Albuquerque and Santa Fe have their fair share of restaurants, and many are kid friendly. To whittle the list, this reviewer looked for what parents crave—KFC—or Kid Friendly Criteria. The food has to be kid fare (nothing TOO exotic), fast and friendly service is a must, and there shouldn’t be any raised eyebrows if Junior needs to move beyond his seat to check out the scenery. It’s always a bonus if the food is good for Mom and Dad; beer and wine are an added plus. Fast food restaurants are excluded, as well as national chains, with one exception. Local chains are included.
Happy Eating!
Santa Fe
Blue Corn Café and Brewery
Lunch and Dinner
4056 Cerrillos Road
and Blue Corn Café
133 Water Street (upstairs)
New Mexican
Blue Corn Café has good food, big friendly booths, kid’s menus and coloring placemats with games to keep small hands busy. Food ranges from spicy New Mexican to cheese quesadillas for kids. The tasty con queso comes in a deep tortilla bowl kids can eat after the cheese is gone, and the brewpub beer or wine helps keep the parents happy. The atmosphere is relaxing, with smooth plaster walls adorned with local art. Plenty of vegetarian options.
Tomasita’s Santa Fe Station
Lunch and Dinner
500 South Guadalupe Street
Closed Sundays
New Mexican
Tomasita’s is a Santa Fe institution loved by locals and tourists alike. The red brick building has the open, cavernous, old time feel of a train depot because it’s just that. Built in 1904, the Guadalupe station house was once part of the Denver to Santa Fe “chile line.” Now it offers up mouth watering food featuring the local standards of corn, chile, and beans. As well as chile rellenos and enchiladas, there are burgers, steaks, daily specials, and vegetarian fare. The main drawback of Tomasita’s is its popularity. Sometimes you have to wait, but not too long. Where else can you sit on the patio on warm days and check out the Santa Fe Railroad’s trains next door?
Santa Fe & Albuquerque
Bumble Bee’s Baja Grill
3 Locations: 2 in Santa Fe, 1 in Albuquerque
Santa Fe: 301 Jefferson & 3701 Cerrillos Road,
Albuquerque: 5031 Montgomery @ corner San Mateo and Montgomery.
At press time, a Nob Hill location was expected to open within weeks.
Cal-Mexican
Bumble Bee’s offers a casual, kid-pleasing south of the border atmosphere and food that’s fresh, inventive, and fun. The food is healthy: no lard, msg, or microwaves. Order at the counter and food arrives at your table in a flash. The to-go and drive-thru make quick dinners on busy nights possible. Check out the kid-recommended salsa/tortilla chip bar. Roasted chicken, burritos, quesadillas, and plenty of tacos provide plenty of choices. Fun bumblebee piñatas fly overhead and colorful serapes adorn the walls. On Saturday nights, musicians stroll about the tables. The fish tacos are a must, and where else can you try a lamb burrito? There’s even vegetarian fare.
Dion’s
Lunch and Dinner, Take Out
Numerous Albuquerque locations
Main Street, Los Lunas
Cerrillos Road & St. Michael’s, Santa Fe
Pizza, Sandwiches, Salads
If you have even only one child, you know this place. The wait is short (call ahead), the pizza consistently good, and for parents there are salads or submarine sandwiches if pizza isn’t exactly first choice. Plenty of booths with the signature stained glass hanging lamps. Kids can watch as pizza’s being made. Dion’s offers schools educational tours and Community Nights fund-raisers. They also sponsor Club Read, along with the Albuquerque Isotopes. What’s not to like? Parents choose Dion’s for many reasons, and if you have kids and haven’t been to one, what are you waiting for?
Albuquerque
Christy Mae’s
Lunch and Dinner
1400 San Pedro NE
Home Cooking
Good food and good value await at this small, family-owned restaurant. The country kitsch decorations keep the eyes busy and the kids comfortable. Christy Mae’s has been serving up healthy portions of home cooked food for decades. The kids’ menu offers the ever constant hot dog or chicken fingers, but here the grilled cheese sandwich comes on whole wheat bread. Applesauce on the side instead of French fries makes Mom happy too. Limited vegetarian fare. A treasure chest contains prizes for good eaters.
El Patio
Lunch and Dinner
142 Harvard SE
New Mexican
Inside or outside? Either way, it’s relaxed and fun. El Patio has been an institution for nearby UNM’s college students for a long time, and on a nice day, the patio is downright special. Need the beans or rice with no chile, or on the side for your kids? No problem. Beer and wine, and some say the best green chile chicken enchiladas in town. For vegetarian fare, try the spinach enchiladas.
