Specialty Food Store Albuquerque Restaurants
Albuquerque - Downtown
The Grove Café & Market
Sun: 8am-3pm
Mon: Closed
Tues-Sat: 7am-3pm (hours can change without notice)
$$$ • Vegetarian Available • Booze Served • Wine Bar • Craft Beer • Wine • Catering • Outdoor Patio • Wireless Internet • Dog-Friendly
This ray of sunshine in EDo serves gourmet breakfast and lunch, sells house-made English muffins and even has a mini-shop filled with goodies like honey, jams, mustards and vinegars, not to mention cookbooks, serving vessels and greeting cards. The tiny wine list is just as chic—five reds and five whites marked on a chalkboard and constantly changing. This list is well thought-out and offers some of the most esoteric varietals and brands available in town. There’s also a large, shady patio, incredible house-made cupcakes and adorable macarons.
Full review: Twenty more years ()
 | | | |  | 3.85 rating (47 votes) |
Slow Roasted Bocadillos
Cuisine: American, Deli/Sandwiches, Mexican, New Mexican, Organic/Locally Grown, Specialty Food Store, Take Out/To-Go, Vegan, Vegetarian
This establishment does not yet have a description. Would you like to contribute one? Use the 'Any other notes' blank.
Full review: Bocadillos serves solid sammies ()
| | | | | 2.88 rating (33 votes) |
Albuquerque - Fairgrounds
ABC Cake Shop
Mon-Sat: 7am-6pm
Sun: 9am-3pm (hours can change without notice)
A whole room at this shop is dedicated to displaying wedding cakes, its forté. Kids' cakes can be adorned with anything from Shrek to Kermit the Frog. Basic sheet cakes can be ordered to serve anywhere from 15 to 96 guests. Choose from cakes like marble, German chocolate or carrot; fillings like Bavarian cream, blueberry or chocolate fudge; and icings including butter cream, chocolate chipped cream and cream cheese. Cakes aside, a wide selection of Danishes, like strawberry cheese, praline and apricot, are also very tempting. The cookie selection is worth testing, especially Chinese almond and lemon coconut.
| | | | | 3.58 rating (72 votes) |
Bombay Spice
10am-8pm 7 days a week (hours can change without notice)
A family-owned grocery with a mission “to get top class, quality ingredients from our motherland India” including spices, dals (various types of lentils, peas and beans), frozen food and snacks.
| | | | | No Votes Yet! |
Buffett’s Candies
Mon-Sat: 9am-6pm
Sun: 12:30-5pm (hours can change without notice)
As you’re already well aware, Buffett's Candies is home to the largest candy cane this side of the Mississippi. (Admit it, you’ve always wanted to pop in and see if it’s got melon-sized bonbons to boot.) All the candies are made fresh with real butter, cream and sugar, and if there is piñon in it, you can be sure it came from New Mexico. And what tastes more like love than chocolate and piñon?
| | | | | 3.42 rating (46 votes) |
Helen’s Bakery
You could miss the decayed pink, green and purple cross that adorns Helen’s Bakery just north of Lomas in the blink of an eye but there you’ll find rows of Mexican pastries, cookies and rolls tucked away inside glass cases or cooling on a big metal rack up front. If you don’t speak Spanish, here’s how it all works: Walk up to the register, grab a pair of tongs and a cafeteria tray and load up on sweet treats. A little café serves savory Mexican snacks like tacos and chicharrones by the pound. As for meals, try the menudo.
| | | | | 3.16 rating (97 votes) |
The Specialty Shop
Mon-Fri: 9am-5:30pm
Sat: 8:30am-5pm
Sun: Closed (hours can change without notice)
Make your sweetie some homemade candies or create chocolates in fun shapes. You'll find everything you might ever need to make magically delicious sweet things—cookie cutters, cake pans, sprinkles in every color of the rainbow, doilies, lollipop molds, candy boxes, wedding cake supplies. The best part is that you can go up to the counter with a random object and say, “Hi, I'm thinking of making [insert name of wickedly difficult, obscure sweet here]. What do I need for that?” They'll hook you up with all the proper ingredients and then ask if you need a recipe. Now that's service.
