2 Best Restaurants in Old Town, Albuquerque

A favorite of old-timers who know their way around a blue-corn enchilada (and know that Duran's deeply authentic New Mexican red is the chile to pick for it), this welcoming spot serves fine, freshly made and warm flour tortillas, too. Duran's harkens to the days when every drugstore had a soda fountain; it's got cold beer and a full kitchen now, serving up breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with your choice of counter stools, cozy tables, or the little shaded patio right off old Route 66. By the way, the pharmacy itself still offers the personal care it did since its founding back in 1942, and the traveler will find just about any sundry they might have a need for—as well as a sophisticated selection of New Mexico–centric books and gifts.

Tucked between Old Town and the Wells Park neighborhood, this aromatic, down-home-style bakery opens early but is especially well known for two things: its hearty green-chile bread and its hand-tossed (thin-crust) pizzas made with blue corn, peasant, or green-chile dough. You can also order hot cocoa, cappuccino, an award-winning local IPA or lager (or wine), some biscochitos (the official state cookie), fruit-filled empanadas, sandwiches, and a popular coffee milkshake. Take out or dine in (perhaps on the pet-friendly patio).