Went here for my first time ever today. While the buffet is small it was well stocked with good quality food. (Other posters have listed the items, so I won't repeat.) The food was fresh and tasted good. I'll go again. read more

Tomato Cafe: my 1st experience there! Our XC team went there the night before our state meet. Our server was wonderful, the food was fresh & excellent: what is not to love about an Italian buffet that includes dairy free ice cream? The owner(?) stopped by to wish our runners good luck & share supportive words with us, we all left feeling full & buoyant. Thank you! read more

We just ate a Tomato Cafe and it was okay at best. We should have made a better choice when spending our money on dinner. My son is 11 years old and they charged him $7.99 and that doesn't include his drink. He didn't eat $4 worth of food. The GM didn't seem to care that his food is way over priced. We will not be going back. I think we will be going to Scarpas instead. read more

This is the only place that I have found that has a lactose-free soft serve ice cream machine! =) Good food, great service.

Had read some reviews and figured it was worth a shot, since hubby is a big fan of Italian and Olive Garden was getting old. lol We went for lunch today and after buffet price ($9.49) plus beverages ($2.49), with tip, lunch was $29. For $29 for lunch, I guess my expectations weren't met. The place was clean, however, and the staff was very helpful. The salad portion of the buffet was very minimal, the pasta was pretty basic (and raviolis and all-beef meatballs are apparently only served for dinner). There was a decent variety of pasta sauces (4 or 5), a couple of soups (the veggie posole was very good). The pizza I tried (veggie pesto) was my favorite item, next to the posole. What bummed me out was that the garlic green beans were obviously frozen, not fresh produce...and I would have appreciated some fruit or some basic dessert item on the buffet (tiramisu was offered for $4.99). But if you want to improve what you offer your patrons, I would never serve frozen veggies. would rather serve none at all...and some basic fruit or dessert item would be appropriate. $29 for two for lunch is just not worth it to us. We really wanted to like it. :( read more

This is my favorite restaurant that serves gluten free pizza crust without egg! Finally! They'll make your pizza specifically for the individual. Just tell them what's you want on it, and they'll fix it for you. The salad is always fresh and the steamed veggies steamed perfectly. They also serve lactose free ice cream. The servers are quite friendly, however, I did run into a problem with a young female server who got my order wrong and when told she did so, she denied it and became upset and refused to serve us any longer. All of a sudden we had a different server. It wasn't a big deal. She told the cook in the back, and she made it as I had originally ordered it. Delicious pizza!!!! The young server needs to know that it's ok to make a mistake. No one is perfect. read more

This place is subpar. If Albuquerque had real pizza buffet these guys would be out of business. The marinara and Alfredo are terrible. The pizza is not fresh and appears to be pre-made. I will not be back read more

I'm a regular ... always very good food in pleasant environment. You pick your own, and waiters provide everything else. I love the green chile alfredo sauce! read more

My FAVORITE restaurant in Albuquerque. I have been coming here for YEARS with my family and even though I've moved away, I still come back to visit every time. It's a simple buffet, but its sooo good. The owner is super friendly and always there to greet you, help out behind the buffet, and check on you during your meal. They will make you any pizza if you request it which is so nice. The buffet has pretty much been the same since I first started going there and I'm completely fine with that! read more

Heard lots of quality things about Tomato Cafe and wanted to try some take out. I was given a container and told the cost would be based on the weight of the contents. I filled up the container with some pasta, meat sauce and 10 small meatballs. Total? $12.41. The cost of dining in, all you can eat, $9.99. Never, never again. read more

If you like eating cardboard - this is the place for you. I have no idea how long the food was staged awaiting me, a hapless soul, to select my piece of cardboard for sustenance! This isn't a tasty cardboard but akin to your 6 month old box of cheereos which has collected dust then cut into deceiving wedges and topped with un-inspired ingredients. Service - what is that? The staff may great you but try to get a refill on your drink... may as well get it yourself. Even if you have grown tired of the ubiquitous Dion's fare, I would not step into this "café" for variety. Poor service and food make for a dismal dining experience! read more

great breadsticks and pasta and green beans! you can see the food prepared behind the buffet which is comforting!

