Nob Hill Restaurants in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico
Albuquerque - Nob Hill
Ajiaco Colombian Bistro
Cuisine: South American
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Gluten-free available • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet
This Colombian cuisine spot serves up beautifully satisfactory meals. We like the choriarepa (corn cake with chorizo) and the picada (pork rinds, chorizo, yuca, plantain, Colombian potatoes, lemon, chimichurri and aji) but our favorite thing is the maracuya (passion fruit) jugos con leche. The friendly—although few—servers make the wait for the delicious food worth it.
Full review: Ajiaco’s Colombian fare ()
 | | | | | 4.67 rating (3 votes) |
Bistronomy B2B
Mon and Tue 4pm-9pm
Wed 12pm-9pm
Thur-Sat 12pm-9:30pm (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Craft Beer • Wine • Take Out / To-Go • Wireless Internet
This small restaurant has a straightforward goal: to serve the best damn local-beef hamburgers and microbrewed beers around. With eight burgers to choose from—including the delectable Nawlins with bleu cheese—and 33 local beers on tap, the joint should be a beacon for anyone with a carnivorous appetite while a selection of meatless burgers and impressive salads should satisfy vegetarians.
Read more: Burque Burger Week: All the Best Burgers in Albuquerque (5/23/2019)
Full review: B2B Bistronomy arrives in Nob Hill ()
| | | |  | 3.67 rating (80 votes) |
Blunt Bros Coffee
7am to 4pm, Monday through Friday
8am to 2pm, Saturday and Sunday (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: Coffee/Tea/Espresso
Let’s be clear about something. This isn’t a Starbucks, and if you’re expecting the kind of snappy service you get at the nation’s largest coffee chain, you’re going to be disappointed. Instead, expect a bit of small talk and then a wait while one of the Brothers (none of whom are named Blunt and some of whom might actually be Sisters) puts your order together. With just a little patience on your part, though, you’ll soon be treated to some excellent brew that will put the corporate stuff to shame. Definitely try the Magic mocha and Corey’s Coo Coo Nut.
| | | | | 3.67 rating (3 votes) |
Bosque Brewing Public House
Mon-Wed: 11am-11pm
Thurs:11am-midnight
Fri-Sat: 11am-1am
Sun: 12pm-11pm (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Gluten-free available • Booze Served • Craft Beer • Growler refills • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet
Bosque’s freshly expanded taproom in the Nob Hill/University Heights area is a must try on your brewery tour list, especially as their food is top notch. This location offers a sunny patio, too. The happy hour menu is a must, and the sandwiches are pretty great all around, especially the caprese and the Italian.
Full review: Setting your priorities at Bosque Brewery Public House ()
| | | | | 3.67 rating (3 votes) |
Bristol Doughnut Co.
Cuisine: Bakery/Sweets
You can’t miss it. It’s the double-decker bus on Central, parked in that empty corner lot. Yeah, that’s a doughnut shop. How frickin’ cool is that? Get one of their brioche doughnuts (prickly pear or maple bacon) for a truly unique treat. Grab a cup of Little Bear coffee and find a table in the adorable little upstairs seating area. Then let the Instagraming begin.
Read more: Made in the Neighborhood: Bristol Doughnut Co. Parks in Nob Hill (1/24/2019)
Alibi recommends: The Bristol salted butter doughnut, along with whatever the monthly special is.
Vibe: Just cute as the dickens.
| | | | | No Votes Yet! |
Café Cubano at Laru Ni Hati
Mon: noon-8:30pm
Tue-Fri: 10am-9pm
Sat: 9am-9pm
Sun: noon-5pm (hours can change without notice)
Offering authentic Cuban-style cooking, Café Cubano is like your abuelita’s kitchen. All of the food is made from scratch with recipes passed down the lines. Located in the popular unisex salon Laru Ni Hati, this capable Cuban café has good cigars, good bottled beers and an espresso menu worthy of a steamy Havana night. Whether you’re a diner, salon client or both, you won’t leave Laru Ni Hati unsatisfied.
| | | | | 3.41 rating (22 votes) |
Cellar Bar at Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro
Mon 4:30-11pm, Tue-Sat 4:30pm-midnight (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Gluten-free available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Wine Bar • Craft Beer • Wine • Live Music • Lounge
When you walk into Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro, turn right and head down the stairway into small and sultry little bar. With a curated wine list and killer nightly specials, the Cellar Bar is an excellent date night that won’t break the bank (if you order right). We recommend stopping in for their Wine and Cheese Wednesdays.
