Best to visit when patio is open. Super friendly staff and accommodating for my pooch. Felt like a guest in someone's home.

Their portions are big. My husband and I share. But their appetizer chicharrón is so delicious. By the time we leave I can't try a dessert from so much ch we ate. But we are never disappointed. read more

Chips and salsa were great. The guacamole app amazing. Sat in the bar, loved the ambiance that can only come from a restaurant started in 1962. Brianna our server very informative and always there when we needed something. Great smile and super friendly. Hope to come back. read more

El Pinto - Front Entrance. - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

So this was my first time at El pinto. The immediate impression is oh my gosh there's so many cars in the parking lot and oh my gosh the parking lot is huge. The next impression upon walking in is that oh my gosh this place is enormous. When asked how many people they serve the answer was they can serve up to 1200. Like wow! So with that said let me expound on our experience. There were 10 of us. Our party was supposed to be 12. We usually all get individual checks. For reference we were told that they will give individual checks for party up to 10 but larger parties they will give only up to four checks per table. I hope that's helpful information to somebody. Additionally, for a large parties they add a 20% tip automatically to the bill. This is not an issue for us we don't mind when the tip is automatically added as long as we know they're doing it. Nothing like overtipping and then day and age when tipping is pretty overdone anyway. Okay, our service was really good. Very congenial and timely service. The food portions were big. They serve a lunch menu until 4:00 p.m. daily. So we got there around 3:00 got our drinks and then ordered by 4:15 we actually had our checks. The place was not slow but it also was not overly busy on a weekday at 3:00 p.m. . I'm definitely looking forward to coming back and trying more menu items. The only potential note about this location is, according to two members of my group who need handicap parking, is that there is not enough handicap parking. I hope that the owners will notice that comment and take that too hard to make it easier for those who walk with canes and walkers and other such devices. Also, the ambiance in the garden is just spectacular it's really inviting and wonderful place to just relax and breathe. read more

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Came to El Pinto for dinner last night with friends. Went to the bar for a drink while our table was getting ready. No more than a 10 minute wait. The margaritas are wonderful. They are made from scratch. Once seated we ordered chips, salsa and guacamole. For dinner we had chili carnitas enchiladas, hard chicken tacos and soft chicken tacos . Everything was delicious. The restaurant is so beautifully decorated you feel like you are at someone's home and patio. A great dining experience. read more

El Pinto - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

We keep coming back here because of family in town. I really need to start suggesting something else. The staff is super nice and nothing against them. Use to be the only good thing about this place was the ambience. Even that is starting to go. Ordered sangria and it was watery so asked for another and same, watery. Got the breakfast burrito for $19. It was dry and had hardly any cheese and bacon. This place is so overrated. I can't express that enough. But I'm sure I'll be back. Ugh read more

We visit Albuquerque a few times a year and this is one of our favourite places to eat. The service is always good and so is the food. Looking forward to our next visit read more

We really enjoyed our meal and recommend you give this place a try whenever you are in Albuquerque! I enjoyed a pork taco salad with green chillies and my hubby had the taco plate made with the beef. They even serve you dessert with honey collected locally, delicious. Service was spot on too! Enjoy. read more

Beautiful place to sit outside for a mellow, peaceful lunch. The staff is kind, the margaritas are good. Definitely not the best New Mexican food. However, it's a nice place to visit once in a while. read more

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The restaurant has really nice vibe, lots of patio seating with beautiful dried chilli decors under the roof. The servers were helpful and friendly. I love their fresh guacamole, it's chunky and so fresh! I ordered a verde soup as well, and it's super comforting, with potatoes, shredded chicken and chilli verde in it, served with a soft tortilla. We also tried the famous red chilli rib, it's pretty tender, and the seasoning was unique, the spices were covered all over the rib and it has some good smoky flavor. read more

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The food is always delicious at El Pinto, some of the best red chile in town! The plates are pricey so I don't go here often but worth it for the vibe, especially if you have out of town guests. Our server was great and very nice! I will always be back for more red chile enchiladas! Yummy treat! read more

El Pinto - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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The place is amazing, very large place with really nice ambience. The food was excellent. I had tacos and the margaritas were a little weak what still tasted good? Also, the staff were very helpful and friendly. read more

