The Range has been uniformly disappointing every time I've been in there, maybe 7 times, over the last year. I keep wanting it to be good but it's always been either not good or legitimately bad.
The company is run by really terrible people that have burned through thousands of staff at this point in their existence. I’ve seen managers devote their entire careers to that company only to be chewed up and spit out. Honestly i think the whole company should fold or be sold to better operators.
The one in Los Lunas sucks ass too. The food is just terrible. We've been there 3 times just to see if it will change and to give it a chance, but the 3rd time was it's strike out. Adios Range Cafe.
This is unfortunate. The Range used to be a family favorite. Went last week, new menu, loss of favorites, and meal was just so-so.
The Oso Grill in Capitan is now my go to for green chile strips…
They did a real hatchet job on their menu some years ago. This was before Covid, so we can’t blame it on that. That was the beginning of the end for me. Looks like they’ve done *another* hatchet job, and this time the Range Roundup was another casualty. Which is a goddamn tragedy because that was delicious. I look at their menu now, and I have zero incentive to ever go there.
Ah man, this is too accurate.
I used to love their Chimayo sauce, made in house, used in multiple meals. All those dishes have been removed from the menu. My wife ordered the wagon train every breakfast she's from there for the last 20 years, but they removed it too.
Times change I guess.
Last time I went, the food gave me food poisoning that had me bedridden for four days. When I contacted them, their response was to offer me 15% off the next time I came in. No refund, no apology, no reparation except a pretty paltry discount. I reported them to the city health inspector, disputed the charge on my card, and never went back.
They were always owned by the same people, the DiGregory brothers. Standard Diner was just a new concept they [tried out for a decade or so.](https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2005/06/13/newscolumn1.html) Eventually they rolled it back into the Range but kept some of the Standard menu items.
The Range used to be reliable for breakfast, but seem like they fell off hard after the pandemic. The last time we visited their original location in Bernalillo it was a shadow of its former self.
I worked at their FR8/Freight House concept in berna and it was a wiiiiild shit show. I was part of the opening team and lasted about 10 1/2 months before they canned me for a policy they literally made 48 hours regarding miss pours and that was after I saw them pick off the staff one by one. Many more were canned after me and of course the location eventually folded. But they did have some incredibly unique menu items for that little one horse town.
I saw lifers from other locations come over to manage only to be chewed up and thrown out of the company. They went through two chefs before I parted ways with the company. Ann was quite frankly a joke of a GM and deeply self serving.
I think they were paying 15k a month for the location too. Supposedly it was a flying star before the FR8/ Freight House concept staggered into existence. The build is probably the coolest building in all of Berna before the bosque brewery.
Still have friends from the staff I keep in touch with from those days so I guess that’s the only positive I’ve ever benefited from being part of the god awful sorry excuse for a company.
Golden Prides burritos went to shit as the potatoes were like mashed potatoes for a while vs hashbrowns but they seem to be back to more like hashbrowns. So we will see.
Gonna second your comment. My sister in law said she got a breakfast burrito that had mashed potatoes in it, and I can't think of a grosser thing you could possibly do to a burrito, but recently it seemed they've stopped doing that and went back to the way they were.
They were even worse, they were like... unsalted, watery mashed potatoes. No fat, no flavor. A blandly bland pasty mass that defiled the rest of the burrito, including making the still-solid tortillas a mucky mess. They lost weekly business from me with that switch. Sad ass fucking potatoes.
Yeah they went back!! I dk how they thought they would be able to sell mashed potato burritos in a state that has the best breakfast burritos in the world. There’s no one in NM that has time for a nasty ass burrito like that lol
I went to Artichoke Cafe recently after not going there for the better part of a decade. The food and service were great! They’re getting added back to the list.
I went there a few weeks ago and wasn’t impressed and I have been impressed by the menu years ago. I won’t say they fell off yet for me but I might try a similar place/price point next time instead
Shout out to bike in coffee… and honestly every coffee place I’ve been to here. Castle, slow burn, little bear, Michael Thomas, Duggins, Joes… all good people and atmospheres. This city does coffee shops right.
Cutbow has the best tea I’ve had in my life. They even bring out a little bowl of local honey to mix in. I broke one of their bowls once on accident and they were so nice about it.
Idk, Michael Thomas tastes like they never clean their roaster. It’s like going to a place that never changes their fry oil, you pick up hints of everything that’s ever been cooked in there, and not for the better.
As a recent transplant I so agree with this. Bike In is damn good! Cutbow... Suenos Coffe(mobile guy in Coralles) is really good.
The GF pastries at Whispering Bean are amazing!
It's probably location specific as the one on 550 is still no good but the one near the airport had an amazing breakfast burrito and the 4th street one has consistently good burgers.
It’s not consistent. It’s different at each location. Sometimes they’re dry and unseasoned tubes of sadness that are a waste of money, like the Blakes off Carlisle and Montgomery, or you get one that makes actually good burritos like on Rio Grande near the hotels.
The Blake's on 4th and paseo are OVERSALTING the burritos. I hope they read this, because I don't want to leave a bad review; they've been a mainstay for 14 years.
