Diners' Choice: Neighborhood gem restaurants in Albuquerque

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for the best restaurants that are the best neighborhood gems in Albuquerque? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Indigo Crow

4.8

4.8 (2554)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Albuquerque

About the restaurant

Indigo Crow is located in the Village of Corrales. Owners Don and Regina Raber, along with their staff, have created an amazing place for friends and family to gather and enjoy great food and wine.
At the Crow, we love food. It is our passion to pair great food with exceptional wine for a memorable dining experience. Join us and enjoy this inspired menu with local produce, southwest touches, as well as international flavors.
Enjoy patio dining under our elm trees or cozy up to one of our two fireplaces in the cooler months.
Please call Indigo Crow for Happy Hour reservations from 3-5pm.
If you are unable to make a reservation during business hours online, we may have limited seating. Please call to make your reservation.
505-898-7000

Top review

MarkVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Excellent dinner in a charming setting. Waiter was also excellent, attentive and very informative about the selections.

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4.8

4.8 (1817)

$30 and under

International

Placitas

About the restaurant

Chef-owned, Blades' Bistro features innovative international cuisine known for its open kitchen, quality menu offerings, and attentive service in a casual, country setting. Specialties include Grilled Salmon, Chicken Française and Roasted Beets topped with Goat Cheese, Fried Calamari and world class French Onion Soup along with salad courses, daily specials, seasonal entrees, and homemade desserts. The owners are committed to use fresh ingredients and support their Local Farmers whenever possible. Look for exciting Wine Dinners pared with wines from regions from all over the world. Blades' Bistro is a classy blend of classic, whimsical; it is an oasis of sophistication thriving in Placitas. Everything about Blades' Bistro is nicer than you expect, in the best possible way. The dining room is refined and the exhibition kitchen classy. By Andrea Lin For the ABQ Journal

Top review

RandyVIP

Dined on Dec 13, 2024

We had a great dinner at this locally owned and operated restaurant. Fabulous food wine and atmosphere. Always a great meal.

Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro

4.7

4.7 (1152)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Albuquerque

About the restaurant

Zinc is a lively three level bistro in Historic Nob Hill. Featuring an open, urban ambiance, Zinc offers casual fine dining on the main level and the loft mezzanine. For those looking for an exciting show, the exhibition bar offers seats right along the open kitchen. The menu focuses on high quality - yet affordable - American bistro fare and utilizes seasonal ingredients, many of which are sourced from local farmers. The Cellar Bar offers the same extensive wine list and premium cocktails as the upstairs, but in a more intimate lounge atmosphere with a lighter menu. Visit www.zincabq.com for menus, pictures, and upcoming events!

Top review

Holly

Dined 7 days ago

Always enjoyable experience and great food. Great service also. Wine selection is very good and my lamb was cooked perfectly.

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Experience

New Year’s Eve Dinner at Zinc

High Noon

4.6

4.6 (976)

$30 and under

Steakhouse

Albuquerque

About the restaurant

Old Town’s original steakhouse! Celebrating 47 years of serving exceptional steaks, wild game, hand pattied burgers and small-batch New Mexican food in a historic adobe building built in the 1700's. Join us for a meal or stop in to enjoy our handmade margaritas, extensive Tequila selection, and thoughtfully selected beer and wine offerings in our charming Santos lounge.

Top review

Carol

Dined 2 days ago

Our server (sorry- don’t have her name!) was excellent. She had bright red lipstick/ dark hair (if that helps!). Great experience all around.

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Popular dish

Shrimp Enchiladas

M'tucci's Moderno Italian - Rio Rancho

4.6

4.6 (985)

$30 and under

Italian

Albuquerque

About the restaurant

Our mission is to open a few restaurants that take care of our guests in every way-treating them like guests in our home, making sure that they feel embraced by the joy with which we extend our hospitality, and making sure that they become entranced by our restaurant. We understand the value of 'regulars' returning weekly and in many cases more frequently. We hope that all of our guests will feel that they belong to a private club, to which we welcome them again and again. M'tucci's Moderno located in Rio Rancho is a sister of our first restaurant, M'tucci's Italian, which is located at Coors and Montano on Albuquerque's West Side. At Moderno, we continue to offer a moderately priced, Italian menu built on a foundation of both traditional and contemporary recipes. The menu, together with the bar (full liquor license) menu, is offered in a contemporary building with black steel elements, high ceilings, and a big garage door that opens to the Sandia Mountains. Inside the steel, we have inserted a more traditional looking wood clad restaurant featuring traditional lighting and Edison bulbs, as well as other playful elements. Our congenial bar and mezzanine offer alternative spaces within which to enjoy M'tucci's food and beverage. Moderno's bar program features our unique shrubs as well as a new collection of original cocktails to complement our food and wine. Our mezzanine can also be reserved for private groups. M'tucci's Moderno is located just west of Presbyterian's Rust Medical Center. At the end of 2016, Jeff Spiegel, Katie Gardner, and John Haas, founders of M'tucci's Restaurants, welcomed five new partners to their ownership team: Austin Leard, Sherri Rivenburgh, Cory Gray, Shawn Cronin and Chris O'Sickey. This ensures that M'tucci's Restaurants are here for the long haul.

