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 even find the smiling owners working the taps. The identifying feature of the outdoor patio are metal towers that stretch high above the building. Enjoy Asian fusion cuisine from resident food truck Kitsune or order a pizza made in the wood-fired oven.
 | | | |  | 4.17 rating (6 votes) |
Java Joe’s
$ • Vegetarian Available • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet
Java Joe’s boasts a cool ’60s Haight-Ashbury feel but isn’t jam-packed with hippies or anything. It attracts a diverse crowd of cyclists, artists, musicians, hipsters and even grown-ups simply searching for a good cup of joe (albeit one made with house-roasted beans). From freshly baked scones and waffles to sandwiches and salads, the menu is simple and satisfying. Warning: Joe’s breakfast burritos may cause you to audibly but the regulars here will totally get it.
Read more: Gastronomic Love Letters (11/1/2018)
Read more: The Dish: Coffee Talkee (10/3/2019)
| | | | | 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 that’s tailor-made for happenings. This is a perfect spot to enjoy a dip into the vast draft beer selection with comrades after work or boogie to a multitude of live bands that occupy its stage nearly every night. Foodies must try the kimchi fries and the divine brisket tacos.
Read more: Taco Tuesday Is For Weaklings (9/12/2019)
Read more: Weekly Specials: Happy Hour (7/11/2019)
Full review: Next level bar food at Sister ()
Read more: Gastronomic Love Letters (11/1/2018)
| | | | | 3.8 rating (51 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)
$$ • Booze Served • Wine Bar • Craft Beer • Growler refills • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet • Dog-Friendly
This brewery has quite a following, both for the beer and as a “New Mexican soul food” gastropub. The menu offers specialties like New Orleans-style gumbo and the delicious marriage of chicken and waffles. It’s just the place to take your corn-bread-and-Frito-pie-craving friends while still getting your craft beer fix.
Read more: ABQ Beer Geek: Tractor taps Nob Hill, Nexus makes neighbors near I-25 (9/8/2011)
Read more: On the Hunt for Chicken and Waffles (2/20/2014)
| | | | | 4.08 rating (103 votes) |
Albuquerque - Nob Hill
Cellar Bar at Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro
Mon 4:30-11pm, Tue-Sat 4:30pm-midnight (hours can change without notice)
$$ • 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.
| | | | | No Votes Yet! |
Monte Vista Fire Station
Mon-Fri: 3pm-2am
Sat: 11am-2am
Sun: noon-midnight (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Wine • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio
If you don’t like it loud, it’s best to avoid this place on the weekends. But stop in for a late lunch or weeknight burger and a beer, and you’ll have a whole different experience. The beef here is grass-fed, New Mexico-grown, and steroid- and antibiotic-free, and Monte Vista’s cooks deserve praise for what they do with it. The freshly ground burgers are big and juicy, the chile cheese fries hit the spot, and the beef skewers are tender and one of the best deals on cow in town.
Read more: Meditative Meals: The View from Monte Vista Fire Station (12/4/2014)
| | | | | 3.08 rating (78 votes) |
Two Fools Tavern
Sun-Thu: 11am-11pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-midnight (hours can change without notice)
Deep-frying may well be a Scottish national pastime, pursued with the same extremist zeal as soccer hooliganism and pub patronage. Sink your teeth into one of the breaded and fried items Two Fools Tavern offers and you'll understand why. This British Isles-style pub is the brainchild of successful restaurateur Tom White (Scalo and Il Vicino). Highlights include perfect fish and chips, buckets of beer, scads of Scotches, and Saturday and Sunday brunch with, of course, live Celtic music. They also serve a perfectly rationed hot toddy. Order one in the colder months and sip on it by the fireplace. You won’t be disappointed.