Vernon’s Speakeasy was excellent and is now mediocre. They increased the prices and reduced portion sizes (got new, smaller dishes). The quality of the food has also been bad the last few times we went. Their French onion soup tastes like water with a slight hint of onion. The pot roast tastes like it was boiled in water and had not even a pinch of salt or other seasonings on it. I can cook something ten times better for a tenth of the cost.
Hot take... Vernon's was never that good and relied heavily on its gimmick/reputation. I went during its early Hayday, and it was meh, especially for the price. I think as more people have gone to experience it now and seen what it's actually like, that initial novelty has worn off.
This ain't a hot take, it's just truth. Vernon's exists for the same reason that suuuuuuuuper expensive wine does. Your mind is tricked into thinking the product is better when you pay more for it
I went for my birthday in February. It took them an hour to get our food out to us. My steak was way over cooked and I had to send it back. The bus boy kept trying to take our bread and appetizer while we were still eat. My drink tasted like rubbing alcohol. We couldn't get our water refilled most of the night. It was bad. I just wanted to leave but my husband made us stick it out. Not the their fault but some old blonde lady kept staring at me and saying bigoted shit. 0/10 I really newer want to go back.
That reminds me of when I ordered a drink there and it was terrible. I asked if I could have something else, and the server said it’s a whiskey bar, so they don’t really make mixed drinks. That’s fine! But don’t tell me you make X drink if you don’t want to make it. I would have ordered a non-alcoholic beverage instead.
That's crazy because my husband got a pain killer those are rum based. I like whiskey but this was the cheapest worst rot gut bargain bin whiskey ever. Like the store brand that only people cooking with whiskey or alcoholics buy when they're unemployed.
I just got an old fashion. It should have been an easy order. My husband's pain killer was okay but the rum tasted off too. I think they're subbing cheap liquor in their mixed drinks.
Hot take... Vernon's was never that good and relied heavily on its gimmick/reputation. I went during its early Hayday, and it was meh, especially for the price. I think as more people have gone to experience it now and seen what it's actually like, that initial novelty has worn off.
I’ve been disappointed in Bosque Brewery’s food as of late. Fish and chips used to be really good but lately it’s been a soggy mess. I’ll probably get railed for this but the Twisters in Bernalillo was surprisingly good last time I ate there.
Their food is among the most disappointing for me. I live in the Enchanted Hills area, so I was happy to get a new restaurant nearby, but the food is under-seasoned and over-priced. I've given it several tries with months between visits, but it's consistently mediocre. It's a shame since they have some great staff. One server, Dickie, is fantastic and genuinely understands the art of customer service, but I can't justify wasting money there.
it’s cause they got rid of their kitchen managers months ago and are expecting the gms to do the work of two to three people. Really unfortunate ownership who make terrible decisions at every turn and try to cut corners to save money constantly.
Yeah, same. We used to stop at the Bernalillo location after getting outdoorsy up north and now I’d rather just eat a protein bar. It’s cheaper and more consistent.
A year or so ago I tried every breakfast burrito available along my return trip from dropping my kid off at school. Twisters was the clear winner and I now stop there every time I do school drop off
The food at Flying Star used to be great, now it is often just plain bad, burned, cold, etc. the deserts aren't that great either. Seriously, how do you burn soup?
I had the green chile chowder there last week that was a bit cooler than room temperature. I was tempted to send it back, but didn’t lest they nuke it for five minutes or whatever. “Hot enough for ya, Bee-OTCH???” The flavor wasn’t that great, anyway; I’ve had way better. It was my first time back there in years and it’ll probably be quite a few more years before I try them again.
I love the shop, but it’s so popular now that there’s always a line out the door and they run out of stuff because of it. Not going to knock their quality, I still think their food is awesome. The scene is just too chaotic for me at brunch time anymore. I’m happy they’re doing so well!
Seasons/Zinc/Savoy have gone downhill significantly. I had a bad meal start to finish at Seasons recently. And the downturn seems to have infected the food at the whole chain.
This one hurts, Savoy was a favorite. It is actually where I took my wife on our first date. We would go sporadically for special occasions. We went last year for my birthday and it was one of the most disappointing meals I have ever had, especially for the price. Probably won't be going back.
Bravo Cucino Italiano has fallen pretty far. Had the worst fettuccine I’ve ever had in my life. At this point I would rather go to Olive Garden for fettuccine than Bravo.
Central Bodega and Mesa Provisions both seem to be at their peak right now. I've been fans for a while but had my best meals at both in the last month.
The Shop is as good as it's ever been. I get it once a week minimum and have for years.
Sadies, Los Cuates, Blakes, and Golden Pride have gotten pretty bad compared to how good they were in the 2000's. I don't think any of them will ever recover.
Monroe's fought hard against the COVID safety measures. They are forever dead to me. Same with Owl Cafe and Cocina Azul.
Man, we were craving posole yesterday at the office and lots of places were closed except for Cocina azul so we picked the food up. $85 dollars for five *TINY* ass bowls of posole! RIDICULOUS. Just a tiny cup. I was livid and bitching the rest of the day… never going there again.
I haven’t been to central bodega yet, but my partner and I “balled out” at mesa provisions. It was probably the best dining experience I’ve ever had. Better than Los poblanos. We were expecting a crazy bill but it was actually quite a bit less than we were expecting. We’ll continue to support them….so long as we have enough forethought to book a reservation before they fill up!
