It’s no joke that Albuquerque is one of my favorite cities to go to. It’s easy to get around, the people are nice, interesting, and creative, there’s mountains for hiking, great food for eating, tons of shops to buy artist-made wares, and plenty of Native American ruins and museums to explore. What’s not to love?
Here’s my best-of picks including where to stay, what to do, and where to eat vegan in Albuquerque.
Where to Eat Vegan in Albuquerque
The Sawmill District is a food hall, filled with an assortment of cafes, bars, coffee shops, and dessert options, and is located directly across the street from the main hotel I recommend Hotel Chaco (info at the end of this blog). At the Sawmill, the best place for breakfast is The Mercantile, and my fave item for breakfast is their delicious avocado toast – just hold the cheese – or for lunch, they have a great veggie sandwich – again, hold the cheese. The best place for coffee at the Sawmill District is Plata. This is a fun place to go and try out a variety of foods, and it’s great if you and your friends all want different things to eat. It’s casual, lively, and has pretty good parking options, so is a good choice for a variety of offerings, many of which are vegan.
Seasons is my preferred choice for the best vegan in Albuquerque, and it’s in the cutest section of town, Old Town! Sit at the bar for great service and great conversation with locals, or grab a table if you’re looking for something more intimate. After living in Santa Fe since 2022, I luckily can get delicious food anytime I want. It’s truly insane the level of craftsmanship in Santa Fe’s restaurants, and Seasons down in Albuquerque absolutely holds its own. On my last visit, we started with the bread basket and the vegan artichoke hearts, and then my entree was the vegan polenta with broccolini (pictured above). It was all outstanding. My family’s dishes were all delicious, too. I cannot recommend Seasons enough if you’re looking for where to eat vegan in Albuquerque!! It ranks up there for me in my top 3 list of Albuquerque restaurants, along with Artichoke and Campo, which you’ll read about below.
One other special gem in Old Town (aside from the incredible art galleries and pottery shops, wowza), is Black Bird Coffee House. They have a handful of vegan options, including a burrito, and delicious coffee, a cool vibe, and a really gorgeous courtyard filled with bird feeders and trees. This cafe is super special and a great place to sit and snack while you’re out exploring Old Town!
Side note, if you’re just looking for coffee (not food although they do have some treats), Santa Cecilia in Old Town is also wonderful. Their outdoor area has several tables, and although it’s not as cute as Black Bird’s courtyard, there’s actually more places to sit outside and enjoy our awesome weather. And their coffee is truly fantastic. Anddddd they’re located right next door to Old Town’s best gallery, Romero Street Gallery. Wow, I could buy everything here.
Farina Pizza might be the best pizza you’ll eat outside of New York, and yes, they have vegan cheese and vegan crusts, and it is all divine. Truly. Yep, you really can find delicious pizza in the desert!! It’s also just a great restaurant, with great service, and a great place to meet locals. Their bar is a great place to spend a few hours, or grab a table to hang for longer. This is one of my favorite places to eat vegan in Albuquerque! I recommend coming here for dinner on a casual night and enjoying the lively atmosphere while inhaling their delicious pizzas (and salads).
Artichoke Cafe has the same owners as Farina, and is located right next door, with a super cute and retro yet semi-fancy vibe. And, they always have a vegan option on the rotating menu, you don’t even have to ask for it. Artichoke is where we go for almost every special date night as the service and the vibe here just can’t be beat. It’s one of my top choices for where to eat vegan in Albuquerque, and it’s one of the places I take all my friends and family when they come to town. Artichoke Cafe is the kind of restaurant you’d find in a hip college town – eclectic, seasonal, and customer-focused. I’m so glad it’s here as it’s once of the best places to eat vegan in Albuquerque.
Campo at Los Pobanos is the main restaurant I take everyone to right after they land in ABQ. It’s typically my first stop, if I can remember to get reservations in time. Los Poblanos alone is such a gem (more info below in where to stay), but Campo’s dining room, patio, cocktail patio, lavender farm, and general design all make it such a stand-out. It’s pricey and it should be: everything is fresh, locally-sourced, and truly special. They do not have a vegan dish on the menu but they will make you one without too much fuss. Also, their lavender mocktails are divine! I highly, highly, recommend a reservation at this truly unique dining experience when you’re in town. For the scenery alone, this might be the best place to eat vegan in Albuquerque.
The Grove (not pictured) is one of my favorite lunch spots. Go on a sunny day and sit on their patio. Their food is so good and fresh, and many of the salads and sandwiches can be made vegan. Just be forewarned that you will wait for a very long time in a very long time to place your order, especially on the weekends. There’s a reason the line is so long (and parking is a beast), so come prepared, or mosey on down to a different option… which brings me to the recommendation below.
One awesome find I stumbled across one day when I did not want to keep waiting at The Grove was La Finca Bowls (not pictured). It’s unfortunately closed on the weekends so this place is really hard for me to make it to, but their veggie and grain bowls are fantastic, there’s plenty of healthy and vegan options to choose from, and there’s never too long of a wait. Seating is limited, but they have a tiny little patio too if the dining room is full. This might be my new favorite weekday lunch option to eat vegan in Albuquerque!
A super fun and surprisingly not cheesy experience is dinner at Vernon’s Speakeasy (not pictured). Yes, you have to say a password to get in the door. Yes, you have to deal with the door guy’s intro. But after that, the experience is worth it. The food is fantastic. They always have a vegan option. The wine list is great. There’s live piano music, and sometimes a really fantastic and talented jazz trio on the weekends. It’s fun, cheesy, and romantic, and great for a date night.
