1216 Central Ave SW
Albuquerque, NM 87102-2803
Phone: (505) 243-1019
Hours: Daily 10am-10pm
(map)
When I think of classic New Mexican style hot dogs, I think of the The Dog House on central and Bob’s Burgers. The Dog House has been a staple in the downtown area since the 1960’s. A true city landmark with its animated neon sign. As a kid I remember always wanting to go to the Dog House so I could prove to my dad that I could eat the foot long chile dog without crying.
The chile is very hot and is uniquely New Mexican. Their chile is not that meat and bean chili you would find throughout the country or classic red or green. It is like a hot chile gravy. Their hot dogs are spit down the middle and grilled. The favorites at The Dog House are the foot-long chile cheese dog with onions, the double green chile cheeseburger, and the frito pie. I usually always get a foot long chile cheese dong with onions and an order of chile cheese fries. The prices are very reasonable for this wonderful.
The dining room inside is not much bigger then a large closet. I don’t recommend the dining room unless you are wanting to watch them make your order. The way to order is park in the front or on the side facing the restaurant, roll down your window and just look hungry. At some point the carhop will come to your window and take your order. Never go to The Dog House when you are in a hurry, because it is always busy. Also, don’t be expecting to swipe your card here, The Dog House only accepts cash. The Dog House is definitely worth the wait.
Taste:
[rate 9]
Service:
[rate 7]
Ambiance:
[rate 7]
Overall Reader Rating
[ratings]
4701 San Mateo Boulevard NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
Phone: (505) 880-9800
Website
(map) | ~MENU~
I’m sure the Teppan is great here, but in this review I’m going to focus on the sushi and sashimi. The reason is because I have been going to sushi here for years and it is really good, so I haven’t ventured over to the other side yet. I have been to all sorts of sushi restaurants from low to high end and this one is in competition for the top spot here in Albuquerque. I would recommend it as a romantic option but it is even better as a group affair.
The food is amazing here and I have always left satisfied. With sushi you have to be careful where you eat, although it is a little pricy here, you have a safe bet for great quality. What I like to do is go in a group and order a lot of items from the menu, they are brought out one at a time so you can enjoy them. To start with you are given a cup of ginger soup and a sweet salad, both very unique tasting to someone used to new mexican foods. All of the sushi is quality and my favorites are the california rolls, eel sashimi, 911 rolls, and monkey balls (dont let the name throw you, once you stop laughing, you’ll see how good they are). Azuma also offers a wide variety of saki and japanese beer to compliment your meal.
The picture you see above is called the love boat. I first went here on a date and got this hoping that it would be enough for the both of us…whoa, we got some stares when they set this giant boat filled with sushi and sashimi in front of us. It felt like they were doing a birthday presentation with a firecracker candle and sombrero (yeah that happened…I have a picture of myself, the unhappy kid with a sombrero on his head). The attention was warrented, the presentation was beautiful with fruit flowers and fans, and as you can see a tremendous amount of food.
The service is really good here. They allow you all of the privacy you need to make it appear private, but always seem to get you what you want when you need it. Watch out though, they are sneaky here and if your back is to the restaurant, the waitresses will come up from behind and scare you. Sometimes you’ll get the “and then…” effect when you order, which is that whatever you say they will ask you “what else would you like?” I have enjoyed the waitresses, they are professional and funny, they know how to treat the romantic table as well as entertain a group.
The atmosphere is impressive also where you can lose yourself in the japanese scenery and booth presentation. I would have given it a better rating, but it is a little crowded and there is not much privacy from other tables. They have a nice, relaxing atmosphere with blue light shining through plate glass art at each booth.
Note: The website has a printable coupon for 10% off of your purshase.
Taste:
[rate 8]
Service:
[rate 7]
Ambiance:
[rate 7]
Overall Reader Rating
[ratings]
319 5th St SW
Albuquerque, NM 87102
842-1600
(map) | ~MENU~
I recently went on a search downtown for out-of-the-way restaurants that were well known to the local business class such as PNM and MFA employees. One caught my attention and it was a restaurant on the corner of 5th and lead called Wranglers.
On the outside you would never give it more than two looks as it is a very modest restaurant that doesn’t call much attention by appearence or reputation. However, inside you will find an American/New Mexican menu that is well prepared. I have gone there a couple of times now and have had the chicken salad sandwich with fries, chopped salad, and fried catfish sandwich with fruit. All of which were in the $6 price range and very good. the food is modest but they do a good job in this restaurant. They have fairly priced entrees and offer a great assortment of lunches for the business class on the go or the general public searching for that small town restaurant atmosphere in the downtown area.
I wish I could say the service was as good as the food, but it isn’t. The service is consistently average in this restaurant and you sometimes run the risk of experienceing really bad service here. In my experience the servers are very nice, but dont know or care much about time. In my second visit I was ready to walk out because it took so long to get my drink and entree out to me. The waitress was sweet but she could not multi-task at all. I would think that a restaurant who’s business is primarily derived from the workers of surrounding business, that they would respect the lunch hour limitations. I can just hope I caught them on bad occations because I feel it is not a bad restaurant at all.
Like I said before, the ambiance is very modest and subtle. Wranglers tries for a western appeal but like some other good restaurants, you are not going to this one to lose yourself in the atmosphere. There are a few signs, pictures, lasso’s, and longhorns on the wall to remind you of the old west, but honestly, its the good food that will bring me back again. So if you are ever in the downtown area and dont feel like visiting the usual reputable spots, try this out of the way restaurant and you might be pleasantly suprised by its food.
Taste:
[rate 7]
Service:
[rate 4]
Ambiance:
[rate 5]
Overall Reader Rating
[ratings]
Revisited 7/12:
It seemed that as I went to this restaurant throughout a few months the food was changing and the lunch crowd was dwingling, so I asked around. This restaurant is in the process of new ownership/management, which is why the food quality has lost some appeal, the waitstaff is lacking, and the business lunchers are going off to the downtown strip. I talked to some local business people and they all feel like it isn’t the same anymore. The good news is that this is a good opportunity for the new management to turn it around and make the changes needed to bring the customers back again.
