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  • Artichoke Cafe

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Artichoke Cafe
Artichoke Cafe

Artichoke Cafe Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Elegant
  • Website: http://www.artichokecafe.com
  • Phone: (505) 243-0200
  • Hours of Operation: Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:00am - 2:30pm; Dinner: Monday: 5:30pm - 9:00pm, Tuesday - Saturday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm, Sunday: 5:00pm - 9:00pm
  • Payment Options: AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: Contemporary American
  • Executive Chef: Richard Winters
  • Dress Code: Casual Dress
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Fireplace, Non-Smoking Area, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Private Room, Takeout, Wine
  • Private Party Contact: Susan Cianciabella (505) 243-0200

Getting there

  • Parking: Private Lot
A word from Artichoke Cafe
The Artichoke Cafe was reopened in 1989 by Pat and Terry Keene. Pat, who was formally trained in New York City, is executive chef and Terry has 30 years experience in restaurant management. Their dedication to the best in food, wine, and service has made this 120 seat restaurant one of Albuquerque's… finest dining spots. Its downtown location on Route 66 in the Historic Huning Highland/EDO District, cozy modern decor and rotating art exhibits add panache and charm to its ambience. The food is a mix of French, Italian, and creative American, using only the finest ingredients.Continued
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Awards voted by OpenTable diners
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Overall
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Ambiance
  • Diners' Choice WinnerBest Food
Diner Reviews
  • "Had heard about this place and been wanting to try it, glad we did! Great service, quiet and cozy ambience, will definitely be back!"
    Dined on 7/18/2014
  • "Due to overbooking, our reservation was not honored and we were not sat."
    Dined on 7/14/2014
  • "This was our first visit to Artichoke Cafe and it was amazing. We caught them on a really busy night, but the service was great and the food was outstanding. I highly recommend the beef tenderloin - yum!"
    Dined on 7/14/2014
  • "Always a great choice for special events. My wife always chooses Artichoke for her birthday and our Anniversary. Food is always fresh and prepared perfectly. Been going there for over 20 years."
    Dined on 7/14/2014
  • "Perfectly executed food. Correct level of unobtrusive, but attentive service."
    Dined on 7/14/2014
  • "The quality of the ingredients used are evident in sight, taste and texture. Seasonal selections were well paired with the entrées offered."
    Dined on 7/14/2014
  • "Truly a fine dining experience. Pork belly nachos were so inventive, using won tons, as were many menu items. The grilled peach ice cream was a total show stopper, perfectly accompanied by orange honey - Summer succulence captured like summer lightning in a bottle. Just amazing... as always!"
    Dined on 7/12/2014
  • "My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening out without the kids for a delicious meal and great service."
    Dined on 7/12/2014
  • "I rarely do $100+ meals but we were splurging. There were three in our party and we had drinks through desert. We went early so it was not very loud. The staff was very attentive, I drink lots of fluids and my glass was never empty. My wife had a house margarita and the ravioli. They were both outstanding. I had the steak Frits cooked to perfection with house fries I am not the family foodie, so I find it considerate that there is a choice or two for a limited palate. My mother in law had the nights salmon special that was so good she cleaned the plate. A feat I have not seen I some time. We all had different deserts that we shared. All were good if a bit pricey. All in all a successful outing for one not easily impressed. ."
    Dined on 7/10/2014
  • "My boyfriend and I came here for dinner with a groupon deal. Food was fabulous and service was good. Being a fine dining server myself, I felt service could have been a little better. Although this visit was much better than our visit a couple months back, where we waited almost 10 minute's before a server came to our table (and it was the manager who took our order), and we felt like we were being brushed off."
    Dined on 7/9/2014
  • "Took my mother here for her birthday dinner. She hadn't been to The Artichoke Cafe (TAC) in several years and wanted to return. A great choice. Ample wine list, very good food as well as very professional service. We split the braised tacos as a starter and had the apple and blue cheese salad and the french onion soup as our first course (both excellent). She had the scallops and I had the rib-eye as our entrees. Again, both very-well prepared. TAC graciously comped a shared dessert as well. Dinner for two with a glass of wine $118 (w/out tip). A good value in my opinion based on the food quality as well as the overall dining experience. We'll be back sooner rather than later."