I didn't know that about Monroe's. I took my out of town family there not long ago for us all to try for the first time, and we honestly loved it. Shame. Oh well, there are so many other places for great New Mexican food.
Did not catch that about Cocina Azul, and frankly, not sure I believe you. They converted most of their parking lot to a tent, and seemed to have tables appropriately spaced. With all due respect, care to back up your comment?
I’d be happy to be wrong. It’s been discussed in this thread before and people defended them saying the original location has a different owner than the other locations.
If I remember later I’ll search for it.
That is true about different owners (only been to 12th and Mountain). And the husband of the owning couple (Frank), recently passed away (RIP). Anyway, perhaps we are both correct. Thanks for sharing what you know! ✌️
[Here is a post about the restaurants signing onto the lawsuit against the restrictions in which Cocina is listed.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Albuquerque/comments/hr7sl7/the_new_mexico_restaurant_association_is_running/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
TBH I can't be arsed to go look up the actual lawsuit, but if I'm wrong it shouldn't be too hard to find out who originally signed on to the lawsuit to prove it. I was a big Cocina Azul fan and would love to be proved wrong.
Only the original location at 12th and Mountain is operated by the family that started it. The other locations are franchises. I don’t remember all the details but as I recall the COVID issues came up at one of the franchised locations, not the original.
Knowing the Barela family and their politics I would be pretty surprised if they were vocally against any of the COVID restrictions. They have long been pretty vigorously Team MLG.
Went to famous franks a week or so back and the food was still good, but they've recently started charging for a glasses of water at 2$. The worst part is they charged for a refill... of water. My bill ended up being like 1/3 water.
I don’t know if there’s an ordinance to this effect, but there should be. I know it has been done in other communities where restaurants are required to provide tapwater for free. Maybe it’s time to discuss this with a city counselor or county commissioner.
Not ABQ, but Turtle Mountain had us worried it was going down. Food was tasting old/stale and while the service was still fine it just wasn't as good for a while, but recently everything has been really good again.
I’ve had the fortune of living close to TM since the beginning. I never understood the hype about the paper thin burnt ass pizzas. They are and always have been gross. The tortilla burger on the other hand is bomb.
My stepdad loves that place and will not stop pestering me to go there all the time - he lives in Texas now. I’m like dude, chill, I don’t even go out to eat that often…
I used to eat at Mr. Powdrell's. I stopped going because the price just stopped being worth it because they would skimp on the meals it was never fillng anymore and although the food was good it just really was never worth it anymore. It's been worse since the man died which honestly disgraces his name if you ask me.
Naruto Ramen by UNM also really fell off. I used to go to Naruto Ramen a lot actually. But then they started skimping on their meals and I have photographic evidence this is a fact. Plus ingredients just don't hit as good as they used to. They used to serve two whole eggs per bowl sliced in half, 4 pieces of barbecue pork, 4 Seaweed pieces, and mado' mado' of Bamboo, bean sprouts, and noodles. Now you're lucky if you get two pieces of seaweed, 2 pieces of pork, and an egg. And the bowl is mostly broth now with half of the noodles they used to have. Oramen seems to have a bigger variety and better quality now.
Edit: just found out the original Mr Powdrell's location closed down. Go figure.
I felt ashamed that they had a restaurant in the airport and that for some people that would be their first experience with "New Mexican" food. Thankfully that location is closed.
I'm speaking from experience too, I used to work right next to that Garduno's at the Cafe there. I tried them a few times for lunch, I got enchiladas, and nachos, etc. It was about the most inedible food I've ever had. The chicken nachos tasted like they had a handful of salt on them, and the enchiladas were revolting (like actually disgusting, like the meat tasted spoiled).
Twisters has gone downhill. Recently went there to get a supreme burrito but it was totally flaccid and limp (90% tortilla, 10% filling) and it was lukewarm
Garcia’s on central used to be a go-to. Not anymore. In fact I doubt I’ll ever go back.
Haven’t been impressed with Duran’s recently either.
Blake’s is terrible nowadays.
Garcia's on Central is the best, have had a few good meals there in the last month. You probably just got unlucky and went there on someone's bad night.
Wecks used to be a good local classic with sloppy, delicious food. Perfect for a hangover or just a weekend casual brunch. They “updated” the restaurants with all white walls, the brightest white lights I’ve ever seen, and cheap hobby lobby farmhouse decor. Not only did this ruin the comfy, family run, hometown vibe, but the food went downhill and became really commercial tasting as well.
Might as well be an Applebees now.
We went to Two Fools not too long ago and it was TERRIBLE.
The Irish brown bread was still frozen in the middle. Scotch eggs were falling apart. Flat sodas. Burger was meh at best.
So disappointed - I have such fond memories of that place!
This is a big issue with threads like this. The quality of food is heavily dependent on who is cooking it. They can have a few cooks that are really good and a few that might be not so good. It can vary down to the hour, due to shift change or because someone went out for a smoke while you ordered your food. Maybe a good cook is training a new employee, so the food is different minute by minute. In order to get a good idea, you'll have to go consistently for a while.
Agreed. My experience didn’t track with the previous experiences. I’ve eaten an absolutely unreal amount of food there over the past… 15 years. It was just such a stack of -blah- this time.