First thing driving in the parking lot amazing esthetics. Have a reservation immediately was seating service was excellent quick even ordered drinks and was quick and delicious order house specials and they were amazing and delicious. So from walking in ordering and getting food took all of 10 minutes server was prompt and very attentive. Chips and salsa were great and super fresh. read more

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Patio: 8/10 (loved the rural setting but it wasn't as picturesque as in the website, and the mosquitoes were annoying) Chips: 10/10 Salsa: 8.5/10 Sopapillas: 10/10 (never had them before!) Margaritas: 5/10 (tasted good!! Cute glass. But very small serving) Food: 4/10 Service: 5/10 Chatgpt did me dirty recommending this place. It was so far out of town, which would have been ok, but the patio (what I was looking for) wasn't anything super amazing. What really ruined our experience was the service. We were seated and served chips, salsa, and water immediately. However, the server was MIA for about 25 minutes after that. We were visiting from out of town and would have loved to enjoy the chips and salsa with a margarita, but we weren't able to place our drink order until the chip basket was empty (They did refill the chips quickly, which was great). We usually like to take our time and have a drink before ordering our dinner, but based on our server's earlier negligence, I was worried we'd be there all night if we didn't order right away. I got the combo enchiladas. Very one-note and I didn't find much meat inside! Run down bathrooms. read more

I really enjoyed my visit to El Pinto. The ambience was exceptional. The food delicious and the service was on point. I would definitely return here. read more

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So sad. I grew up going to this place. We went last night and it was less than average. We were with a large party and every single person said they barely had any chile and their dishes were dry. That is not the NM way. We were given only one small basket of sopapillas with one container of honey for the whole table. We ordered pitchers of margaritas which are now $99! And yet had very little tequila. Our guacamole had no seasoning. This place is not the same. It's bigger but it's gone down hill. read more

Food Had the red chile ribs very good with calabacitas and a side salad. Side salad was very good have avocado! Prices Very very high for new mexican food. You can get bigger portions for much cheaper elsewhere Ambiance so so we wanted to sit outside on patio but they could not accommodate a party of 9. Boo!! Parking. There is a lot!! read more

Now, if I could, I would leave a "zero". This establishment does not deserve four stars. The food is bland and flavorless. It's almost comparable to frozen Mexican food. The service was terrible. The servers lack engagement & menu knowledge. The ambiance lacks authenticity. To display an Indigenous Warrior such as Geronimo in a Mexican restaurant is distasteful. If you're ever in the mood for good Mexican food & consistent service, then check out Sadie's. They don't promote cultural misappropriation. I live in California & I used to live in ABQ. So I know what good/decent restaurants to frequent in Albuquerque. I'll definitely spread the word to all my friends inquire about the food in Albuquerque. read more

Stopped by this place since we heard that the ribs and salsa were pretty good here. We booked a reservation ahead of time and the first thing that definitely stands out is that entrance. I loved the green chile decorations on the outside and inside has this waterfall/rock decor which is beautiful. When we got seated, our server gave us their chips and salsa first. The salsa was pretty good and I liked that there was enough chips and dip for everyone. We ordered a lot, but for our side we ordered the Posole, Hatch Chile and Chicharrones, Fresh Guacamole, The famous red chile ribs, and the Sopapillas which I believe were in-house. My favorites out of everything of the night were the ribs, and the sopapillas. The sopapillas were so warm and fluffy, and with the honey that they have for to drizzle on top, it was so comforting. The Red Chile ribs is what they are notorious for. The ribs were very tender and it was seasoned well too. And it had a good level of spice to it that didn't feel too overwhelming. I haven't had posole in forever either so getting to try it was another treat. Wasn't particularly my favorite, but it had a good level of spice and dipping it in the tortilla was good. The fresh guacamole of course was good, but man, paying $13 for guac and having literally two pieces of chips on top of it wasn't cutting it for me. At least give us a bowl of chips instead of aesthetically throwing two pieces on top. The other dishes that our table ordered was a burger and other mexican plate dishes. The hatch chile and chicharrones was good and spicy. But I do feel like it was a little too dry for my taste. At least they had the butter to give it that creaminess though. I do feel like some of the food is up charged a little too much. Some things I understand, but other things like the chips and guac seems a little weird with it being $13. It's a nice place to sit and eat with people, but if you wanna come here, I think just ordering the ribs and the sopapillas is definitely worth it. read more

