I had a drink after a lovely walk at the Albuquerque Botanical Garden and a visit to the Albuquerque Aquarium. A drink with a view of the fish and aquatic life at the cafe. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - Cafe view - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

The people were very nice to my fiancee and I. These chicken tenders are some of the best I ever had here in albuquerque. Its important to note: I am a chicken tender lover and connesiuer its us one of my safe foods I eat often. This now is in my top 3 favorite chicken tenders in albuquerque. I got the double breaded. I dont see a need for triple unless you really want them extra breaded. I did forget to make it have French fries so I reviewed potato chips. The potato chips and ranch and BBQ sauce clearly all house made! Yes we spent 65 on 2 souvenir cups and 2 meals but it was one of the best days of our lives. The sharks and fish swimming by while you eat made the setting even nicer. It was clean as well. I appreciate that. Thanks Shark Reef Cafe! read more

I ordered a patty melt and it came with homemade chips. None of it had any seasoning and the chips tasted old and stale. The prices are a bit high and the food quality does not justify it. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Back in the day, Shark Reef Cafe was a nice place to eat when visiting or after hours at the aquarium. I hadn't been here in a long time, so I was surprised at the model they use to order at the counter. The food was pretty simple, and they called out when your food was ready. My son enjoyed sitting near the large tank while waiting for our food. We got pretty good hamburgers but nothing crazy fancy. My son got a corn dog, and the kids' meal was a good value; it came with the corn dog, apple juice, apple sauce, goldfish, and a Nutrigrain bar. It's a good place to stop if you don't have food with you, but a little pricey for what it is. read more

I just got a basket of fries and they were good aside from the price but I ordered at the table with the QR code and on the receipt it said it would be delivered to my table and after waiting for a while I hear someone yelling my name saying my orders ready and I think my order was sitting their for a while. It's a good place but if you don't deliver food to the table they shouldn't say they do. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

This restaurant was so neat! You can eat right next to a gigantic fish tank and watch the sea-life swimming while you're eating. Animals I saw were all kinds of enormous fish, sting rays, sharks and even a turtle! We got the chicken salad and fish and chips and both were delicious! The food is slightly expensive, but it's totally worth it for the neat and unique atmosphere. You don't need to buy an admission fee for the zoo or aquarium-you can just go right into the restaurant. You order up at the front and then wait at your table until your order is ready-they hand out light/vibrating beepers to notify you when your food is ready. The food was served in cardboard to-go boxes - maybe for easy clean up as well as for covid precautions.... No matter where you sit, you will have a view of the giant fish tank-there are also smaller fish tanks scattered through the restaurant as well. (Everyone wants to sit close to the big fish tank but even if you sit farther from it, you might get a more comprehensive view of the whole place). I would definitely recommend this place for a visit!!! read more

See all

Shark reef café is one of Albuquerque's true gems. The food is excellent. I particularly recommend the sliders. It's presented in a visually effective way and is also very tasty and filling. They have a nice selection of beers on tap. It's particularly serene to sit and watch the aquatic life. I strongly recommend putting your smart phone away, and just sitting there and watching whole you enjoy the food and ambience. The staff is particularly friendly and helpful. Prices are very reasonable; it's adjacent to the botanical gardens, but you can enter the shark reef café, without going into the gardens. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - View from seating area of Shark Reef - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

The food was so good! And so was the service! My niece treated the six of us to food and drinks. She got lavender hard cider for herself and I got the banana strawberry smoothie. Both hit the spot! She ordered fried chicken strips and French fries, and a burger sliders' sundae with French fries for the table. Everything was freshly cooked and exceptional. A few other drinks were ordered - a Shark attack and mango lemonade for the young ones. They were sweet! And refreshing! I wish I had taken photos. Everything looked as great as it tasted. Oh! And we got to look at the huge fish, sharks, and big turtle as they swam by 2 large windows as we stuffed our faces. read more

Perfect place for dinning with a view. They have comfort foods and good coffees. A must visit for an aquarium or botanical garden day. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - queso sliders & fries - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

