Sadie's on Fourth

 Highly popular place for New Mexican cuisine

Dining Room

First visit: October 1, 2009  

Sadie's is a large, noisy, crowded place that serves huge portions of good-to-very-good New Mexican food. You will probably have to wait in line to get in. This award-winning restaurant is immensely popular among locals, tourists, and visiting conventioneers. 

Some History

Aunt Sadie, the founder and guiding light

Sadie's first opened in a small shack at 2nd and Osuna around 1954. It moved to a larger place several years later. It eventually found its way to the 66 Bowling Alley on Fourth (now housing Dennis Apopdaca's wonderfully eclectic Ezra's Place). Growing in popularity and heeding more space, it moved to its present location just north of the bowling alley. The new place seats about 400 ravenous diners from all over the world. Watch the video near the end of this review for more history. Fascinating. 

Sadie's was then and still is family run. The family has franchised Sadie's East ¹ and has just opened Sadie's at the Star ² in the Santa Ana Star Casino. 

Our visit 

Carne Adovada Enchilada

Jane and I  went there with my visiting son, who was here on a business convention. He was fascinated with the place and loved the food. He had a combination of standard favorites, which introduced the cuisine to him in one easy lesson. He adored the sopaipillas, and we thought them to be very good. 

Sopaipillas

My dinner was good — Carne Stuffed Sopaipilla. Huge plateful and the carne was tender, but a tad dry. It was smothered in lots of red chile that was tasty and only moderately piquant (I am a fire eater). This chile is perfect tor first-timers and conventioneers. It won't burn their alimentary canals. Jane's chile rellenos were good, if a little soggy. Tasted fine, and the green chile was good. 

Tortilla Burger. Safe for tourists.

None of our food was great. Good, tasty, but certainly not among the best examples of New Mexican cuisine that the Duke City has to offer. Nonetheless, you should take your picky out-of-town visitors to Sadie's. They will have fun and a good meal. And you yourself should try it at least once. Chances are that you will return to another 4th Street New Mexican restaurant for really great food. Mary & Tito's ³ come to mind. So does Cecilia.'s in Nob Hill ⁴ (where the red chile can be incendiary if you request it that way). 

For food quality, Sadie's just can't match the excellent Mom and Pop restaurants here. But it is a fun place to visit with the uninitiated. Yeah, I like Sadie's. It deserves itsfine reputation. 

Waiting Nook. It gets very crowded here.

 Watch a  video. .

Learn about some history of Sadie's, and get acquainted with the family and the cast of characters.

Sadie's on Fourth

1. http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/60/1492323/restaurant/ East-Side/Sadies-East-Albuquerque
2. http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/60/1675321/restaurant/ Albuquerque/Sadies-at-the-Star-Bernalillo
3. http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/60/650769/restaurant/N orth-Valley/Mary-Titos-Cafe-Albuquerque
4. http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/60/1634214/restaurant/ Nob-Hill/Cecilias-Cafe-Nob-Hill-Albuquerque
5. http://www.urbanspoon.com/n/60/6014/Albuquerque/No rth-Valley-restaurants
6. http://www.urbanspoon.com/zip/60/87107/Albuquerque -restaurants.html
7. http://www.sadiesofnewmexico.com/menus