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ChocolateDude
Sun-Thurs: 8am-10pm
Fri-Sat: 8am-11pm (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: Bakery/Sweets
The Dude abides and the Dude knows chocolate. This Nob Hill sweet shop specializes in the old-fashioned approach, from the stained wooden cases to the hand-made chocolates. Grab a cup of fresh coffee, a couple of fudge squares, a favorite book and take a seat.
Read more: Weekly Specials: Desserts (7/25/2019)
Read more: The Gift of Food (11/19/2015)
| | | | | 5 rating (6 votes) |
Cinnamon Sugar & Spice Cafe
Cinnamon Sugar & Spice Cafe is that wonderful mix of quirky and strange that makes living in Albuquerque so rewarding and unique, while also bringing a diverse menu with enough twists to help the food stand out amongst the multitude of breakfast places scattered throughout the town. When I stopped in at the Nob Hill location, I was surprised by a few things. The first was how open and light it felt inside. You don’t see a lot of places with full glass walls anymore, let alone two of them (RIP Scalos). With the light pouring in and the air feeling fresher for it, I went inside to go take a seat. Among the regular tables and set ups, you can also enjoy something a little stranger, like sharing a table with a skeleton or hanging out on the swings. Yes, literal swings. The interior decoration is akin to what I would imagine a fairy’s forest hideout would look, with long draping flowers and vines giving the space a bit of a magical feel to it. In many ways, I felt like I had taken a wrong turn and ended up somewhere far different than a restaurant and into something else entirely, in a good way.
Full review: Cinnamon Sugar & Spice Cafe brings quirk to Nob Hill ()
Alibi recommends: Grecian Not-chos
Vibe: Magical breakfast and lunch spot
| | | | | No Votes Yet! |
Cold Stone Creamery
Sun-Thurs: noon-10pm
Fri-Sat: noon-11pm (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: Ice Cream/Smoothies/Gelato/Fro-Yo
Squeezed into the heart of Nob Hill, Coldstone is a corprate gem amongst locals. The staff is friendly and there are a variety of goodies to choose from including ice cream cupcakes. Aside from the tiny patio space and sharing a restroom with Kellys next door, this space is great for people watching and cooling off.
| | | | | 3.18 rating (11 votes) |
Crazy Fish
Mon-Thurs: 11am-9:30pm
Fri: 11am-10pm
Sat: noon-10pm
Sun: noon-9:30pm (hours can change without notice)
The lunch menu at contemporary Crazy Fish is accessible and affordably priced with selections from a full sushi bar (other options include calamari salad and a barbecued eel bowl). At dinner, the menu is more exciting but not that much more expensive. The spicy udon noodles are transportive.
Full review: Crazy Fish is crazy good ()
| | | | | 4.23 rating (33 votes) |
Don Choche Tacos y Cervesa
Tues-Sat: 9am-8pm
Sun: 9:30am-6pm (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: Mexican
As far as food goes, you’re definitely covered. Most everything on the menu can be had with the choice of ten different meats. For example, the tacos ($3) are done like traditional street tacos. Topped with cilantro, onion and radish, you pick the meat and you’re set to go. I went with my personal favorite, carne adovada, with left the taco bursting at the seams filled, a good sign already. The fiery kick of the seasoned meat was enough to open my eyes with delight when it first ran across my tongue. It was almost melt in your mouth tender, with an over-the-top level of seasoning that didn’t feel like too much, but more as a just right. By any metric you could hold it to, the carne adovada is a straight up winner.
Full review: Don Choche brings authentic Mexican to Nob Hill ()
Alibi recommends: Anything with the carne adovada
Vibe: Authentic Mexican food in the heart of Nob Hill
| | | | | No Votes Yet! |
Duke City Kitchen
Tue-Sat: 7am-2pm
Sun: 8am-1pm, breakfast only (hours can change without notice)
This burger came out dripping with jam, a knife rising out of the top. I felt like I was watching an Ides of March reenactment from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar). I boldly jumped in and was instantly floored by how phenomenal the flavor combination was. Beyond all reason, this was one of the best burgers I’ve ever tried. Maybe it was the fact that it meshes nostalgic childhood tastes with the New Mexican comfort food of green chile and cheese, all held together with this juicy beef that fills your mouth with every bite. Maybe it was the fact that I’ve never experienced all these flavors working in tandem, and my body reacted happily to something new and different. Or maybe it was just because this is one hell of a hamburger, and risks deserve to be rewarded. All I can tell you is that your biggest disservice to yourself in life is not giving this a shot at least once, because I have finally found love after 30 years of life on Earth, and it’s with this insane burger.
