Best New Mexican food in Albuquerque!! Servers are wonderful and make you feel like family. Also gotta give the margaritas a try!!

Cervantes New Mexican Restaurant in Albuquerque is, without question, the best New Mexican food I've ever had -- and honestly, some of the best cuisine in the world. I ordered the Combo #2, Christmas style, and it was unreal. Tender, deeply flavorful carne adovada, a perfectly fried chile relleno, a classic cheese enchilada smothered in red and green chile, and a crunchy taco that somehow still held its own next to everything else. And just when you think it can't get better, the combo comes with four fresh sopapillas -- warm, fluffy, and the perfect finish. The red and green chile together is mandatory here -- balanced heat, smoky, earthy, and comforting without being overwhelming. This is food made with confidence and tradition, not shortcuts. The atmosphere is warm and lively, packed with locals who clearly know they're in the right place, and service held strong even with how busy it was. If you're in Albuquerque and want authentic New Mexican cuisine done at the highest level, Cervantes is non-negotiable. This is a meal you'll think about long after it's over. read more

Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

My husband and I sat at the bar for dinner. Had the house margarita which was good and I had the flautas. You get 3 and it's the perfect amount. My husband had breakfast for dinner, huevos rancheros with carne adovada. read more

First timer. It's so hard to compare since there are so many great spots. Our host was friendly and service was fine. I thought the menu was simple. Lots of ground beef. I got the Combo 2 plate. My adovada and chile relleno were good. The rice was wet and not my flavor. read more

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Long time Albuquerque establishment provides great New Mexican food. The service was great and the ambiance intimate. As usual the rellenos were great and the sopapillas fresh. I highly recommend it, but don't be surprised if there is a wait. Unfortunately it's not in a great part of town so be warned if it's your first time there. read more

Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge - Amazing Chile Rellenos - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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This is a must-stop on your "things to try" list! A local favorite and highly recommended--this spot delivered a damn good time. When you first arrive, the entrance looks a little sketchy, but don't let that fool you. Once inside, the restaurant is huge! The main dining area was surprisingly empty on a Friday night, but we were smart to choose the bar area--that's where the party was! Rustic vibes, dim lighting, live crowd, and a killer mariachi band that brought the whole place to life. My new friend and I dined, took shots, and feasted like pros. I kept it classic with the beef tacos. Heads up--they're not rolled as described, but still tasty. Rice and beans had flavor, and the salsa? So good I could've sipped it like soup. If you go, sit in the bar area--that's where the energy is. Come for the food, stay for the vibe. Highly recommend! read more

Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge - Beef Tacos - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Food was mediocre. Ordered pozole and had to request the fixings (lime, onion, hot sauce, etc.). The service was respectable considering 6 tables were sat in rapid succession. The ambiance was as expected for a themed restaurant. It was clean. I ordered the house spicy margarita. The first time it came out, there was no spice. The waiter asked the bartender to remake it, which the bartender did and it was spicy the second time around. read more

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Good food, great service from Robert. Loved the Cervantes decor and the original artworks on the walls. read more

Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge - Cervantes!!Don Quixote - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Helped our daughter move to Albuquerque and wanted to get some authentic food from the area and came here. They have been in business for 50 years and are located a couple miles from the airport. I got the combo plate #2 so I could try a lot of different things. It came with a chile relleno, cheese enchilada, taco, and carne adobada. They let me substitute another enchilada instead of the crisp taco. I liked everything in the combo and was most impressed with the red sauce (it was actually spicy!). Loved that it also came with two hot deep fried sopapillas! I didn't even need to put honey on them and ate them first before they got cold. Inside is a fun decorative interior with the orange walls, iron railing, and tall sloped ceilings with tongue and groove stained wood paneling and wood beams. Service was friendly and attentive and their prices are very reasonable. read more

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The food in the service is gone downhill The chili is disgusting and has no flavor the salsa is like water it has no flavor The rice is very gross and disgusting I also have a problem with the server The server shouldn't be coming over to the table and bothering the customers rather eating or touching their children trying to take pictures of them because they like their hair The waitress did not ask if she can take a picture of my child she did not ask to touch my child my child does not like to be touched and the waitress stole money from me after I paid my bill if nothing gets done about the waitress taking pictures or bothering the customer I will be calling the police and contacting the authorities to let them know that the employees like to touch children without the parents permission read more

