BEST OF THE CITY 2018! Every year waiting, waiting, waiting . . . . Albuquerque has so much to offer - and almost all of it GREAT! - that it is hard to fathom how the trolls decide what is the "Best." As we all sit anxiously on the edge of our bar stools waiting for this year's issue to be dropped, we speculate . . . best vineyard? best Indian restaurant? best car wash? best breakfast burrito? best art gallery? best bar? best coffee house? Waiting, waiting, waiting. . . . and then the Launch Party is announced. Clear that calendar! Albuquerque The Magazine Launch Party is here! Lots of folks with their heads in magazines? At first the food and drink are ignored. No one has a friendly "hi, how are you?" to friends and acquaintances . . . . "What page is the 'Best Live Theater Venue' on?" Page 148. "What page is the 'Best Sopaipilla' on?" Page 109 "What page is the 'Best Local Band' on?" Page 161. A wealth of info voted on by the readers of Albuquerque The Magazine in 280 categories! YES! 280. No wonder so many of the Launch Party's guests had their heads in this BEST OF THE CITY 2018 issue. I did finally get a glass of wine and a few tidbits to eat . . . and found my Yelp friends . . . but I was anxious to head home, put my feet up and just devour this new 2018 issue. It is the BEST one yet! Oh, and the Launch Party was great guys! read more

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Wow, what a place to taste and get some of the best ABQ has to offer. The Launch Party for ABQ the magazine provides a peek into the magazine(the Best of ABQ edition is HUGE!) if you've never read the mag I'd pick up a copy. Once again being transplants here we can use all the help available to find hidden gems and back stories of some of the revitalized businesses in the area. Plus many local eateries, some having been winners of the Best Of.... were represented. Places such as Central Grille, The Candy Lady, Rudy's, Cheese & Coffee Cafe and many more previous winners and hopefuls were present with samples of their wares for the enjoyment of all attendees. We'll find out if any of the businesses tasted tonight will make the cut on Thursday. read more

Came to Sandia BMW for Albuquerque The Magazine Launch Party. It was a wonderful evening. Great food from local restarants. They had a raffle giveaway and gave you 2 free drink tokens at the door. The star of the night for me was the cheese and coffee green chili soup and the wonderful white cake from the candy lady. I look forward to checking out Best of city Thursday, November 29, 2018, at Sandia Casino & Resort where they will have over 100 vendors giving out free food and drink. If you missed the launch party you wont want to miss the 14th annual Best of the city party. read more

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Went to the Best of the City Release Party for Albuquerque Magazine. Looking forward to the main event on Thursday. Thanks YELP. read more

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The Launch Party was interesting to say the least. It wasn't quite obvious exactly what was going on or who was there, but after checking in, getting my drink tokens and my magazine, things started to make a little more sense. I did receive an invite to the launch party via Yelp, but apparently the other attendees are winners and other nominees! I found out that others can attend the launch party to with the purchase of tickets. Although I hadn't heard of the event other than through yelp,so I don't know where they advertise it? The venue was fun, at Sandia BMW. They also had a few food vendors scattered around the place giving us some things to munch on and beer & wine to drink. We got to hear a few words from the Publisher Larryl and he even raffled off some gifts. Poeple all around us were winning bottles of wine and gift baskets. What I did find to be pretty cool was the app that they have to view the results on your phone. I did check it out and found it a lot faster and easier to maneuver through the categories. Very cool if you haven't checked it out you can text 'app' to 505-226-8768! As part of the deal I did get tickets to the main event for the Albuquerque Magazine Best of the City party on Thursday at Sandia Casino. I'm guessing all the winners will be there along with what i am told will be almost 100+ vendors plus the public! A fun spot for the whole city to celebrate! I can't wait! I will continue to browse the magazine and the app. I have yet to see all the results. read more

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Such a fun party and perfectly timed. Every cue happened at the right time to keep things lively; the evening never dragged on. And being part of yelp elite truly payed off with this event. I think we all felt like VIPs, being able to mix n mingle with the highfalutin Bests. Awesome opportunity for this crew and I'd like to extend my personal gratitude for it! read more

