tia betty blue's

authentic, fun, unusual. loved the fun retro coffee house feel. had the blue corn waffle boat with seasonal berries, and lavender whipped cream. it was great and super filling. all for $4! my partner had the huevos con carne, fried eggs one top of a pile of their house made, very hot, carne adovada and beans, papas, and a grilled torilla ($5), withredchile. theredwas like my grandmother used to make; meaty, deep, and hot. i had a great latte and my partner had the fresh-squeezed rose water lemonade, which seemed slightly indian.

they only have counter service and the food items are served in baskets or to go.

tia betty's is an odd an fun place; retro 40's new mexican foods, a coffee house vibe, super fast lunch and prices that seem like they are also from the 1940's. what a treasure.

april 13, 2015 by kristin satterlee leave a comment the big burrito stuffed with calabacitas and smothered withredand green this is another one of those “i can’t believe i didn’t share it earlier” reviews. tia betty blue’s opened about three years ago on a neglected stretch of san mateo not far from gibson, in a two-story building that used to house a cleaning business. it was a surprise to see someone try a restaurant there, where one of the most notable nearby landmarks is k-bargain plaza, a derelict strip mall. of course, the location of michael thomas seemed equally strange when it first opened on a similarly unpromising section of carlisle, and look how that went ! perhaps the benefits of the two spots are as similar as their downsides, because both are sandwiched between residential neighborhoods hungry for tasty options nearby. i know i appreciate both of them being within walking distance of my house. in any case, though i appreciated tia betty blue’s tasty food when they opened, that was around the time when i was developing the achalasia that made it hard for me to swallow – and spicy food was particularly challenging for me – so we didn’t go there much. since my surgical fix, though, i’ve been having regular cravings forredchile. (odd, since i’d always been a green-chile gal before.) particularly, i’ve been wanting to eat at tia betty blue’s. tia bb’s – as we call it at my house – calls out to me with a siren song of delicious, plentiful new mexican food in a quirky, retro-hipster atmosphere. the menu hangs on the wall to the side of the register on huge laminated sheets, and can sometimes be hard to see around the line waiting to order at the counter. there are take-out menus by the register, which may be easier to read if you can reach in and snag one. there are a lot of choices, so it’s nice to be able to take your time with the menu. tia betty blue’s does a great job with classic new mexican food, like their $4 breakfast burrito stuffed with eggs,

breakfast enchiladas. the bestredchile south of la bajada

this is excellent made-from-scratch new mexican food with a friendly staff and comfortable setting. we had breakfast and loved the carne adovada; theredchile rivals our family recipe, delicious.

their "lunch special" was a smothered burrito and a drink for 9 bucks. seriously? theredchile was decent, but the burrito overall was subpar. small and bland. disappointing.

loved the food! loved the vibe!. first, i'm thrilled to have this little gem in the neighborhood on south san mateo almost at gibson. have been several times and each time i've discovered a new menu item that is expertly prepared and delicious. theredchili is authentic and not for the timid! the calabacitas are world class, easily the best in albuquerque and should be served as an entree instead of a side dish. they alone are with the trip! but the really treat are the bowls and boats.....a hip new take serving new mexican. i would fail if i didn't mention the sandwiches which are inspired, beautiful and delicious. i.e. curry chicken salad with chicken, grapes, apple, almonds, celery, mint, yogurt, mayo & curry! or the apple, ham and cheddar! vegetarians are not forgotten at this homey establishment either with a sandwich of grilled asparagus, swiss cheese, romano cheese, lettuce, onion and aioli. they also have vegetarian chili! breakfast is inventive with atole, a drinkable sweet blue corn porridge seasoned with cinnamon & vanilla. or blue corn waffle boat served with scrambled eggs topped with cheese and chile. i also have to mention the selection of bottled sodas, imported, domestic and one that we remember from our childhood that are sure to please and delight. the selection is well over 150 types of soda. highly recommend, you will not be disappointed.

a neighborhood jewel. the food is excellent, fresh and delicious; theredchili is particularly good. the menu is full of inventive, quirky and attractive choices and although i've only tried the breakfasts, there are numerous, tempting sandwiches and wraps on the lunch list. service is quick and friendly and the vibe is an interesting mix of hip and homey. i really like this place and will return often.

check your take out orders!. i ordered a "big burrito" to take home because i was mighty hungry and figured this was the best route to try theredchili and the carne adovada. at first glance the burrito looked great but in truth it was a tortilla stuffed with mostly lettuce, a few tomatoes, fine dice onions, pickled jalapenos and a miniscule ammount of potatoes and beans. i dug through the steaming, wilted mess in vain but found no carne adovada (which was listed on the menu as an ingredient in my burrito). i understand that mistakes happen but you can never make a second first impression.theredchili used to smother the burrito was pretty good, but not as a salad dressing. sorry guys.

my new favorite. on the first visit i had a simple, but very large (24 oz) bowl of beans with the best, most complex, pork-basedredchile that i have had in a very long time, and a grilled-until-crispy tortilla. it was intensely satisfying yet simple. i drank a tart class of hibiscus flower iced tea. the entree was under $5 and the tea about $3.

on the second visit i had to try to nm po'boy. it consisted of home made carne adovada (all shredded, no white clumps of dry meat), fritos, cheese, pickled jalapenos, andredchile in a house made 12" loaf. it was indeed amazing. very spicy, crunchy, and sour, all at once. it came with raw jicama and carrot sticks with a fresh lime wedge and a sprinkle of chile powder. i drank an abita root beer from new orleans, one of their 100 or so vintage and odd ball sodas.

i would have to caution that this place, or at least the nm food selection, is probably best appreciated by those accustomed to eating foods in the spicy to very spicy range. i would rate the "heat" of theirredchile and carne adovada as being in the upper 10% of new mexican restaurants that i have tried, something like sadie's, maybe slightly hotter, and more complex.

there is only counter service here, no waiters, which makes the whole experience very easy on the wallet and the food appear very quickly.

they open early and function as a coffee house but i've only tried lunch so far.

tia betty prepares authentic new mexican cuisine in-house including carne adovada prepared daily, atole (a sweet-hot blue corn porridge seasoned with cinnamon) and large (24-ounce) bowls of frijoles or posole for hearty eaters. the frijoles are new mexican pinto beans slow-cooked with salt-cured pork and topped with fiesta green chile or tia’s housemaderedchile.