The eskca staff has compiled the very best places to eat in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You can see our methodology here.

Find a digital badge to celebrate your awesome accomplishment here, or contact us here if you’d like to request one as a sticker for your restaurant!

1. Cocina Azul

Try the: Creamy Chicken Enchilada

Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Albuquerque

“Small Upscale New Mexican restaurant that makes small batches of fresh, outstanding New Mexican food everyday. We have expanded with two more New Mexican restaurants in ABQ and continue to be voted “Best in the City” every year.”

2. The Grove Cafe & Market

Try the: Croque Madame

Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Albuquerque

“The Grove Cafe & Market opened its doors in June of 2006, in Albuquerque New Mexico’s trendy Edo neighborhood. Owned and operated by Jason and Lauren Greene, The Grove quickly became Albuquerque’s favorite breakfast, brunch and lunch cafe serving up the finest local food, in a fun, casual atmosphere.”

3. Fork & Fig

Try the: Green Chile Burger

Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Albuquerque

“FORK & FIG of Albuquerque evokes modern cuisine with service and hospitality that matters most in the dining experience.

Josh Kennon — a Deming, N.M. native who has worked as a personal chef in Los Angeles and Phoenix — has opened his first restaurant later this year in Uptown Albuquerque.

Fork & Fig specializes in gourmet sandwiches, paninis and wraps but also incorporates what Kennon calls a “fine dining to-go” element with more substantial offerings like steak offered on a takeout basis. Kennon, who earned a degree through Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale, Ariz., said he emphasizes on fresh, local ingredients.”

4. Central Grill and Coffee House

Try the: Breakfast Burrito

Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Albuquerque

“Looking for the perfect place to unwind on a busy day – or even just the right spot to take the entire family for something delicious to eat? Look no further than Central Grill and Coffee Shop. With a large menu, featuring a variety of homemade favorites and comfort foods, your guests are ensured to leave happy and with a full stomach after dining at the best grill and coffee shop in Albuquerque.

With grilled breakfast and lunch favorites, each diner will find something to truly delight their taste buds. We offer old school classics with a new twist that bring our customers coming back for more. Equipped with plenty of seating, our friendly staff will make sure that your grill experience is one of the best meals in Albuquerque.”

5. Nexus Brewery and Restaurant

Try the: Chicken and Waffles

Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Albuquerque

“When I told my wife that I was going to quit my banking job and open a brewery, she simply said, “Great”! I felt like I was in the middle of my favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation movie. The one where Captain Kirk and Picard get pulled into the “NEXUS,” a heavenly place where everything is perfect. This was my chance to open an establishment that rivaled Captain Kirk’s nirvana. “Oh, my goodness,” I thought, “I have to do this”!

Our first step was to create great-tasting beer. Not as simple as it sounds, a lot of time and effort goes into our brews before we release them. As a guide, we took a page from Old Milwaukee’s history book and focused on making a beer so great that it would make Albuquerque famous.”

6. D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro

Try the: New Mexico Pasta

Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Albuquerque

“The Lescombes family has been crafting wine in New Mexico since their emigration from Burgundy, France in 1981. Since then, we’ve been drawing visitors from across the nation to taste our wide variety of New Mexico wine. Our winery is located in the Mimbres Valley, just outside of Deming, New Mexico. Our traditions are preserved by Florent and Emmanuel Lescombes, who carry on their family’s six-generation history of winemaking. We produce over 40 different wines under many labels, including Blue Teal, D.H. Lescombes, Soleil and St. Clair. With 200 acres of vineyards located in the high desert of the Pyramid Valley, just outside Lordsburg, New Mexico, we’ve found the ideal climate and soil to grow the best quality grapes. Our state-of-the-art winery offers numerous award-winning wines for every taste. Just like New Mexico’s first vintners, our goal is to produce great wines and food for you to enjoy in the company of friends and family.”

7. Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen

Try the: Pasta Mardi Gras

Also honored in:

• 2021 Best Restaurants in Arlington
• 2021 Best Restaurants in Phoenix
• 2021 Best Restaurants in Albuquerque

“Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen is the largest concept in one of the largest family-owned and operated restaurant companies in the United States. The Pappas family of restaurants offers many different cuisines and traditions, but common to all is an obsession with quality food and superior service that’s reflected in every aspect of the Guest experience. Pappas is a respected leader in the competitive restaurant industry. The Pappas philosophy hasn’t changed much over the years. The drive still comes from a passion for excellence, a focus on innovation and attention to detail and quality in everything we do.”

8. Vinaigrette

Try the: Omega Salad

“The first Vinaigrette opened in 2008, in a funky adobe house in downtown Santa Fe,
but the idea was germinated three years prior, on ten parched acres in northern New Mexico that was slowly becoming a sustainable farm. Around the same time she was learning how to grow food in the high desert, with its scarce water and slim soils, owner/founder Erin Wade had the idea for a restaurant that served delicious and satisfying entrée salads—a place that made healthy eating joyful and easy. She began developing the menus and concept with the produce she was growing.

This synchronicity underlies the company’s ethos and operations today, with the original Nambe farm supplying seasonal products (mixed greens, arugula, kale, peppers, peaches, apricots, cherries, apples, tomatoes, scallions, basil, heirloom potatoes, beans, mint, and eggs) for the New Mexico restaurants and then composting their organic waste into nutrient-rich soil amendments for the garden beds.”

9. Golden Crown Panaderia

Try the: Green Chili Bread

“Golden Crown Panaderia is a old fashion neighborhood bakery in the Albuquerque old town area. We have had the honor of not only being on the Food Network once in 2004 with the show Food Finds. We are now being featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives : Guy Fieri for our pizzas. We have supplied breads and pastries to many of Albuquerque’s finest restaurants and hotels including the Hyatt Hotel, Petroleum Club, Smirolls International Cuisine, Albuquerque Convention Center, Amadoes Pizza, etc. Many of our wholesale and retail customers have been using our baked good for over 25 years. We are now strictly a retail bakery with an amazing coffee bar, We server the first ever New Mexican Style pizza, Our Garden fresh salads come from our indoor garden. The Food Network has featured our New Mexico Green Chile Bread. Empanadas, Pizzas, Our Turkey Bread Sculptures. and Biscochitos.”

10. Tia Betty Blue’s

Try the: Breakfast Burrito

Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Albuquerque

“The idea behind Tia B’s is pretty straight forward: to offer our own version of foods reminiscent of Northern New Mexican cooking as it existed decades ago, before restaurants started making their chile so mild you hardly knew you were eating it and before tamales, carne adovada, posole, and red chile were commodities that restaurant owners purchased pre-made, in a box or can.

We make nearly all of our food right here, from scratch, fresh daily using locally grown beans, potatoes, chile, and blue corn.”