We are sharing the drive with collegekid out to Albuquerque for a summer internship. Any suggestions on a fun place to take her out to dinner? Not super fancy / expensive but someplace she might not go to an intern’s budget!
I’m going to be out there doing some college visits and hiking from May 7-13. Let me know what you hear!
Thanks 
Old Town has nice shops and restaurants.
I second the Old Town idea. Lots of shops with restaurants. There is also El Pinto down in the valley - has been a staple for decades. Also, you could try the restaurants associated with the Tramway. Santiago’s is the restaurant at the bottom and High Finance is the one at the top of the mountain. High Finance is pricey but maybe do lunch. Take the tram up, have lunch and hike around. It is a great view!
Old town is very touristy. But if you do want to eat there 2 slightly off the beaten path restaurants to try-- Cocino Azul for some really good New Mexican food. (But watch out their green chile is seriously hot, but I will kill for the Huevos Rancheros.) Or try Golden Crown Panderia for pizza.
Seasons Rotisserie & Grill (fine dining) in Old Town is very good. Try their upstairs bar for quicker service but be aware it has a limited menu.
What kind of places are you looking for?
For really nice, my favorites are Zinc Wine Bar in Nob Hill; The Artichoke Cafe in EDO (East of Downtown); Season’s in Old Town; Farm & Table in the North Valley.
El Pinto in the North Valley is good for NuMex food, but the lines can be huge if you go on a weekend night. It’s also noisy. Sadie’s 3 locations are also popular spots for New Mexican cuisine, but the North Valley location is now a tour bus stop so try one of the other sites. Not at picturesque, but no long waits either. I prefer Monroes or Cocina Azul for my chile fix.
High Finance at the top of Sandia Crest is currently closed for renovations, but Santiago’s at the base of the Tram is open. It has OK New Mexican food, great sunset views and huge margaritas.
Nob Hill (which is along Central Ave, just east of UNM’s campus) is awash with restaurants, all locally owned, casual, mid-range in price with decent-to-good food.
I’d also recommend Vinaigrette (locally grown salad-only restaurant) west of downtown and not far from Old Town. The Grove Cafe (where Walter White poisoned Lydia in Breaking Bad) in EDO for breakfast/lunch.
For upscale pizza and local beer, Farina in EDO or Farina Alto in the NE foothills.
For kitschy, but with good food, try The Standard Diner (which Guy Fieri loves and has put it on his show several times)
I also recommend the Range Cafe, a local chain with several locations in ABQ and Bernalillo. Casual dining, good food.
Albuquerque is recognized for the quality of its local beers, is home to a couple dozen really good microbreweries, including several national award-winners. The best is probably Marble Brewery. La Cumbre is the second best. But it’s hard to go wrong with most of them–except maybe Kelley’s Brew Pub which is just OK.
ABQ has an active food truck scene.
Just saw the intern’s budget comment. Here’s where my kiddos & their friends (all professional/grad students) eat out—
The Range Cafe–any location; any place along Central in Nob Hill (except Zinc which is $$$$)–faves include Two Fools Tavern, Street Food Asia, Zacateca’s, Limonato; the ubiquitous Flying Star Cafe–any location, The Grove Cafe, Farina/Farina Alto. Piatanzi (Italian small plates–2 locations)–can be $$$ depending on what you order. Monroe’s, Cocino Azul, El Pinto for New Mexican. Annapura’s for vegan cuisine. Vinaigrette. Sala Thai near UNM’s campus. Orchid Thai near the east end of Nob Hill. El Modelo in Barelas (under the RR bridge near The National Hispanic Cultural Center)–great tamales but it’s take out only with picnic tables outside. Silver Street Cafe in downtown. Il Vicino (wood oven pizza & microbrewery)–any location. Satellite Coffee (sandwiches, breakfast). Relish (sandwiches). Dions–any location (pizza). Grassburger (burgers–meat or veggie).
Food trucks at Marble, La Cumbres or Tractor Breweries.
And, of course, the Whole Foods near UNM’s campus.
Thanks, @bookworm- we are staying in (or near?) the Old Town area so that works/ The tramway sounds like fun, @GTAustin!
The tram is great ride, but not for those with height issues. Be sure to check the weather reports before heading out. Spring is windy season and the tram will get shut down if the wind speeds get too high. (Like right now.)
Also remember the summit is 11,000 ft. Take water, snacks, sunscreen and jacket. Be aware that altitude sickness gets a lot of flatlanders who aren’t used to the elevation.
Hiking up the La Luz or El Pino Trails from the east side of town to the top of Sandia Crest and then along the Crest Trail to the Tram house and taking the tram down is a popular activity, but it’s pretty strenuous. Allow 6+ hours to complete the trip.
Thanks for the advice, @WayOutWestMom - really helpful
@WayOutWestMom - I’ll have to write down your suggestions. I visit ABQ fairly often to see relatives and we always go to the same neighborhood restaurants. We can try something new next time.
D1 waitressed at a number of fine dining and not-so-fine dining restaurants over the years (from high school until she started med school), plus she has a lot of friends in the rock climbing community who work in the food service industry. If there’s something specific (like a area or cuisine) you’re looking for, ask and I’ll see what I can scare up in the way of a recommendation.
I will admit right off, I don’t know much about what’s happening on the West Side or Rio Rancho, but I’m pretty familiar with the restaurants in Corrales. (Indigo Crow for fine dining)
Little Anita’s and County Line are pretty good
When we’re passing through Albuquerque, we often stop at La Salita since it’s pretty close to highway 40.
I’m curious if any of @WayOutWestMom’s suggestions of good NM food are also close. It seems impossible to get green chiles anywhere else!
Our daughter was in Albuquerque for an internship last summer. Loved the town.
Our favorite restaurants were Church Street Cafe for lunch, Elephant Bar, and High Noon.
Super -thanks for that @FlyMeToTheMoon and @CharlotteLetter!
Wow–really helpful and detailed recommendations. Love NM, but sadly can’t take the altitude there any more. We have dear friends living in NM whom we have visited. Old Town was a lot of fun, even if touristy. Nice to be able to wander around.
I second the Range Café. Locals type of place. Great food! Mary and Titos and Wecks are also pretty good.
Come to think of it, I don’t think I have ever had a bad meal in New Mexico, and I travel there quite often! Albuquerque is a fantastic city.
I love the Parent Cafe! thanks for all the great tips
I was there once with my son about 5,6 years ago, one thing we did was go to the Petroglyph National monument (or national park, not sure what the final word was), that was kind of awesome. There are some great restaurants there, we were downtown in an area that was gentrifying and there was this amazing coffee shop known for its incredible breakfasts that looked like it was from the 1950’s…Zinc had great breakfast/brunch, the french toast when I went to die for. We didn’t go up the tramway (my son and I don’t like that kind of heights) but we did hike up one of the trails a bit to get some exercise.
If you like kitsch, drive on route 66 through downtown, they have a bunch of wonderful junk/antique stores, you never know what you are going to find:).
There was a wildlife refuge along the (Rio Grande) that was sort of interesting, I was disappointed I hadn’t seen a roadrunner, and when we were heading to the parking lot one popped up, it was great.