Hey there beautiful people and especially foodies because this weeks edition will make your foodie heart happy!
Sara and I wanted to share some of our favorite places to eat in Albuquerque, covering a variety of options because we are far from picky and love all sorts of cuisines. Some of these locations were new to both of us, others were favorites we wanted to share.
Whatever food you’re into, I’m sure you’re going to find something you’ll love from the following our favorite list, which we think are amongst the best restaurants in Albuquerque!
1. The Grove
2. Veit Taste
3. Duran’s Café
4. Miso Sushi
5. Fork n Fig
6. Oni Noodles
7. El Viva Mexico
8. Farinas Pizza
9. Le Bistro
10. The Feel Good
The first one is Sara’s ultimate favorite breakfast/brunch spots. The Grove is aesthetically pleasing and inviting, and the customer service is impeccable. All the ingredients used is organic and comes from local farmers in New Mexico. It’s always fresh and delicious! Everything on their menu is delicious and special in its own way. Our most commonly ordered dishes are the Kale salad, Croquet Madame, Grove Pancakes, their specialty cupcakes that are made fresh daily, daily soups especially the Tomato Basil, Avocado Toast, Smoked Salmon with green salad and their seasonal options. For beverages the sea salt chocolate cold brew is like a coffee adult chocolate milk and a dash of sea salt bringing that sweet and savory touch and of course the mimosas!
Viet Taste is a restaurant our friend introduced us to. Our top dishes we order are the Grilled Beef and Jasmine Rice, the Chicken Pho, Shrimp Spring Rolls, Beef Clay Pot, Grilled Beef and Shrimp Vermicelli Bowl. All the dishes come out fresh and made to order so get those chopsticks ready! They have recently remodeled the inside and gained more space which makes it nice and roomy! The owners and staff are also very friendly and often know what you order when you become a regular like us!
Ready for some spice? This place screams authentic New Mexican food. It’s my personal favorite because it reminds me of going to grandma’s house. Duran’s Café is located inside Duran’s Central Pharmacy. Fun fact Duran Central Pharmacy is one of the oldest commercial establishments in Albuquerque since 1942! Now back to the food, they make fresh tortillas on a daily and rub butter all of it upon request. The chili is the bomb.com, I’m a fan of getting Christmas because I can never decide on which one, however they are both spicy. Sara and I have order tacos, burritos (bean, beef, breakfast), enchiladas, just a bowl of beans and chili and their specials like Frito Pies and stuffed sopapillas!
My tummy wishes I lived closer to the sea because I’m a huge fan of sea food! Miso Sushi is so good and, in my opinion, has the freshest sushi in town. It is newer to the Albuquerque, and I have eaten there about quite a few times already and each time they are very consistent. I recently have taken Sara and she just fell in love with the seaweed salad. I usually order the Evergreen and Firecracker roll. The Evergreen is a cucumber wrap instead of seaweed or rice and the Firecracker that roll with just a perfect amount of heat. The rolls are a perfectly sized and cut just right for that bite size.
Looking for a burger, but maybe not so traditional? Fork and Fig is a unique, open atmosphere. The restaurant offers a smaller space but, is cute, casual and its main focal point is the kitchen. I just really enjoy sitting at the bar and watching all the food being gracefully prepared. Everything is freshly cooked and prepared. Most of the products are from local farms so the menu is always availing. All the burgers are wonderful. I absolutely love the grilled corn‘cob and the grilled zucchini! If you must have fries with your burger then this place may not be the place for you. They have other options as well, like salads, open faced sandwiches and specialty homemade teas that they change often
Slurp Slurp! Oni Noodles is New Mexico’s first ramen food truck! They started back in 2017 and originally only had pop ups every now and then and let me tell you, that craving til the next pop up was real! But this year is their first year they are popping up multiple times each month at various locations such as Marble brewery (Eastside and Downtown), Sister Bar, and Sidetrack Brewing. Check out their amazing menu and calendar at https://www.oninoodles.com/
Let’s Tacobout Viva Mexico! This place has been one of my faves for over 14 years! Originally, they began in a little casita with only a few tables, but that didn’t stop my friends and I from standing outside in line waiting to get some of the best hangover food you could ask for! When I introduced this gem to Alyssa they had already built out a new building in the same lot as the original casita, but same great taste and people! My go to spot for Cocktelito de Camaron or Shrimp Cocktails because it’s always fresh and always a generous portion. And let’s not forget the Asada Nachos! They are loaded and a great portion size for a reasonably priced, paired with a Mexican bottled Coke MMMM! Last, but not least the tacos and fajitas are off the charts! Consistent every time!
