This has been my favorite spot for authentic New Mexican cuisine, for the last two years. The food is delicious, I can't find a place with better tasting green chile. They know what they're doing, because they season it perfectly. Service is always fantastic and friendly. The old building represents the business and is nice mixture of modern style with a nod to tradition. read more

Ordered takeout from here - chips and salsa, 2 orders of cheese enchiladas, and huevos rancheros. The chips are fabulous and the salsa is HOT. Hot enough that we couldn't eat it all (it's great added to other foods later though!). The enchiladas, unfortunately, were just meh. They clearly specialize in upscale meats so perhaps that is why. The person who ordered huevos rancheros loved them though, and as a vegetarian says it's one of the better versions in town. So I'll try that next time around. read more

I was raised on New Mexican food so each time I try a new place I look to feel right at home with all my favorites. Cocina Azul does a few things differently than you'll find at other New Mexican restaurants and I'm such a fan. You'll find all the favorite dishes you love but kicked up a notch with extras like guacamole, two types of salsa, ribeye or brisket in your burritos or tacos and a variety of sides you won't find anywhere else like calabacitas and fideos. With nice portions and nice prices it's definitely worth a trip. read more

If you want the best food and the best service visit Cocina Azul - sit at the bar and you will get the best service from Gilbert! Support Local! read more

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The options of food on the menu are nice. The food is well cooked and hot. There is a lot of flavor. The portions are great. The service is good and the staff is friendly. They are attentive to their customers. read more

A decent chain. They have lots of seating - a bar, outdoor seating (including a rooftop patio), and standard restaurant seating. The service was good. The menu is extensive and the food is decent, nothing particularly special. Lunchtime during the week was not super busy at this location. We were seated right away. You can order bottomless chips and salsa, but the chips and salsas they bring for free are more than enough for two people. They have a red and green salsa - the red has a nice kick to it and good flavor, while the green is more mild and still pretty tasty. I had the pulled pork tacos, which were just okay. The pork was flavored well but a bit dry. You choose between red or green chili - I went with green, and it was okay. The side of beans were good, though. My dining partner ordered the Azul Fish Tacos, and as soon as our food came out, I wish I had ordered them. They were delicious! The fish was cooked very well - very crispy and moist - and the cabbage and white sauce on the tacos were a good touch. The servings are VERY generous; for lunch, two people could easy share a plate of 6 street tacos. All in all, this is a new and clean location, but there are definitely more authentic places in the city that I am looking forward to trying. read more

Cocina Azul - Pulled pork taco plate - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Average is what comes to mind. Food is ok--not great, but not bad. Drinks are standard--again not great but not bad. Location downtown is small, but relatively quick. Location on Paseo is better for drinks and apps--larger space that does tapas-style menu. read more

Came to Cocina Azul on Paseo for the first time this Friday night. We were greeted and promptly seated but once seated about 10 different employees walked past us before we were greeted by our server about 7+ minutes later. Service was slow throughout (bringing mustard, getting check, etc.) and limited access to our server. It was a little bit of a letdown because we were deciding between Starr Brothers, Tomato Cafe, Jason's Deli, and Cocina Azul but I was craving huevos rancheros so we went to Cocina Azul. Unlike their other locations, they do not serve their huevos rancheros all day. We ended up both ordering the tortilla burger which was good but the patty was thin. The bar was an awesome space with lots of TVs and three sides for seating. I would probably come back but only before 3pm when they stop serving huevos rancheros. read more

Cocina Azul - Came here for the huevos rancheros Id been craving on a Friday night and the menu says it ends at 3 now :( - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Great location, great menu options, great service, portions were large and the beer was nice and cold! Tasty chips and salsa. Loved the patio with the fresh air and beautiful view of the Sandia mountains. Clean restrooms and fabulous live entertainment read more

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First time here and it was a good experience on the staffing. We were seated immediately (6). And our waitress (Fanteema)was on it as soon as we sat down. Ordering two been burritos hamburger green chili stew chicken enchilada plate and two egg breakfast. Ok so now the food... Burritos were huge and hot stove hot. Hamburger cooked to perfection. The chicken enchilada was thicker then any other iv seen in BURQUE. But the stew was cold as my hash browns were. I was hungry so I just went to town. The stew took a while but was hot when it came back. Our waitress was always on the ball, although it was 60/40 I will be back for the BACON! The bacon are smaller in size but delish! I am a all-day breakfast guy so I'll try here one more time. read more

