Restaurants in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico with Live Music
Albuquerque - Downtown
Dialogue Brewing
Mon-Wed 4pm-midnight, Thu-Sun noon-midnight (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Craft Beer • Wine • Cider • Live Music • DJ • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet • Dog-Friendly
This indoor-outdoor brewery is as cozy as it is fun. The bartenders are friendly and informative, and you’ll often find the owners working the taps with a smile. The identifying feature of the outdoor patio are metal towers stretching high above the building. Enjoy Asian-fusion food from their resident food truck, Kitsune, or order a pizza from their wood fire pizza oven.
 | | | |  | 4.17 rating (6 votes) |
Java Joe’s
$ • Vegetarian Available • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet
There are indeed “few choices left to get that cool Haight-Ashbury ’60s feeling.” Don’t get the wrong idea though, this neighborhood coffee shop isn’t overflowing with hippies. It attracts a diverse crowd of cyclists, artists, musicians, hipsters and grown-ups just looking for a cuppa joe (albeit one with in-house roasted beans). The food is simple and satisfying, from freshly baked scones to waffles, sandwiches and salads. Warning: The scrambled-egg breakfast burrito may cause you to moan out loud. Don’t worry though, the people sitting around you will understand.
Read more: Gastronomic Love Letters (11/1/2018)
| | | | | 3.25 rating (63 votes) |
Sister
$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Craft Beer • Wine • Cider • Bar snacks • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • DJ • Dancing • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet
The cavernous, ground-floor counterpart to Anodyne, Sister is a space tailor-made for happenings. This is a perfect spot for enjoying a quiet dip into the vast draft beer selection with your comrades after work or boogying to the multitude of live bands that occupy its stage nearly every night. Foodies must try the kimchi fries and the divine brisket tacos.
Full review: Next level bar food at Sister ()
Read more: Gastronomic Love Letters (11/1/2018)
| | | | | 3.8 rating (51 votes) |
Zullo’s Bistro
Tues 430PM-9PM, Wed-Thurs 11AM-130AM, Fri-Sat 11AM-130AM, Sun 430PM-1130PM (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: Italian
$$$ • Vegetarian Available • Gluten-free available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Craft Beer • Wine • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • DJ • Karaoke • Dancing • Outdoor Patio • Smoking Permitted • Wireless Internet • Dog-Friendly
For your consideration: Zullo’s Bistro. Pop over to sip a glass of pinot noir and munch on a insalata caprese in their spacious back patio, complete with twinkle lights and overhead shades.
| | | | | 4.43 rating (21 votes) |
Albuquerque - Fairgrounds
The Cooperage
Mon-Fri: 11am-2:30pm, 5pm-10pm
Sat: noon-2:30pm, 5pm-10pm
Sun: noon-9pm (hours can change without notice)
The Cooperage is old-school Albuquerque, right down to the dusty light fixtures. The barrel-shaped steakhouse has been a standby for 30 years thanks to its mile-long complimentary salad and soup bar, aged steaks (at a place like this, prime rib is king) and a big dance floor that’s always packed on the weekends.
| | | | | 3.31 rating (100 votes) |
Albuquerque - Far Northeast Heights
The Barley Room
Mon-Sat: 11am-2am
Sun: 11am-midnight (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Wine Bar • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet
The Barley Room is a watering hole in the far Northeast Heights that fills patrons up with live music, lots of libations and a surprisingly ample menu. Snack on bar-friendly fried things (say yes to the sweet potato fries!), or have a proper meal with burgers, salads, pasta, New Mexican dishes, and a few grilled meat and fish entrées. There’s a palpable sports bar feel to the place, but a diverse clientele keeps this bar/grill comfortable for just about everyone. The kitchen stays open until midnight every night; go ahead and linger.
Full review: Barley Room has a cure for the hangry ()
| | | | | 4.36 rating (137 votes) |
Gecko’s Bar & Tapas
Sun-Thrs: 11am-11pm
Fri-Sat: 11am- midnight
Bar hours: Mon-Sun: 11am- midnight (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Wine • Live Music • Karaoke • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet • Dog-Friendly
Gecko’s expanded with a popular Northeast Heights location that’s housed in a building that looks like a jukebox, for some reason. Even though it’s clear across town, you’ll still probably bump into folks you know as you’re sipping a wicked Bloody Mary and enjoying tidbits from the affordably priced tapas menu.
