Church Street Cafe Review

Amazing place, and the food was great. Looking forward to going back.

Beautiful atmosphere. Quintessential New Mexican decor. I felt the food was a bit overpriced and the service mediocre. $6 for a small cup of posole. $11 for a sandwich. There are so many cheaper and better quality of places to go in Albuquerque for the price.

The service was terrible. It wasn't even busy when we got there. The waitress wasn't friendly at all. We waited for a very long time to get our food and even longer to get our check. We were never offered drink refills. I would not eat there again.

Absolutely beautiful inside. Much bigger than it looks outside. Food was great and service was too.

Fantastic setting--adobe building just off Old Town Plaza, first built in the 1700s. Fantastic food, thoughtful service, and topped off with a soulful Spanish love song!

The food is amazing....typical NM and old town customer service. Let's start with greeting your guests....then when serving drinks do not grab them by the rim....your server hands are filthy and our lips go to the rim...... timing we waited 23 minutes to order.....this tends to be consistent at this place.

Disappointed today. Food was good but visited particularly for sopapillas but apparently not included with fajitas so thought we would have as dessert followed by coffee but check slapped down on table and server disappeared while we were waiting to order. Poor and slow service today.

Good food and great atmosphere. A must stop for dinner. Has several vegetarian options.

Great food and lots of it. Beautiful outdoor area. The front entry disguises the huge restaurant behind it. Excellent margaritas too, especially the frozen margaritas.

Delightful restaurant, reasonably priced, very cozy. They had a Hispanic guitar player as well. Also a variety of beers

Every year I bring about 20 SilverSneaker members for a Christmas luncheon. We love the staff and our waiter always sings to us and we sing to him.

The fry bread was so good, loved it. Free chips and salsa is always appreciated AND sopapillas!! plus the space is amazing, all the art and history, will def come back here next time I m in the area.

The large room at the back of this restaurant is brighter and airier than the darker but charming low-ceilinged rooms near the front. The food and service were very good. My Senor Reuben sandwich was excellent.

Salty, salty, salty (food and service)! If you're into sodium chloride this place is for you.

Decided to eat here on a recommendation in early afternoon with little to no other diners. Arrived, was seated, waited 15 minutes before our server came to take our drink order. Said she didnt know we were in her area.

Ordered food, wrong item was brought out. Server took a while to bring us our check due to talking with someone else somewhere (her words).

Food was okay.

Wonderful restaurant. Enjoyed the food, the beautiful interior and courtyard and great service.

This place is a little gem! Don't be scared to take a big party to this place. Looks are decieving. Good food, friendly staff, nice atmosphere!

Visit on August 20th around 5 pm. I am a local and have had decent experiences here before. The wait is usually a bit long to get served, but not terrible. We had not been here for about 6 months, but noticed a big change when we first walked in. Was not terribly busy, but most of the staff was sitting about half asleep. The place was full of flies, as they kept the doors open, despite the refrigerated air working great. The bathrooms were dirty and out of paper towels. There were plenty of tables covered in old food for most of the time we were there, making the fly problem worse. Once again, most of the staff was sitting around. We assumed that things would begin to get bussed after we ordered, but we were wrong. The food was okay (when not covered in flies), and our sever was passable. When the check came, we paid in cash, and the server brought back only large bills, apparently expecting a 30% tip. Fortunately I had smaller bills, so he got about 10% (I normally leave 20%). When we left, the staff just stared at us from their seats and said nothing. We are unlikely to come back again...better options in town.

Amazing place for lunch!!! Delicious combination platter with Chile Relleno, Tamale, Enchilada, Pinto Beans and SQUASH! All topped with a spicy green chile sauce. Huge portions, and simply perfect.

Add to that a lovely older gentleman who was very attentive (even to a single diner - me)! Couldn t recommend more highly!

Authentic Mexican food. Worth the wait. Combo plate is a good choice.

