Nene's Cocina
Published November 7, 2021
Nene’s Cocina is a large corner restaurant facing out on Ringwood Ave. Their large glass-front windows give a preview of the bright interior of the restaurant.
Interior Design
Nene’s Cocina is an open-concept restaurant with colorful, decorative walls. A long counter for takeout orders runs the length of the right-hand side of the room. The hostess behind the counter told us to sit wherever we wanted.
The center of the room had four-top barstool height tables. A decorative wood-paneled wall was closest to the kitchen. Booth seating ran the left-hand side of the room.
We sat at a four-person table closest to the checkout counter, near the front door. The table was preset with silverware and plates. Our waitress was a young girl. She brought us menus and told us it was her first day as a waitress because everyone else called out sick.
Nene’s Cocina Menu
The multi-page laminated menu was broken into sections with their titles in Spanish. I browsed the online menu before we arrived.
I found that the descriptions for each dish were most helpful with deciding whether it was something I would be interested in ordering.
Appetizers
Pulled Pork Nachos | $10.49+
I love pulled pork, so I figured nachos would be a great appetizer to start with. As a food blogger, you’d be surprised with how difficult it is to get a good plate of nachos.
Nene’s Cocina makes amazing nachos. The chips were fresh and crisp (and I wonder if they were homemade?). Fondue cheese was distributed across the layers of chips, rather than piled on the topmost layer. I loved the sweet caramelized onions and the pulled pork was nice and tender.
It was a generous portion and we ended up taking some home. I would definitely order the nachos again.
Tortitas de Papa | $8.50+
The tortitas de papa caught my eye. The idea of a parmesan potato cake sounded delicious to me. I enjoy queso fresco and though I wondered if the poblano cream sauce would be too spicy for me, we decided to try it anyway.
The crispy potato cakes were as large as a patty and fairy thick. On their own, they were plain and had a nice texture.
The sauce was the star of the dish and a thick layer ran the length of the plate. The poblano cream sauce reminded me a bit of the green sauce that goes on chilaquiles. It was a bit spicy for me, so I may not order it again, but overall it was a good appetizer to have as an option.
Papas Con Queso | $10.49
We also tried the papas con queso, because who doesn’t love cheese fries? We should’ve tried a different protein for the sake of this review, but we stuck with pulled pork. Nene’s offers steak, chicken, and chorizo to add as proteins. I will try chorizo the next time I visit.
The menu said the papas con queso had a mozzarella-provolone blend, scallions, pickled jalapeño, chipotle aioli, and crema.
I like that Nene’s Cocina makes everything fresh and that their portions are large (look at all the pulled pork on those fries!). I didn’t think the fries had as much flavor as I was expecting with the chipotle aioli. We ended up dipping the fries in the poblano cream sauce.
There was nothing wrong with this appetizer — the pulled pork was still amazing, but compared to the other flavors we had in the other appetizers, I didn’t think the cheese fries had as much flavor. I would probably skip ordering this appetizer the next time I visit and try the other options that were available.
Entrees
At this point in the evening, the restaurant was packed. Three men came in and out and sat against the front glass windows as they waited for takeout orders. A family took the table in the back corner. A couple sat at the high top table in front of us. Two or three tables sat behind us.
An elderly group of ladies came in. Our waitress managed the whole room, doing the takeout orders and going back and forth to the kitchen. She informed the ladies that she was alone this evening and that they would have to bear with her.
We placed our entrees and they arrived promptly (and hot) to our table.
Beef Empanadas | $12.49
My sister-in-law makes the best empanadas so I was curious to try Nene’s. The menu said that there was 4 per order and that it came with a number of sauces. I was curious if I should order a side of rice or beans to make the meal more filling, but in the end, I stuck with the empanadas on their own.
I ordered beef because I figured it would have more flavor then chicken or cheese. Surprisingly, the waitress asked if I wanted the toppings/sauces on the side or overtop the empanadas. As you can see, I got them on the side. I had salsa, guacamole, chipotle, sour cream, and parmesan cheese.
The empanadas were amazing. The outside was crispy and they were filled with seasoned ground beef. I loved having the variety of toppings. The guacamole and chipotle were my favorite. I only ate 2 of the 4 empanadas because they were so filling! I’m glad I didn’t get the side of rice or beans because that would’ve been too much food.
Quesa-Birria Tacos | $12.49
I’ve seen many Instagram reels of foodies sharing the best quesa-birria tacos in their area. I’ve never had them before and I wondered if they were as delicious as the videos made them seem, which is why we ordered this one for our dinner entree.
I knew when the plate of tacos was placed in front of me that these were going to be amazing. The taco shells looked glorious and I could see the layers of brisket and mozzarella cheese. I was excited to try the beef consommé dipping sauce, which I know is what makes quesa-birria tacos so special.
Y’all — these were unbelievable. Now I know why the food community is hyped to talk about these. I could not believe the flavor of the dipping sauce. I could drink it like soup.
The brisket was buttery tender and I loved the soft taco shell. It was an amazing combination and I would 100% order it again. I took half of this entree home and reheated it the next day and it was still glorious.
Chicken Flautas | $11.49+
My boyfriend wanted to try the chicken flautas. The menu said there are 5 to an order. This dish also arrived quickly and was freshly prepared.
It was hard to tell how the flautas themselves looked, because of the cabbage tomato slaw. However, I tried a bite and the textures of the dish were great — creamy crema and queso fresco, the crispy shell, the chicken, and the fresh and crunchy slaw on top.
This was a good-sized portion too, considering the number of appetizers we shared as well.
Dessert
The couple in front of us finished their dinners and left as we ate our entrees. The family in the corner finished quickly and left. The takeout orders were consistent for a weeknight. Cars parked in front of the restaurant with their hazards on and ran in to pick up their orders.
Our waitress came by to give us takeout containers and bags for our entrees. We knew we wanted dessert so we placed our order as the dining room died down.
Dulce de Leche Churros | $9.50
Y’all, I’ve had regular churros before and have even made my own at home, but nothing compares to the dulce de leche churros at Nene’s Cocina.
The churros themselves are huge. I adore the rich, caramel flavor of the dulce de leche filling. The churros themselves are burning hot, crisp and coated in sugar. We got a little cup of a thick chocolate sauce for dipping. I highly recommend you finish your meal with churros for dessert.
My Recommendations
I would give our visit to Nene’s Cocina a 10/10 for the following:
Decor and Design
Nene’s Cocina is a spacious and bright restaurant with traditional Mexican artwork, decorations, and colors.
Service
Our waitress was amazing! I couldn’t believe it was her first time managing a dining room. She did a great job juggling the many tables, answering the phone, and distributing the takeout orders. She was hardworking, funny, and had a great attitude despite the stressful situation of having no coworkers available to assist her. Our food arrived piping hot and we always had enough water, napkins, etc. for our meal.
Food
Everything about our meal was amazing. While I had favorite dishes over others, all of the dishes we tried were large, fresh, and tasty. I have to say that the quesa-birria were my favorite dish of the evening, plus the dessert. I would highly recommend visiting Nene’s Cocina.
Have you been to Nene’s Cocina?
Do you have a favorite dish from Nene’s Cocina that I should try? Or another favorite Mexican restaurant that I should visit? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you.
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