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I attended this launch party with my wife. It was on a Tuesday, at a brightly lit Sandia BMW car dealership. When we drove up, we saw lots of people inside and more walking in. We were offered two free tickets each, since were Yelp Elite members. These tickets were for the ATM Best of the City party at Sandia Casino. They were worth $40. We were also given free copies of ATM's best of the city issue. There was an open bar offering a limited selection of beer and wine. A few food vendors were located in the corner, including Rudy's BBQ, Central Grill and Coffeehouse, the Candy Lady, El Bruno's (great food), and Cheese and Coffee Café. It looked liked most people were tired, having just gotten off of work. My wife and I had a couple of drinks, a few snacks, and then left for home. read more

I liked the intimate nature of this event, a smaller gathering where you could mingle with winners of awards, have some good food samples (which were different than the actual event), two free drinks, and just look through the magazine. Many people buried their noses right into their copy when they got in, but after about 20 minutes the party became lively and a lot of fun. One confusing bit for myself was when I checked in, the person wasn't sure what I meant about Yelp, so I just waited a bit before asking another person. One weird note about the venue, the women's restroom stalls are seriously the smallest I've ever been in. At 5 ft tall my knees hit the door, but that's a weird design flaw that doesn't impact this event. read more

This was my first time attending an ATM event and it was outstanding in so many ways. Let's begin with the location. It was held at Sandia BMW, a bright, clean, location. They had great vendors offering their amazing food samples. And also beer and wine. Everyone was so friendly and ready to help us. We were handed free ATM magazines and tickets for the party on Thursday (as part of the Yelp Elite community). I want to congratulate all the local business for being the Best of the City. And also thank them for being so generous with our community. It was a very well organized event, you could tell that everyone involved really took their time to offer a great event for our community. I felt really proud to be part of it. read more

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A ton of fun. Got two drink tickets. I don't drink, so shared with some of the cool people around me. All of the best of Albuquerque were there and you could meet them. There were lots of tasty samples and raffle prizes. Really neat perks and music! The little cupcakes were delish! By the way, the Central Grille made me a vegan taco! read more

Great time tonight at the Best of Albuquerque Launch party! Lots of food from Central Grill and Rudy's plus lots of in between! We met several business owners, and chatted with some of the winners. This presentation was exceptional and gave us a good idea of what is to come at the huge party on Thursday at Sandia Resort! So many people were searching the magazine as soon as they received their copy as they came in the door hoping to find their names and businesses! This is such a huge opportunity for our local businesses and people, so please consider giving back and even sign up for a subscription to the magazine. Hopefully, next time the business attendees will let us know they are there other than the restaurants so we can chat and get to know them better! read more

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This is a great event that showcases the best of the best in our city. Looking at the winners, I have to agree with the choices. Whatever methodology they use, they are on point. The event also offers a great opportunity for local businesses to network with one another. The restaurant treats were very tasty choices and the desserts complimented them well. All in all this is a great event to showcase our local business talents. I look forward to the main event @ Sandia. read more

Someone knows how to throw a party, and what a great cause! The evening was a great mix of networking, finding out of new businesses, and great food and drink. I was there a little late, but I still took in some great brisket and stew from Rudy's as well as a scrumptious slice of cake from the Candy Lady! It was a pleasure to meet the Candy Lady herself! BMW was a super place to hold the event. Very spacious with standing tables set up. Nice bar set up. Giveaways occurred earlier in the evening. What's exciting is the Best of the City Party coming up on Thursday, Nov. 29th (6-10p) at the Sandia Resort and Casino. So contact Albuquerque the Magazine for ticket info! You don't want to miss! ABQ the Magazine is all about you getting to know our city better in a magazine that crafts the broad range of stories and pictures in a fun, artistic, and tantalizing way! read more

Super fun event! I can't wait for Albuquerque the Magazine Best of the City on Thursday. I love trying out all the restaurants from around the city and the launch party tonight was a small sampling of what's to come I'm sure! read more

The launch party was pretty relaxed and open air. The space was definitely large enough for those who attended and the show models in the Sandia BMW made for quite the pass-by spectacles. With 2 free drink tokens per person at the open bar and 5 food vendors attending and serving free food to the party, it was quite a bold risk for the dealership owner to leave the windows down and those leather seats exposed on those floor models. If you like 100+ vendors giving away free food and drinks, hit up the Albuquerque Best of 2018 on Thursday 11/29 at the Sandia Casino & Resort. read more