Cocina Azul - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Eh. The staff was very nice. The food... just average. Now the green chile was on point! Quite a kick! But there was no seasoning in the rice. No seasoning in the pinto beans. The brisket was okay. Kinda chewy. We probably won't come back because ABQ is loaded with other options. read more

Cocina Azul - Brisket Taco Plate - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Being in the "Chile Capital of the World" and meanwhile used to the high quality of the New Mexican and Mexican restaurants around ABQ I was quite disappointed. I ordered "Frank Jr.'s - Bowl of Green Chile Stew" and I was served "Frank Sr.'s - Creamy Green Chile Chicken Soup". The soup was spicy, which covered the otherwise somewhat flat taste. It did have a little bit of a strange flavor as if it was overcooked and burned. The bowl was more than enough for me. A cup would have been ok as well. Overall, the restaurant was decent enough that I might consider coming back and giving it another chance. However, if you prefer quantity over quality this is the place for you. read more

Kinda good New Mexican style food. Not as good as more rural areas, but price of living in the city? Priced kinda high. $15 for steak street tacos? But they only spent .25 cents on their forks and knives. Nice building clean and well lit. But please invest in some decent forks and knives and a soup spoon! Not right eating soup with a teaspoon! ‍ -2 stars. Enjoyed my pasole, but hard to find the pork. Wife likes the street tacos. Oh and the sopappilla was like a baby one! Please. Chris was a champ and brought us three extra! read more

Cocina Azul - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Service was super fast and friendly.. food is great! Overall good experience.. would definitely come back again! read more

Cocina Azul - Chicken Fajitas Plate - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

This was my second attempt at dining here. Tried to sit at the bar and was asked to leave. At 1pm. The guy in the front told us that we could not stay there, there would be no drinks, and that the kitchen was 'busy' so we would have to come back. I don't like being lied to, esp when I was about to buy food and drinks for 2. Buyer beware. read more

Such great food! We visit Albuquerque for work twice a year and we always make a point to come here for lunch.

It was our first time at this location. Our food came quickly, but we were disappointed in some of it. The street tacos with carnitas were rather plain, and the meat was so overcooked it was crunchy. Thank goodness for the guacamole so the tacos weren't a dried up mess. The pinto beans in the side were quite tasty, but the zucchini and yellow squash in the calabacitas were so overcooked they were mushy. I can make far better at home. We split the starter of chile con queso in a bowl with flautas, and the queso was wonderful--some of the best I've eaten. The chicken flautas might have had 1 teaspoon of chicken in them, though. read more

The food is good - the known chips and salsa they provide to you when you walk is has always been a warm welcome. And now they charge - forsure when mentioning this place I will let them know it's not free . This has always been a focal point of how good it was and now . Cost will forsure be mentioned ... this was the common denominator of me coming today but ordered something small and will go else where, like Los cuates or Sadie's for free chips and salsa read more

We went into have a couple drinks and some chips and queso. When they didn't even give us the drink menu, I should have known it was a bad sign. Everything we went to order they didn't currently have. What they did have want even on their menus. They had advertisements up for brands but didn't actually have those brands. We ended up just having waters, chips and queso with bland chips. Rough time to be out of so much on a Saturday afternoon. read more

This was our #2 choice for dinner. It was on the way home and although we pass this restaurant all the time we never have stopped. We've eaten at the others in town and have had pretty good luck. Not too busy on a Friday evening and we were seated quickly. Funny what tent style dining does for businesses. Out come chips and salsa - red & green both chunky. Drink order placed and menu perused. Lots of brisket - tacos, street tacos, chile rellano & enchiladas. Combination plate: brisket taco & enchilada, tamale and chile rellano and brisket street tacos. Got to try the chile con queso too. Dinners were flavorful, brisket moist & nicely seasoned. Chile rellano not greasy. The street tacos came cubed with roasted onions equally good. But the unexpected treat was the queso. Probably the best we've had since moving here from Texas. Bonus - friendly server. Lots of food - if you leave hungry it's your own fault. Great experience, a solid 4. This isn't a knock but 5s are for best in class. read more

