Places
Places to go
Albuquerque street culture, by beat. Kitchen first. Proud of it. Sharing it. Come through.
Kitchen
The Kitchen
Come eat. Red or green. These are the kitchens that keep this city fed.
01 · 2711 4th St NW
Mary & Tito’s Cafe
James Beard. Red chile that starts arguments. Carne adovada. Line before the door.
02 · 1715 2nd St SW
El Modelo Mexican Foods
Since 1929. Barelas. Tamales, red chile by the quart, picnic tables by the lot.
03 · 1815 Central Ave NW
Duran Central Pharmacy
Lunch counter in a working drugstore since 1942. Red chile enchiladas. On the cruise line.
04 · 2400 Central Ave SE
Frontier Restaurant
UNM. Sweet rolls, green chile stew, 2 a.m. after the set. Always open enough.
05 · Northeast Heights
Padilla’s Mexican Kitchen
Family red chile. Unassuming. Regulars know.
06 · North Valley
Sadie’s of New Mexico
Since the ’50s. Salsa bar, heat that means it. Portions like abuela won.
07 · Harvard SE, Nob Hill
El Patio de Albuquerque
Green chile stew, combination plate, a patio under the trees.
08 · Albuquerque
Perea’s New Mexican Restaurant
Huevos rancheros, tortillas made on site. Morning kitchen.
09 · 1216 Central Ave SW
Dog House Drive In
Chile dog on Route 66. Eat it where the cars are.
10 · Slate Ave NW, downtown
Slate Street Cafe
Lunch and a glass. Downtown plate when you want a cloth napkin with the chile.
Coffee
The Cup
Roasters and counters. Sit before the cruise. Come back after.
01 · Downtown
Burning Daylight Coffee Co.
Small batch. Counter that knows your order. Keep this one first.
02 · Nob Hill / downtown
Zendo Coffee
Sit down. Stay a minute. The cup holds.
03 · Albuquerque
Cutbow Coffee Roasters
Local roast. Take a bag for the week.
04 · Albuquerque
Humble Coffee
Neighborhood cup. No performance.
05 · Nob Hill
Little Bear — Nob Hill
On the cruise line. Morning before the heat. The one Little Bear.
06 · Downtown
The Grove Café & Market
Long table. Local. Breakfast that still means something.
07 · Nob Hill and around town
Satellite Coffee
Old 505 counter. A cup you can walk with.
Markets
The Market
Saturdays and Sundays. Produce, roasting chile, the lot.
01 · Robinson Park, 810 Copper Ave NW
Downtown Growers’ Market
Saturdays through Nov 7. 8 a.m.–noon. Chile in the air.
02 · 777 1st St SW
Rail Yards Market
Sundays through October. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Free in.
03 · Corrales
Corrales Growers’ Market
Village market. Ditch, cottonwoods, the sack you meant to buy.
04 · Expo New Mexico
Expo NM Flea Market
The weekend lot. Parts, tools, somebody’s uncle selling both.
Tap
The Tap
Brewers and a couple of wineries. Sit after the shop. Come through.
01 · 111 Marble Ave NW
Marble Brewery
Downtown patio. The pint after the cruise.
02 · Wells Park
La Cumbre Brewing
Elevated IPA. The room that still fills.
03 · Wells Park
Bow & Arrow Brewing
Indigenous-owned. Grain, hops, a patio.
04 · Albuquerque
Gravity Bound
Smaller room. Beer that tastes like they meant it.
05 · Albuquerque
Sidetrack Brewing
Neighborhood tap. Stay for one more.
06 · Albuquerque
Flock of Moons
Mead and a weird good night.
07 · Wells Park
Tractor Brewing — Wells Park
Pizza, pints, a packed patio when the weather holds.
08 · North I-25
Gruet Winery
Méthode champenoise from the desert. The toast.
09 · Los Ranchos
Casa Rondeña Winery
North Valley. Evening light on the vines.
10 · Old Town
Sheehan Winery — Old Town
A glass on the plaza side.
Night
The Night
Bars that still know last call. Red light. Come through.
01 · Downtown
Anodyne
Pool, pints, a dark room that still works.
02 · Downtown
Founders Speakeasy
Cocktails. A door you have to mean.
03 · Nob Hill / Central
Rhythm Room
Live music, late. On the cruise line.
04 · Downtown
Sister
DJs, bands, stay late.
Comedy
The Mic
Rooms that still let a comic work. Come sit in the dark.
01 · Downtown
The Box Performance Space
Independent stage. Weird in the good way.
02 · Albuquerque
Dry Heat Comedy Club
The club night. Two-drink minimum energy.
03 · Albuquerque
Hyena’s Comedy Nightclub
Touring names when they roll through.
04 · Santa Ana Star
Quezada’s Comedy Club
Casino room. When the lineup’s posted, go.
Lounge
The Lounge
Legal rooms. Finish on site. Coffee if they pour it.
01 · Albuquerque
Black Market Dispensary & Lounge
Dispensary and a room to stay.
02 · Albuquerque
Enchanted Botanicals Lounge
Lounge hours. Check the door.
03 · 5926 2nd St NW
Thrive Craft Cannabis
Lounge, events, coffee. Finish on site.
Ink
The Shop
Plaque lettering, lowrider flash, a chair after the cruise. Come sit.