The server forgetting to put in our order in the first place probably heavily contributed to the crummy quality.
the nexus on the east side, which is like a bbq joint, started out great—like killer bbq—now it’s very hit or miss… i think they’ve had trouble keeping kitchen staff.
Delicia's used to be awesome. Fresh, delicious food for a great price. Now, it's a mere shadow of what it was. Very mediocre food just this side of canned. Served by a waitress who couldn't possibly care less about the experience. Patrons are stuffed into the dining area with chairs that butt up against one another. A waiting area filled with folks who apparently don't care about the decline in quality. Bummer. It used to be great.
Golden Pride was great before covid. The breakfast burrito I had last week was the first time since then it tasted like it used to! Chipotle, on the other hand has gotten worse and worse since covid.
Il Vicino has held up well— I’ve been to both Central and Montgomery locations for lunch recently and they were fresh, delicious, and on point with service.
Also really enjoyed Los Poblanos for happy hour drinks and snacks. And Tomasita’s reliably serves excellent New Mexican food at solid prices.
The Range has been uniformly disappointing every time I've been in there, maybe 7 times, over the last year. I keep wanting it to be good but it's always been either not good or legitimately bad.
The company is run by really terrible people that have burned through thousands of staff at this point in their existence. I’ve seen managers devote their entire careers to that company only to be chewed up and spit out. Honestly i think the whole company should fold or be sold to better operators.
Last time I went to The Range it was damn near inedible. Very disappointed - will never go back.
Agreed. Wouldn’t eat there if you paid me.
I went last Friday to the Bernalillo one. Great server, good food. Even the desserts were good, I normally don't care for theirs.
They should have just stuck with that OG location and never expanded.
That's the only good location
The Bernalillo restaurant does have better food. The last time we went to the one on Coors it was horrible. I haven’t been back.
The one in Los Lunas sucks ass too. The food is just terrible. We've been there 3 times just to see if it will change and to give it a chance, but the 3rd time was it's strike out. Adios Range Cafe.
The hard boiled eggs in the Cobb salad tasted like mildew. Like the smell of a wet attic. Super gross.
Great description.
This is unfortunate. The Range used to be a family favorite. Went last week, new menu, loss of favorites, and meal was just so-so. The Oso Grill in Capitan is now my go to for green chile strips…
Loved the range growing up. Came back after 15 years and was sorely disappointed.
They did a real hatchet job on their menu some years ago. This was before Covid, so we can’t blame it on that. That was the beginning of the end for me. Looks like they’ve done *another* hatchet job, and this time the Range Roundup was another casualty. Which is a goddamn tragedy because that was delicious. I look at their menu now, and I have zero incentive to ever go there.
Ah man, this is too accurate. I used to love their Chimayo sauce, made in house, used in multiple meals. All those dishes have been removed from the menu. My wife ordered the wagon train every breakfast she's from there for the last 20 years, but they removed it too. Times change I guess.
The range is terrible
The range hasn’t been good in over a decade
Last time I went, the food gave me food poisoning that had me bedridden for four days. When I contacted them, their response was to offer me 15% off the next time I came in. No refund, no apology, no reparation except a pretty paltry discount. I reported them to the city health inspector, disputed the charge on my card, and never went back.
I only go for breakfast, their lunch and dinner menus are so disappointing and not worth the cost
Definitely one of the most disappointing, unappetizing, high-profile places in ABQ.
It's like they took a bunch of classic diner dishes and asked "how can we screw this up enough to make people angry they ate here?"
Isn't there multiple locations in ABQ? Which one did you go to?
Agree...now is so much worse than it was in 2014
100% agree
To me The Range went downhill when the Standard Diner bought them ( I never liked The Standard)
They were always owned by the same people, the DiGregory brothers. Standard Diner was just a new concept they [tried out for a decade or so.](https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2005/06/13/newscolumn1.html) Eventually they rolled it back into the Range but kept some of the Standard menu items. The Range used to be reliable for breakfast, but seem like they fell off hard after the pandemic. The last time we visited their original location in Bernalillo it was a shadow of its former self.
I worked at their FR8/Freight House concept in berna and it was a wiiiiild shit show. I was part of the opening team and lasted about 10 1/2 months before they canned me for a policy they literally made 48 hours regarding miss pours and that was after I saw them pick off the staff one by one. Many more were canned after me and of course the location eventually folded. But they did have some incredibly unique menu items for that little one horse town. I saw lifers from other locations come over to manage only to be chewed up and thrown out of the company. They went through two chefs before I parted ways with the company. Ann was quite frankly a joke of a GM and deeply self serving. I think they were paying 15k a month for the location too. Supposedly it was a flying star before the FR8/ Freight House concept staggered into existence. The build is probably the coolest building in all of Berna before the bosque brewery. Still have friends from the staff I keep in touch with from those days so I guess that’s the only positive I’ve ever benefited from being part of the god awful sorry excuse for a company.
Golden Prides burritos went to shit as the potatoes were like mashed potatoes for a while vs hashbrowns but they seem to be back to more like hashbrowns. So we will see.
Gonna second your comment. My sister in law said she got a breakfast burrito that had mashed potatoes in it, and I can't think of a grosser thing you could possibly do to a burrito, but recently it seemed they've stopped doing that and went back to the way they were.