Cocina Azul - Way too much Chile con Queso!! - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Pleasantly surprised by my experience. I'm new to the SW and this type of cuisine. I'm still not sure if it's authentic Mexican or a mash up of that with a New Mexico twist. Either way, it's delicious. I had the combo plate; taco, tamale, burrito, and a breaded deep fried pepper (can't remember what it was called), beans and rice. The meal was finished with deep fried bread and honey. I was particularly impressed with the focus of generous meat portions. Juicy, tender, nicely seasoned, and delicious. I kind of avoided the breaded fried pepper thinking it was a garnish until I realized it was not. Very tasty and not too hot for this gringo. I liked the bread without honey and with beans. Am I qualified to be a critic of this cuisine - ah, hell no. Do I like and appreciate good food - ah, hell yeah. Looking forward to exploring SW cuisine. Thank you to Cocina Azul for the introduction! read more

Best salsas out there and posole plus red salsa is my favorite. Big fan of this place.

Every time I am in town I beg to come here. I love their food and this location is really good. Indoor dining and we made reservations because of the size of our party. The wait staff did a great job servicing the table through out the meal. My only regret is they did not re-fill the chips! I had the combination plate and enjoyed the tamale, chile relleno, taco and enchilada, but though the taco, served with only brisket inside would have been better with lettuce/tomatoes etc. The meat was quite dry. Everyone who ordered the Cadillac Margarita loved it. And for dessert you get sopapillas with honey! Yum. read more

Went to eat here and give it another chance cause the service last time we went was horrible but the food is really good, last time our drinks took about 25 minutes cause the bartender was to busy flirting with someone and this time we got stuck with her as our server and she is very very rude! So it ruined the last chance we gave this place! She talks very vulger as well and i saw her hit the young bussers butt and make vulger comments! He looks make 15-17 this was not ok with me and it shouldn't be ok with the managers on duty! I will not be back! I believe her name was Maria or something read more

Our family have been long-time customers and supporters of the various Cocina Azul locations over the years. This evening, things have unfortunately changed that forever. Craving one of her favorite dishes, my wife called the Cocina Azul location near Paseo del Norte and San Pedro. She placed her order to go, and shortly thereafter drove to the restaurant. Shortly after getting back home, my wife unfortunately found that the sopapillas for both plates were nowhere to be found. Given the current COVID-19 situation, as well as an existing foot injury, my wife decided to just call and let the restaurant know about the error, rather than make the drive all the way back. I was nearby when my wife placed the call on speakerphone. A young lady answered, and after hearing about the mistake, kindly apologized and offered my wife a free order of chile con queso on our next visit/order, and asked for her telephone number to place this comment on. My wife agreed that this was fair, and provided her number. Within minutes, my wife received a call back from a different young lady at the restaurant, claiming that she had "personally" bagged the sopapillas, and that they should have been with the order. My wife explained that she was certain that she hadn't received the sopapillas. The young lady, who had identified herself as "Jasmine", replied in a tone of disbelief, stating, "Huh. That's strange." Jasmine then went on to actually DOWNGRADE the other employee's offer of chile con queso, telling my wife that she can get her missing sopapillas when she comes in again! My wife, in a bit of disbelief, said okay and hung up. After briefly speaking with one another, my wife and I decided that a call should be placed to a manager. My wife called the restaurant, and asked for a manager. The call was promptly answered by "Jasmine", who identified herself as the manager. My wife calmly voiced her disappointment with the way this was being handled, explaining that it seemed apparent that she (Jasmine) was questioning my wife's assertion about the missing sopapillas. Jasmine continued to claim that since she had personally bagged the sopapillas, they should have been there. At that point, my wife explained that despite our loyal patronage over the years, this made her feel like not going back to the restaurant again. Rather than making any attempt to rectify the situation, Jasmine simply and cheerfully stated, "That's fine. If you do decide to come back again, your sopapillas will be waiting". Jasmine's tone and demeanor were clearly accusatory; insinuating that my wife was lying about the missing sopapillas, or had somehow "lost" them herself. After all, Jasmine's initial call back only served as a challenge, when she could have easily just left things as-is with the other employee's offer of chile con queso on a future visit. It's crazy to think that a few sopapillas is worth risking our future business, as well as that of others who read this review. We have come to learn that this location is no longer associated with the original and some other locations. Despite our patronage over such a long time, our family will no longer give this Cocina Azul further business or any recommendations, and unfortunately, it will likely give us hesitation to visit any other Cocina Azul location in the future. read more