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Very touristy spot here in Albuquerque. The building is really cool. Outside there must be horses because the smell was awful from their stool. Service wasn't very good. Half my party never got their order even after I received my food. Turns out the server never placed their order, this is has happened twice for us. Food is pretty decent, but I believe Sadie's is better. read more

I have been going to El Pinto since it opened in the 70's. It is by far my best choice for Mexican food in Albuquerque. I moved to Denver 13 years ago, and every time I come here, I always go to eat at my favorite Mexican restaurant. It has gotten more and more expensive over the years. But I don't care. I bring my friends and family here from in and out of town!! This time, I've had it!! I'll put up with anything but beans in the chili con carne!!!. How could you do such a thing to a dish I have been eating for 50 years!! Are you that broke that you have to make it taste like Ranch Style Beans that you can buy in a can??? What are you thinking??? The sopapillas were cold as well, and so were the Tamalies. Whoever is the manager needs to pay attention to the quality of food that the original family cared about. Shame on you, El Pinto, for serving Ranch Style Beans as Chili Con Carne!! I'm very disappointed and doubt if I'll ever go there again. read more

We made a reservation for our 40th wedding anniversary (notified restaurant of occasion). I wasn't looking for some extravagant grand celebration, but a little token for my bride to feel that we were at a special place for our special occasion would have been nice...at least a congratulations would have been nice. Our server did a great job even though she seemed a novice, she tried hard and was attentive. The manager came to the table next to us over and over checking on them, giving free drinks, a special free desert, and just plain kissing their A%# due to some mistake that was made on their order. It was over the top with kissing up. You would think she would have noticed and at least greeted other nearby couples during her a%# kissing session. Food was good, very pricy but very good. Ambiance of place overall was eclectic and cool! read more

El Pinto - Green Chile Strips - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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I made a reservation, but it seems like the walk-in customers got a table immediately as well which was nice to see considering how busy they were. The service was wonderful and the waitress did amazing, and was able to build a rapport regardless of how busy she was. The food was amazing. Genuinely the best ribs I've ever had. The history and sustainability of the restaurant is what was really impressive. 5/5 read more

El Pinto - Entrance patio - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

First time to Albuquerque and right off the plane I'm whisked to lunch at El Pinto for lunch. A large group of a mix of residents and visitors, we sampled the queso, guacamole, and ribs. The ribs were fall off the bone tender. I order the taco salad with shredded beef and christmas style pepper sauce. It was very good! The space is massive with winding patios that were currently winterized but will come down as the weather gets warmer. It truly is an experience and recommend going to! read more

El Pinto - Fiesta Appetizer Platter - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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I was very excited to dine at this place, but was a pretty disappointed with the food and service. - the Ambience is amazing, lots of photo booth places. - The food was ok, we ordered stuffed Sopapais with calabasitas. The Sopapia were actually not stuffed just cut in half, with a few pices of squash and rest with rice and beans mixed together. The flavor was good but considering I am in New Mexico where mexican food is their speciality, it was ok. I ordered 1 drink - twin falls which was really good and I wanted another one, but the service was so poor that the server instead of asking if we needed anything else gave us a check. I had called another server previously but she too dis not bother coming back. I am.not so sure if I am coming back. read more

I went a year ago and just remembered to leave a review. I had been there previously and enjoyed it. I came in and invited my mom who had flown from California. We were sat and waited for the waiter. While seating behind some plants we see a black cat. He goes ahead and pees in the bush right behind me where the table is. The server comes and we tell him. He says that it's the cat of the restaurant meaning they know about this cat who is around food and probably the kitchen! The table near us was astounded since they also saw the cat piss and the response from the waiter. Eating after that was not pleasant and my mom and everyone in the table was disgusted. We are not cat haters but there is a place for everything and is definitely not inside the restaurant right next to people eating. I didn't come back ever since. read more