| | | | | 2.87 rating (31 votes) |
Albuquerque - Far Northeast Heights
Theobroma Chocolatier
Mon-Sat: 10am-6pm
Sun: Closed (hours can change without notice)
Floor-to-ceiling shelves boast gift baskets and bags, chocolate sculptures and molded items, giant "kisses" and sugar-free assortments. A chilled candy case shimmers with an assortment of chocolate truffles, creams and caramels sold by the piece. The counter is heaped with our favorite items, mostly chocolate poured over salty, crunchy things like pretzels, popcorn, nuts and cookies. Also, look for chocolate-covered strawberries and Taos Cow ice cream in eight flavors.
| | | | | 3.13 rating (53 votes) |
Three Dog Bakery
Mon-Sat: 10am-6pm
Sun: 10am-5pm (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: Specialty Food Store
Your pets need to eat too! Pup-cakes and decadent treats won’t break the bank at this dog treat mecca. Dogs will love the natural flavors and presentation of the shop’s extremely affordable offerings, and you’ll be tempted to try one yourself.
| | | | | 2.93 rating (27 votes) |
Albuquerque - Midtown
Ariana Halal Market
All of the dishes at Ariana come with a hefty portion of white basmati rice dusted with tart, purple sumac powder (a shaker of which accessorizes each table). The dishes also all come with a green, mustardy chutney of cilantro and walnuts, a sauce that relies on housemade yogurt, a salad of diced tomato, cucumber and onion, and a slice of flatbread, which is baked twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Don’t go if you’re in a hurry. There could be a guy in front of you buying lamb tongues or pickled garlic heads that need to be fished out of the vat. When you order, much of the meal is made from scratch. But there’s no need to stay planted at your table while you wait—interesting grocery items like Bulgarian feta, organic Afghani figs, chickpea cookies and vats of grapeseed oil beg for your inspection.
Read more: Locovore: Ariana Halal Market is a butcher, a baker and pickled garlic maker (11/3/2011)
| | | | | 4.64 rating (11 votes) |
Saratori’s Pastry Shop
Mon-Fri 9am-5:30
Sat 9am-5pm
Sun Closed (hours can change without notice)
Combining his daughters’ names—Sara and Tori—Tully’s owner Johnny Camuglia came up with Saratori’s, then put to use a wealth of family Italian baking recipes. Limone farfalla (crumbly lemon bows), buccellati biscotto (rolled cookies filled with figs), buttery, shell-shaped sfogliatelle with hundreds of flaky ripples and an orange rind-and-ricotta cheese center, and albicocca biscotti (apricot-stuffed biscuits) are just some of the goodies to be found in Camuglia's cases. All are delicious. Closed Sundays.
Full review: Just desserts from two new bakeries ()
| | | | | 3 rating (54 votes) |
Tully’s Italian Deli
Mon-Fri 9 am-5:30 pm
Sat 9 am-5 pm
Closed Sunday (hours can change without notice)
This small Italian delicatessen is jam-packed with enough imported and domestic meats, cheeses and specialty items to turn any kitchen into an authentic cucina Italiana. At the meat counter you'll find fresh prosciutto, salami, house-made sausage, and a variety of veal, beef and pork cuts. Cheeses run the gamut from humble staples like Parmesan, Pecorino Romano and fresh mozzarella to fancier formaggio like Fontina, Gorgonzola and Locatelli. Step over to the lunch counter for a quick Italian snack made with ingredients you know are top-notch.
| | | | | 3.9 rating (21 votes) |
Whole Foods Market
7AM-10PM everyday (hours can change without notice)
This establishment does not yet have a description. Would you like to contribute one? Use the 'Any other notes' blank.
| | | | | 3.33 rating (3 votes) |
Albuquerque - North Valley
Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café
Mon-Sat: 8am-9pm
Sun: 10am-8pm (hours can change without notice)
Ayurvedic cuisine works with your body’s natural energies and constitution to create “soul” food that’s on a whole new plane. Winners of Best Vegetarian in our poll several years running, Annapurna is devoted to vegan and vegetarian cuisine. The food is satisfying but never heavy and, well, you just feel better after eating there. The lunch special is a good bet with a spicy Indian soup, rice, wheat-free chapatis (a flatbread cousin of naan) and your choice of a vegetable entrée for about eight bucks. Check out the Chai Happy hour for 50% off a cup of chai from 3-5 pm daily.
| | | | | 4.35 rating (11 votes) |
Cravin’ Cookies ... and More!