Came here on a Sunday around 12:30PM, told the wait was about 30 minutes. Wow! Restaurant wasn't very full but I guess they're short-staffed. I asked if we could sit outside and we did. Menu isn't super extensive which was a good sign, I got the combo plate which came with brisket taco, chile relleno, brisket enchilada, and a tamale all with both red and green chile sauce and this came along with two sides of which I got calabacitas (zucchini, corn, squash) and fideos (basically what I think is small spaghetti). We were given chips and red / green salsas, and both were really flavorful. Red salsa had a nice kick to it too. The brisket was juicy, chile relleno had egg batter which I wasn't expecting, and the enchilada and tamale were both tasty as well. Service was super friendly, server actually came to check up on us throughout our meal. Good prices too, combo plate for $13 pre-tax which is the lowest I've seen in ABQ so far (although granted, I haven't gone to that many New Mexican spots), and it was a ton of food, enough for leftovers! read more

My son and daughter in law took my wife here for my birthday. We enjoyed it so much, we went back and found, the service, food and price were extremely awesome. Will continue to visit Cosina Azul in the future. They the brisket enenchants. Out if this world along with the carne adovada plate. read more

During the Thanksgiving week, my family and I ate at the Cocina Azul located near Paseo Del Norte in Albuquerque. As a visitor to Albuquerque, this was the best food I'd had in the week I was in town. Shyann was our server and she was attentive but not overbearing. The service and the food were both excellent. The restaurant was clean and most importantly, the bathrooms were. You can tell a lot about what goes on in the kitchen of a restaurant by how clean the bathrooms are. I would definitely eat here again if I come back to town. read more

I wish I could recommend the Cocina Azul Location on Paseo del Norte (Holly) because I am a big fan of their Restaurant on Mountain Avenue. But, I cannot. I ordered takeout a couple of days ago from that location and had the worst Mexican food I can remember. The batter of the chilie relleno was the consistency of bread. The enchiladas were pretty close to flavorless. The taco had almost no meat in it. The rice was bland as were the beans. I have lived in NM since the 60's and have been lucky enough to try many of worlds greatest cuisines. That said, I believe New Mexican food rivals the best the world has to offer. And Cocina Azul knows how to prepare many of these dishes. But, they're Paseo location falls far short. I hope Cocina Azul makes the necessary changes to improve their product at this location. read more

Four of us enjoyed a fantastic Sunday brunch experience at COCINA AZUL off Highway 25 at Holly Avenue NE. We started with the Chile Con Queso, which was fantastic! We devoured that quickly as we waited for our main orders! We ordered three Breakfast Burritos, but with different trimmings, and the Bacon-and-Eggs with a side of pancakes. Everything was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. Prices were extremely reasonable. Service was outstanding, thanks to always-attentive Dennis M. - who even adjusted our wobbly table for us. Very highly recommended. read more

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The ambiance of Cocina Azul is modern and friendly...newest of the local chain We have eaten at the location on Montgomery before, so we knew what to expect...fresh yummy mexican food with a flair The highlight for our party of 4 was the service! Kenneth was our waiter, he was professional and couldn't have been more accommodating! The patio looks great, next time... Slightly higher price for mexican food in this area... read more