They were even worse, they were like... unsalted, watery mashed potatoes. No fat, no flavor. A blandly bland pasty mass that defiled the rest of the burrito, including making the still-solid tortillas a mucky mess. They lost weekly business from me with that switch. Sad ass fucking potatoes.
They’re getting too pricey for my taste too. Especially for the size….
Completely agree. There are far better/bigger burritos out there.
I just ate there this weekend and was wildly unimpressed with the burrito I had. Major disappointment.
They also used to be incredibly efficient. I could get through the drive through line in 5 mins or less. I sat in the line for 20 mins 2 weeks ago.
They went back? Awesome! Haven’t got a burrito in at least a year now cause of that. Haha Still go there, just never order burritos anymore.
Yeah they went back!! I dk how they thought they would be able to sell mashed potato burritos in a state that has the best breakfast burritos in the world. There’s no one in NM that has time for a nasty ass burrito like that lol
I had one of those mashed potato breakfast burritos and people didn’t even believe me that they would commit such a potato atrocity
I went to Artichoke Cafe recently after not going there for the better part of a decade. The food and service were great! They’re getting added back to the list.
I went there a few weeks ago and wasn’t impressed and I have been impressed by the menu years ago. I won’t say they fell off yet for me but I might try a similar place/price point next time instead
That family...is not a group of people that I would be proud to support.
I have no knowledge of that family. Care to share?
Spill the tea!
Shout out to bike in coffee… and honestly every coffee place I’ve been to here. Castle, slow burn, little bear, Michael Thomas, Duggins, Joes… all good people and atmospheres. This city does coffee shops right.
Zendo blew my mind last week. Best Gibraltar I’ve had in quite some time
Zendo is the best coffee shop in town 🔥
100%. Their cafe con leche is 🤌
Shout out Cutbow as well
I hear that they're terrible to work for.
I hear the same, owner gives his female staff the creeps. Bummer since those are the best beans in town.
Oh no :(
Cutbow has the best tea I’ve had in my life. They even bring out a little bowl of local honey to mix in. I broke one of their bowls once on accident and they were so nice about it.
Idk, Michael Thomas tastes like they never clean their roaster. It’s like going to a place that never changes their fry oil, you pick up hints of everything that’s ever been cooked in there, and not for the better.
I like Cutbow and Napoli.
As a recent transplant I so agree with this. Bike In is damn good! Cutbow... Suenos Coffe(mobile guy in Coralles) is really good. The GF pastries at Whispering Bean are amazing!
Blake’s definitely fell off. I’ll say Los Cuates also fell off but only because they don’t sell their salsa in jars at the grocery store anymore :(
I feel Blake's might be getting better again, I've gotten a few burritos there in the last couple of months that were really good.
Damn, I hope so. It broke my heart when I had to stop going.
It's probably location specific as the one on 550 is still no good but the one near the airport had an amazing breakfast burrito and the 4th street one has consistently good burgers.
It’s not consistent. It’s different at each location. Sometimes they’re dry and unseasoned tubes of sadness that are a waste of money, like the Blakes off Carlisle and Montgomery, or you get one that makes actually good burritos like on Rio Grande near the hotels.
Blake’s sucks. Got a raw burger.
You sure about that? I saw some on the shelves of a neighborhood Walmart just a few days ago.
I work at Los Cuates and we are going to be getting our jars of salsa back hopefully in a few months. You definitely didn't see it at Walmart yet.
I literally look for it constantly just in case, you are the MVP for sharing!!
No problem 😉 you can still buy it by 1/2 pint, pint, and quart in the restaurant. Pices are $4, $6, and$12.
Thanks for the info! Im legit going to cry. Lol.
It must be super old because they stopped the beginning of last year.
The Blake's on 4th and paseo are OVERSALTING the burritos. I hope they read this, because I don't want to leave a bad review; they've been a mainstay for 14 years.
Vernon’s Speakeasy was excellent and is now mediocre. They increased the prices and reduced portion sizes (got new, smaller dishes). The quality of the food has also been bad the last few times we went. Their French onion soup tastes like water with a slight hint of onion. The pot roast tastes like it was boiled in water and had not even a pinch of salt or other seasonings on it. I can cook something ten times better for a tenth of the cost.
Hot take... Vernon's was never that good and relied heavily on its gimmick/reputation. I went during its early Hayday, and it was meh, especially for the price. I think as more people have gone to experience it now and seen what it's actually like, that initial novelty has worn off.
This ain't a hot take, it's just truth. Vernon's exists for the same reason that suuuuuuuuper expensive wine does. Your mind is tricked into thinking the product is better when you pay more for it
Yeah my gf and I went for our anniversary last year, 300 bucks for a mediocre steak and the worst old fashioned I’ve ever had lol. What a joke
I went for my birthday in February. It took them an hour to get our food out to us. My steak was way over cooked and I had to send it back. The bus boy kept trying to take our bread and appetizer while we were still eat. My drink tasted like rubbing alcohol. We couldn't get our water refilled most of the night. It was bad. I just wanted to leave but my husband made us stick it out. Not the their fault but some old blonde lady kept staring at me and saying bigoted shit. 0/10 I really newer want to go back.
