Carlsbad restaurateur Luis de Leon offers diverse menus at 3 eateries in Carlsbad

Luis de Leon first came to Carlsbad as a construction worker but noticed there wasn’t much to eat.

He immigrated to the U.S., first to California and then Clovis, working for his dad’s construction company and making frequent trips south to the Cavern City as it grew into the booming oil town it is today.

About six years ago, de Leon still works in the construction company but also owns a trio of restaurants throughout Carlsbad with three very different menus.

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It all started with the El Charro Mexican food truck that served customers from the corner of Church and Canal streets. El Charro moved about two years ago into a permanent location on South Canal Street on one of Carlsbad’s busiest stretches of oilfield traffic.

De Leon’s empire quickly grew to feature steakhouse El Diamante on Bonbright Street in the building that housed several other restaurants over the years like Chapman’s, Marion’s and most recently Rosy’s. Late last year, Anomaly Deli House opened on National Parks Highway, next to the new WingStop, offering fresh sandwiches and salads.

“This town is not too big to have the same things,” de Leon said, a crowd gathering before El Charro’s counter on a Wednesday morning, April 17. “A lot of companies make big orders. It’s hard for any restaurant in this town.”

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Capitalizing on restaurant industry growth in Carlsbad

The growth the de Leons saw in recent years followed a swelling population in Eddy County ― the highest rate in the state at about 15.8 percent according to the 2020 Census. Restaurants are also on the rise throughout New Mexico. In 2023, restaurants statewide saw $5.9 billion in sales, compared with $5.3 billion in 2022, according to a report from the National Restaurant Association.

Jobs were also up by to 91,900 in 2023 from 2022’s total of 90,100, the report read. The Association predicted those jobs would climb by 13 percent by 2030 for a total 102,000 restaurant employees in New Mexico.

De Leon said his vision to capitalize on the industry’s growth also sees a barbecue restaurant aimed primarily at large catering orders in the coming months. He said his goal is offer food options as diverse as the palate of Carlsbad’s people, who come from all around the world as oil and gas booms in the Permian Basin of southeast New Mexico.

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His first foray into the culinary world started off harder than de Leon expected. On the first day his food truck was open, he said he only made $45.

“It was really hard to find food when we were working here,” de Leon said as the kitchen bustled behind him. “We put in the idea of a food truck. It was really hard.”

The de Leon family works together to feed Carlsbad

It took a lot of work and late nights to get to where he is today, de Leon said, and involved almost his entire family.

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His nephew Jose de Leon, 21, runs Anomaly, and de Leon said his 19-year-old daughter Natalie often works the cash register at El Charro, a job she’s done since high school.

“I sleep six hours and the rest I have for organizing everything,” de Leon said. “I don’t have much time for me, but my family works with me. We are together and I am happy. I really enjoy how we are growing bigger and bigger.”

A 30 percent owner of Anomaly, Jose de Leon also emigrated from Mexico at about age 5, living in California and then Clovis. Jose de Leon said his father’s side of the family lived in Carlsbad for years, and he would travel to the city and work with Luis at the restaurant.

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One day, Jose said Luis and he were talking about Jose’s plans for his career. Those conversations while the two cleaned turned into a partnership and Anomaly opened Nov. 20, 2023.

“When we opened, I told my uncle we should do something a little different,” Jose de Leon said. “We decided to go with it, and it’s been really good. People have mentioned it’s really good we’re on this side of town. That’s where it seems to be growing.”

Menus as diverse as Carlsbad’s growing populace

The success they enjoyed since that disappointing first day, the de Leons credited to a philosophy of offering foods anyone can enjoy. Word got out as to the accessibility of El Charro’s cuisine. Today, de Leon said about 60 to 70 percent of his customers are white.

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The menu offers Tex-Mex and American renditions of popular Mexican dishes like tacos and burritos. In Mexico, ground beef or brisket is a rarity in tacos, de Leon said, but he adapted the dish to serve New Mexicans. Another popular item is the “quesabirria,” a creation that merges the quesadilla with birria, folding the marinated meat into a tortilla pressed flat with melted cheese. The dish is served with a side of consumé used to season the meat for dipping.

Anomaly offers fresh, deli-style sandwiches Jose de Leon said are intended as a healthier option with a fresh bread baked in-house, topped with several protein options other ingredients. The restaurant also offers salads.

At first, Anomaly saw little business much like that first food truck, Jose de Leon said, but it took off after they posted on social media and Carlsbadians began flocking to the shop in droves.

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“From one day to another, we had so much foot traffic in here,” Jose de Leon said. “A lot of people (restaurant owners) go with more economic options. For us, we went for the best quality. It’s more expensive for us, but it’s worth it.”

Back at El Charro, Luis de Leon also emphasized serving food with a diverse customer base at the front of his mind. He said none of the food is cooked to be spicy. That decision, he leaves to the customers as several intimidating bottles of hot sauce loom near the counter to tempt diners.

“We try to do something (at El Charro) that’s not just for Mexicans,” de Leon said. “We don’t do anything spicy, but we have a lot of hot sauces. If they want it, we have crazy hot sauces. One drop is all it takes.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad restauranteur Luis de Leon offers diverse menus at 3 eateries