Albuquerque The Magazine Launch Party - Festivals Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

I had such a fun time at the release party! I was greeted with a copy of the Best Of The City issue along with the drink tokens. I immediately ran to the vendors handing out samples of food and of course the bar. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Rudy's sells a delicious green Chile stew! I must say the Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon is now on my Christmas list. I am looking forward to the event at Sandia Casino. If this launch party was so fun, I'm going to have a blast on Thursday! read more

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BMW was wonderful at hosting. Everyone working the event was very courteous and friendly. It was nice seeing all of the winners. Well deserved! read more

When I first heard the Launch Party was taking place inside a car dealership, I was a little puzzled. It seemed an unlikely venue for a party. My friend and I rocked up and were greeted with a drawing to enter (love those), handed a copy of the magazine, and offered tiny cupcakes with our tickets to the Best of the City event. (I had to pass on the cupcakes but they looked amazing.) We took our drink tokens over to the bar and grabbed a drink, and I realized, actually, this is a great venue for a party! There was music playing, food samples, and a few places to sit/stand and set your plate down. We enjoyed playing "guess how much that car is" (we invented it but you can totally play along next time you see me in a dealership) and chatted with a few people (shoutout to Austin from my gym, hiiii!) I didn't win any prizes in the drawing, but was already feeling like I scored with the magazine issue, tickets, food and fun. Sorry I underestimated you, Sandia BMW - you're a great party spot! I attended this event via a Yelp invite. read more

I had no clue what to expect for this event! I didn't know what to wear, what would go on, anything! -At no fault of Yelp! But, that's honestly what made it so much fun! With a variety of scrumptious samples to desserts along with beer & wine you really couldn't go wrong! I loved how intimate it was, compared to the Best Of The City part! This was an event for the "who's who!" There was a small altercation when an advertiser tried taking my magazine from me & then proceeded to say I didn't deserve it. My father stepped in and the advertiser walked away. The ABQ The Mag staff heard about it and came to apologize & really rectified the situation with grace. All around an awesome night & I even found out I won Best Blogger in the issue! read more

What a lovely party! These people know how to have a good time! The music was great, the food and drinks were amazing and we had a wonderful time. I loved the fact we were handed a magazine as soon as we walked in the door. The door prizes and drawings were excellent, the food samples were incredible and generous. It is obvious​ that some thought went into the prep and planning of this party and I would have to say that everything went off without a hitch. Very nice party and I hope to attend next year! read more

Very fun event...complimentary magazine at the door! It was good food, good company, good times. The food was very good, from being greeted at the door with a cupcake to delicious Rudy's barbecue. The music was good, enjoyed this preview to the best of the city party. The cake from the candy lady was delicious! Definitely psyched to hopefully go again next year...thank you yelp! read more

The Launch Party was fast, fun, and interesting. There was no real signage or flow to the event so you didn't know where to start but after wandering a bit, we found that you were supposed to check in at a table at the south entrance. Upon check in, we received drink tokens which was awesome, a magazine, and a cupcake. I said I was with Yelp (was invited as a Yelp Elite attendee) and they gave me tickets for the Best of the City party on Thursday. The girl I got the tickets from who worked for the magazine tried to get the owner of the magazine to talk to me (she said he wanted to talk to all the Yelpers) but he seemed in the middle of something and scurried away - NBD. They ran out of tickets to write our name on to enter the drawing for bottles of wine so we didn't get to enter which was a bummer. For the rest of the night, we tried to figure out who all was at this party and after seeing a group of men in matching shirts for an auto repair place and a group of guys with great hair we figured it must have been people from the businesses that won best of the city although I was under the impression it would be all Yelpers. We meandered a bit looking at the stations and getting quick samples since there were virtually no lines. They could have used more high tops and places to set down your samples and eat but overall was good. Had yummy treats from El Brunos, Rudy's, Cake Fetish, Candy Lady, and Central Grille and hung out for a while before calling it a night. It was a nice quick event at a nice location that helped build the hype. Could have just used a little more context for guests (e.g., who is here, what there is to do, etc.) read more

We had a great time eating and drinking and checking out the amazing BMW lineup. Totally enjoyed the entire venue. Can't wait for the Sandia event. read more