Pizza Pizza! Who doesn’t love Pizza?! Especially when it’s artisanal pizza! Our top pick for pizza and salad is Farina Downtown. We love the atmosphere, while small, it offers a very inviting and upbeat, downtown district vibe and in the summer the patio is a nice touch. They offer a good variety of wine and local beer and carry a normal rotating specials menu. Let’s just keep it simple and say I have yet to have a pizza I didn’t like! Salad?! The Chopped Vegetable Salad is beyond delicious! It is fresh, hearty and just yum! We usually like to get the salad, a pizza and try one of their new creations on the special’s menu! Check it out and I promise you won’t be disappointed!
We just had to include another one of our Vietnamese spots because we really love Vietnam and their food! LeBistro is an off the grid find that we stumbled upon in conversation about vegetarian Pho with a friend. This place is a cute gem with the best Bahn Mi bread that just takes me right back to our time in Vietnam. The owner makes Bahn Mi bread fresh every morning. Some of you may know and love Coda Bakery like we do but let me tell you this bread is even better than that! They also offer a super tasty Wonton Soup which you can get a small or regular portion. Pair a Bahn Mi sandwich with a small Wonton Soup and I promise you won’t be disappointed! Their Pho broth is also very full of flavor and for my vegetarian friends they do offer full vegetarian Pho and have lots of vegetarian options on the menu! Not to mention the owners are super welcoming and kind!
Last, but certainly not least and a newer edition to our top spot is The Feel Good . The name says it all as their food really does make you feel good! We accidently went during Happy Hour and we sure were happy! We sat at the cute winded bar, but the booths for two are a super cute touch. They serve a wide variety of wine (50% off sparkling and Rose’ wines) and offer a few local beers. We started with wine and were offered a platter of small appetizer bites for Happy Hour (complimentary) that ranged from sweet and savory to small apple bites, blueberry muffins, Bri and mushrooms, Butternut squash and many more! We ordered from the afternoon menu, but they also have a separate dinner menu. We decided to go with one of our top combo choices, Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup. Since Alyssa is a Yelp Elite we often like to look at reviews and photos from others who have experienced the menu. So, we did just that and saw the Kale Salad. We love the Grove’s Kale Salad and often make our own at home so we just had to try it. It was actually part of the dinner menu is what we found, but they were very willing to make it for us and it was so good! Okay now dessert! We don’t’ always order dessert, but when we do! Haha! Alyssa wanted to try the white cake Orange glaze cake with lite homemade whipped cream frosting. Mmm mmm mmm I was so glad she did because it was a perfect way to round out a good meal with a fresh glass of wine. The Feel Good is a must try spot and perfect for a cute little date for dinner or just for Happy Hour!
I encourage all of you to try the above local spots they won’t disappoint ! Thank you for stopping by and giving this a read, let us know in the comments below if you enjoyed this post. I’ll be posting something every Friday…. stay tuned. I would like to incorporate more of my Wife Sara, the doggies and just more lifestyle posts (aka I am mixing things up) . For my lovely fashion lovers don’t worry, I’ll still be posting fashion blogs. Cheers to Friday – Have a great night
XOXO – Alyssa & Sara