problem. I don’t know if it was the holiday weekend and not enough staff, but the bathrooms were putrid. They were so filthy as to be unusable. I was there at lunch time so they had not been cleaned in a long long time. I had to be concerned for employees using that filthy place as well then leaving to handle my food. As a traveler, it was one of the worst experiences of a restaurant restroom I have ever seen. It would make me hesitate to go back just because I wondered how clean everything else was kept and I would NOT go in those restrooms again!

One star you ask?
How could I?
I mean I didn’t even get to eat the food…
Which after 35 minutes (I do NOT exaggerate) it did not make to our table.
Apparently when you walk through the doors of this place the «time space dimension field» goes all timey wimey wibbly wobbly cause it literally takes FOREVER to get your food.
A group of six of us ordered fairly simple things (quesadillas, chicken strips, Huevos and a burger etc).
Seems that in a restaurant at only ²⁄₃ capacity at lunch time has severe issues pumping out that kind of order.
I mean I’d hate to see how long we were there if we’d ordered Beef Wellington.
But hey, it’s not that not this sort of place.
We weren’t told that they would literally have to go chase down the effing chicken to wait for it to lay the eggs and then slaughter it for the strips. Pretty sure that they had to wait for the cow that the burger came from to die of natural causes so they could artisan grind the meat for the burger.
No communication from the waitress to any sort of explaining the need for our eternal patience.
When we finally flagged down out space cadet service drone and asked if we could have it boxed to go, since we had to be back to work, we were met with a blank stare and told «in a minute». Since the time space continuum is in full effect here we decided to head to the front cashier stand and ask for a manager.
The Mananger aka Commander Space Cadet made all sorts of excuses (each one more lame than the last) of how they were so busy and that their kitchen could handle so many orders.
Yeah, he’s my money for my Iced Tea. Keep your shitty quesadilla.
Wtf!!! $ 3 for Iced tea?
Don’t bother with this place unless you want to starve to death.

Traveling from Arizona to Colorado-​passed through and glad we stopped. Great donuts-​very fresh and BIG. Ordered the caliente burger and it was HOT and wonderful. Nice atmosphere and clean local and non chain place. Hope to return again!

Keeper! The carne adovada and green chili was divine. Service was a little lacking but got better by the end of the meal. The food was really tasty all around and great variety. Definitely coming back. Yum!

Today is not my first visit to Charlie’s and believe me, we drive from Santa Fe to eat here!
We arrived at 2PM and ordered our food around 2:20…a 1 pound burger specified as «medium» and a smothered chorizo burrito.
The first sign of trouble was not getting coffee refills, three times we had to either get up or make an empty coffee cup sign to get coffee. Then, we waited over 30 minutes for our food!
Of course, since our server had abandoned us, there was no one to ask why it was taking so long…
The server told us when we finally found her, that it is because we ordered a burger. Really? You would tell a paying customer that AFTER they ordered it???
Another server brought out the food… at 3:00. The burger was «well» not medium as requested, French fries were cold and soggy and the burrito was soggy like it had been sitting for awhile.
The server got snotty and was not even around after serving the food, do wager was the point of saying anything?
When we were finished eating and I needed more coffee, no server in sight!!! We sat at a table piled with dirty plates and dry coffee cups.
This bothers me because I worked in restaurants for 20 years as s server, then a manager, then as a supervisor of 12 restaurants in Arizona. I trained servers in the art of selfless service and why good service is a win-​win for all…
How this twit of a girl who made US feel bad for walking into a restaurant expecting to have a nice experience ever makes any money, is beyond me… she was absolutely awful!!!
We will find other places to eat, I guess!
So sad…

The place looks like it is fro the 50’s. Really cool. The food is good slid American diner food. The biggest problem was the speed of serving food. 35 minutes for bacon and eggs seems slow. The coffee cup was empty a lot, the wait service cold be better. I also did not care for the pre charged tip, I am a fan of determining this myself in accordance to service received.

Stopped in for dinner on our way from Denver to ABQ. Such yummy food. I had the oatmeal, husband had the fajita quesadilla, kids had the pancakes (as big as their heads).
All was very delish!
The owner was there and he was so nice!
We will be back

I’m amazed that this place only has two reviews. This is a tourist destination.
Cleanliness:
Service:
Food:
And the price is just right.
Carne adovada and eggs was incredible.

Overall experience here was favorable until the end, as a first time visitor I found paying to be frustrating. The food here was great, the waitress that served us did a good job as well. Our drinks came out quick, as did or food once we ordered. Both the red and green chili were awesome. The home made tortillas hit the spot.
Gratuity was added to our check, which isn’t a big deal. What I found frustrating is that when we went to pay the tortillas that we were buying at the counter increased the gratuity. The waitress was good, but those had nothing to do with the service she provided.
Giving the waitress a couple extra dollars is not a big deal. What really made mad was the girl cashier told me «well you should have told me to ring them separate.» How am I supposed to know that, this was after all my first visit. Had I known I would have told her, but for the reputation that this restaurant has, you would think that this would have occurred prior to today. For her to follow up with «It’s only five dollars.» That’s beside the point.
You have a nice restaurant with a great product. It sucks to leave a good restaurant with a sour taste in your mouth because of one snotty employee. This would have been a five star review had that employee handled the situation better.

