4 Best Restaurants in Albuquerque, New Mexico

A staple in the city, each outpost of this locally owned order-at-the-counter-first café suits its neighborhood (some have patios and allow pets). At the original spot here in Nob Hill, the university crowd digs into a creative mix of American and New Mexican dishes (plus several types of wine and beer). Options include rosemary chicken with couscous risotto, a tossed Cobb salad with tangy tomatillo dressing, a green-chile loaded turkey-and-Jack cheese on toasted sourdough, and an egg- and chile-packed "graburrito." Count on a tempting array of desserts, from a bite-size salted caramel blondie to a Nike-sized coffee-cream-filled éclair.

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.

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).

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.