Read more: The Dish: Freedom From Tacos (9/12/2019)
| | | | | 3.52 rating (73 votes) |
Yanni's & Lemoni Lounge
Tues-Thurs: 11am-9:30pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-10:30pm
Sun-Mon: 11:30am-8:30pm (hours can change without notice)
$$$$ • Vegetarian Available • Gluten-free available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Wine Bar • Live Music
You love Yanni's. So do we. Their adjoined Lemoni Bar seats about 85 people and is open for lunch, dinner or just cocktails. Painted natural tones and accented with elegant lighting, the lounge provides a subtle contrast to the bright, light and airy dining rooms at Yanni's. It’s an ideal place for pre- or post-movie cocktails and snacks, or more substantial cuisine. Their green chile Bloody Mary will certainly boost your brunch.
Full review: Yanni’s Mediterranean Grill ()
| | | | | 3.83 rating (103 votes) |
Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro
Brunch:
Sun: 11am-2:30pm
Dinner:
Sun: 5pm-9pm
Mon-Thurs: 5pm-9:30pm
Fri-Sat: 5pm-11pm
Cellar Bar:
Tues-Sat: 4:30pm-12am
Mon: 4:30pm-11pm (kitchen until 10pm) (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: American, Fine Dining, French, Organic/Locally Grown, Wine Bar, Bar, Dessert, Fusion, Steakhouse, Vegetarian
$$$ • 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: Burque Burger Week: All the Best Burgers in Albuquerque (5/23/2019)
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
Casa de Benavidez is located in the far North Valley, but if you’re looking for one of the most beautiful patios in town and a good breakfast burrito or just someplace to sit and have some chips, queso and a mind-erasing Bloody Mary, this place is well worth both the drive and 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)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio • Lounge
New Mexican food in the Garduño’s vein—plus burgers and booze—in a bucolic valley setting. In fact, El Bruno’s does indeed occupy the site (and, one might assume, the demographic) of the former North Valley Garduño’s.
| | | | | 2.82 rating (49 votes) |
El Pinto Restaurant & Cantina
Mon-Thurs: 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-10pm
Sun: 10:30am-9 pm (Sun Brunch 10:30am-2pm) (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: New Mexican
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio
Touted as New Mexico’s largest restaurant, the North Valley’s El Pinto is best known for its gorgeous, shady environment (perennially Best Patio in our restaurant polls) and award-winning jarred salsa. Try it for margaritas, brunch and a little flan.
Read more: Patio and Happy Hour Guide: Oxygen-Rich Music (6/16/2016)
| | | | | 4.03 rating (98 votes) |
Pueblo Harvest
Monday-Saturday: 7am-9pm
Sunday: 7am-4pm (hours can change without notice)
$$$ • Vegetarian Available • Gluten-free available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Live Music • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet
Two words: fry bread. Use this heaping hunk of pillowy carbs to sop up green or red chile posole, mutton stew and huevos rancheros. When you’re stuffed tighter than a stocking on Christmas morning, go check out what events, classes or dances are going on at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
Read more: Chef du Jour: Brent Moore (9/6/2018)
Read more: Patio and Happy Hour Guide: Oxygen-Rich Music (6/16/2016)
Full review: Pueblo Harvest Café offers a delicious bounty ()
Full review: Culture is on the menu ()
| | | | | 4.74 rating (15 votes) |
Vernon’s Speakeasy
Mon-Sun: 4:30pm-9:30pm
Fri-Sat Happy Hour: 9pm-11pm
Sunday Brunch: 10:30am-3pm (hours can change without notice)
$$$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Full Bar • Wine • Live Music • Outdoor Patio • Smoking Permitted • Lounge
Vernon’s is a swanky underground spot for good eats and high times, delivered speakeasy-style. The dining room is walled with lustrous, ebony adobe, and the tables are clothed in crisp, black and white linens. By the glass or bottle, there’s plenty of quality hooch. The menu is classic steakhouse stuff with beef tournedos in a silky demi-glace, fresh fish and a damn fine veal Oscar. Check out the Black Diamond Lounge to take in the fancy cocktails and live music.
Full review: Dine well and speakeasy ()
| | | | | 3.26 rating (121 votes) |