The food was bland and was expensive. This is not New Mexican food in my opinion. There was no flavor and was very dry. I give a 1 star because it s not very good, expensive, and has no parking.

Very nice atmosphere and food was prepared quickly and was delicious. nice treat at the end of the meal were the decadent sopapillas yum!!

My parents were in town for the balloon fiesta week and I had heard from a co-worker that this was a nice restaurant in Old Town Albuquerque so we decided to try it out. We entered and put our name on the list requesting to sit on the back patio, they told us it would be about a half hour wait and gave us a beeper telling us that we could look in the other shops on Church St and return when our beeper went off. We walked around the street for a half hour and then returned to the restaurant and asked if a table was ready. They told us that the patio was still not open but that we were next to be seated out there. We waited in the lobby area for about another 45 minutes, watching streams of new customers come in and be immediately seated. I continued to check in with the hostess who finally took us back to our table after we had waited nearly an hour and a half. Once we were seated outside we saw that other people who had come in after us had been seated on the patio before us.

It was another twenty minutes until out waitress came to get our drink order. We asked if we could get chips because we were so hungry from waiting so long and the waitress told us that she first had to take the orders for another party of 10 people before getting our drinks and chips. I finally walked up to a woman who I believe is the owner and told her what was going on after we had waited another twenty just for our water. She immediately helped us and apologized for the wait.

I would NEVER recommend going here unless you have about 3-4 hours to waste while waiting to be served. The food was good but the service was unbelievable. We were paying customers and felt as if we needed to serve ourselves the entire time.

I am a local and this is not a place I would bring my guests. The food is good, but the service is not. I am glad I requested to place my order immediately as I sat down because it would have added a whole other 30 minutes. I got my food promptly but they never checked on me after. I finished my food and had to wait forever to receive the check. Then I had to wait forever for them to swipe my card. I waited so long that a different waiter came and took over because my very own was never around. And even when he came back, his attitude was not what I expect out of quality customer service. The first time I went it was bad too, but I didn't let that bother me too much. Tonight was my second time, it was awful again. Doubt I will go back. I mean, I don't blame them. They deal with tourists all the time and that can be tiring. But it's a job that requires professional, quality customer service and that I did not receive.

Food was delicious, service was okay. It looks like a small Cafe from the outside but it is very big once you go in.

Authentic food and great atmosphere. Reasonable prices for fairly large portion sizes.

A hidden beautiful place to eat... Very comfy and great service.

OMG THE BEST MEXICAN FOOD I'VE EATEN.
BEST BEANS, AND CHICKEN TACOS. BEAUTIFUL DECOR. SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL

Wow such a great place to eat breakfast! Service, food and ambiance were excellent.

Not sure why this place gets such great reviews aside from the location. The salsa was great but the food was bland and service was not great. I asked for a table for myself and the hostess said she would look, came back, seated 2 other people immediately that came in, chatted with her friend, and genuinely looked lost when I asked once again if there was anything available. She seemed irritated and the staff seemed surprised when she seated me at a table they were cleaning. Service was not great- the waitress would ask the two other tables in my area if they needed anything, even took things from my table for them, walked away while ignoring me, and acted like it was an inconvenience if I asked for anything. The margarita was blended AND served over ice which is a cheap move. I got a combo plate to taste the variety and it was all awful, dry, and bland. I was looking for good Mexican food and this was not it.

The ambience was incredible. The cafe was immaculately decorated for Christmas! The live guitar player really added to the dinner experience, too. The service was excellent. The food was good, but I didn't find it incredible overall. I will say that the salsa and the (spicy) spinach side were remarkable though!

I went there because of local people recommendation. It's recommended only, it's delicious! But the amount is not huge! Again, the amount is not huge!

We had a wonderful time at Church Street Cafe. The weather was nice so we sat outside under arbor. Even though there were other tables around it felt intimate and secluded. There were three of us and we each ordered something different. We passed around tastings of everything and it was all delicious. The chips and salsa were wonderful. The tamale and chicken enchiladas were perfect. The green chicken chili was delicious. We were brought a basket of sopapillas with packets of honey. Unfortunately we overindulged in the aforementioned foods. We brought them home and heated the next morning. They were very good but I bet they were fantastic when they were brought to us fresh.