This was a great find -- we got stuck an extra day in Albuquerque after our flight got cancelled, and nobody was particularly happy to be here another day. A co-worker immediately found a place that serves margarita pitchers (enter Cervantes) and we came here as soon as we checked into the hotel. The interior ambiance is a bit out of a Zorro movie, in a good way. Nothing over the top, and a nice, laid back place to spend an afternoon with literally nothing better to do. Our service was attentive, the food was delicious, and the drinks were incredible. We ordered the prickly pear margarita in a pitcher, but were told that drink doesn't come in a pitcher. No worries, we just each ordered a glass of it instead, but our server Sal was top notch and brought us a pitcher. All four of us thought it was among the top margarita we'd had in a long time. The contents of the pitcher were quickly drained. We did end up ordering the normal house lime margarita in a pitcher next (like I said, trapped in Albuquerque with nothing to do), which was a great way to follow the bold prickly pear margarita. It also was quickly drained. Fear not, we did also order food. All four of us completely cleared our plates, and the portion sizes were large, so suffice it to say the food delivered was was really yummy. I ordered what I thought was a simple chicken burrito a la carte, but it was a pure delight and quite enormous. I was so enthralled with the food I forgot to take pictures, so just trust me when I say the portions are great. No sides needed. I did not need to eat the whole thing, but since I wasn't really in a place to keep leftovers, I was not sad about going beyond full and eating it all. We all loved our food, and definitely put Cervantes as a must-visit spot when you're in the area. read more

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Seamus - best service ever. Food and and ambiance at Cervantes is irreplaceable. Queso best in Burque. read more

Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge - Seamus serving yummiest queso in Burque. - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

We've been to Cervantes several times and always had a great experience. Tonight was the exception. Our server was obviously overwhelmed. She was having a hard time taking care of her tables and running the register as well. She gave us the bare minimum of service due to having too much to do. I asked about the beers and she didn't know much about them. It seems they don't have Santa Fe 7K anymore even though it was still on their drink menu. Instead, she offered a Marble Brewery Desert Fog which is supposed to be 6.8% ABV but tasted watered down. I know my beers and this wasn't 6.8%. It would be better if they offered Marble Double White and didn't water it down. The food was fine but nothing to brag about. At least they have complimentary chips and salsa as well as sopapillas. When she brought the ticket, she dropped it at the table and scurried off. My wife tried to stop her to ask for a to-go box but she was gone. I called after her saying we need a box and I used my outside voice, unfortunately. She came back a few minutes later and asked if we had shouted about a box. I said yes and she replied that was unnecessary. Lastly, when we were waiting to pay at the register, she took care of the man in front of us then was going to duck out and leave us standing there. My wife caught her before she could get away and gave her our ticket with enough cash to take care of the ticket plus a 20% tip. We usually tip much more but we didn't feel the experience warranted more than 20% this time. read more

Loved the ambience, the food was absolutely wonderful, and our waitress was top notch. She ensured our table never went without chips, drinks, or a simple"everything good?". Definitely will be back. read more

Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge - Steak and enchiladas and chicken sopapilla with an added side of chile relleno. - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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This was our second time at Cervantes, and both times we had Genevieve as our server. She was absolutely amazing every time. I want her to be our server every time! read more

I love going to Cervantes on a weekly basis. The food is consistent and great. But I must rave about the service team there. Robert, Genevieve and Ramon work as a very cohesive team. I've known Robert when he was at Sadie's, so I will say I have followed him to where he goes. I also know Angela who has started there as well. Place gets busy but they are able to stay on top of everything. I would like management to know they have a great team here. Sometimes they dont get feedback from customers and if they weren't there I would stop going. read more

Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge - Chicken enchiladas, rolled, beans and rice. - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Very impressed in dining with Cervantes this weekend. First, upon walking in, I was blown alway by all the holiday decor. It was so festive; garland, and ornaments all around. Going for a Christmas party, they had our large party sit in a separate room. They even brought out a folding table to accommodate everyone comfortably. The food was delicious! It's traditional New Mexican food. I decided on a stuffed soppapilla, smothered with red chili. For myself, I thought it was the perfect plate. Not too big or small. Excited to go back :) However, friend was disappointed with her egg made incorrectly.. read more

