El Modelo Mexican Foods
Best New Mexican Takeout in Albuquerque · NM
Tamales from the same corner since 1929
El Modelo Mexican Foods has been making New Mexican staples by hand since 1929, and generations later it's still a takeout counter at heart. You pull a ticket, wait for your number, and carry off huge tamales, chile-smothered enchiladas, and stuffed sopaipillas to a picnic table or your car.
Everything is made fresh daily from locally bought ingredients, and the tamales in particular have made El Modelo an Albuquerque institution — the kind of place families order from by the dozen for holidays and Balloon Fiesta mornings.
Customers said it first.
A Centurion Award verifies the public record that’s already there. Read the reviews yourself on the platforms below.
Public-record snapshot as of July 2026. Live ratings are always current on each platform.
Why this business cleared the bar.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record. Founding cohort: evaluated in 2026 on public evidence available then, labeled 2025. Selection follows the published criteria; El Modelo Mexican Foods met them on that evidence. The business can claim the listing or ask us to remove it.
- ✓Years in operation. Operating in Albuquerque since 1929 — 96 years of continuous business.
- ✓Sustained online presence. An established local institution with a consistent public footprint — listings, coverage, and word of mouth in Albuquerque.
- ✓Established customer track record. A deep public track record: Albuquerque has kept El Modelo Mexican Foods busy for 96 years.
- ✓Liked by customers and the community. Genuinely beloved by Albuquerque regulars and visitors alike — a bona fide community favorite.
- ✓Recognition in the local community. Named best New Mexican takeout in Albuquerque for 2025 for nearly a century of tamales and chicharron burritos in Barelas.
The specific data behind this award, and the exact thresholds, stay internal so the standard can’t be gamed. Read the methodology.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. Own this business? Claim the listing to manage it, or ask us to remove it.
Award record
2025 Centurion Award
Best New Mexican Takeout in Albuquerque Albuquerque, NM · Awarded under the 2025 evaluationVisit El Modelo Mexican Foods
The details, verified.
Clean, checkable facts about El Modelo Mexican Foods.
- Legal / trading name
- El Modelo Mexican Foods
- Category
- Restaurant
- Founded
- 1929, Albuquerque, NM
- Location
- Albuquerque, NM
- Centurion Award
- Best New Mexican Takeout in Albuquerque — 2025
- Record last verified
- July 2026
A signal you can check.
This is a dated award record published by The Centurion Awards after reviewing public evidence for El Modelo Mexican Foods against the 2025 criteria for its market and category. The business did not have to apply for this page to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. The criteria are public. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it. If an award stops holding up, we may revoke it. For anything current, like hours or bookings, go straight to the business itself.
Frequently asked questions.
What is El Modelo Mexican Foods?
Started in 1929 as a tortilla factory in a Barelas home, El Modelo still sells its tamales and red chile from the same neighborhood corner.
Is El Modelo Mexican Foods award-winning?
Yes — El Modelo Mexican Foods is the 2025 Centurion Award winner for Best New Mexican Takeout in Albuquerque, a verified, criteria-based award. Named best New Mexican takeout in Albuquerque for 2025 for nearly a century of tamales and chicharron burritos in Barelas.
Where is El Modelo Mexican Foods?
El Modelo Mexican Foods is in Albuquerque, NM.
Run a business like this one?
If you’ve put in the years, you may already qualify. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.