Three of us went to El Pinto, and we had a wonderful, leisurely lunch. It was Consuelo's birthday, and she received a free flan. Janet is allergic to onions, and he was able to find a good meal - chicken, asparagus, and a baked potato. I had the stuffed sopaipilla, and it was huge and delicious. I had to take half of it home. We had a wonderful time and will return soon. read more

For the past 3 years El Pinto has been our place for Nachos. In my opinion they were the best in town. Not so sure now. The past few times they have not been very good. The ones we got today had juice, from the beans maybe on the bottom so all the chips on the bottom were wet. The server said that always happens but as many times as I've had these nachos that's never been the case. Then to top it off, they raised the price of the nachos and the last two times the serving size is smaller. Makes me never want to go back. Time to try another spot. read more

I truly enjoyed my experience, once we finally were seated. Please join the Sufi as the cell service is spotty, and they text to let you know table is ready. You definitely need a reservation. We headed out to the large patio and ordered a nice pitcher of margaritas. They also had bottles of Gruet for a nice price. The server was nice but not overly attentive. The sampler was killer. Those ribs, queso -- great eating. The lunch menu had plenty of options but I thought the red Chile enchiladas were the best thing I ate. My friends are always in for the adovada! I'll definitely return. read more

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I was not wowed by this place at all. The food was okay, definitely not good considering the prices. It was just alright. The service was slow. They brought a picture for the alcohol at the table but not for water. As someone who doesn't drink, having to wait to have my glass refilled by servers that were inattentive. The chair cushion wasn't attached, so I also crushed my finger sitting down. I normally clean my image at mexican restaurants, and I barely touched the rice and beans they were so bland. I should note other people at the table thought the food was good. I just can see how they can charge 20-150 a plate and have such slow service and poor presentation. Don't even get me started on the queso read more

El Pinto - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Such a unique ambiance and environment! It has a lot of space full of different rooms which makes it fun. The margaritas are spot on! Each of us had different dishes from the chile con queso burger, toastados, and chile rellenos. All were PHENOMENAL! Finished the meal with delicious sopapillos. read more

El Pinto was always our go-to when we lived in New Mexico. When we come back to visit, it's a must on our to-do list. You can't go wrong with anything on their menu. My husband's favorite things are the green chile strips and stuffed sopapillas. We miss being close to such a great place. The service is amazing and the margaritas are perfect! read more

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Beautiful restaurant, great server, authentic New Mexican cuisine. Get the chopped green chile and chicharrones appetizer. Perfect. 10/10 no notes. read more

El Pinto - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Loved everything. The food, the atmosphere and all the dinning experience options patios all over and rooms and rooms too. We shared some appetizers and it was just right for us after a long day. We loved the chile rubbed ribs! They were fall off the bone and prefect amount of spice. Definitely can see why El pinto is known for those. We also enjoyed the green chile strips which were lightly dusted with batter so it allowed the chile to shine and the dipping sauce was the prefect compliment. We also enjoyed the chicharons and green chile served with fresh tortillas and butter. All together this was a great combo of flavors. And my elderflower cucumber lemonade was so yummy, probably one of my favorite mocktails I have had in quite some time. The sophillas to end the meal served with honey sure hit the spot. Definitely would be back next time we are in town. read more

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El Pinto was recommended to us by the tour guide on the Sandia Tram, which we experienced right before dining here. We came here for lunch. Hubby ordered the burger and I ordered the taco salad. The meal started with delicious chips with very spicy salsa. Everything was yummy and we also were served two sopaipillas with honey- yum! Mary was our server and she was very attentive. This was one of our favorite dining experiences in Albuquerque! read more