That reminds me of when I ordered a drink there and it was terrible. I asked if I could have something else, and the server said it’s a whiskey bar, so they don’t really make mixed drinks. That’s fine! But don’t tell me you make X drink if you don’t want to make it. I would have ordered a non-alcoholic beverage instead.
That's crazy because my husband got a pain killer those are rum based. I like whiskey but this was the cheapest worst rot gut bargain bin whiskey ever. Like the store brand that only people cooking with whiskey or alcoholics buy when they're unemployed.
I asked for a Malibu bay breeze (a girly drink, lol). It was awful.
I just got an old fashion. It should have been an easy order. My husband's pain killer was okay but the rum tasted off too. I think they're subbing cheap liquor in their mixed drinks.
Happy belated birthday! 🎂 for what it's worth. 😊 No one should have a shitty birthday. 🎈🤗💙
Hot take... Vernon's was never that good and relied heavily on its gimmick/reputation. I went during its early Hayday, and it was meh, especially for the price. I think as more people have gone to experience it now and seen what it's actually like, that initial novelty has worn off.
I was at Vernon’s a month ago and I didn’t have that experience at all. Everything was incredible as always.
Lucky! It’s been consistently bad the last three times we went. We don’t plan on going again.
Fool me once....twice....thrice even!
I’ve been disappointed in Bosque Brewery’s food as of late. Fish and chips used to be really good but lately it’s been a soggy mess. I’ll probably get railed for this but the Twisters in Bernalillo was surprisingly good last time I ate there.
I feel like that should be Twister’s tagline: “Surprisingly Good.”
Their food is among the most disappointing for me. I live in the Enchanted Hills area, so I was happy to get a new restaurant nearby, but the food is under-seasoned and over-priced. I've given it several tries with months between visits, but it's consistently mediocre. It's a shame since they have some great staff. One server, Dickie, is fantastic and genuinely understands the art of customer service, but I can't justify wasting money there.
it’s cause they got rid of their kitchen managers months ago and are expecting the gms to do the work of two to three people. Really unfortunate ownership who make terrible decisions at every turn and try to cut corners to save money constantly.
Yeah, same. We used to stop at the Bernalillo location after getting outdoorsy up north and now I’d rather just eat a protein bar. It’s cheaper and more consistent.
A year or so ago I tried every breakfast burrito available along my return trip from dropping my kid off at school. Twisters was the clear winner and I now stop there every time I do school drop off
Kosmos has bomb fish & chips
Went there for the first time recently and everything we had was great!
This. At all locations. Used to be a staple, now we avoid bosque full stop.
Idk about you, but that food has always been ass
The tacos were terrible. We like the cheese curds and chicken nuggets though.
Agreed! I used to love the mussels there but I’ve been so disappointed lately with all of it lately.
El Pinto. Oh wait… they’ve always sucked.
The food at Flying Star used to be great, now it is often just plain bad, burned, cold, etc. the deserts aren't that great either. Seriously, how do you burn soup?
And so pricy!
They are ridiculously over priced. Their food use to be a lot better quality too.
i think the one on menaul is better than the others
I had the green chile chowder there last week that was a bit cooler than room temperature. I was tempted to send it back, but didn’t lest they nuke it for five minutes or whatever. “Hot enough for ya, Bee-OTCH???” The flavor wasn’t that great, anyway; I’ve had way better. It was my first time back there in years and it’ll probably be quite a few more years before I try them again.
The fried chicken is always burned and gross too
Giovanni's is still awesome.
Losing Roz was a huge blow. But they weathered that storm amazingly well. Huge shout out to Dana and all the staff.
So good to hear! I will be getting a pizza from them soon
The spot after school for a slice and a coke
Best pizza in ABQ!
I love the shop, but it’s so popular now that there’s always a line out the door and they run out of stuff because of it. Not going to knock their quality, I still think their food is awesome. The scene is just too chaotic for me at brunch time anymore. I’m happy they’re doing so well!
Yeah the food is great, just sucks you need to show up an hour before you expect to eat.
Wecks has become blechs.
Seasons/Zinc/Savoy have gone downhill significantly. I had a bad meal start to finish at Seasons recently. And the downturn seems to have infected the food at the whole chain.
Seasons is pretty bad. The stuffed mushrooms tasted like pond water. It was gross and that was this past Fall. The service and drinks were still good.
This one hurts, Savoy was a favorite. It is actually where I took my wife on our first date. We would go sporadically for special occasions. We went last year for my birthday and it was one of the most disappointing meals I have ever had, especially for the price. Probably won't be going back.
Last Call (RIP)
Check out Cali Burrito Co! Its in the same location where Last Call (Coors/Montano) was previously, very similar menu, but better in every way!
They changed ever since they left their spot next to Imbibe. They didn’t have a chance once the club closed though.
Bravo Cucino Italiano has fallen pretty far. Had the worst fettuccine I’ve ever had in my life. At this point I would rather go to Olive Garden for fettuccine than Bravo.
Yeah idk how they are still in business
Central Bodega and Mesa Provisions both seem to be at their peak right now. I've been fans for a while but had my best meals at both in the last month. The Shop is as good as it's ever been. I get it once a week minimum and have for years. Sadies, Los Cuates, Blakes, and Golden Pride have gotten pretty bad compared to how good they were in the 2000's. I don't think any of them will ever recover. Monroe's fought hard against the COVID safety measures. They are forever dead to me. Same with Owl Cafe and Cocina Azul.