We brought a group of 50 youth runners and their families to Tomato Cafe the night before a big race and the restaurant was perfect. The food on the buffet was simple, fresh, healthy, and replenished continuously. The buffet offers a tremendous value for the price. Everyone was seated and fed within 90 minutes. Deb, the manager, accommodated all of our needs, even making a special order of green beans to meet the gluten-free needs of one diner. The restaurant itself is modern, clean, convenient to the freeway, and has a huge parking lot. I can't recommend Tomato Cafe more highly for families. read more

Our family has been a long-time patron of the Tomato Cafe. Deb and her staff have always greeted us with a smile as soon as we walk in the door and the service is always friendly and prompt. Everything about the restaurant is exceptionally clean which is not found very often in a buffet-style restaurant. They serve very fresh salad fixings, a variety of pizzas, soups, pastas, sauces and veggies, and my son will say the best meatballs and ravioli in town. The price is great for the all-you-can-eat buffet at $8.49 (lunch) or $10.49 (dinner) with kids varying from $6.49 (lunch) and $7.99 (dinner) for 11-12 years to free for 2 and under. And don't forget the free soft-serve ice cream for after dinner! They also have a small wine and beer list to complement the meal. It is a very family friendly place and we will continue to support this excellent local restaurant. read more

Im not sure what it was, but...something there made my girlfriend and I very sick. I got it easy but she was miserable for the rest of the evening. The environment was cozy, but the cooks were a little creepy cuz theyd stare at you while you were picking up food. almost as though they knew they screwed something up. The pizza was good at best, the pasta sauces were okay, but the selection...i expected more from a buffet to say the least. Cici's pizza won the battle here by a looooong shot. read more

We love this resturaunt. The buffet is fresh, and most important, CLEAN! Vegetarian posole is the best I've ever had. Green chili Alfredo is a must. read more

A wonderfully warm and cheerful ambience for young and old. Locally owned. The salad bar, pizza and pasta are always fresh and well prepared. What I love is the creamy polenta and the sautéed green beans. The concept is an Italian Food bar and the food, service and the space are so much more inviting than any similar place in town. A great addition to the menu is the homemade Tiramisu and the espresso bar. Skip the ice cream and order the Tiramisu for your table. You won't regret it. read more

One of the best value meals in Albuquerque. I eat here about once a month and am always satisfied with the meal. Soup, salad, pizza and pasta. What more could one ask for? I especially like the BBQ chicken pizza and the pasta Alfredo with their yummy meatballs! read more

This place is awesome, the food is fresh and very tasty. The atmosphere is very warm and friendly. The staff keeps the restaurant very clean. The pasta sauces are made in house. The 3 soups they have are all made in house, and very good. I'm not a big fan of meatballs but the ones there aren't to bad, everyone else seams to love them. Anytime I have been in there seams to be families there, kids love this place. If you go in on your birthday you can get either a free rootbeer float or Italian soda. They have a good selection of red and white wines, and beer. The homemade tiramisu is fantastic, they also have garlic green beans they too are fantastic. The servers are very friendly and nice, they do a fantastic job of keeping the drinks filled and plates cleaned. It is a must try when in the area. Don't let the reports about traffic being bad in the area do to construction stop you. Traffic is not as bad as reported. It is worth it. read more

We've been going here for YEARS and have never not had a problem with the food until this past weekend. The pizza was old, the green beans were withered and tasted like they were from an industrial bag of frozen food, the salad was dry. Even if the salad is bagged and "prewashed" you still need to wash the lettuce! Service was non existent. Done with this place. It's time for the owner to get a new hobby. read more

Our group was pleasantly surprised at the variety of food. Everything was fresh hot and simply delicous. The service was excellent. We highly recommend it and will be repeat customers. Delicious freshly made and better than homemade! ! read more

I really like this place for lunch. Their green beans, bbq chicken pizza veggie pizza are awesome. Also really like their green chile alfredo sauce. Wish they would put one on the west side of albuquerque!! I would definitely go there more! Food is always consistently fresh and tasty! Good local restaurant! read more

We were visiting for the balloon festival and we had the best dinner . The gluten free pizza is made to order and was fantastic !! . I also love the green beans and the service was great. read more