Came to El Pinto for Valentine's Day with wife, son, & DiL. Complimentary chips were fabulous. Extremely good & crunchy. In mid-meal we got complimentary sopapillas with honey. They were good - hard to mess up a fresh sopapilla. We had shrimp cocktails for appetizers. They were okay I guess. Nothing remarkable. The shrimp were a little pulpy - I give them a B+. I ordered the filet mignon. I was curious about the pork chop but was told it was out. The filet came with a large salad. The tomatoes, avocado, and dressing were fine. The croutons were great but few in number (my wife only had 3 on her salad). The lettuce was surprisingly rusty, so I left most of it on my plate. My filet was bacon-wrapped. The bacon seemed pretty gray & flabby but I guess it did its job in keeping the filet moist. The filet was perfectly medium-rare. I asked for an enchilada instead of a baked potato and sadly the enchilada wasn't up to snuff. I mean it was edible but not tightly wrapped, onions not crunchy, weak overall. Wife had salmon. She said it was a little overcooked. She liked her asparagus. She said there was some odd-tasting herbs in her bernaise sauce. I pointed out that it was green chile bernaise, but she said there was something else. I noticed she kept dipping her asparagus in it so couldn't have been too bad. DiL got a mexican sampler because they didn't have their epic tomahawk ribeye available. She said she liked it. Seemed like pretty standard tex-mex fare (which I like). She liked her enchilada more than I did mine. Son had a queso burger with fries (again, because the tomahawk steak was 86ed). He really liked his burger. For dessert I had a peach empanada and it was excellent. So two of us liked our meal & two were a little dissatisfied. Normally this would give 4 stars, but the repeatedly getting told "we don't have that" was sad. Waiter was attentive, knowledgeable, and eager to help. read more

We had two meals here, one takeout and one eat in. Both orders were with substitute items as requested and the tastes were divine. The flavors are so much different than Tex Mex in CT, I'm spoiled forever. The salsa was amazing as well, I'm going to order a case to be shipped. If you are in the area this place is a can't miss! Perfect service, prices and food make this a rare 5 star! read more

El Pinto - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Had a little incident at the front with one of the greeters who has Autism. Already spoke to the Manager about that. Ordered nachos with shredded beef. Suggestion for the kitchen, no one likes soggy nachos. Drain the beans. Food was ok. I've had better. Would I come here again and try other dishes, I'll Give it another try. Apparently this place, a lot of celebrities and important folks dine here. Nothing to brag about. Our waiter Ryan was awesome. Customer service was on point. read more

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The ambiance is really nice, but the whole experience felt low-end and cheap. It's so overpriced as to be laughable. The only plus, and it is a real plus, was the salmon and baked potato. Other than that wonderful salmon and potato, it's hard to describe the overwhelming cheapness of the rest of the food and drink. As soon as we sat down, the waiter asked us if we wanted chips and salsa/guacamole. We hadn't even looked at the menus yet, so we thought that it was complimentary. It wasn't. We wouldn't have chosen that appetizer, but he made it sound like a throw in, so we said 'sure'. Shouldn't he have waited until we looked at our menus first? The waiter was nice, but way, way too hurried. It was like he didn't want to engage with us at all. We felt like we were talking to him at a distance, catching him as he was flying by. It was weird. For drinks, my husband ordered a Silver margarita (aka sweet lemonade) and I ordered a glass of Pino Grigio. The first glass of my Pino was about 1/3 full. The second was about 1/2 full. I ended up ordering three glasses, and together they added up to about 1 1/2 glasses of wine for $33. Honestly, it felt like a robbery. My husband was hungry. He munched on the strictly mediocre appetizer of chips, salsa and guacamole that he didn't order, but what cost $14. I took a shot at the 'fresh greens' salad as it was the only 'healthy' appetizer on the menu. 'Fresh Greens?' There was nothing fresh about it. A handful of rough romaine out of a bag, three chunks of hard, light-orange 'tomato', none of which were edible, and some avocado that had a distinctive brown tinge. That was it. That's the 'fresh greens' salad. I did like the balsamic dressing though. It had a nice vinegary finish. For dinner, my husband ordered the Carne Adovada, which he described as over- cooked, and tasted as if it had sat around for a few days. And believe me, that's a lot coming from him. Our bill was a laughable $150, and we left a $20 tip. Why, I am not sure. We were hoping for a nice experience. Instead, other than the salmon, the whole thing felt like a con. Believe it or not, we may be back in for the salmon and potato. It was that yummy. Other than that...........Yikes. read more

Nice Restaurant and service was good. Food was just ok and the Chili Ribs were disappointing. Overcooked (meat fell off bone but was mushy). Not much taste considering the name CHILI. Didn't live up to the photo. read more