The Aquarium is closed still, but the restaurant is open. The food is always good quality, but pricy, even with the member discount. The children's meal with Mac and cheese is good with tons of melted cheese. The cheeseburger was cooked to perfection and the French Fries are great. I love their raspberry lemonade too. The star of the show though is the huge aquarium to view large sharks, fish and a mega turtle. I do not know that the fish have seen many people during the Covid shutdown, so some of them were entertained by us, staring at us! Too funny. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - The Aquarium may be closed, but the Shark Reef Cafe is open. - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

See all

The last time we ate at the Shark Reef Cafe was before they remodeled and updated the menu. It's always been fun to eat by the shark tank but the food was nothing spectacular before. Today we stopped in to check it out and grab lunch to go. We were very happily surprised to find how fun it looked and how much the food has improved to go with the new atmosphere! Since I eat Keto, I got a cheeseburger without the bun and a coffee. Their coffee is fantastic! They even offer piñon coffee! It's self serve too with to go cups so fill up! My burger was AMAZING! It came with fresh, crisp veggies and homemade pickles. The meat itself was spiced just right and the cheese was delicious! My husband ate the homemade chips that came with my burger and loved it! He got the house salad (sans radish) with grilled chicken and balsamic dressing. He said it was fantastic! We will definitely be back to eat in and enjoy the ambience! read more

Shark Reef Cafe - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Shark Reef Cafe was really yummy. Clean, service was friendly and of course you cannot beat the view! I would be a regular if we lived in New Mexico! Very glad we tried it. read more

My daughter really wanted to eat while looking at the aquarium tank and that was the sole decision maker here. I don't really expect much from restaurants like this - captive audiences typically eat bad food happily. I was pleasantly surprised by the food here. Like, I'm not going to purposefully drive to the Aquarium for lunch, but I actually enjoyed my meal. My daughter and I got to sit right up next to the swimming fish and she loved it. If you are skeptical of spots like this for eating, I urge you to take a chance on this one. I think you'll be happily surprised as well! read more

My wife and I went here for lunch today. She had a chicken pecan salad except it had walnuts. I had a hamburger patty between two sopapilla rolls and a ton of french fries with enchilada sauce and cheese. Both were about $12. Both meals were only mediocre. My hamburger patty was cooked to death and I ended up really only having french fries with cheese and sauce on them. My wife let me have part of her salad because she felt sorry for me. The aquarium is pretty cool. It takes up an entire wall and has sharks, Turtles, barracuda and a variety of others. I would not go there and order the food but I would buy a drink and sit and watch the fish. Be ready to shell out $4 for a soda. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

See all

I give the Shark Reef Cafe four stars based on the ambiance and the service. The food would only warrant two and a half stars, however. Our server Natalie was friendly and very attentive. It was recird hot outside on the day I was there, and a cold beer sounded fantastic. Natalie told me a bit about their local microbrew offerings from Marble Brewery, so I ordered a Marble Red Ale. Turns out it was a good choice. Very refreshing! The bottle was $6.00, which is a bit high, but I went for it anyway. My friend ordered the fish and chips, which came with just two small pieces of fish and some potato chips. Most folks think "fish and chips" means fish and fries, or fish and potato wedges. Fish and potato chips doesn't work, particularly for $11.00! My companion complained a little bit, and Natalie didn't hesitate to bring him out a side order of fries. No charge. That was nice! The best part of dining here is watching the fish and sea turtles in the big saltwater aquarium. Very cool! There are also lots of smaller tanks along the walls, so nearly every seat has a great view. Try to sit near the big tank if possible for the best show. read more

