Photo: mksheikh
/Shuttestock
The 11 Best Places to Eat and Drink in Albuquerque Right Now
Albuquerque
Restaurants + Bars
by
Colby Holiday
Apr 8, 2026
New Mexican cuisine so often focuses on one question: red or green? It all boils down to your chile preference. Or, if you can’t decide between the two colors of peppers, there’s always the option to combine both and go the “Christmas” route with your order.
That’s just as true in Albuquerque as it is across the rest of the state. But the city has so much more to offer on the food front. Albuquerque’s food scene is largely influenced by Indigenous and Spanish cultures, but you can find just about anything you’d like at the city’s restaurants and bars, from innovative fusion dishes to cocktails at a convenience store speakeasy.
These are the most exciting restaurants and bars in Albuquerque to eat and drink at right now.
Sawmill Market
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Sawmill Market is the state’s first artisanal food hall with a healthy mix of stalls offering traditional favorites and trendier, emerging foods. From small-batch pasta to pillowy pastries and poke bowls, there’s quite the variety, making it an excellent place to go with a group who wants to spend the evening together but can’t decide what they want to eat. Aside from local food vendors, there are also local retail shops, many of which sell crafts from local artisans.
There’s enough here to keep you coming back time and time again, but at some point, try the fresas me amor waffle from XO Waffle, the creamy lemon pasta from Tulipani Pasta, the caramel cappuccino from Plata Coffee, and the ube soft serve from Neko Neko.
- Address: 1909 Bellamah Ave. NW Albuquerque, NM 87104
- Hours: 8 AM-9 PM (until 10 PM Sat & Sun)
Level 5
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On the rooftop of Hotel Chaco, Level 5 takes dining to another level with its chic, contemporary atmosphere, delicious craft cocktails, and award-worthy fare like avocado hummus, short ribs, and the earl grey crème brûlée. It’s an elevated experience, not just literally, if you go at sunset when you’ll have panoramic views of pink and orange sky over the Sandia Mountains. Only hotel guests can make a reservation, so arrive early to get a spot if you’re staying elsewhere.
- Address: 2000 Bellamah Ave. NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104
- Hours: 5 PM-10 PM (until 10 PM Fri & Sat), 8 AM-1 PM Sat & Sun
Campo at Los Poblanos
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With lavender farms, rustic charm, and a resident peacock, Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm is where you’ll find the best brunch in Albuquerque. You don’t want to miss the local pecan-beet hummus, Christmas-style chilaquiles, and lavender latte. It sits on a 25-acre aromatic lavender field so diners can soak up the sun and views of the Sandia Mountains while sipping lavender-infused coffees and cocktails. Dishes are made with fresh ingredients sourced from local farmers and producers whenever possible, and there’s even an on-site farm shop (open 8 AM-6 PM), in case you find a few goodies you want to take home.
- Address: 4803 Rio Grande Blvd NW, Los Ranchos De Albuquerque, NM 87107
- Hours: 5 PM-9 PM daily, 8 AM-1 PM Sat & Sun. (Bar daily 11 AM-10:30 PM)
MOMO Lounge
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Sitting in Albuquerque’s Old Town, MoMo Lounge is the perfect relaxing spot for refreshing drinks made with local spirits. The MoMo Lounge transports travelers and locals alike to the bygone days of the iconic Route 66 era with a 1970s-inspired design mixed with modern touches. While the lounge doesn’t have an on-site kitchen, guests can order from a menu from local restaurants and have the meal delivered to their tables. You don’t have to be a guest of the Monterey Motel, home of Momo Lounge, to pop in.
- Address: 2402 Central Ave SW, Monterey Motel, Albuquerque, NM 87104
- Hours: 10 AM-10 PM daily
Electric Playhouse
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People often say it’s not polite to play with your food, but Electric Playhouse says otherwise. In this interactive gaming wonderland, guests get to play with their food in more ways than one. Gather up a group of friends for a private dinner, served against the backdrop of a show with moving abstract art and projections. After dinner, you can indulge in interactive game boards along with classics like air hockey and whack-a-mole. The games and show themes are constantly changing, so it’s always a fun place, even if you’ve been to Albuquerque many times before.