| | | | | 3.11 rating (79 votes) |
Mykonos Café & Taverna
Sun-Thu: 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-10pm (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: Greek/Mediterranean
This is Greek food that’s elegant, straightforward and absolutely delicious. White tile and recessed blue light create an island oasis that’s suggested rather than spelled out (no 8-foot murals here), and the service is friendly and attentive. The lentil soup is seasoned with just a whisper of aged balsamic vinegar, perfect with a toasty triangle of imported pita bread and a light Greek salad.
| | | | | 2.25 rating (50 votes) |
Savoy Wine Bar & Grill
Dinner: Daily from 5pm
The Lounge: Daily from 3pm
Happy Hour: Daily 3-6pm (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: Fine Dining, American, Bar, Dessert, Fusion, Organic/Locally Grown, Seafood, Steakhouse, Vegetarian, Wine Bar
$$$ • Vegetarian Available • Gluten-free available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Craft Beer • Wine • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet
Wine flights are the best way to try different selections without going broke, and Savoy has some interesting choices. They pair perfectly with the restaurant’s stunning interiors and lovely New American dishes—stovetop clam bake, grilled peach salad and the house charcuterie plate. For dessert, there’s praline-chocolate torte, house-made blackberry-Chambord ice cream, cheese plates and, of course, a glass of La Spinetta Moscato d’Asti.
Full review: Grape harmony ()
Read more: Patio and Happy Hour Guide (6/8/2017)
| | | | | 3.17 rating (84 votes) |
Albuquerque - I-25 Corridor
Hooters Restaurant
Mon-Thurs-11-11, Fri-Sat-11-12, Sun 11-10 (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: American
Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Craft Beer • NM Beer • Delivery • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Karaoke • Pool Tables • Smoking Permitted • Wireless Internet
Happy Hour!: every weekday 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm: every weekday 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm
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| | | | | 3.17 rating (65 votes) |
Nexus Brewery
Mon-Thu: 11am-9:30pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-10pm
Sun: 11am-8:30pm (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Booze Served • Wine Bar • Craft Beer • Growler refills • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet • Dog-Friendly
This brewery has quite a following, both for the beer and as a “New Mexican soul food” gastropub. The menu offers specialties like New Orleans-style gumbo and the delicious marriage of chicken and waffles. It’s just the place to take your corn-bread-and-Frito-pie-craving friends while still getting your craft beer fix.
Read more: ABQ Beer Geek: Tractor taps Nob Hill, Nexus makes neighbors near I-25 (9/8/2011)
Read more: On the Hunt for Chicken and Waffles (2/20/2014)
| | | | | 4.08 rating (103 votes) |
Albuquerque - Midtown
Altitude Sports Grill
Wrung out from playing with the kiddos at the water park in Hotel Cascada? Head over to Altitude, a sports-themed hotel bar with sandwiches, salads and pizza. If lots of TVs with sports are what you’re looking for, this is the place.
| | | | | 3.16 rating (49 votes) |
Albuquerque - Nob Hill
Monte Vista Fire Station
Mon-Fri: 3pm-2am
Sat: 11am-2am
Sun: noon-midnight (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Wine • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio
With sometimes too-loud live music and a party-hard crowd, it’s usually best to avoid this place on the weekends. But stop in for a late lunch or weeknight burger and a beer, and you’ll get a different experience. The beef here is grass-fed, New Mexico-grown, and steroid- and antibiotic-free, and the cooks at Monte Vista deserve praise for what they do with it. The freshly ground burgers are juicy and big, the chile cheese fries hit the spot, and the beef skewers are tender and one of the best deals on cow in town.
Read more: Meditative Meals: The View from Monte Vista Fire Station (12/4/2014)
| | | | | 3.08 rating (78 votes) |
Scalo Northern Italian Grill
Sun: 11am–2:30pm & 5pm–9pm
Mon–Tues: 11:30am–2:30pm & 5pm–9pm
Wed–Fri: 11:30am–2:30pm & 5pm–10pm
Sat: 11am-2:30pm & 5pm-10pm (hours can change without notice)
$$$ • Vegetarian Available • Gluten-free available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Wine Bar • Wine • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet • Lounge
The surprising thing about Scalo is that it’s simultaneously more fancy and less expensive than you’d think. It’s just as breezy and classy as ever in its high-ceilinged dining room. All of the bottles on the wine list are half-price on Monday nights, and there’s free, live music in the bar. Try their Bloody Mary bar on the weekends or their Sunday brunch. There’s plenty of fresh-pressed espresso to sip with it.