Very good food with a charming location in Old Town. Definitely recommended! You can't go wrong.

Ate on patio. Good food but waitress needs education on proper serving techniques: drinks were sat on one edge for us to pass around; plates were served across table, not sat in front of patron; started cleaning whole table which rushed us. Overall, not very friendly. Seemed hurried. Probably will not return.

Wonderful old building, friendly wait staff, charming owner despite being slammed with senior Olympians, fathers day and tourist crowds. The carna avodobo and chili rellenos were top notch. Best meal I've had in Albuquerque.

People were very friendly. Loved the Mariachi on the outdoor patio, which was nice. Food was fine, not stellar, but good. Atmosphere made up for it.

Here for Senior Games. Loved everything about the restaurant! Atmosphere, service, food and flavors!

Authentic Mexican food, great margaritas. Service was a bit slow but cafe was busy.

This place was okay. The waitress only gave direct communication to the male eating with us, it was pretty off putting. The food was pretty basic for the area.

I did some research on the best restaurants in town and it was one of the first ones to come up; however, they won me over because I accidentally stumbled upon them looking for a specific herb and they were so gracious to give it to me especially because it was for my mom. I brought my boyfriend back later that day to enjoy authentic New Mexican cuisine that reminded me of my mother s cooking!! [which to be honest is a first] so I highly recommend them! Not only is their food tasty but the employees were friendly and passionate about their culture that they actually showed us around the restaurant and provided background information. Thank you guys so much!

People are great here !
Good food ! Great service !

Excellent food and service. We had a long wait which was inaccurately estimated which didn't sit we'll but otherwise, very pleased.

Great date night. Reasonable priced food margarita pitchers and a beautiful courtyard patio. Great ambiance.

Tony was an excellent waiter and he recommended the huevos rancheros which were fantastic! I would highly recommend this place to other travelers. I ate here in the morning when most other places were closed.

Disgusting food, awful service. The hostess was rude, our waiter thought we were tourists at first and was trying to make up BS about Old Town and Church St., before we called him out - then his tone changed, he never brought our sopapillas or allowed us to see a desert menu, INSTEAD he rushed us out insisting we have to cash out because his shift was ending! Then either the manager or owner said goodbye in a disingenuous way with a scowl on her face as we left, as a local, I was appalled and shocked with the service, because it's the worst I have ever received in this city.

The food when it arrived had obviously been sitting a while. Lettuce was yellow and wilted, guacamole was brown. The meal was inedible, I regret not asking for my money back. The best I can do is warn others against this restaurant.

Just the decor makes this place special...it is very large...CLEAN

Enjoyed the carne adovado burrito - the red sauce was excellent! Great place - I always stop here wheb I get the chance.

Such an awesome place! We stumbled upon this small looking place but it's huge! What a gem! Wonderful food and drinks in a great atmosphere! Feels so authentic in a very historic building. Beautiful patio. Our waiter Daniel was so fabulous. He was very busy but so attentive and kind. Would love to go there more! Very reasonable prices as well.

Friendly with great New Mexican food. Great for both locals and tourists

Don't be fooled by the exterior, the place feels extremely authentic and could constitute a tourist attraction even without the food.

I don't really much like telling a lot of people about my diamond in the rough. Thay have got some very good food. They have a awesome menu as well as a great bar I enjoy getting together with my friends for dinner or afternoon get-togethers. Great Service

Best food we had on our entire trip to New Mexico. Can't go wrong? Anything you get will be great. Go ahead and buy the picture of margaritas you won't regret it.

Great food! Lots of history! Service was wonderful!

