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The Duke City has long been a place for hearty home-style cooking in big portions, and to this day it's easy to find great steak-and-chops houses, retro diners, and authentic New Mexican restaurants. The trick is finding them amid Albuquerque's miles of chain options and legions of dives, but if you look, you'll be rewarded with
The Duke City has long been a place for hearty home-style cooking in big portions, and to this day it's easy to find great steak-and-chops houses, retro diners, and authentic New Mexican restaurants. The trick is finding them amid Albuquerque's miles of chain options an
The Duke City has long been a place for hearty home-style cooking in big portions, and to this day it's easy to find gre
The Duke City has long been a place for hearty home-style cooking in big portions, and to this day it's easy to find great steak-and-chops houses, retro diners, and authentic New Mexican restaurants. The trick is finding them amid Albuquerque's miles of chain options and legions of dives, but if you look, you'll be rewarded with innovative food, and generally at prices much lower than in Santa Fe or other major Southwestern cities.
In Nob Hill, Downtown, and Old Town many notable new restaurants have opened, offering swank decor and complex and artful variations on modern Southwest, Mediterranean, Asian, and other globally inspired cuisine. A significant Vietnamese population has made that cuisine a star, but Indian, Japanese, Thai, and South American traditions all have a presence, making this New Mexico's best destination for ethnic fare.
A favorite of old-timers who know their way around a blue-corn enchilada (and know that Duran's deeply authentic New Mexican red is the chile to pick for it), this welcoming spot serves fine, freshly made and warm flour tortillas, too. Duran's harkens to the days when every drugstore had a soda fountain; it's got cold beer and a full kitchen now, serving up breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with your choice of counter stools, cozy tables, or the little shaded patio right off old Route 66. By the way, the pharmacy itself still offers the personal care it did since its founding back in 1942, and the traveler will find just about any sundry they might have a need for—as well as a sophisticated selection of New Mexico–centric books and gifts.
1815 Central Ave. NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87104, USA
This eatery may look like a set in search of a script, but it's the real deal: folks come from all over the city to sup in the longtime New Mexican--style chile parlor in a historic Route 66 neighborhood south of Downtown. You may notice looks of quiet contentment on the faces of its many dedicated diners as they dive into their bowls of Barelas's potent red chile. It's nothing fancy here, just the comfort of familiarity and the very pleasant option of seating on their shaded patio. The staff treats everybody like an old friend—indeed, many of the regulars who come here have been fans of Barelas since it opened its doors in 1978.
1502 4th St. SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87102, USA
This definitive student hangout—it's directly across from UNM and has been since 1971—is open seven days from 5 am until late, and hits the spot for inexpensive diner-style American and New Mexican chow. A notch up from a fast-food joint, the chile's good (vegetarian and non), the breakfast burritos are fine (the burgers are, too), and who can resist a hot, melty oversize Frontier cinnamon sweet roll? The sprawling space features some oddly eye-catching John Wayne and Elvis artwork that has been there since the start.
2400 Central Ave. SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87106, USA
Tucked between Old Town and the Wells Park neighborhood, this aromatic, down-home-style bakery opens early but is especially well known for two things: its hearty green-chile bread and its hand-tossed (thin-crust) pizzas made with blue corn, peasant, or green-chile dough. You can also order hot cocoa, cappuccino, an award-winning local IPA or lager (or wine), some biscochitos (the official state cookie), fruit-filled empanadas, sandwiches, and a popular coffee milkshake. Take out or dine in (perhaps on the pet-friendly patio).
1103 Mountain Rd. NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87102, USA
A local standby for any meal, the Range Café has a high comfort quotient with hearty dishes like their blue corn or fresh spinach enchiladas with black beans and arroz verde, biscuits and gravy, burgers, and the generously plated salmon-berry salad. Breakfast, served until 3 pm, has fans for its house-made green-chile turkey sausage and huevos rancheros. The food is fresh and well made, with dessert options heavy on pie and cakes. The Old Town–area outpost (like its other locations around town) takes its cues from the still-supreme Bernalillo original, with road trip–inspired decor, local art, and comfy booths.
1050 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87104, USA
A stack-up of mural-painted shipping containers houses a Santa Fe Brewing Co. taproom, an arcade, and a changing set of Albuquerque-based food vendors (Guava Tree Cafe's warm-pressed Caribbean sandwiches, Cake Fetish, and Amore pizza are some highlights). But it's really about the views and indoor-outdoor hangout nooks here. The outdoor spaces are especially refreshing; the view over the desert west oddly enough trumps the mountain view to the east.
6110 Alameda Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87113, USA
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