I was soooo ready to get out of my house and sooo happy that Cocina Azul has outdoor seating! We were sat on the outdoor patio right beside the open walls that lead to the bar area. There were about quite a few tables set up for outdoor dining, maybe 14, so imagine my surprise when 2 people were sat right beside our table on the inside of where the removable wall is. If I put my hand on my hip and my "new neighbor" put his hand in his hip we would be touching elbows. Not cool. Not today. Not in a Pandemic. I moved to the other side of the table which sat me directly in the hot afternoon sun so we immediately boxed up our food to-go and left. The street tacos were pretty good but i don't know if I'll come back knowing that they do not enforce social distancing but are more consumed with filling their tables both outside and inside. read more

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I took my Mom there for breakfast recently. The place was nearly empty at 9:00 in the morning which should've been a good indicator that this is not the "go to" place for breakfast. Still, my Mom wanted to try it so in we went. The server was friendly and attentive to my Mom's needs which I appreciated. She ordered the huevos rancheros and I had eggs & bacon. Well, my eggs and bacon were warm, not hot. About halfway through my meal I found a small hair on my plate (not my own). I suppose I could've complained but sometimes you just say "why bother." My Mom's 85 and not the 55 gallon drum of piss and vinegar she used to be. Unlike the food, the coffee actually wasn't bad, until I got my second cup. I had ordered decaf and when the server refilled my cup I asked what it was and he said regular. Honest mistake that anyone could make so I just moved that cup over to my Mom and he brought me another cup with decaf. Unfortunately, when I went to take a drink I noticed that cup had dried coffee on the side. So, I figured it wasn't washed properly. Needless to say I only enjoyed one cup of coffee. Fortunately, my Mom enjoyed her meal, but we both decided it wasn't worth another visit. read more

This place is pretty legit. I had ordered the shrimp tacos and was very surprised when the waitress brought out a plate with 6 decent sized tacos. The tacos were the perfect size for me and had two shrimp on each of them: I ended up finishing 4. The margaritas were definitely the highlight of the meal- I ended up having 3. The service was pretty good considering that they had just opened post Covid. My only complaint is that the bar tab adds up pretty quickly. Between the 3 of us, our bill was pushing $200, pre-tip. read more

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I ordered fish tacos. They were amazing and had good side items to put on them. We got some good tortilla chips and green salsa and red hot salsa. The chips were really good. read more

Cocina Azul - Sitting area - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

I am descied *ded face* salsa? *gross face* taste bid and bad.... toco is paper. Where the flavor? I do not tast any ting...., the burito did lev me gross out a little..... I would not like to come back. Wrong locatation???? Yes. Do not trust. Bue. I do like the chip I thing. *happy face * foot bye!!!! read more

Cocina Azul - Toko - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

My food and Server were the BEST EVER!! MY servers name was Anjelita and Shea very attentive and just a ray of sunshine! I did notice the bartender taking along time on her drinks we waited 32 minutes and when our server asked for the drinks she yelled at her and said she was trying to find her to ask what drinks, but our server checked multiple times and was always in the area! As me being a manager somewhere I thought this poor girl and it was super unprofessional! But our server still helped everyone with a smile and was un bothered and never spoke bad when another customer asked if the bartender didn't like her she smiled and said she was just busy and didn't say not 1 had thing about her coworker . She is the idea employee and you're lucky to have this girl working in a bad environment with a smile. read more

Food is AMAZING! My kids and I try to go every Tuesday but have been going a little less due to the bartender on that night! The air was on and it was freezing I heard 4 other tables ask our waitress( which was wonderful by the way) I don't know how to spell her name but she had a lot of tattoos, we all asked for the air to be turned down and the bartender ignored her,I overheard our server ask the other servers to ask her and it wasn't till she asked the young girl ( busser) that it actually got turned off! This bartender is there every Tuesday and is rude and always yelling! read more

Well we used to frequent this location. However, tonight we walked out right after being seated. First, they sat us at a dirty table. We were willing to overlook that, and just ask for it to be wiped down. But when we asked for a high chair for our little guy, we were brought a booster seat and told they didn't have anymore high chairs. We only saw two other kids in the restaurant so we are not sure what happened to all the high chairs. I guess we will have to find a new restaurant. read more

Terrific food, efficient, friendly service. Really nice huevos rancheros and we love both red and green salsas to the point of gluttony!!