Little Anita's is a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

and

New Mexican cuisine New Mexican cuisine is the cuisine of the Southwestern US state of New Mexico. The region is primarily known for its fusion of Pueblo Native American cuisine with Hispano Spanish and Mexican cuisine originating in Nuevo México. This cuisi ...

restaurant chain from

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. The chain has nine locations in Albuquerque and four in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. The chain comprises its traditional

casual dining Restaurants fall into several industry classifications, based upon menu style, preparation methods and pricing, as well as the means by which the food is served to the customer. This article mainly describes the situation in the USA, while catego ...

locations as well as Little Anita's Express

fast food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredien ...

restaurants.

History

Anita Tellez is responsible for the creation of multiple restaurants across the United States, and her children and grandchildren often took over the individual restaurants. Little Anita's is a restaurant chain established in 1976. It was owned by her only grandchild, K. Starrs Ortiz, and was named after one of Mrs. Tellez's own great grandmothers. The restaurants have become well known in the Albuquerque, New Mexico restaurant scene since then. The chain expanded to Denver in 2001. Another chain of restaurants started by Anita Tellez, Anita's New Mexico Style, serves Little Anita's New Mexico inspired food in the

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

area. Both chains are independently owned but borrow heavily from each other's menus. There was also a solo Anita's restaurant in Fullerton,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Specialties

The restaurants serve their critically acclaimed

sopapillas A sopaipilla, sopapilla, sopaipa, or cachanga is a kind of fried pastry and a type of quick bread served in several regions with Spanish heritage in the Americas. The word sopaipilla is the diminutive of sopaipa, a word that entered Spanish from ...

and red/green chile-smothered foods, as well as other New Mexican fare like

enchiladas An enchilada (, ) is a Mexican dish consisting of a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a savory sauce. Enchiladas can be filled with various ingredients, including meats, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables, or combinations ...

made with blue corn,

huevos rancheros Huevos rancheros (, 'ranch-style eggs') is a breakfast dish consisting of eggs served in the style of the traditional large mid-morning fare on rural Mexican farms. Basic dish The basic dish consists of fried eggs served on lightly fried or cha ...

, and green chile cheeseburgers.

Reception

In Colorado, they have won multiple awards, including multiple accolades from

Denver Westword ''Westword'' is a free digital and print media publication based in Denver, Colorado. ''Westword'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue cir ...

, including "Best Taste of New Mexico" and "Best Red Chile".

In popular culture

Their location at University Blvd. in Albuquerque was featured in

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...

(season 5).

References

External links

* Mexican-American culture in Colorado Mexican-American culture in Albuquerque, New Mexico Restaurants established in 1976 Restaurants in Albuquerque, New Mexico Regional restaurant chains in the United States 1976 establishments in New Mexico Mexican restaurants in Colorado New Mexican cuisine {{US-restaurant-stub