El Pinto

Had to wait when the restaurant was not busy, Food was very Blah, service was just OK

The restaurant was decorated beautifully for the holidays! Very festive and colorful. We were seated within minutes of arriving and the hostess was very friendly. Food and service was great, as always. One of my favorite restaurants in Albuquerque!
Only way it could’ve been better is if there was a little light strung up in our corner of the room so I could see the menu and my food. Quite dark. The building is a charming, old renovated building (truly beautiful!), and a simple little string of lights would make a huge difference. I literally couldn’t see my wonderful tasting food!
This is a MUST visit (and frequently!) restaurant.

Just my third time here--but the other two times were so wonderful that I couldn't wait to return. I wasn't disappointed. My friend had biscuits and gravy--and a mimosa--and thought they were the best he'd ever had. I had the NM Eggs Benedict (again) and loved them. The atmosphere just blows me away--no matter which room I sit in. It's just a fantastic restaurant with great food and the NICEST wait staff ever.

Dining at El Pinto is truly comfortable and homey. Add the lovely Christmas decor and you feel like you are eating at your favorite Gramma's house. My preferred restaurant anyway- El Pinto's atmosphere is a huge step above the rest.

The service was fabulous and the food was very good, my complaint is that the dining room was FREEZING!!!! I had to leave my coat on during the entire time, I also had my husband’s extra jacket over my legs. When the waitress brought our food and asked if we needed anything else, I responded by saying I needed a blanket. She actually brought me a blanket!

Spontaneous stop! Overflowing deliciousness and hospitality!
Smokey chips, flavorful avocado,

The fresh lime Margaritas were very good - as usual. However, the rest of the night was a bust! Most of the food was warm at best. Parts of the order were not delivered correctly. The carne adovada was terrible - tough and tasteless. In general, most of were disappointed and will not return or bring out of town guests to El Pinto.

Everything was ok. Server was excellent. Parking lot a disaster. Very muddy and puddles of water and very poor lighting. Mix up in reservation resulted being seated in a cool patio at a small cast iron table with cast iron chairs very low to the ground.

Our server, Nathaniel, acted very disinterested in providing follow-up after our meal was delivered. He did not offer sopapillas, which we assumed were customary....as confirmed by our neighbors at the table next to us because they received them. Our previous experiences were much better.

This is our 2nd time. We really like it. Make a reservation! It’s always busy even during the week.

Four of us went for Sunday brunch about 11:15--and were seated in a beautiful room with a fireplace. Granted, it was early, so the room wasn't full of diners--making it very quiet and peaceful. This was my first dining experience here--and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. I tend to think that large restaurants put out "less than the best" food. I had their version of Eggs Benedict--and LOVED it! One friend had the Taco breakfast, the other had Eggs Benedict--and the 4th had basic scrambled eggs and toast. (She missed out on the yummy chili variations available.) Bottom line: it was absolutely perfect for a Sunday Brunch--and I can't wait to return for dinner one of these nights soon.

We were seated right away. The drinks and appetizers arrived within minutes of ordering. The meal was very good. You could tell it was made with fresh ingredients.

Great food & service!

Absolutely fantastic! I brought my friend for her birthday and we savored the buffet...everything was perfectly delicious! The tamales were soufflé-like, bursting with flavor. The green Chile chicken enchiladas were savory and moist while the red Chile cheese were rich and vibrant! The pintos were flavorful and creamy and the rice had texture and great seasoning unlike the mushy mixture many places serve... and the sopapillas served hot at the end were light and non- greasy! Service was good, and the extra attention given to us by Shannon, a manager, made my friend’s birthday extra special! There is no place I prefer to bring my friends and family to celebrate than El Pinto!

Drove in to the densely wooded parking area, landed a space not too far from the front door.
Once we made our way in the restaurant we were greeted by an eager hostess who quickly whisked us away and seated us near a cozy fireplace in the patio section of the restaurant
Our waitress was equally as eager and happy to offer us drinks and house baked corn chips along with their very own red salsa. We had plenty of time to mull over the Sunday brunch menu while digging in to the tasty offerings.
Soft top 40s music played overhead with early morning light filtered through towering greenery thoughtfully placed along long windows on either side of the patio, only added to the slow going mood we came in feeling.
With so many incredible options on the menu it proved difficult to narrow our choice, we finally decided to try a breakfast bowl that included the whole damn kitchen!!! The breakfast bowl is generous portion of layered bacon slices with Adovado smothered in house red Chile sauce paired with a taquito on top of eggs added to assorted peppers and potatoes. Every bite was flavorful, bursting with rich herbs and authentic flair.
When the sopapillas arrived, we were almost to full to partake, but we dug in anyhow. So glad we did!
Manager was cool enough to take us out to view the Hens, each one looked plump, happy and cared for in the best of ways.
Everything was good at this place, really appreciate our time well spent. Will definitely be back. With friends.