Full review: Duke City Kitchen rules AM roost ()
Alibi recommends: The Betty, The Betty and The Betty
Vibe: Chillaxed breakfast and lunch joint
| | | | | No Votes Yet! |
El Cotorro
Mon-Sat 11:30am-8pm
Sun 5-8pm (hours can change without notice)
This southern Mexican food-inspired eatery has a plate for all palates. While our favorites are the oxtail and al pastor tacos, there are vegetarian and vegan friendly options, as well. If you’re not exactly in the mood for tacos, go to their Southern room and look over their unique collection of ice creams—we highly recommend the green tea cucumber variety.
Full review: El Cotorro combines concept and craftsmanship ()
| | | | | 4 rating (1 vote) |
El Sarape
Mon: 10am-4pm
Tue-Sat: 10am-9pm
Sun Closed (hours can change without notice)
Mariscos and northern Mexican cuisine with a unique flair. Various ceviche-like dishes feature raw shrimp of unusually firm deliciousness. The epic Charola De Mariscos platter (fried, steamed and raw) must be seen to be believed. Don’t fill up on just the chips.
| | | | | 4 rating (1 vote) |
El Zarandeado
A marisqueria specializing in Sinaloense-style seafood, El Zarandeado takes a craftsman’s approach to your meals. There’s the molcajete Sinaloense, in which a basalt mortar is filled with mariscos and a pureed green chile sauce, then baked; the cocomarisco, a young coconut emptied of its water and packed with a mix of marinated seafood and young coconut flesh; and above all, el zarandeado itself, a grey snapper “cult object” that needs to be ordered an hour ahead of time.
Read more: Dish Jockey (9/6/2012)
| | | | | 2 rating (1 vote) |
Fan Tang
Mon-Thu:11am-9pm
Fri-Sat:11am-10pm
Sun: noon-9pm (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Craft Beer • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet • Dog-Friendly
The historic building at the corner of Central and Carlisle yields a spacious dining room with booths, tables, free Wi-Fi and dog-friendly patios. Inside, the Zeng family (Chow’s) have retained their focus on quality ingredients and many traditional family recipes, but with a twist: The menu is aimed at folks who want a fast meal in a comfortable atmosphere. Prices are moderate. Meals are ordered at the cashier, then delivered to the table within minutes. Dishes are generously portioned for individuals rather than family-style. The menu draws freely from many Asian cultures with emphasis on Chinese. Try the Mongolian noodles or coffee chicken.
Read more: Mina's Dish: Chow’s dynasty takes root in Nob Hill (8/18/2011)
| | | | | 3.72 rating (45 votes) |
The Farmacy
Mon Closed
Tues-Fri 7:30am-2pm
Sat-Sun 8am-3pm (hours can change without notice)
In this cozy cafe, a small crew serves top-notch, freshly made and locally sourced foods to Albuquerque's hungry brunch crowd. Since they moved to their new location on Central, that crowd has been pretty pleased with the shorter lines and increased number of tables compared to the quaint and tiny box they lived in on Mountain. The migas are killer here, but you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
Full review: Locally-sourced and expertly crafted daytime fare ()
Read more: Food News (1/3/2019)
| | | | | 5 rating (1 vote) |
Flying Star Café
Sun-Mon: 7am-9:30pm
Tues-Thurs: 7am-10pm
Fri-Sat: 7am-11pm (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Craft Beer • Wine • Take Out / To-Go • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet • Dog-Friendly
Sure, you go in thinking you’ll be good and get a skinny latte, scrambled local egg whites and a side of turkey and green chile sausage, but five minutes later somebody’s saying “éclair” and the voice is coming from your mouth. This Duke City fixture prides itself on using locally sourced ingredients like eggs and greens and offers free coffee refills. Beware the irresistible carrot cake.
| | | | | 2.8 rating (85 votes) |
Frenchish
Cuisine: French
Jennifer James goes casual-ish with this Nob Hill eatery that serves up everything from a heavenly seared foie gras on grilled bread pudding drizzled with bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup to a whimsical carrot dog. The wine selection is great and there are weekly off-menu specials like lamb and mocha baked Alaska.
Full review: Jennifer James goes casual-ish ()
| | | | | 4 rating (5 votes) |