If you’re craving Native American fry bread (how can you not be in New Mexico!?!?!) then you must head to Itality for incredible Native-American inspired, all-vegan dishes. I ignored this place for awhile because I thought their menu was Italian, and I know these are fighting words, but that’s probably my least favorite food. It’s not Italian though – it’s all Native-inspired and really, really delicious. They have a patio that overlooks a boring strip mall parking lot, but it’s still nice to sit outside. There are so many incredible days here to sit outside!! Otherwise, their dining room is really tiny, and nothing to write home about, so this might be a good to-go option in the winter.
One of the most fun places for where to eat vegan in Albuquerque is Bike and Coffee, an outdoor cafe with live jazz during the week and on weekends. Parking is limited here but not difficult to get a spot, as they prefer you come on your bike. You’ll pay a small fee to park if you come in your car; if you show up on your bike, parking, of course, is then free. What a great way to get more people to show up on bikes! And the food is really, really good. The jazz is great, as well. It’s just a special place on a huge old farm with old trees, plenty of outdoor tables in the shade, and a really great assortment of Albuquerque locals.
Last up (for now) is Java Joe’s Cafe, a delicious coffee shop with killer, and I mean killer, burritos, including a delicious vegan option. They have a few tables outside, otherwise you’ll enjoy their inside cafe, with great service and fantastic food. This was always the place we went to on our New Mexico trips back in the day (I still had brown hair in this photo, OMG, how old is this???!!!), and even today is one of our fave places to enjoy when we’re in town. Note that this is different from the also outstanding Java Joe’s in Santa Fe, which is more of a coffee shop – this is more of a cafe (with great coffee, too!!).
That’s a wrap for my best options to eat vegan in Albuquerque. Now, on to some other items to share if you’re visiting from out of town!
Where to Stay in Albuquerque
Hotel Chaco!
Hotel Chaco is not only the best hotel in Albuquerque, it’s the best in the New Mexico…it might even be one of the best in the U.S. The rooms are freaking glorious. The service is out of the this world. Walk out the front door and you’ll be greeted with a few great dining and shopping options in the Sawmill and Old Town Districts. And…it’s dog friendly!!
Hotel Chaco might be known for Level 5, its rooftop bar and restaurant – and yes, it’s gorgeous. Sit up there, under the stars and heaters, look at the mountains, be fed great food and great drink.
But the best place? The downstairs bar called Equinox. That’s where you’ll be served by Billy, who should be voted Best New Mexican, by far. Billy is a lifelong bartender. Have you ever been served by a lifelong bartender? If not, you’re in for a treat. Unfortunately, outside of New Orleans, New York, or D.C., you won’t find too many lifelong bartenders. And that’s a shame. Because there’s no one else who knows a city better, who tells better stories, who listens and carries conversation, and who makes the best drinks ever, than a lifelong bartender.
That’s what you’ll get with Billy, and that’s what you’ll get at Hotel Chaco. Believe me when I say the insane modern, high-end rooms are just the icing on the cake. He’s that good at what he does. Side note, we hung out here after we stopped drinking as well, and Billy makes fantastic mocktails for those on the wagon.
This truly special hotel is also in a great part of town: literally across the street from the Sawmill, and walkable to Old Town as well. You cannot beat this location, and truly you will fall in love with this hotel, too!
Los Poblanos!
If you want to stay a little further from the action, Los Poblanos is a dream come true. Please note I have never actually stayed here, but I’ve eaten at Campo, their restaurant, at least 10 times now, and I can say it’s just incredible, as noted above. The scenery, the land, the lavender, the views, the gardens, the really cool looking rooms, the gift shop, the spa…. wowza, Los Poblanos is simply outstanding. This hotel (and restaurant) deserve a high spot on my where to stay and where to eat vegan in Albuquerque list.
What Else to Do in Albuquerque
The hiking at Elena Gallegos is nice, however, in my opinion, the La Luz Trail just north east of town is even better.
Walking along the Rio is one of my favorite things to do during the day. There’s parking at the Coors Bosque Trails and a few great paths to choose from.
Petroglyph National Monument is also a wonderful way to spend a morning, either watching the sunrise or going on a few short hikes. Just beware that there are strangely no trails at the Visitors Center, so get your GPS to take you to the trails, not the main entrance. They are not close to each other, and I can say from experience, it’s kinda frustrating to end up at the wrong spot.
As mentioned, Old Town is one of the best places for shopping, eating, and drinking. The Nob Hill area is a bit too young/eclectic for me these days, but if you’re in your 20s and 30s, or dig the super hip college scene, I bet you’d love it. UNM has a freaking fantastic anthropology museum that you must visit if you’re into the culture out here! There are plenty of other fantastic museums as well, including the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (a must-see museum IMO), the Museum of Natural History and Science, Explora Science Center, and the Albuquerque Art/History Museum. You can also take the tram up to Sandia Peak, which I did many times as a kid and was so fun. I’ve heard it’s gone down hill the past few years, and I have not been in decades, so take this final rec or leave it!
What Else?
Originally posted in January 2022, this page will be my main place to share the best vegan in Albuquerque list from here on out. I’ll update it regularly after our trips down to one of my fave cities, so you always know the best of where to go, what to do, and where to eat vegan in Albuquerque. The people of Albuquerque are part of what makes this city so special, so I encourage you to ignore the negative talk about this city and get to know some of the people when you’re out and about. It’s truly a magical, special place, and it’s time this underdog city got some respect.
Now, are you looking for the best places to eat vegan in Santa Fe? Look no further!! You can also find all my New Mexico city/dining posts here if you’ll be in this gorgeous state for a few weeks. I hope you fall in love with New Mexico as much as I have. It is truly such a special place.
Peace and Love,
Jen