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This is a family-run place in a notso-hotso location, but it's worth visiting (and it's become our routine supper-after-we-get-off-the-plane since it's not terribly far from the airport) due to the fantastic service, good food, reasonable prices and pretty atmosphere. Okay, the prices are higher than they were a few years ago - I'm not at all happy about it, but where is that not true? The red chile appears to be made from powder and not pods (sigh) but it's tasty. The salsa and chips are good. The green chile is quite good. The sopaipillas are quite good. Others I know love the carne adovada, but I am more in the "It's good" camp. The availability of shredded chicken or beef as an upcharge in plates is worth noting: these are both notably flavorful and quite filling - well worth the $2 for a hungry fella. But the plates all come to you fully laden, regardless - I don't know anyone who leaves Cervantes hungry. The room - my wife always remarks how it is the dark Spanish/Mexican/New Mexican amalgam of her parent's living room in the 1960s (although mis suegros didn't have a life-sized portrait of Cervantes above the fireplace - probably a photo of JFK, though!) - it's tasteful and well done, to my eye, and really kind of a treat because it's not something you see too often these days. Always clean, though, and it's noteworthy that Cervantes has some of the cleanest restrooms I see in town. Which gets back to the family-run aspect of it. You've got three generations working here, and they all take it really seriously. They're _welcoming_, they're _hustling_ and they want the business to succeed. They remember you. The owners and servers remember which beer you like, even if you only come in once a month or so. Your water is always filled. They'll make sure you're having a good time. And the prices, at the end of it all, seems so reasonable that you'll want to leave an overlarge tip for the fantastic service. It's a good place! read more

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Well I understand this is a busy time for restaurants, it should not take 45 minutes to receive a meal after ordering. The staff was initially unsympathetic when I asked about our order, apparently our order was "lost". Seeing people seated after you receiving their food was not acceptable. read more

A plus great customer service l will definitely be back Paula is awesome l will definitely be back so kind Paula

best Pasole I have ever had and I have had a lot. Came with sopapias and honey , limes and oregano. I also had a wonderful spicy margarita made by the great mixmaster Bruce read more

Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge - pasole and spicy margarita made and fluffy perfect so papa - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Dining room is beautifully decorated for Christmas and the food was wonderful. Server was outstanding even though busy. What a wonderful experience we had. read more

Recommend by the girl at the front desk for good, authentic Mexican food. She did not disappoint in sending us here. When I pulled into the parking lot it was a little confusing because there are about 5 doors you can walk through but only one is the door to the restaurant. The first door we tried was actually the kitchen, the next one was locked so we tried our 3rd and final door. It was not labeled so it was a guess. Seated right away and brought homemade chips and salsa. Always the sign of a good Mexican restaurant. ( it must be homemade to be good). I got the avocado tostada. It was like a mini taco salad. The tostada shells were little cups holding all the goodness in them. Glad I only got one. The bottom cup was beans and cheese. You can get meat but I chose not to. My coworker got a taco and enchilada meal but started eating it so fast, I could not get a picture. Go try them out. From the parking lot it is the middle door between the two wings of the building. read more

Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Great ingredients used! Pueblo chile was good but green was amazing! Ordered stuffed sopapillIas with a fried egg on top. My date ordered flautas. It was deep fried a bit too long but the meat was delicious. SopapillIas were fresh but a little on the small side but delicious. Overall great food! read more

We came late on a quiet night and were seated on a velvet love seat next to the fire place. Our server was very friendly and sweet and helped me come up with the perfect vegetarian combo for dinner. The food was traditional New Mexican and was good but the ambience was great! It was the pester to our stay. read more

Gloomy on this overcast New Mexico Wednesday morning? Here's a pick-me-up ... join Tom Neiman and Jim Tritten as they visit another long-time favorite Albuquerque Mexican restaurant. Located just north of the VA hospital and west of Kirtland, AFB, Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge is one of our favorites. Click on the following YouTube link to see our entire podcast report. https://youtu.be/sP33roVKxxE read more

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One of our Favorite places for New Mexican Food. The flautas are excellent, very flavorful. The enchiladas are also a must. read more

Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge - Flautas. Very good. - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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The service was excellent. The menu was diverse enough to satisfy everyone's dietary needs. The food was delicious. We especially liked the sopapilla and Christmas salsa. The restaurant was very festive for the holiday season. It is large with several rooms to allow groups to have their own private space. read more

Do restaurant owners or managers ever taste the food coming out? I wonder this about a lot of restaurants that call themselves a good restaurant. The food was horrible. Watery rice, dry bland beans. The flautas were ok. Never going back to this place. read more