See all

As a member of the Albuquerque Community that likes to support our Zoo, Aquarium and Bio Gardens. We understand that feeding Elephants & Giraffes is expensive. Vet bills is expensive... etc. We never begrudge the extra cost at the BIOPARK's food. YET, $51.## for 3 adult meals with 2 bottled/pre-made drinks was steep. The Green Burger & chips was good, but not spectacular. Hubby liked it but was still hungry after eating it. (My hubby is a big guy & likes good qualities of food). Staff was friendly and kind. My Fish & Chips was greasy... and I mean I took napkins to it to de-oil the fish. The chips were soggy in the middle and crispy on the outside. I asked for some salt & pepper as I wanted a bit more on my chips. My daughter's Strawberry Crispy Chicken Salad was packaged iceberg lettuce salad mix with fried chicken tenders & toppings on it. It was pretty good according to her. We *really* have great memories of bringing our kids to eat at the sit down Shark Reef restaurant and enjoy watching the young kids act as ours once did 10-15 yrs ago watching the large fish. We love supporting the BIOPARK and reliving memories. It is why we choose to keep giving it a chance at least once a year. Any more than that... not sure I would give it the 3 stars.. read more

This is a fun place to go if you have a baby that loves fish like I do! The food isn't spectacular but it's a cool place to watch fish while you eat. I bought the Groupon that cost $24 for $40 worth of food. I ordered the Turkey New Mexican sandwich for me and my boyfriend, a hamburger slider kids meal and a lemonade which came out to $39.00. So, it is a bit pricey without a groupon! Also, the food is just adequate, nothing special. read more

The zoo, aquarium experience was so great we didn't get a chance to get out before lunchtime so we were kind of trapped at the only food outlet at the aquarium. It was pricey and food was average, but you got to sit right next to the fish tank that house the sharks, large turtles and a variety of other amazing sights. I had the fish and chips for $14, it said french fries were an extra two dollars and if I was going I was getting potato crisps I might've gotten that option. My son went the grilled cheese kids item for $7.50, his fries came in a cute deep fryer basket. That was my favorite thing of the lunch. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - Great view of the big fish. - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

See all

Stopped here to eat after visiting the botanical gardens. We opted to order at the table, which promised robot delivery service. My table mates ordered chicken strips, a burger and I ordered the chicken wrap. The food was decent, it was served by a robot and all of this took place in front of a giant glass aquarium filled with fish and turtles. We loved it! Hidden Gem. read more

Impressed.... Brought my kiddos here before the river of lights tour. It was very worth our trip. Walking in I wasnt sure what to expect, I found out you had to order at the counter then take a seat in the dining area. We ordered a tower of cheese burgers and the New Mexican Turkey Panini. They also have a decent list of beers and wine to choose from. The tower of cheese burgers did not disappoint, there was 4 cheese burger sliders and the tray it came out on was a bed of crispy French fries topped with fresh chopped green chile and the entire try was smothered in queso. We will definitely order this again. Next, the Turkey New Mexican was served with fresh made potato chips. The sandwich was a panini filled with sliced turkey, chopped green chile, avocado and queso. This sandwich was delicious and the chips were just as food. This cafe is a great place for date night, kiddos outing dinner, girls night out. read more

See all

The menu is very limited. The restaurant was not clean and they ask for a tip when they don't get serve you or bus your table. The tank is cool, but maybe just get a treat. Prices are very high considering the limited selection, level of cleanliness and lack of service. read more

View of the aquarium is the best part of the cafe. Kids enjoyed it & so did I. Food was pretty pricey for a family of kids. & they forgot to give me my annual pass holders discount which in August is member appreciation month. So that was not cool. Grilled cheese would be better if cheese was actually melted read more

A quaint little spot located inside the Bio park that you'll see on your left side once you enter. I happened to pass by here to sip on a glass of wine and enjoy the cafe's interiors of the aquarium. I have been here twice for this type of occassion closer to the closing hours. Its a nice way to relax because its not crowded at all. The wine was a bit pricey at $8 a glass but makes up for it while you can sit in front of the tanks and watch the fishes circle around. I have not ordered from their lunch menu yet but it seems like the basics of easy prep meals of salads and sandwiches. They do have sweet snacks and chips and a little coffee bar section. They only serve beer and wine and not a full bar. read more

See all

HAVE AGAIN: The strawberry, pecan, chicken salad was really good. Great place to eat just before the River of Lights.