    Dined on 7/8/2014
  • "Took my parents here when they passed through Abq. Went here based 100% on on-line reviews are were not disappointed. We got a great table, we had a great, knowledgeable, yet easy going waiter, and the food was excellent! I will go again and highly recommend it!"
    Dined on 6/27/2014
  • "The food and the service were both great at Artichoke -- it's a little pricey for Albuquerque, but not too bad. Had the crepe special and my friend had a chicken/cranberry salad that she said was good. I will go back again."
    Dined on 6/26/2014
  • "We celebrated our 43rd anniversary. Great place for special occasions."
    Dined on 6/25/2014
  • "We ate dinner here for our anniversary out of NYC in ABQ... What a lovely find. The waitress happily split our market salad which was farm-to-table fresh & for us 50/50 worked perfectly. I had the duck which was succulent, fresh & perfectly cooked. It came with a piece of puffed rice, it was great to have that crisp, but unfortunately it was so grease-logged, I was unable to eat more than a bite. My husband enjoyed his scallops although I thought they had a slight metallic taste. (I've grown up in Boston/NYC so I'm a fussy seafood eater) the wines were unusual & delicious. Overall, the flavor combinations were ambitions & well executed. Prices were reasonable for the quality & the service was top notch without being overbearing or stuffy."
    Dined on 6/25/2014
  • "The food was fabulous. The only place I will order beef. Cooked to perfection. Will ask for our waitress again. She was accommodating, didn't hover. It was a perfect evening."
    Dined on 6/25/2014
  • "We were on vacation and the restaurant was recommended. Because we did not know the restaurant we allowed ourselves to be seated in a area that became obvious that it was out of the way. We waited too long to order drinks, to receive drinks, to order apps. When manager asked how things were, we complained of slow service. It picked up after that until we waited and waited for a bill and to be cashed out. Manager finally took our card and finalized the bill. App and dessert were comped, but the inattentive service ruined a lovely meal."
    Dined on 6/23/2014
  • "one of the true standouts in Albuquerque for 20 years, you cannot go wrong"
    Dined on 6/23/2014
  • "My first visit to Artichoke Cafe was marked by excellent, attentive service, a wonderful appetizer (pork belly wonton nachos), a superb main entree' of Indian-inspired chicken, and a delightful fruit tart for dessert. The restaurant decor is attractive and inviting. The location in downtown Albuquerque is very convenient, also. For anyone visiting Albuquerque, this is the place to go. I also need to return here as there are many items on the menu that I still want to sample."
    Dined on 6/23/2014
  • "We always LOVE this restaurant and are never disappointed. This time we tried one of the specials, Red Snapper, and it was absolutely divine. If its ever on the menu when you are there, you must try. Also enjoyed the roasted garlic appetizer and peach salad immensely. We'll look forward to going back as usual. Thanks for the great food and terrific service!"
    Dined on 6/21/2014
  • "This is a small gem of a restaurant. All three elements of a fine restaurant are present: fine food, attentive professional service and comfortable ambiance. The menu is creative and the wine list reasonable. We would not hesitate to return to Artichoke."
    Dined on 6/20/2014
  • "We have been to the Artichoke Café many times and it never disappoints. We started in the bar with an appetizer and bottle of wine and were treated well by the bar staff. We moved to our table and everything went well there. We wanted to try a different wine and our waiter brought us a sample of what we thought we wanted. It turned out we bought another bottle. Our server was patient and waited as requested to take our order since we wanted to have a glass of wine before eating. My wife had the duck and I had the rib eye steak. Both were cooked to perfection and were delicious. The accompanying vegetables and potatoes were great as well. It was a wonderful evening at the Artichoke Café."
    Dined on 6/16/2014
  • "Food is still creative / GREAT flavor and combinations / Has aged very well / Not an easy thing for a restaurant with high standards to achieve / price to food value is excellent!"
    Dined on 6/16/2014
  • "I found Artichoke Café to have consistently great service, food & wine. The atmosphere is classy but not pretentious and the staff are welcoming and helpful. The food is fantastic--innovative and tasty with a California/Southwestern spin. A wide spectrum of wines are available and on special occasions I opt for a $65 California old vine Zinfandel at $65 and love it. I have eaten here 3-5 times per year for 5 years and it never disappoints. Moderately priced at lunch and has dinner entrees from $12 to $29. Try the mini-beef taco appetizer and fresh fish specials."