If you want to enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine in a friendly environment this is the place for you. I have been visiting this restaurant almost every year. It's the place local colleagues like to take you to enjoy Mexican food and it is close to the base. The ambiance is old Mexican style decor. It is an older establishment and they haven't changed the decor since I have been coming since about 2018. The food is good with large portions. Way too big for me, so I get the child's taco with beans and rice. The locals love the Green Chilli Stew. I can't bring myself to try it. Being from the East Coast, our chilli is Red. The Sophia's were delicious with the honey. Also, I enjoyed their chips and salsa. My colleagues that were local enjoyed their food and branched out by ordering more exciting dishes. Our server, Savanna was fabulous!!! She gave us the right amount of attention and she was friendly. All of food came out in a timely manner, which was great because we were there for our lunch break. Go check this Mexican restaurant out and I am confident you that will enjoy the food and service. read more

Always excellent one of the best New Mexican restaurants in Albuquerque. We love it and come here often.

This place is amazing. The food is consistently delicious and I love the decor though granted it is in a somewhat not so nice looking area of town. I have been there on crowded days, I have been there on not so crowded days and I will tell you even when they're very crowded and the servers are overwhelmed they do their best to make you feel welcome. I can tell you though the food is worth the wait. They are a very popular lunch spot so if you have the chance to make a reservation I would recommend doing so. Besides the amazing food, I think one of my favorite things about this place are the awesome decorations especially around halloween. If you have not been to see this, it really is a must visit. So take a look around and then sit down for an amazing NM meal that you won't regret! I have yet to have anything on the menu that I didn't think was amazing. read more

Came here with coworkers for a little work lunch. The decor is so fun. I was amazed by the different Halloween theme decor and their original interior as well. The complimentary chips and salsa and sopapillas are always nice. I got a plate of 3 piece seafood tacos. It was good but not enough flavor. I poured some of the salsa from the chips and salsa... I'll try something else if I come here next time. The service was great! read more

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Great experience with food and service! Sherry my server was quick and got my order, she is a very hard worker who served us 14 people so it was very impressive to see. She deserves the raise. The owner Iris was exceptional she cared about the customers and also gave us safety tips on our trip and how to keep our car safe from any dangers. I highly recommend this restaurant and I look forward to coming back. read more

Cervantes Restaurant & Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

What a find! I seldom, okay maybe never, trust Google reviews. But this place was The best rated place on the way to our hotel. Walked through an unmarked door off of a back parking lot, which is honestly my favorite way to get into a restaurant. Just inside the front door, I knew we were in the right place. Must have been built in the '60s maybe early '70s and hasn't changed a bit since. Crushed velvet seats, dangling chandeliers, giant painting hanging over a mantle. The menu was simple but entirely complete, with quintessential, Northern New Mexico dishes. Our cocktail orders were on point. Superb Margaritas. You wouldn't think you needed to mention the chips and salsa, but I'd be letting you down if I didn't. Fresh made chips so warm and crispy You just couldn't help yourself. The salsa was a little mild for my taste but I bet everybody else would think it was picture perfect. The flavor was en pointe. Had the carne adovada, Christmas style so I could try both chiles. The meat was succulent and perfectly sauced. The chile stood out because not only was it delightfully New Mexican, as a unique twist, it had pretty large chunks of chili pepper in both the red and green chile, letting you really taste the quality of the peppers. Two points to finish this off. Firstly was legitimately the best sopapilla I've ever tasted. Secondly, if you don't make your way to the cantina hidden in the back, I really feel sorry for you. I'm not going to describe it. I'm just going to tell you you have to see it. Top marks from start to finish on this one folks. read more

I had family in from Kentucky visiting and my cousin had grown up in Alamogordo so she was craving real New Mexican food. Cervantes was definitely up to the task. She and her husband enjoyed the food and the ambiance and our server was great. read more

The reviews have it all right - the Carne Adovada is by far the most amazing in this city! My first visit I got it stuffed in a sopa and then I got the plate, which is now the only thing I order (sopas on the side that you can douse in honey - uh yes please!). The bar area has an old school lounge feel, dark and cozy! Happy Hour is awesome! I have heard they do it up for Halloween, however, due to COVID that stopped for a bit, I'm hoping to see if next year! I truly love this place! read more

Great New Mexico style food, really enjoyed the nachos and anything with the green chiles. Pro tip: order a huge side of the green sauce and some sopapillas, thank me later. read more

Wonderful carne adovada platter, great service and ambiance. Lots of neat paintings, pottery, tapestries on walls.

We enjoyed our time at Cervantes. Nice atmosphere especially for Christmas. Good burritos and margaritas. Had to wait about ten minutes because it's so popular. Great mariachi band. read more