I saw this place on Unilocal!It had Grate reviews and it’s true! I love this place! The homemade flour tortillas are amazing and so large and fluffy

My wife was bragging on this café after coming home from a road trip. They have fresh made tortillas that are pretty much the best I’ve ever had. The plate of food I had is empty, I ate the whole, large, portion. The green chili you expect to find in New Mexico is here, but they also have great looking pastries and donuts and pies. Their cream puffs are taller than my head. The stuffed sopapilla my wife had was delicious ares well.
There’s probably a reason why my wife said, «if I wasn’t married to you, I’d marry these tortillas,» on our anniversary. It’s just that the tortillas are better than any we’ve ever had. Even in the competitive tortilla market of Dallas-​Fort Worth.
We’ll be back, for sure.

***IF YOU ARE EXPECTING «MEXICAN FOOD» GO HOME.***
After that being said, read on if you would like to enjoy the flavor of New Mexico.
EAT HERE.
I ate here over this past weekend and I was so very happy. It was hard for me to get past looking at the cream puffs on display, but somehow I managed.
I ordered chorizo and eggs with hashbrowns, brother ordered 2 over medium eggs with bacon, uncle ordered green chile, aunt ordered chorizo skillet and added green chile. Oh, and our server brought over a basket of sopapillas :)
For four meals, 1 coffee and 2 orange juices – it came out to be $ 42-​ish. Not bad for some great food.
It tasted like home. So much flavor in the food and so much great hospitality from the staff.
After we left for breakfast, we felt really foolish for not indulging in sweets, so we busted a bitch around lunch time and came back for dessert. Best decision of the day. A+ for the cream puffs!
If you’re new to New Mexico chile, I suggest you give it a try. I would say it is more flavor than spice. It never hurts to try something new :)

Nothing special for us– we both ordered salads at lunch time. The taco salad didn’t have much lettuce. The beef in it was bland. My chicken salad with avocado lacked the avocado. The whole reason I ordered it, but was not informed that they were out of avocado until I asked –after the salad was put in front of me – after a lengthy wait.
The tortilla machine looked cool though, maybe I should have ordered a burrito?
Might try another time, just driving through Las Vegas, NM.

Perfect road stop :). Big place and very busy spot. Good food service not so much … Tons of good looking desserts that I can’t have … Just off the 25 a few blocks …

Had the pleasure of having lunch at this fine establishment. We took our waitress advice and ordered the Carne Adovada, mine was in the form of enchaldas my wife had hers in a sopailla. Mine was with beans and pasole with their home made tortilla.
We finished our meal off with a cookie from their bakery.
Great service from the wait staff, clean, well light eating area with a public parking across the street.

I read some reviews and I feel that some expectations of «Mexican» food is wrong and therefore the experience is poor. I’m traveling through town and my client recommended I check this place out. He also described the food as the best in this area. He also claimed that this Northern NM area has its own culture which explains the difference in food taste.
I was told to try their chicharron from my client and my server suggested the sopapilla! It was a great choice, the sopapilla was light and fluffy and the chicharron were friend but still soft and the flavor was great! I added the green chile to my plate since it had more of a kick than the red chile sauce. The food took a little bit to come out but that’s because it was fresh and made to order! It was so great going to a local spot and trying amazing food that I would otherwise pass by. The plaza area itself looks a little right around the the edges but don’t judge a book by its cover. Breakfast also looked like a great option so maybe I’ll come back my next time in Las Vegas.

Growing up in Las Vegas, we only ate at the Spic and Span on special occasions. These days, I only eat at the Spic and Span in transit from Denver to Albuquerque (and back).
Anywhere I eat, all around the world, I compare the deliciousness of breakfast, to the Spic.
My top 3 favorites:
1) Hashbrown Breakfast Burrito with bacon, green chile and papitas (smothered with cheese and chile)
2) Burnt Cheese Tacos with Roast Beef (Seriously, I think if I wasnt concerned that my heart was going to stop every time I eat these, I would eat these twice on every trip!) Salsa is also delicious!
3) Roast Beef Quesadilla… as all of the reviews say, the tortillas are FRESH and the roast beef is great!
Part of my Spic adventure is that I pick up a dozen (or 5 dozen) tortillas for family and friends, and several baked goods. My dad LOVES the jelly donuts, I love the brownies, the sugar cookes and most certainly the bizcochitos!
YOU WILL LOVE THIS PLACE!

We waited about 5 minutes at the hostess stand for someone to greet us. Once we were seated our waitress was attentive and friendly. I wasn’t a fan of the food though. I tried the combination plate with cheese enchiladas and tamales. I added a side of the green and red chili. Food was bland and I didn’t like either of the chili flavors. Both had a stale flavor. So not the best Mexican food in my opinion.

Tout simplement excellent. Nous y sommes passés à trois reprises en autant d’années et c’est toujours exquis et extra. C’est ici qu’il faut bruncher ou prendre son petit déjeuner. Qualité, prix abordable et très fréquenté par les gens du coin — vous savez que vous êtes bien tombé !