Jack N Grill's New Mexican Eats and Burgers Are Making a Northside Comeback

"It's been a long time coming," says Jack Martinez, whose father was the founder of Jack N Grill, a beloved local eatery that was known for its burgers, New Mexican eats and massive seven-pound breakfast burrito. Now he's bringing the concept back inside Boombox Brew Bar at 5686 Pecos Street starting at 11 a.m. Friday, November 1.

Back in 2000, Jack Martinez Sr. set up a green chile roasting stand at 2524 Federal Boulevard. It became so popular that he took over the building next door, opening the first Jack N Grill that same year. The joint gained national attention in the late 2000s when Adam Richman, host of Man v Food, attempted to eat its gigantic breakfast burrito (and failed to finish).

Jack N Grill grew to a family business with three locations. But in 2018, the last remaining outpost — the original on Federal — shut its doors. "My parents got divorced and dissolved the business," Martinez says. "They both moved back to [different towns in] New Mexico, and they're retired now."

But Martinez, who had worked at the restaurants and helped develop the recipes over the years, has been working to bring Jack N Grill back for a long time. "I have a big Jack N Grill tattoo — it's in my blood," he says. In early 2020, he nearly signed a lease for a space but the deal fell through. "It's probably a good thing," he notes, because shortly after, COVID hit.
"Food trucks were the big thing," Martinez recalls, so he found a trailer and quietly launched a mobile version of Jack N Grill 2, which has been operating "under the radar" since 2022 as he continued to search for a brick-and-mortar location. "Everything is so expensive," he notes, adding that the spaces he found came with a high price tag and not much square footage.

At the same time Martinez was searching for a spot, Luke Sandoval, a truck driver for a local liquor and wine distribution company, was turning his longtime dream of opening his own bar into reality. In 2022, he took over the former Ari's Tavern space and turned it into Boombox Brew Bar.

The space included a kitchen, but when the bar parted ways with the person who had been running the food program, Sandoval reached out to Martinez, who was excited for the opportunity for Jack N Grill 2 to have a permanent home.

"Now people won't have to guess where to find me," says Martinez, who admits he's not great at posting updates on social media. Plus, because of the trailer's small size, he's had to offer either New Mexican items or burgers during each day's service. At Boombox Brew Bar, he'll be able to serve both at once.

The plan is to offer a limited menu to start and expand as Martinez settles into the Boombox kitchen over the next few weeks. And yes, he does hope to bring back that seven-pound burrito.

"It's time to rock and roll," he concludes.

Jack N Grill 2 will be located inside Boombox Brew Bar at 5686 Pecos Street and will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday starting November 1. For more information, visit its Facebook page.