American Eats: New Mexico. Frontier Restaurant.
In Downtown Albuquerque, along the old Route 66, across from the University of New Mexico, sits the Frontier Restaurant.
You probably cannot think of a less pretentious Mexican restaurant if you tried. 70’s-era brown tile. Booths and tables, well kept, but also of a similar era. A cavernous restaurant full of seats for all of the college kids who show up and proceed to hang out for a while. Kitschy decorations on the world. A huge counter where you order your food and take it with you as if it’s a fast food joint.
They even have a commercial jingle.
It is an Albuquerque tradition and a good one. We ate at the Frontier in 2018. It was a perfect place to take a hungry kid who had some energy to burn. Going in the middle of the day, the wait was short. The food was hot. And the servings were plentiful. We certainly did not leave their hungry that day.
Are there fancier places to eat in ABQ than this? Of course. But unless you live there, why bother with anyplace else? It is an authentic New Mexico experience, one that locals frequent without all the retention that a “tourist” restaurant would have. If you ever find yourself reenacting Breaking Bad visiting New Mexico, the Frontier is on your must-stop list.
Frontier Restaurant
2400 Central Ave SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106