Staff friendly. Menu didn't include Mexican food mentioned online. Had pecan strawberry chicken salad, which was fresh with a lot of chicken, and bbq burger, which tasted more like a1 sauce and was a bit dry. Place seemed clean, not amazing atmosphere, decent deal on Groupon. read more

Three stars with caveats. If you're debating your dining options, especially with the family, eat at Shark Reef Cafe. It's terrific. I'm thinking of Tim's Place, here. Like Timmy's, Shark Reef offers some really basic dining fare, but this is pared with a cool view of the oceanic tank. I'm really proud to note that this diner is fairly priced and the food is solid, perhaps artistically smart, honestly. Most major metropolitan attractions of the aquarium/zoo/science museum sort know that they have you once you buy a ticket. You're there with the kiddos, you've decided to spend the day, and you're going to be a victim of the pricing structure as soon as your bratty, under-slept toddler says "I'm hungry!" A recent visit to the Museum of Natural History in NY confirmed that you'll be buying slop for that tummy at an outrageous price. Not here. The Shark Reef cafe offers a great selection of eats at a fair price, and your worries about keeping the brat occupied are solved with the great views of sea turtles and nurse sharks. Service was spot-on and exceptionally friendly, with plenty of child options. The plates were surprisingly well presented. My chicken salad was boring and perfect. Try to find something like this at any civic locale around the country. You won't. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - Grilled chicken salad - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

See all

Prices are to be expected for a museum/zoo-type establishment. Not cheap for some pretty simple fare, but it was fantastic. Got the chicken salad on an avocado - MMMMmmmmmm - and fish & chips. No complaints about the food! Service was so-so. No one was available to seat us and it wasn't quite clear if we should just head in. Meal prep takes FOREVER for some reason, despite a relatively limited and pretty standard menu. We demanded crayons so we could draw on the table during the wait. (They are only for kids I GUESS, but since when has that ever stopped me before!) What you are paying for of course is the chance to eat next to a tank with sharks and sea turtles and the occasional human. I budget for the Shark Reef Cafe when I'm going to be at the BioPark because I love contributing to this great city attraction. I'd love to see the service and the decor step up to meet the prices, but all-in-all this is a place I can definitely recommend! read more

Shark Reef Cafe - SO GOOD. Could only eat about half and took the rest to eat while we walked around! - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

We had our wedding reception here after getting married at The Botanic Gardens and all of our guests were very impressed with the ambiance and the food. It was a little bit difficult to get a call back from the wedding coordinators to plan out the reception in the beginning of my planning. However, as the time got closer to our wedding day, we got much better customer service. Over all I would highly recommend this place. The one downside is that the place is fairly small. If I had to do it all over again, I would make a seating chart for guests because there is such limited space (depending on your wedding size.) read more

Shark Reef Cafe - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

See all

The atmosphere was the best. Dining while watching the fish swim was very peaceful. We even got to watch the diver clean the window. The servers were friendly. I ordered the Ceasar salad with chicken. It was a large filling salad. The chicken wasn't very seasoned. I needed a bit more dressing for salad. My daughter ordered the green chili burger which came with fries. The burger was filing. The green chili was ok. The fries were plentiful and they came in a cute basket. read more

See all

Food and service have gone drastically downhill. Really sad because it used to be a very enjoyable place to eat with great food. Now, portions are SMALL, tables are dirty, and service is nonexistent. Really too bad - save your money. read more

The food was good. Service was great. A bit pricey for a family of 6. The decor is cool. There is fish tanks inside so you can eat and watch the sharks, sea turtles and fish swim about. Pretty generous servings. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - Turkey Mexicana Sandwich and home made chips - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

My friends and I are from Austin, Texas and are used to high prices. So we were so surprised with the delicious food for very reasonable prices. The avocado chicken salad was not the normal half an avocado but a whole one filled to overflowing with breast of chicken salad sitting on top of fresh, fresh salad greens. Superb. Another friend got a sandwich on on farm style bread and accompanied by what I think were homemade potato chips. Great place to eat and then watch the large fish in a giant aquarium! read more

The aquarium is AMAZING! Took my grandson for his birthday breakfast. Food was disappointing and expensive! The hash brown pile for $7 was advertised with cheese. Not a speck of cheese on it. We had to chase all over the restaurant for basics such as salt and pepper, jelly for toast, etc. By that tome the already mediocre food was cold. Someone needs to take over who understands how to run a restaurant that is also an attraction! Get it together people! read more