We waited 5 minutes for a table in the tiny front room, thinking it was a tiny little restaurant. We were so pleasantly surprised to find out the restaurant is HUGE! So many adorable rooms filled with amazing decor. The wait staff was wonderful. The food was delicious. The portions were huge. There was live music! I loved everything about the experience!!! Definitely worth a visit.

Food was great. Atmosphere was beautiful. No ghost or the feeling of spirits. Service was super slow.

Recommend to everyone!! Go here at least once! For me it's a regular place to eat. Love the food here! It's all authentic New Mexican cuisine. The service is quick and the waitstaff is friendly. Open for breakfast to dinner, whatever you get, you will be pleased! Beautiful atmosphere and you can choose from indoor or patio dining.

Good food and atmosphere. Waited a little long for our food but I think it was pretty busy inside (we were on the patio). Staff was friendly and ambiance was top notch.

Excellent food, the green chili and red chillies were both very flavorful and on the edge of being very spicy. The wait staff was attentive and helped adjust some needs around the keto diet, just a good experience all the way around. Will definitely come back.

This place was great for breakfast. I had the pork simmered in red chilli sauce with eggs, potatoes and fresh warm flour tortillas. It was perfect. Spicy and tender, the pork was fantastic. The tortillas were soft. My companions food was excellent too. One had a breakfast quesadilla and one had a cinnamon roll and the most ridiculously delicious looking cups of hot chocolate I've seen. Staff was super attentive. Great place.

The food was good... Did have to wait a very long time for our food but it was good

Great food, best Mexican food in Old Town Albuquerque! Great service!

Great ambience and delicious South Western food in Old Town Albuquerque.

Too much is sometimes exactly what you need. Take it from this pregnant lady, splurge on the hot chocolate even if it's over 90 degrees. Try the breakfast burrito sub chorizo and always choose the green over the red sauce. You will probably will over eat, so if you have a willing accomplice, consider splitting something!

Good for standard New Mexican fare. Nothing creative, but good value for what you get. Giant portions!

Food very food. Seating not comfortable. Very large. Poor handicap accessible. Very pretty place

Don't be fooled by the outside on a tiny side street in Old Town. The.restaurant.has a lot of seating inside. Found is Southwestern in flavor and service is good. Typical low ceiling so duck. Parking is on side streets and paid lots but it is Old Town ABQ.

Didn't eat here, just had coffees. But the menu looked great. The iced lattes we had were great. Inside decor was really nice.

Terrible service and even worst food... Parking a ripoff

Great food, but what we liked the best was Grandma Freeda at the front patio. She was darling and was the best salesperson you could ever have! Loved her!

One of my favorite places in Old Town! The food and atmosphere are great.

Overall fantastic experience!! The food was PHENOMENAL!! Loved the chili con queso and the agave margaritas are a must!

Sadly, we just found this diamond of a restaurant last week. Loved it so much, almost afraid to give it an honest review for fear of it becoming too popular. Friendly staff (always a plus). Atmosphere best ever (we sat out back under a trellised cover with grape vines full of grapes-that we tasted and they were yummy!). Food was delish!! Margaritas were delish! Flan was delish too! Actually, we were there last week to celebrate a daughter moving to S.Korea to teach for a year and today we are going back to celebrate our son's birthday.

First time touring Albuquerque.... Amazing city! We toured Old town and several people recommended Church Street cafe, we were not disappointed. The entrance is abit deceiving however we were surprised at how nice the restaurant is setup with many seating areas, private room and the main dining area with two storey vaulted ceiling, fire place with huge windows opening out to a really cool deck.
The old style margarita was delicious. We ordered two different entres and shared, super tasty... Note they are large portions which for us was to much to eat. Recommend sharing an entre as they serve fresh tacos chips with salsa and soppapilas with honey for desert! Very friendly and helpful wait staff. Also a big Thanks to the cooks and kitchen staff who are often forgotten. We will be back

It will be your favorite restaurant in Old town Albuquerque.

Very home-y feel to the restaurant and we were treated like family despite being from out of town!

Wonderful atmosphere, delicious food, great service.