Hello all,

We have some business in Albuquerque in the coming days, but have not ever spent any time there other than just driving through. We were thinking about staying a night in the downtown area, if in fact they even have a downtown area with decent shopping/restaurants/hotels. Any recommendations about either places to eat and either stay or stay away from would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
C

Been 17 years since I lived there, so take this with that in mind:

For New Mexican food i liked El Pinto or Sadie's. There was a good Brazilian steakhouse downtown back then, but I don't recall the name. If you want a really good green chili cheeseburger go to Twisters (Los Pollos Hermanos from Breaking Bad)

A little far from downtown, but there was a good brew pub in Rio Rancho called Turtle Mountain. They made some delicious wood fire pizzas too.

They have a Breaking Bad tour that takes you around the city in an RV.

Breakfast at Frontier restaurant. Carne Adovada breakfast burrito is the best on earth.

2nd the rec for Sadie's or El Pinto. Both are excellent.

Typically stay in the Uptown area. Not many nice places to stay in "downtown".

ABQ has some great food. If you're a runner there is a great trail adjacent to the Rio Grande.

For food, check out Flying Star Cafe (multiple locations). The one on Rio Grande has a very nice patio. M'Tucci's Italian is good (had our office Christmas party catered by them, never dined in). El Pinto is huge, and usually has a long wait. Reservations recommended, or you can try your luck in the bar area which is open seating. The bar area is the size of a medium restaurant for comparison!

Old Town has some nice artist shops - not sure how COVID has affected that area. Last time I was there was pre-covid.

I'm sure I'll think of more and try to remember and come update this post.

Keep in mind that Santa Fe is only 45 minutes away; when I regularly traveled to ABQ for work back in the day we would always reserve one evening to drive up for dinner and hang out for a few hours.

High Noon Saloon

Frontier for breakfast or lunch. As mentioned the carne adovado burrito and a sweet roll... unbeatable.

Also Golden Pride Chicken is owned by the same folks and you can get the same carne adovado burrito there.

I second El Pinto.

Not sure if it's still there but Chelsea's Burgers near Kirtland is one of the best burgers ever.

Monte's Cigar shop at San Mateo and Comanche is a neat place with a great humidor if that's your thing.

If it's open, take the time to ride the tram up to the top of Sandia Peak. It's a beautiful ride.

There are a few good restaurants in Old Town.

Walk up and down Central and visit some of the hippie shops near UNM. Don't venture too Far East on Central though... that's the War Zone. Lots of gang activity.

Huge flea market too at the festival grounds.

Just make sure you turn left...

Check out The Frontier...it's an Albuquerque staple owned by my great aunt and uncle.

Thanks for the replies. As it turns out, I-40 was a ridiculous parking lot, so after spending an hour barely moving, we crossed the highway median and headed the other way. Had lunch at La Posada in Winslow and then ended up in Flagstaff, which is a place we know and like anyway.

Was flying into ABQ about once a month pre-pandemic. Hoping to get back to New Mexico soon.

I've stayed around the area and the Doubletree near downtown is nice. Walking distance to downtown, but $15 valet. I've kind of just settled into the Courtyard or Fairfield at Yale/Gibson. Nice properties and I save the $15 valet to use to uber Downtown or to Nob Hill.

Cocina Azul is one of my favorite restaurants ever (specifically the original at 12th/Mountain). Carne Adovada enchiladas Christmas style - perfect. Great spot for breakfast too.

Tia Betty Blue's and Fork & Fig are other favorites. Quarter Celtic is a nice pub with pubfare and some solid craft beers.

La Cumbre is the go to brewery. Bombs Away, Bow & Arrow, Thirsty Eye are my other favorites.

Sister Bar is a seriously cool bar downtown. If you need food down there, Brixens is probably the best bet.

Nob Hill has a few funky spots, some bars and restaurants, and shops. But it's not as cool as it could be. Two Fools is my favorite restaurant down there. Another with pub fare.

There's a speakeasy vibe spot (with food) that I'm a fan of in between Nob Hill and Downtown called The Copper Lounge. It's a cool place to hang or start a night.

Sawmill Market is the newest (and biggest) Food Hall in the city. Definitely a cool spot.

ABQ has a nice botanical garden. The aquarium is fine, but I was fairly impressed with the adjoining bugarium. Some nice bike paths down there plus Tingley Beach all make for a nice day with kids.

I've not been to the Electric Playhouse yet, but I'm intrigued. It's certainly not going to be a Meow Wolf (MUST visit in Santa Fe btw) but I'm intrigued.

Petroglyph National Monument has some nice hikes. Boca Negra Canyon is an easy one with decent payoff in the form of Glyphs. The longer trails are in the South Unit.

You'll find some great hiking (or trail running) in the foothills on the eastside of town. Tons of trails and jump off points. But if you want the BEST hikes in the area, head up to Sandia Peak (either drive, hike, or tram). Great hikes with gorgeous views.

And yeah, Santa Fe deserves a visit. It's way cooler than Albuquerque.

Well, the OP has bailed, but I'll throw out some, anyway.

El Pinto, Sadies, Owl Cafe, LaSalita, Cocina Azul, Range Cafe. For breakfast, there is a local chain called Wecks that is really good. In Old Town, we like Church Street Cafe.

You guys seem more into the bar scene, for the rest of us, National Nuclear Museum is a must see.
The tram up Sandia Peak is cool, but you can also drive up the east side to the same spot for free, via Tijeras. Natural history museum is good, as are the gardens and aquarium.
A walk around Old Town is interesting.
The Unsers have a race car museum that is fine, if you're into that.
Balloon museum is okay, probably more for the folks really into that.
If you go in the fall when the Maples (yes, maples) are changing, Fourth of July Canyon is a must.

On the way, Moriarity has a car/truck museum that is more of a wrecking yard, but I liked it a lot.

I'm not a huge fan of Santa Fe, but drive the Turquoise Trial to get there.
Clafloutis is a must stop in Santa Fe, get a real French croissant.
Kids? Small Bug Museum in one of the malls.

Go past Santa Fe, see the chapel at Chimayo, and eat at Rancho de Chimayo.

Drive up to Los Alamos. Stunning scenery and lots of WWII history. Bradbury Science Museum, the local history museum, Bathtub Row, and whatever they now have open of the Manhattan Project Museum.

Bandelier Cliff dwellings

Drive up the mountain past Los Alamos to Valles Caldera, prettiest place in that part of New Mexico. Go the hot springs at Jemez. Drive up to the Gilman tunnels.