We were advised to try El Pinto, being strangers to Albuquerque. Really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone!

The staff at El Pinto are so professional and courteous. My father and I both enjoyed the 'Twins' Salsa Salad' with different meat selections on top. It's delicious with the hearty scope of guacamole. Plus, we were seated at the best spot in the restaurant =D. Thank you, El Pinto!

Wonderful!

Wonderful food, ambiance and staff

We often bring out-of-town guests to El Pinto, because the food and service are generally impeccable. When it's warm, the patio areas are lovely. When it's cool, either indoors, or in the patio areas which are enclosed and warmed. There is enough variety on the menu to satisfy the pickiest of eaters, and one can choose how hot or mild their red or green chile will be. In 24 years of living nearby, we've never come away from El Pinto unhappy.

Great evening

Very easy to make an on-line reservation . The service was very efficient and the staff very friendly . The food was very good . Highly recommend El Pinto

Chandler was a lovely server. Food was good, although a bit slow with the entrees. Drinks were on point!
The biggest concern was with our check out. Apparently you have a new credit card service and people don’t know how to use it. Instead of being able to put a specific dollar amount on one card and the rest on another we had to separate by item. Please get some training Or your payment service as this was really in adequate for the business traveler.

Awesome service was amazing food was great as always.

Apparently El Pinto in the winter is a different experience. The beauty of El Pinto is the patio — without that, you see the flaws. Mediocre service. Overpriced food. Food is good but not great. Why not pay less for better?

We love the atmosphere at El Pinto and the margaritas. I gave it it three stars due to salsa being bland and cold sopapillas.

We have eaten at L Pinto many times and the food has been very good. Unfortunately, we brought some friends from out of town to enjoy a meal there and it was awful. The hot chili was mild the temperature was cool the food was mediocre. The service was very good. The manager was very very nice and actually comped our meal. No complaints about management or service, just got the food was not good.

Very thoughtful! I had s a cast & cane, our table was in the very last room. I number of the staff asked if we wanted to wait for a table so I would not need to walk such a distance, the staff was extremely solicitous.

The entire staff, from reception to server were pleasant and helpful.

A very fun place to eat. It is like a sprawling house, with many rooms. Amazing choice of Mexican liquors. Fresh and local grown food. A great start to our New Mexico weekend!

Overall, I really, really like El Pinto. My top favorites there are the atmosphere, margaritas (even the house margaritas are fantastic), guacomole, sopiapillas, and the levante dessert!

We had our before wedding day lunch on Friday at 1m. Nothing could have ever compared to the classic beauty that is El Pinto. Exceptional service and they obviously employee chefs that have a great deal of experience because the food is delicious. Made some great memories there this past week. Thank you for the wonderful service and overall experience. It is now so very clear why they are one of the Top 60 restaurants o visit in the country. Josh & Kamryn Northrup

took 2 new people to your restaurant, they loved it

The El Pinto is an outstanding place to gather. It is much more than a restaurant. However, the food is also superb. I get to travel to Albuquerque about one time per year and I always make it a point to visit El Pinto. The red chili ribs are my favorite.

Great food!

Food quality has declined since my last visit. Sopapillas were hard and tough. Chile wasn't as tasty as before. Ambience is great as usual, but we were seated next to a rowdy group and it was hard to talk or hear ourselves. Prices have also gone up a lot.

Didn’t like that the bill was presented in the server’s hand, with no opportunity to look it over. AND the tip was computed on the after tax amount! That is a rip off! Why am I tipping on taxes!

I’ve gone to El Pinto for years. I won’t be back.

Always enjoy dinner at El Pinto. All of their food is generally excellent. We love their chips and salsa and sopaipillas. The New Mexican specialties are all done well with one exception. Their posole is among the worst I've ever had. It has way too much chile. So thick you can barely see the hominy.. I will be glad to send them a good recipe.

We were visiting from out of town and thought this would be a great place to try. The service was absolutely terrible, food came out cold 45 min later and was disgusting. The first manager that came out didn’t seem to care and then when the GM greeted us and heard our problem he was very friendly and wanted to make it right. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time or want to try anything else.

Our waiter Nick was excellent! Explained specials/new items without getting too wordy. He was very curtious, friendly and checked on us regularly. Great experience. Kudos to Nick.

Thanks,
Carmen & Michael Wilson

Overall perfect!