Full review: Scalo Northern Italian Grill ()
Read more: Patio and Happy Hour Guide: Oxygen-Rich Music (6/16/2016)
| | | | | 3.52 rating (104 votes) |
Two Fools Tavern
Sun-Thu: 11am-11pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-midnight (hours can change without notice)
Deep-frying may well be a Scottish national pastime, pursued with the same extremist zeal as soccer hooliganism and pub patronage. Sink your teeth into one of the breaded and fried items Two Fools Tavern offers and you'll understand why. This British Isles-style pub is the brainchild of successful restaurateur Tom White (Scalo and Il Vicino). Highlights include perfect fish and chips, buckets of beer, scads of Scotches, and Saturday and Sunday brunch with, of course, live Celtic music. They also serve a perfectly rationed hot toddy. Order one in the colder months and sip on it by the fireplace. You won’t be disappointed.
| | | | | 3.52 rating (73 votes) |
Yanni's and Lemoni Bar and Grill
Tues-Thurs: 11am-9:30pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-10:30pm
Sun-Mon: 11:30am-8:30pm (hours can change without notice)
$$$$ • Vegetarian Available • Gluten-free available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Wine Bar • Live Music
You love Yanni's. So do we. Their adjoined Lemoni Bar seats about 85 people and is open for lunch, dinner or just cocktails. Painted natural tones and accented with elegant lighting, the lounge provides a subtle contrast to the bright, light and airy dining rooms at Yanni's. It’s an ideal place for pre- or post-movie cocktails and snacks, or more substantial cuisine. Their green chile Bloody Mary will certainly boost your brunch.
Full review: Yanni’s Mediterranean Grill ()
| | | | | 3.83 rating (103 votes) |
Zacatecas Tacos + Tequila
Tues-Thu: 4pm-9pm
Fri-Sat: 11:30am-10pm
Sun: 11:30am-9pm
Closed Monday (hours can change without notice)
: - : every Sunday 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
: 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
: 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Zacatecas is an upscale taco-and-tequila concept and the baby of Mark Kiffin, whose Santa Fe restaurant The Compound is renowned for its ingredients and artistry. His Pacific rock cod taco is perfectly browned on the outside, juicy on the inside and oozing with glorious fish grease. With the addition of coleslaw and habañero salsa, this is not the taco of anyone’s abuelita. Toast her health with a three-mescal sampler, which comes in terra cotta dishes. Often features live music.
Read more: Dish Jockey: Los tacos de Zacatecas (4/12/2012)
| | | | | 4.52 rating (34 votes) |
Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro
Brunch:
Sat-Sun: 11am-2:30pm
Dinner:
Sun: 5pm-9pm
Mon-Thurs: 5pm-9:30pm
Fri-Sat: 5pm-11pm
Cellar Bar:
Tues-Sat: 4:30pm-12am
Sun-Mon: 4:30pm-11pm (kitchen until 10pm) (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: American, Fine Dining, French, Organic/Locally Grown, Wine Bar, Bar, Dessert, Fusion, Steakhouse, Vegetarian
$$$ • Vegetarian Available • Gluten-free available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Craft Beer • Wine • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Wireless Internet
Zinc is a delightfully renovated historic space in Nob Hill, reborn as an upscale restaurant serving elegant American food with noticeable French inspiration. Downstairs, the cellar bar attracts a younger crowd for drinks and music. The happy hour menu, wines by the glass and prices are the best around. Give the brunch a try, and while you’re at it, try a Taos Mule from the bar.
Read more: Patio and Happy Hour Guide (6/8/2017)
Read more: On the Hunt for Chicken and Waffles (2/20/2014)
Full review: A tale of two restaurants ()
| | | | | 4.22 rating (82 votes) |
Albuquerque - North Valley
Casa de Benavidez
Mon-Thu 10:30am-8pm
Fri: 9am-9pm
Sat: 8am-9pm
Sun: 8am-3pm (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: New Mexican
One of the most beautiful patios in town. Benavidez is way the hell up there in the North Valley, but if you’re looking for a good breakfast burrito or simply someplace to sit and have some chips, queso and a mind-erasing Bloody Mary, this place is worth your time.
Full review: A taste of “old" Placitas in the North Valley ()
| | | | | 4.1 rating (103 votes) |
El Bruno's Restaurante y Cantina
Mon-Sun 11am-10pm (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio • Lounge
New Mexican food in the Garduño’s vein—plus burgers and booze—in a bucolic valley setting. In fact, El Bruno’s does indeed occupy the site (and, one might assume, the demographic) of the former North Valley Garduño’s.
| | | | | 2.82 rating (49 votes) |
