El Pinto

I was in town on business and told I had to try this restaurant before leaving town. It absolutely did not disappoint. The food and service were both fantastic but the atmosphere was the icing on the cake. I will definitely be back next time I’m in town.

The experience at the El Pinto Restaurant was great! Their stuffed sopapilla was great. I loved their nacho&salsa. They give regular sopapilla and you put some honey oh it was amazing dessert. Their green chile is spicy but I loved them. Loved this place!

Came to ---- all the way from a very comfortable and intimate AirBnB, on good word from a local friend that its one of the best places in ABQ for authentic Mexican, and some signature New Mexico specialties,such as the reknowned crispy and spicy delicacy known as "Green Chili" (they eat it straight up, and also put it on literally everything, including Pizza) Well, as dehydrated and hungry as I was from the weekend activities....turns out that this massive and almost resort like venue is indeed a nice place to not only eat and drink, but to take in some interesting southwest vistas and also people watch, apparently with its massive size and numerous sections, its a popular place for birthdays and parties, etc etc (saw some interesting hats and boots for sure) Mainly though, this particular meal was made enjoyable and even special by the friendly and knowledgeable young staff; I swear not a single one of them was over 25. Special shoutout to our fabulous and slightly neo-Goth server, Esmeralda (I hope she actually spells it this way). She was easily the star of the show, and if you ever have the pleasure you'll know why....thanks for the pictures, and move to LA already! Our only "thing" (not really a complaint at all, because it adds to the story) was the mini side quest that we eventually left our table to go on was the very convoluded and watered down "Jameson soda bitters" that was questionable both times...but we just chalked it up to the youth of the bartender (who actually could have been Esmeralda's twin 😅, never actually spoke to her, but she knows who she is). Anyways, legend has it that they're still working on the recipe til this day, but all in all, I'd say that experience wise, our visit and meal at El Pinto was indeed "The whole Enchilada" I'll be back for sure if I make it back to ABQ. 🤘🏽😋🥃🌮

Love this place, it's the absolutely the best food!! Staying a week in ALB, I ate a lot of good food, this was the best and I went back almost daily! Just a wonderful experience. Read the back of the menu, it's a great story!

When you come to Albuquerque, you want to plan to eat at El Pinto! Their Mexican food is filled with New Mexican flavors and atmosphere is top notch. Despite a very busy restaurant the food was piping hot and staff were courteous.