Flying Star Cafés
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
3416 Central SE
723 Silver SW
4501 Juan Tabo NE
8001 Menaul NE
4026 Rio Grande NW
Haute Cuisine Home Cookin’ and Mouth Watering Desserts
There’s a lot to like at these restaurants. Terrific food, fast service, and parents can choose from a large menu while the kids can stick to macaroni or grilled cheese and fries. Plus, there’s always dessert—isn’t that why we really go? Having tried all the Flying Stars (he also remembers the Double Rainbow), my son’s favorite is the newest at 8th and Silver, where the décor captivates his imagination with color and flair. Beer and wine for the grownups. Although they haven’t yet discovered the benefits of activity placemats for kids or serving younger kids before parents, several locations offer dog tie-ups and water bowls for the animal set.
Frontier Restaurant
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
2400 Central NE (Central and Cornell, across from UNM)
New Mexican, American
This local institution has a lot to offer parents and kids. John Wayne, cowboy pictures and real rifles adorn the walls so kids can stay busy for the few minutes you have to wait for food. Rooms and rooms of booths. The food can be as spicy or bland as you like, and there’s kid friendly fare with sandwiches or quesadillas. The price is light. Easy to take in if your child has Saturday music lessons at UNM, or you’re headed out one evening at Popejoy to see the Chinese Golden Acrobats.
Mario’s
Lunch and Dinner
2401 San Pedro NE
Pizza/Italian
I’ll give away my age: when I was in college, Mario’s was on Harvard and I’d go there at lunch just to hear Mario yell to Anna: “Slice-a!” The slices are still good, and the pasta is too. The food passes the New Yorker test of being “authentic.” Kid placemats, typical Italian décor and fast and friendly service make this a favorite local watering hole. You can still spot Mario and Anna, but their son, who was a teen-ager when he worked at the Harvard location, runs the business now. Mario’s has grown for a reason. Try the Eggplant Parmigiana.
Monroe’s
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
1520 Lomas
6501 Osuna NE
New Mexican/American
You’ve heard it before: ‘where the locals eat’. With Monroe’s, it’s all true. The service is fast and friendly, the food consistently good, and there’s no problem if kids need to move around the table or even the entire restaurant. Miguel, “Mr. Monroe” himself, chats with customers (he’s been after my son to work for him since he was 2). The wait staff stays for years. There are always new napkin drawings on the bulletin board, and snapshots of the Monroe’s custom of displaying the “I Love Monroe’s” bumper sticker in far away places. (My son has one on his bathroom wall). Chips and salsa to start, and for those who don’t do chile, there are always sandwiches and fries.
Owl Café
Lunch and Dinner
800 Eubank NE, reviewed
2325 San Pedro NE
4320 25 The Way NE
10131 Coors NW
American/Diner
Ever eaten in a place shaped like an owl? You can here. The Owl originated in San Antonio, N.M., where it still charms locals and visitors, but the green chile cheeseburger is a hit in Albuquerque as well. With plenty of booths for kids and a juke box that plays music, kids can spend time counting the owls to win a prize, or choose songs from the tabletop playlist. Fifties diner décor. Plenty of kid friendly food, and milk shakes to boot.
Red Robin
Lunch and Dinner
10009 Coors Blvd. (by Cottonwood Mall)
5531 Office Blvd. NE (by Century 24), reviewed
American
The one exception to my rule of no national chains. But for those with kids, the reasons are all here: although the grownup fare is pretty standard, the kid food is good, and the atmosphere is all about THEM. What makes this place exceptional? The guy who creates custom balloon hats while telling jokes, the non-violent games, the TV in the floor. Red Robin wants its picture taken with your Junior, no charge. Balloons are for the taking. And the wait staff sing “Happy Birthday” if it’s that special day—Birthday Kid eats free and gets an ice cream sundae. A special place for special times. Recommendation: Wednesday nights, when games are free of charge.
Route 66 Diner
1405 Central Ave NE
Lunch and Dinner
Burgers and Sandwiches/Diner Fare
Route 66 is armed with an arsenal of delights for kids and parents alike, with black and white décor, turquoise accents, and daily blue plate specials. Converted from a Phillips 66 gas station to the 66 Diner in 1987, the 66 burned down in 1995, but the rebuilt version looks just like the old one. Wait staff seat families with activity mats for kids, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get the booth by the hopscotch game. Milk shakes in many flavors or a counter with stools are some of the reasons kids like this restaurant so much. Parents like the pies and chicken-fried steak. Background music reminds of the classic American love affair with the car. On the old Route 66 near UNM.
Tomato Café
Lunch and Dinner
5901 Wyoming NE
All You Can Eat Italian Buffet
Lots of parents list Tomato Café as a top choice for eating out with the kids. The all-you-can-eat-buffet offers a variety of soups, pastas, salads, and pizzas with or without the sauce. Daily specials offer a change of pace. The exhibition kitchen means kids get to watch the cooks in action. Teens like it too. The décor is simple and fresh, and the atmosphere comfortable yet somewhat upscale. Beer, wine and Italian sodas.
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