Top review

Colleen

Dined today

The food is excellent. The service is the best I’ve had years. I highly recommend this Italian restaurant. We had the chicken marsala, it was so yummy .

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Popular dish

Pesto Ravioli

Brekki Brekki

4.6

4.6 (8)

$30 and under

Breakfast

Academy West

About the restaurant

Nestled in Albuquerque's Northeast Heights with a stunning garden patio, Brekki Brekki is the perfect spot to start your day or relax with friends. We offer a cozy blend of breakfast joint and lively bar, ideal for any occasion. Enjoy a light brunch, a hearty meal, or a refreshing drink, including locally brewed beer and cider from Cantina Craftworks. Discover why Brekki Brekki is fast becoming Albuquerque's favorite brunch spot. Visit us today and elevate your breakfast experience!

Top review

Melissa

Dined on Nov 17, 2024

I made reservations for a large party and everything was amazing! Food was yummy and even though Brekki Brekki was super busy we were seated right away. Awesome experience we will be back!

Trombino's Bistro Italiano

4.5

4.5 (1386)

$31 to $50

Italian

Academy West

About the restaurant

SERVING "MANGIA" & "ABBONDANZA" FOR OVER 34 YEARS! Welcome to Trombino's Bistro Italiano, since 1979 a long standing favorite among Albuquerqueans, business travelers and tourists alike. Our restaurant is an ideal location for your lunch, dinner, or important client meetings. A comfortable Trattoria that has that inviting feeling of an old Italian neighborhood! More than just a place to eat, but rather, a gathering place where you, your friends, family and business associates can slow down, enjoy a great meal and reconnect. Trombino's serves signature dishes of authentic Italian-American cuisine. Our menu is large and varied, offering a great selection of homemade pastas, signature salads, prime steaks, fresh fish and memorable desserts, including these delectable choices... Gorgonzola Crusted New York Strip Steak, Veal Piccata, Veal Marsala, Chicken Caprini, Shrimp fra Diavolo, Fruitti di Mare & House-made Tiramisu Cake. The bar offers a first class wine list, and Decadent Martinis.

Top review

Pat

Dined 2 days ago

Great dinner with Women’s Group of more than 40 years! Server was stellar!! Food and wine…perfect! Would highly recommend this restaurant!!👍🏼

M'tucci's Italian - Albuquerque

4.4

4.4 (1192)

$30 and under

Italian

Albuquerque

About the restaurant

M'tucci's Italian is a celebration of la dolce vita -- serious food in a warm environment. Gather, eat, talk, laugh, connect with your community over a delicious meal. If you ate it here, we made it here. Why? Because hand-crafted food made from the best ingredients is the Italian way. The M'tucci's way.

From lunch to dinner, we have dishes that will please any palate. Can't decide between our calamari and our mussels or maybe between our fresh pasta and homemade pizzas? Our servers can give you a suggestion for a meal that's sure to amaze. If you're looking to impress for a party or meeting, we can bring the sweet life to your event with our onsite and offsite catering. Taste, savor, and enjoy, Albuquerque. We can't wait to welcome you!

Top review

CherylVIP

Dined 2 days ago

We had eaten at 2 other M'Tucci restaurants and this was our first time at the one closest to us (Coors and Montano, NW). We decided to try their Wed. night special at the bargain price of $30/person. We made a reservation about an hour ahead and were glad that we had. The restaurant was quite full. There were no choices on the special and no substitutions. I probably would not have ordered any of the dishes on the special but we were pleasantly surprised and pleased. The appetizer was a bruschetta topped with mussels. My husband adored this. I thought it was very good. It came with a small glass of a pleasant chardonnay. The main course was hangar steak with roast potatoes. I asked for mine to be cooked medium rare, I was told, you couldn't specify how you wanted it cooked, on the special. Our steaks came out medium rare and were exceptionally tender and flavorful. This was served with a small glass of Cabernet. Dessert was a pumpkin swirl cheesecake. This was the weakest of the courses but we still ate every bite. It was served with a moscato dessert wine. All the portions were small but we didn't leave hungry. Service was excellent in spite of how busy it was. We definitely will return for the Wed. special and will try other things as well. This may become our go to local restaurant.

D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro - Cottonwood

4.4

4.4 (127)

$30 and under

Bistro

Los Ranchos

About the restaurant

We are thrilled to announce that our newest D.H. Lescombes location in Albuquerque is open! This exciting expansion marks a significant milestone in our journey, and we are honored to establish this second Albuquerque location, near Rio Rancho, NM, to serve the wonderful community and surrounding areas.

Top review

Tammy

Dined today

Kari was the best! Food was delicious. Try the baked brie, DEVINE. Wine was wonderful. Everything was great!

Debajo Tapas y vino

3.3

3.3 (220)

$31 to $50

Tapas / Small Plates

Albuquerque

About the restaurant

Local restaurant with Spanish style tapas.
Come and experience it yourself!