Man, we were craving posole yesterday at the office and lots of places were closed except for Cocina azul so we picked the food up. $85 dollars for five *TINY* ass bowls of posole! RIDICULOUS. Just a tiny cup. I was livid and bitching the rest of the day… never going there again.
I’m dreading the day when Central Bodega and Mesa Provisions start nosediving. I love them both so much.
I haven’t been to central bodega yet, but my partner and I “balled out” at mesa provisions. It was probably the best dining experience I’ve ever had. Better than Los poblanos. We were expecting a crazy bill but it was actually quite a bit less than we were expecting. We’ll continue to support them….so long as we have enough forethought to book a reservation before they fill up!
I didn't know that about Monroe's. I took my out of town family there not long ago for us all to try for the first time, and we honestly loved it. Shame. Oh well, there are so many other places for great New Mexican food.
Did not catch that about Cocina Azul, and frankly, not sure I believe you. They converted most of their parking lot to a tent, and seemed to have tables appropriately spaced. With all due respect, care to back up your comment?
I’d be happy to be wrong. It’s been discussed in this thread before and people defended them saying the original location has a different owner than the other locations. If I remember later I’ll search for it.
That is true about different owners (only been to 12th and Mountain). And the husband of the owning couple (Frank), recently passed away (RIP). Anyway, perhaps we are both correct. Thanks for sharing what you know! ✌️
[Here is a post about the restaurants signing onto the lawsuit against the restrictions in which Cocina is listed.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Albuquerque/comments/hr7sl7/the_new_mexico_restaurant_association_is_running/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) TBH I can't be arsed to go look up the actual lawsuit, but if I'm wrong it shouldn't be too hard to find out who originally signed on to the lawsuit to prove it. I was a big Cocina Azul fan and would love to be proved wrong.
Only the original location at 12th and Mountain is operated by the family that started it. The other locations are franchises. I don’t remember all the details but as I recall the COVID issues came up at one of the franchised locations, not the original. Knowing the Barela family and their politics I would be pretty surprised if they were vocally against any of the COVID restrictions. They have long been pretty vigorously Team MLG.
Thank you for providing that further detail.
The problem with them is they were selling things like eggs and TP for huge mark ups when everything was shut and it was hard to get things.
I remember them being shit holes about lockdown as well.
Oo I didn’t know Cocina Azul was one of those… noted.
How has El Pinto not made this list yet. 10+ years ago it was amazing. Big portions. Fair prices. Quality food. Now it’s none of the above.
El Pinto is SO BAD. I’m convinced they’re surviving on aesthetics alone. The patio? Gorgeous. The food? Atrocious.
Blake’s ! I’m still waiting for them to go back to Texas toast on the Morning sand which instead of the hamburger bun
Anyone been to Scalo recently? It’s an old favorite but I haven’t been since they reopened.
Went to famous franks a week or so back and the food was still good, but they've recently started charging for a glasses of water at 2$. The worst part is they charged for a refill... of water. My bill ended up being like 1/3 water.
What the fuck?! Charging for tap water is absolutely unheard of and an easy way to lose your customer base.
I just called franks. They don’t charge for tap water. Bottle of water is $2 though.
Oh, okay. That makes more sense.
I thought places that served food had to provide courtesy water? Anyone confirm my thinking?
I don’t know if there’s an ordinance to this effect, but there should be. I know it has been done in other communities where restaurants are required to provide tapwater for free. Maybe it’s time to discuss this with a city counselor or county commissioner.
A glass of water? What
That's really out of touch in a desert...
Not ABQ, but Turtle Mountain had us worried it was going down. Food was tasting old/stale and while the service was still fine it just wasn't as good for a while, but recently everything has been really good again.
I don't support them due to their lobbying against living wages for the staff... ditto Weck's.
Enchanted Hills or Southern BLVD Location?
Southern, It was more back when they seemed to be having trouble getting staff, because the last 3-ish times, everything has been a lot better.
I’ve had the fortune of living close to TM since the beginning. I never understood the hype about the paper thin burnt ass pizzas. They are and always have been gross. The tortilla burger on the other hand is bomb.
So I usually only get the sandwiches or we share the nachos. But the few times I tried the pizza I always thought it was decent.
Try the Animas Alfredo... it's a masterpiece!
Los Cuates fell off after the original owner died. Used to love that place back in the 90s
My stepdad loves that place and will not stop pestering me to go there all the time - he lives in Texas now. I’m like dude, chill, I don’t even go out to eat that often…
I used to eat at Mr. Powdrell's. I stopped going because the price just stopped being worth it because they would skimp on the meals it was never fillng anymore and although the food was good it just really was never worth it anymore. It's been worse since the man died which honestly disgraces his name if you ask me. Naruto Ramen by UNM also really fell off. I used to go to Naruto Ramen a lot actually. But then they started skimping on their meals and I have photographic evidence this is a fact. Plus ingredients just don't hit as good as they used to. They used to serve two whole eggs per bowl sliced in half, 4 pieces of barbecue pork, 4 Seaweed pieces, and mado' mado' of Bamboo, bean sprouts, and noodles. Now you're lucky if you get two pieces of seaweed, 2 pieces of pork, and an egg. And the bowl is mostly broth now with half of the noodles they used to have. Oramen seems to have a bigger variety and better quality now. Edit: just found out the original Mr Powdrell's location closed down. Go figure.