Tues-Fri 9am-5pm
Sat 9am-4pm
Closed Sunday (hours can change without notice)
Easily the most excessively punctuated business title in Albuquerque, Cravin’ Cookies ... and More! is a cozy bakery nestled in the lush greenery of the far North Valley. Café-style seating indoors and out, potted plants and a wooden display hutch create a warm, homey environment that begs visitors to sit and sip a cup of tea. Barb, the carbohydrate crafter, bakes up at least a dozen different cookies a day, along with several pies, cakes and tortes. Cookies are available in mini and regular sizes, and there’s always a plate of samples to help you make up your mind—but may we suggest the red chile-chocolate cookies, chocolate chip cookies, toasted coconut pie ... and skipping lunch and going straight for the flourless chocolate torte.
Full review: A sweet ending note ()
| | | | | 4.33 rating (13 votes) |
Pastian's Bakery
Mon-Fri: 6:30am-5:00pm
Sat: 7:30am- 3:30pm
Closed Sunday (hours can change without notice)
Meals Served: Breakfast
Family-owned for 35 years, Pastian's offers everything from breads and pies to pastries and cookies. Operating as a retail and wholesale bakery, much of its business is with hotels and restaurants, but a visit here to the small café with friendly service is well worth the trip. It's cheap, too, with pastries, empanadas and Danishes all under $1. The cherry turnovers perfectly balance crisp cinnamon-sugar pastry and chewy fruit filling.
| | | | | 4.21 rating (18 votes) |
Albuquerque - Northeast Heights
A-Ri-Rang Oriental Market
Ah, the joys of a good bowl of kimchi and rice. A-Ri-Rang Oriental Market offers exotic groceries, dishes and cool collectibles. The compact lunch counter is also a fine stop for a tasty Korean lunch. Try the barbecued beef, pork or squid, or the seafood pancakes, and then wash it all down with a cup of hot barley tea. Breath mints not included.
Read more: Dish Jockey: Korean soon tofu and African goat meat pepper stew (3/29/2012)
| | | | | 3.46 rating (24 votes) |
Alquds Mediterranean Grill & Grocery
Grocery: M-S - 7am to 10pm
Restaurant: M - S 11am to 9 pm, sunday 11am-8pm (hours can change without notice)
Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Organic/Locally Grown, Vegetarian/Health Foods, Greek/Mediterranean, Specialty Food Store
The tiny restaurant in this grocery store may not look like much, but don’t be fooled: The menu boasts some of the best falafel and shawarma sandwiches around, as well as hummus that would be worth crossing a desert for. Not only that, but the grocery has an excellent selection of halal meats, and the in-house bakery produces fresh bread daily.
Read more: Mina's Dish: A guide to halal meats in Albuquerque (7/7/2011)
Full review: San Pedro Mart and Alquds Middle Eastern Restaurant ()
| | | | | 4.72 rating (18 votes) |
Café Istanbul
Mon-Sat 10am-7pm
Sun 11am-6pm (hours can change without notice)
Driving north on Wyoming from the freeway, you can’t help but notice this grocery/café’s vibrantly painted building. Inside, you can nibble on Middle Eastern fare ranging from kabobs to hummus to herbed tabouleh. Everything is made fresh to order. Vegetarians will appreciate the meat-free selections.
Read more: Mina's Dish: A guide to halal meats in Albuquerque (7/7/2011)
Full review: Distinctly Mediterranean at Café Istanbul ()
| | | | | 3.76 rating (33 votes) |
Chocolate Cartel
Mon-Fri 11am-6pm
Sat noon-4pm (hours can change without notice)
“No shortcuts," says Master Chocolatier Scott Van Rixel. And he means it. A rigorous work ethic is the guiding principal behind the confections made at Chocolate Cartel, which Van Rixel co-owns with his brother, Tim. "We try to do everything as old-school and authentic as we can." Most of what Chocolate Cartel produces is European-style truffles, flourless chocolate cakes, chocolate-covered nuts, bars, even made-from-scratch gelato—all roasted, rolled, dipped and packed by hand. But tucked in there is a Mayan drinking chocolate based on an ancient formula. With freshly ground almonds, cinnamon and red chile, "It's what the king would drink," Van Rixel says.
Full review: Chocolate Cartel/Van Rixel Bros. Gelato & Sorbet ()
Read more: Made in the Neighborhood: Chocolate Cartel (1/17/2019)
| | | | | 4.5 rating (12 votes) |