    Dined on 6/13/2014
  • "I have only been to the cafe twice, including the evening I'm reviewing. It has a very cozy feeling. I think I even sat at the same table. The early evening sunlight reflected on the outside view was great. Food and service was great. Not a fan of the peach crumble. Have to send it back, cinnamon was too overwhelming. It wasn't at all what I was hoping for. Recommend they bring a desert tray around with samples first."
    Dined on 6/13/2014
  • "Great service. Too much salad dressing on the Market salad. I would recommend decreasing the amount of bread in the crab slider appetizers. Too filling. The menu would be improved by adding more fish choices."
    Dined on 6/13/2014
  • "I've been enjoying Artichoke Cafe for 15 years. It has become our special event place. The locally sourced food just melts in your mouth. Each visit, as the first delicious bite meets my mouth, I think " why do I ever go anywhere else?" Amazing place, food and service."
    Dined on 6/11/2014
  • "We celebrated our friend's birthday on Saturday at the Artichoke Café. The food, service, drinks and atmosphere were wonderful. Our waiter, Greg, was attentive and very pleasant. The food was fresh and very well cooked. The drinks were yummy, as was the dessert that we shared. Would we come back? Without a doubt, one of the best in Albuquerque. "
    Dined on 6/7/2014
  • "Not bad. Though I would have liked to have seen a Vegan entree (even their salads were covered in meat). I had their Napoleon sandwich (various cooked veggies with goat cheese) it was tasty but I'm not a huge fan of goat cheese. Maybe next time I'll ask it to be sans queso. Overall, it was a quaint place, like a mix of Nob Hill Bar & Grill, and The Grove."
    Dined on 6/5/2014
  • "A lovely restaurant and a nice dining experience. We would certainly go there again."
    Dined on 5/28/2014
  • "We're regular visitors to Artichoke. Consistently a class act--food and service always terrific."
    Dined on 5/24/2014
  • "Wonderful downtown restaurant. Secure parking. The meals, drinks and dessert were very good. The waitstaff were on top of things. A stormy weather day turned into a very pleasant evening meal. Happy anniversary to the love of my life."
    Dined on 5/23/2014
  • "They did not have our reservations. The noise level was very high when the restaurant was full. The food was very good snd the service was excellent."
    Dined on 5/22/2014
  • "My girlfriend and I ate here and were very happy with the food. The scallops were amazing. Our only complaint was that we felt like we were in a fish bowl sitting by the window."
    Dined on 5/17/2014
  • "Didn't have the best introduction to Artichoke Cafe - waited 30 minutes for two brunch items only to find that one - the Eggs Florentine - was soup. The Manager came over and offered no reparation while we showed the soupy eggs we asked for more bread to deal with it! Then the waiter came stated he will comp the order. Not exactly the Mothers Day brunch we had hoped! The place has a nice atomsphere and we will try it again as the one meal that was good - the quiche - was excellent."
    Dined on 5/11/2014
  • "Excellent service, great food. The wait staff was attentive, good drinks, wine nice ambiance."
    Dined on 5/11/2014
  • "Good service, wonderful food, delightful atmosphere. This was our first time there, but not our last!"
    Dined on 5/10/2014
  • "I had the Rib Eye steak it was cooked perfectly medium rare as I ordered it. Staff was professional and helpful. the waitress looked after us even though the restaurant was very busy. I enjoy this restaurant because you can have a conversation during dinner without having to shout at each other. I would highly recommend this restaurant."
    Dined on 5/7/2014
  • "This place is great all-around... pleasant atmosphere - delicious food - and great service. I'll go back again and I'll recommend it to anyone in the area."
    Dined on 5/6/2014
  • "We were just passing through and were in a comfort food mode. We had the calamari to start which was generous but overly breaded. My wife's marinated filet was tasty, but more medium than the medium rare she ordered. My steak was a bit on the tough side probably not prime, and my frites were soggy and greasy, I suspect they were cooked before the oil was hot enough. In the resraurant's defense, they would have replaced them had I said something, but I was not up to complaining. The menu had some very appealing sounding items. "
    Dined on 5/5/2014
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Diners' Choice Awards
  • New Mexico Winners
  • Contemporary American
  • Albuquerque Winners
  • Best Overall
  • Best Ambiance
  • Best Food
  • Best Service
  • Fit for Foodies
  • Notable Wine List
  • Special Occasion
  • Most Booked
Learn more ›