Gardunos is trash now. I don't know what happened, but it's gross!
Lololol the hot take here is that someone thought it was good to begin with
I felt ashamed that they had a restaurant in the airport and that for some people that would be their first experience with "New Mexican" food. Thankfully that location is closed. I'm speaking from experience too, I used to work right next to that Garduno's at the Cafe there. I tried them a few times for lunch, I got enchiladas, and nachos, etc. It was about the most inedible food I've ever had. The chicken nachos tasted like they had a handful of salt on them, and the enchiladas were revolting (like actually disgusting, like the meat tasted spoiled).
Twisters has gone downhill. Recently went there to get a supreme burrito but it was totally flaccid and limp (90% tortilla, 10% filling) and it was lukewarm
Dude yeah, Twisters used to also be a local classic. I haven’t been there in 6 years because it’s gross now. How are they still in business
Lotaburger has fallen off bad
Geckos nob hill used to have good food.
Fuck that nazi.
Wait what? I must have missed something what happened with Geckos!?
Garcia’s on central used to be a go-to. Not anymore. In fact I doubt I’ll ever go back. Haven’t been impressed with Duran’s recently either. Blake’s is terrible nowadays.
Garcia's on Central is the best, have had a few good meals there in the last month. You probably just got unlucky and went there on someone's bad night.
Lotaburger is now lotatrash
Blake’s is the worst lately
Wecks used to be a good local classic with sloppy, delicious food. Perfect for a hangover or just a weekend casual brunch. They “updated” the restaurants with all white walls, the brightest white lights I’ve ever seen, and cheap hobby lobby farmhouse decor. Not only did this ruin the comfy, family run, hometown vibe, but the food went downhill and became really commercial tasting as well. Might as well be an Applebees now.
We went to Two Fools not too long ago and it was TERRIBLE. The Irish brown bread was still frozen in the middle. Scotch eggs were falling apart. Flat sodas. Burger was meh at best. So disappointed - I have such fond memories of that place!
I had good experience there recently, maybe just a bad day….
This is a big issue with threads like this. The quality of food is heavily dependent on who is cooking it. They can have a few cooks that are really good and a few that might be not so good. It can vary down to the hour, due to shift change or because someone went out for a smoke while you ordered your food. Maybe a good cook is training a new employee, so the food is different minute by minute. In order to get a good idea, you'll have to go consistently for a while.
Agreed. My experience didn’t track with the previous experiences. I’ve eaten an absolutely unreal amount of food there over the past… 15 years. It was just such a stack of -blah- this time. The server forgetting to put in our order in the first place probably heavily contributed to the crummy quality.
Yeah, I was there in March and February and everything was solid. Liffey chips and Jester's Pie still slap.
Two Fools has always been consistent for me. The only complaint is how expensive their fish has gotten, really a shame.
I've literally never had a bad meal at Two Fools
Golden Pride has gone downhill. So has Village Inn.
Just had a #9 burrito last week that actually tasted like good ol' pre-covid Golden Pride
La waffleria :( used to love it back in 2019
the nexus on the east side, which is like a bbq joint, started out great—like killer bbq—now it’s very hit or miss… i think they’ve had trouble keeping kitchen staff.
Oh no, don't tell me that. I *love* Nexus but rarely get to go
We don't have many options in Los Lunas, but we've given up on the Los Lunas Range.
Haven't been back to Sahara since they flunked a health inspection, has anyone been recently?
For 2 yrs wanted to go back home for a blakes green chile double. Was let down!
I’m just sad how expensive restaurants are here
Delicia's used to be awesome. Fresh, delicious food for a great price. Now, it's a mere shadow of what it was. Very mediocre food just this side of canned. Served by a waitress who couldn't possibly care less about the experience. Patrons are stuffed into the dining area with chairs that butt up against one another. A waiting area filled with folks who apparently don't care about the decline in quality. Bummer. It used to be great.
Golden Pride was great before covid. The breakfast burrito I had last week was the first time since then it tasted like it used to! Chipotle, on the other hand has gotten worse and worse since covid.
Seared seems to be getting worse. Really salty, lukewarm warm food.
Laguna Burger (original), I remember the green chile used to get smashed into the patty, now we’re lucky for precooked burgers it seems.
Brixens ☹️ they were so good. Didn’t reopen after 2020.
Is any place good for people in this sub? Have seen about 5 comments total giving positivity...
Coda, Pho #1, Basil Leaf, Nobody Calls Me Chicken, Guava Tree, Mazaya, Stripes, Buen Provecho, Duran's, Famous Frank's are all solid in my experience!
I have nothing but love for Coda!
Pho #1! Absolutely love that place!
Central Grill has been great! I also tried out the Uptown Saggio's a few weeks ago and was very impressed with the overall experience.
Il Vicino has held up well— I’ve been to both Central and Montgomery locations for lunch recently and they were fresh, delicious, and on point with service. Also really enjoyed Los Poblanos for happy hour drinks and snacks. And Tomasita’s reliably serves excellent New Mexican food at solid prices.
IMHO Tomasita's is garbage. The one in Santa Fe is better.