- Address: 5201 Ouray Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120
- Hours: Closed Mon & Tue; 2 PM-8 PM Wed & Thu; 2 PM-10 PM Fri, 10 AM-10 PM Sat, 10 AM-8 PM Sun
Ten 3
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Refuel and unwind after a heart-pumping mountain hike at Ten 3, sitting on a summit in the Sandia Mountains. If you’d rather hitch a ride than a hike, you can hop aboard the Sandia Peak Tram, the longest aerial tramway in North America, for jaw-dropping views on the way to the top. At the summit, you’ll find Ten 3, which gets its name from the elevation (10,300 feet above sea level). It sits close to the cliff for your optimal viewing pleasure and has both casual and fine dining options.
- Address: 30 Tramway Rd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87122
- Hours: Closed Tue & Wed, 10:30 AM-7:30 PM, Thu-Mon (casual dining), 4:30 PM-7:30 PM Thu-Mon (fine dining)
Char
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Char is one of the newer additions inside downtown’s historic Hotel Andaluz, taking over the space that previously housed the hotel’s long-running Spanish restaurant, MÁS Tapas y Vino. It’s a big departure, positioned now as a modern steakhouse, but still leans into the building’s moody, layered layout, with smaller rooms and tucked-away seating areas that make it feel more intimate than a typical open dining room (and are an excellent place for a date night).
The main draw is the live-fire cooking. Char uses a Josper grill, which is basically a high-end charcoal oven that cooks at very high heat to give meats a smoky, wood-fired flavor. It’s the only such grill in New Mexico and is one of the restaurant’s main draws.
The menu sticks to the steaks and seafood theme, with a handful of dishes that pull in New Mexican ingredients without serving the same meals you’ll find everywhere else in town. It’s an easy pick if you want something that feels a little more current than the city’s older standby spots.
- Address: 125 2nd St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
- Hours: 11 AM-2 PM, 5 PM-10 PM daily
Apothecary Rooftop Lounge
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Need a dose of feel-good vibes? Apothecary Rooftop Lounge is Albuquerque’s hottest rooftop bar. It’s perched atop the rooftop of the historic Parque Hotel (a former sanatorium) and serves up Prohibition-era classic cocktails along with breathtaking views of the Sandias and Albuquerque skyline. Don’t miss out on the signature cocktails made with house-made bitters and syrups. Inside, you’ll find relics of the building’s clinical past, such as vintage apothecary bottles behind the bar, an old gurney repurposed as a table, and a hanging surgical lamp over said table.
- Address: 806 Central Ave SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102
- Hours: 5 PM-10 PM (until 11:30 PM Fri & Sat)
Founders Speakeasy
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A visit here begins by having a not-so-secret password, followed by a jaunt through an inconspicuous liquor store freezer and down a secret staircase that leads to a clandestine cocktail bar. Hidden as it is, Founders Speakeasy is not exactly secretive, given it openly posts the password on its Instagram page. The bigger challenge to getting in is nabbing one of the few seats, as this tiny bar seats on a first-come, first-served basis. If you’re lucky enough to get inside, you’ll be met with a bevy of spirits and signature beverages. The dark walls, dim lighting, and decked-out vintage decor all make for a sultry atmosphere where it’s easy to lose track of time.
- Address: 622 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
- Hours: 5 PM-10 PM (until 11:30 PM Fri & Sat)
Indian Pueblo Kitchen
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One would be remiss to visit Albuquerque and not visit the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to learn about the culture, history, and heritage of Indigenous people in New Mexico. This cultural institution is known as the gateway to New Mexico’s 19 Native American Pueblos. But before embarking on the cultural side of things, kickstart your morning with breakfast at the on-site Indian Pueblo Kitchen to experience Indigenous cuisine straight from local chefs.
- Address: 2401 12th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104
- Hours: 11 AM-9 PM, Mon-Thu; 11 AM-10 PM (Fri & Sat), 10:30 AM-9 PM (Sun)
El Pinto Restaurant and Cantina
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El Pinto is an Albuquerque favorite housed in a large (and beautiful) building that can seat more than 1,200 guests at a time. Menu highlights include green chile strips, red chile ribs, stuffed sopapillas, and the calabacitas burrito. El Pinto prioritizes sustainability with its use of only locally-sourced ingredients, many of which are grown at the restaurant. A composting area that processes 600 pounds of food waste per week provides compost for the restaurant’s gardens, which grow ingredients for a massive menu. It also has an extensive list of available tequilas and mezcals (more than 225). 
- Address: 10500 4th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114
- Hours: 9 AM-5 PM daily