01 · Central Ave
Route 66 Tattoo
Brian Everett. Tattooing in the Duke City 50+ years. The old shop on the Mother Road. Runs the New Mexico Tattoo Fiesta.
02 · Albuquerque
Por Vida Tattoo
Chicano lettering, black and grey, the phrase on the door. Book the artist.
03 · 3225 Central Ave NE
All Is One Tattoo
Lettering, black and grey, traditional. Open seven days. On the cruise line.
04 · Midtown / University
Stay Gold Tattoo
Shop that people send their people to. Book the artist, not the chair.
05 · 2505 Quincy St NE
Gallo Negro Tattoo
Joshua “BEDO” Escobedo, 2010. Custom color. Appointment.
06 · 2019 Menaul Blvd NE
Archetype Tattoo
Fine line, illustrative. Community shop since 2010.
07 · Midtown / University
True Grit Tattoo
Traditional, Japanese, black and grey. Navy-vet shop.
08 · 625 6th St NW
Happy Tattoo
Downtown, historic building. Walk-in street shop near the cruise lot.
09 · Comanche Rd NE
La Lady Tattoos
Chicano fineline, lettering, black and grey. Passion y amor.
Cruise
The Sunday Asphalt
Lowriders, hot rods, rat rods, exotics. The street is the show. Come look.
01 · Downtown
7th & Central
The historic Sunday corner. Firestone lot, folding chairs, the mix. Start here.
02 · Downtown
6th & Central lot
City Park & Chill Sundays, 4–8 p.m. About 150 spots. Stage, then cruise, then come back.
03 · Downtown through Nob Hill
Central / Route 66
Longest urban stretch of the Mother Road. Neon, murals, the actual cruise line.
04 · Westside / Nine Mile Hill
West Central
Old habit. Wider pavement. Still a night if downtown’s packed.
05 · South of downtown
Barelas
Oldest barrio. Neighborhood cruises, churros on the curb, chairs on the sidewalk.
06 · 1216 Central Ave SW
Dog House Drive In
Chile dog, neon, cars in the lot. A pause on the west run.
07 · Convention Center, June
Albuquerque Lowrider Super Show
The indoor show. Plaques, hops, the statewide club roll-in.
08 · Central Ave, September
State Fair Parade
Lowriders in the line of march. The city watching itself.
Card
The Card
Boxing. MMA. Bareknuckle. Slap when it rolls through. This city fights.
01 · 301 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Ave NE
Jackson-Wink MMA
The world gym. Two cages. Holm trained here.
02 · Eubank
Jackson’s MMA East
The eastside door.
03 · Osuna
ABQ Kickboxing
Kickboxing. Class is open.
04 · Expo New Mexico
Tingley Coliseum
The card when it lands. BKFC, boxing, the loud night.
Tour
The Tour
Breaking Bad corners with an address. Book a ride. Six to a vehicle.
01 · Old Town
The Candy Lady
Blue meth candy. The joke we still sell.
02 · Book through Desert Breeze
Breaking Bad tour
Six per SUV. Call. desertbreezeshuttle.com.
Bench
The Bench
Gold, silver, turquoise. Stamps with a last name. Wear it to the cruise.
01 · 116 San Felipe St NW, Old Town
Silver Sun
Native, woman-owned. Handmade turquoise and silver. Custom with Navajo and Pueblo artists.
02 · 323 Romero NW, Old Town
Tanner Chaney
Historic and contemporary Native jewelry. Family shop, decades on the plaza.
03 · The plaza portals
Old Town Portal Market
Vendors under the porch. Talk to the maker. Turquoise, silver, the day’s work.
04 · Old Town
Rubber Tomahawk
Rings and bracelets in silver and bronze. Handmade since 1979.
Music
The Room
Good music in a packed room. Red light. Gold catching it. Come through.
01 · Central Ave, downtown
Launchpad
The rock and indie room. Local and touring. Parking lot as the second set.
02 · Downtown
Sister
DJs, bands, a room that still knows how to stay late.
03 · 423 Central Ave NW
KiMo Theatre
Pueblo Deco. Sit in the dark. That’s the point.
04 · Downtown
El Rey Theater
Mid-size touring. The old movie house as a stage.
05 · Downtown
Sunshine Theater
Bigger room. Standing. Loud when it should be.
06 · Nob Hill
Historic Lobo Theater
Intimate. On Central. Neighborhood night.
Wall
The Wall
Street art as the city’s other magazine. Come sit with it.
01 · Barelas Park
Barelas Community Center mural
Francisco LeFebre, 1990, restored. Horse, railroad, the barrio surviving itself.
02 · Rail Yards, 2nd St, Barelas
Corazón de Chile
Red and green. Hands exchanging a flower. The market wall.
03 · 516 Central Ave SW
516 ARTS / Brainbow Alley
Larry Bob Phillips behind the building. Alley between 5th and 6th.
04 · South Broadway
South Broadway Cultural Center
Francis Rivera’s Desert Bloom. The city looking north.
05 · Former B. Ruppe Drugs, Barelas
Maclovia Zamora mural
Nani Chacon. Yerbas, a healer, the wall as a pharmacy.
06 · Barelas
Working Classroom
Old tortilla factory. Youth work on the brick. Walk the block.