I have long been a member of the zoo/biopark and I love most of what they have going on, but I have to say that the first time I decided to try the SRC was also my last. I'm glad to see that someone reviewed the place and added pictures so I knew I wasn't out of line or had too high of expectations. I got the green chile cheeseburger, ass fries for a $2 upcharge. My burger was teeny tiny. The bun was huge, stale and not even slightly toasted (as I saw in the picture) and he French fries were cold and all 10 were broken and looked like "bottom of the bag" fries from (insert crappy fast food name here) The chile did have good flavor, but it was hardly worth the near $20 I had to shell out. Seeing someone else's review of a toasted bun and a healthy portion of fries just adds to my frustration. Not my experience at all. Another pet peeve of mine is cafe style places that expect tips. I stand in line to order overpriced food and then put on the spot to tip the counter staff before they hand me a number to post at my table. They bring the food to the table, but that's hardly worth a tip. I know that a tip is optional, but it's always that shotgun situation when you have to decide if you're going to pay an extra 1-2 dollars or risk them talking smack and then dropping your bun on the kitchen floor before serving it to you. So, no.... on second thought, I don't think the tip really is entirely optional. So, in the end, I made a $20 mistake and the lesson is learned. Never again. read more

Shark Reef Cafe is located in the Albuquerque Biopark or next to the Aquarium. Their Turkey New Mexico Sandwich is basically a toasted grilled sandwich. Even with Groupon it was a bit pricey. Of course, I pay for the convenience. I do like how you can dine and look at the sharks, sting Ray's and sea turtle going by. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - Aquarium - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

See all

This place was great! The atmosphere was inviting and the scenery was great with the fish tank. I had the caprese salad, the shrimp basket, and one of the turkey sandwiches. The shrimp basket was excessively fried for my taste, but the salad was on point. They were very generous with the salad portion: it almost filled me up! The sandwich was also a bit on the heavy side, but the avocado was a really great addition. I used a groupon and it ended up being a more economical deal. read more

Shark Reef Cafe - (Bottom left) Caprese Salad with chicken [$13], (Right) Turkey sandwich [$12?], (Top right) shrimp basket [$12?]. - Burgers Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Had a burger and chips about two weeks ago...burger had been pre cooked ...hoping for a lunch rush I assume. Very dry and no flavor. At first bite of the house chops ...stale!! Spent quite a bit of money on a lunch that was really lousy. The brioche bun was right out of a bag ...not warmed up at all. Just really disappointed. I do not recommend this place at all. Much nicer places to eat along Central. Ended up throwing it away. read more

Was not expecting much, but we were pleasantly surprised. I had the turkey sandwich which had avocado and green chilis, it was really good. My wife got fish tacos which she really liked. Even though breakfast was over they agreed to make huevos rancheros for the two others which they enjoyed. All this while watching the fish swim around in a gigantic aquarium. Yes, I would go again. read more

today, we visited the cafe, and it was totally cool, except... we opened the fridge and touched some of the drinks, looking for one to buy, but the lady behind the counter yelled at us? for multiple minutes too, like she wouldn't stop. she was wearing a different shirt than the rest of the crew, a maroon polo i think, she also had blue hair she pinned up with a clip, and she was wearing glasses. there was no signs saying not to touch anything, so i don't think it was fair of her to yell at us like she did, a simple "hey please don't" would have sufficed, but instead she screamed at us saying "great now i have to clean that now" (she did clean it and it took her less than a minute) "i expect five year olds to do this" and "this is not a mcdonald's" now don't get me wrong, i work in the food industry and i understand being annoyed with customers, i'm sure we were annoying, and going out of her way to clean sucked. however, her reaction was not justified in the slightest. we should be treated with the same respect that we treated her with. it was incredibly unprofessional and unjustified. afterwords she talked crap with all of her coworkers read more

Great location You Watch the fish swim by in the aquarium. We had a great western hamburger and a good strawberry salad. Service was great read more