We will be in Albuquerque during Balloon Fiesta and love to experience new restaurants. I know I'm starting early but thought I'd see if there are any new favorite restaurants. Although the majority of restaurants we've been to are New Mexican cuisine, we are open to anything.

In the past we've been to:
Church St. Cafe
La Crepe Michel in Old Town
Gardunos
Litle Anita's
Blue Mesa
High Finance

Thanks!

ttt

I think Little Anita's has decreased in quality; it wasn't nearly as good the last time we were there.

Let's see...Garcia's (several locations) has good New Mexican food; Chow's (NE Heights) is good Chinese; Artichoke Cafe (near downtown) and Le Cafe Miche (NE Heights) are great bistro-type restaurants with good wine lists; Vivace and Scalo (both Nob Hill) both have excellent Italian cuisine; Yanni's (Nob Hill) is super Mediterranean; Olympia Cafe (UNM) has delicious inexpensive Greek food; Frontier (just down the street) is a local institution.

How's that for starters?

Lee Ann

Lee Ann,

That's terrific! Those are all new to me!

MacD's, Burger King, Wendy's, Whataburger, Carl's Jr, Sonic, Pizza Hut, KFC, to name a few.
8-)

Jamaltay,

Sadly, I know those selections too well! amp;

How about the Frontier for breakfast? I loved their red chili.

I've never heard of the Frontier. I'll have to look into it.

How HOT is their chili?

I live in Texas so I'm accustomed to Tex-Mex but New Mexican chili can knock me out of my boots!

Frontier is right across the street from UNM at Cornell and Central; open 24/7 and known for their inexpensive, delicious, freshly prepared food, including wonderful fresh, hot, just-made tortillas. Walk in, order at the counter, and wait for your number to come up.

It has good red and green chile; both are hotter than I prefer, but not so hot that you can't taste your food. The chile is served at a separate station, so you can get as much or as little as you like.

If you like the small plate concept, Graze by Jennifer James (on Central just east of Girard) is supposed to be really good.

Lee Ann

I'm getting excited. Hotel and airfare recently booked.

How about a few more suggestions for restaurants?

We had a great pizza and salad dinner in Sant Fe at Il Vicino. I believe there is one in Albuquerque also. Very inexpensive for the quality. This is not your typical "chain" pizza.

Il Vicino has 3 locations in ABQ. The best one is on Central in Nob Hill. It is a fun location, with lots to see. This is not a chain, it is a local microbrewery. They also make great sandwiches. The pizza is made in wood burning oven and is great!

One more thing...try a great website that sells dining certificates for ABQ; Santa Fe; Taos; and Durango restaurants. They have sample menus to view too. You can buy certificates that save you 50 -70%. For example, you can buy a $25 certificate for $7.50 and use it to buy $25 worth of food.
The site is www.999dine.com
I use it all the time and it really saves $$.

Thanks for the additional posts.

I'll definitely check out the 999dine in the future. The discounts will expire before we arrive.

The certificates from 999dine.com expire 90 days AFTER you buy them...they have rolling expirations. so as long as you buy them within 90 days of your trip...you are set!