Nothing tests breakfast loyalty like a packed parking lot before the first cup of coffee. Along New Mexico’s Route 66 corridor, several longtime restaurants draw weekend crowds so consistently that regulars have developed their own survival strategies.
Some arrive at opening. Others save their favorite booth for a quieter weekday.
The rush makes sense once the plates start landing. Warm tortillas hold chile-covered favorites, giant sweet rolls attract immediate attention, and roadside standards arrive with decades of local history behind them…