Sopaipillas appears as a signature dish in 2 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Sopaipillas · Albuquerque
Puffed fried bread served hot with honey, the universal New Mexican dessert. Distinct from the Mexican sopapilla in shape and use, eaten to cool the chile heat from the main course.
Sopaipillas trace to Albuquerque's Spanish colonial era. The New Mexican version is square, hollow inside when fried, and served at the end of the meal with honey to tame the chile. Sadie's of New Mexico, El Pinto and Mary and Tito's serve them with every plate. The Mexican sopapilla by contrast is generally flatter and often dressed with cinnamon sugar.
Where to eat in Albuquerque:
- Sadie's of New Mexico
- El Pinto
- Mary and Tito's Cafe
- Papa Felipe's Mexican Restaurant
Sopaipillas · Santa Fe
Pillowy deep-fried squares of flour dough that puff hollow in the oil; served at the end of any New Mexican meal with a pour of local honey, or stuffed at the start with carne adovada or pinto beans.
Sopaipillas come into Northern New Mexican cuisine from Spanish colonial frying traditions, with the Pueblo flour-dough variant taking the puffed shape that distinguishes them from Mexican churros. Rancho de Chimayo claims to have put stuffed sopaipillas on a restaurant menu first in 1965; the dessert version is ubiquitous by the 1970s across the city.
Where to eat in Santa Fe:
- Tomasita's
- La Choza
- Maria's New Mexican Kitchen
- Atrisco Cafe & Bar