Albuquerque City Limits – Serving the SV since 1999
Albuquerque City Limits opened it’s doors in 1999 in the heart of the South Valley. If you live in the area and you’re in the mood for a full plate then you don’t need to drive very far. Simply go down to Rio Bravo and Coors Blvd and you’ll find Abq City Limits on the Northwest corner…but don’t go on a Sunday since they close then.
3211 Coors Blvd SW Ste F4, Albuquerque, NM 87121
Overall Bites:
Value: Overall value was good. The plate was plenty full, the environment was good, and the service was also good.
Taste: The green chile was good but the plate itself lacked a little umph.
Presentation: The plates were full and it looked like a great home cooked meal. The kind your mom would serve you to make sure you didn’t go hungry….for a week!
Vibe: The dining area is open and has great decor. Old, rustic looking tables and chairs provide plenty of seating. It’s what you would expect from a New Mexican restaurant.
Accessibility: Abq City Limits is located on the Northwest corner of Rio Bravo and Coors Blvd.
I decided to check out Albuquerque City Limits with a co-worker since it was her birthday. When I asked her where she wanted to go she picked the restaurant since, “it’s not too far.” I know, it’s not the best reason to try a place but it was her birthday and that’s what she wanted.
We arrived a little after 1pm and the lunch crowd was pretty much gone. At Abq City Limits you’ll go to the counter where you order your meal and then take a seat in the spacious dining room. When you take a seat you’ll notice a huge mural of the Sandia mountains on the East side, the same side the mountains actually are, and ceiling fans throughout. On the way to the bathroom they also had a “Where are You From” board which I thought was pretty cool. You could request a pin from the ordering counter and place it on the board.
I had the Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas which came with a plain sopapilla for desert. My co-worker had a green chile bacon burger and a slice of cheesecake. The food was brought out after 10 minutes or so and they both were generous portions. The Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas had plenty of beans, some rice, cheese, and it was topped off with fresh veggies. The burger, which I didn’t get a picture of, was also a very good size. I dove right into my plate and found that the green chile was pretty spicy. I was forced to take a drink of my sweet iced tea. Speaking of the tea, it was made just right. After the tea is brewed they place it in a big jar dispenser which gave it a really cool look on the counter.
Back to the taste…did I mention it was spicy? Yes, it was! I prefer to taste my food and not just the chile but not everybody is the same. If you like spice then you’ll like Abq City Limits. My co-worker and I found that the food lacked some salt, especially the enchiladas and the rice. She ended up putting some salt on her burger but I think she may be the salty type. Once I added some salt I was pleasantly surprised with how tasty the beans were. The rice wasn’t anything special and the enchiladas were good but the beans clearly were better.
I was impressed with the service. As soon as customers left there was a bus boy, or gal, to clean the table. Empty plates didn’t sit around long. I don’t know about you but I hate to have a finished plate in front of me. It makes it seem like the staff isn’t attentive, or doesn’t care, but that was not the case here.
At the end of the day I give Albuquerque City Limits 3.5 Bites! They got it right when it came to the decor, the tea dispensers and taste, and the service. I loved the mountain mural and the push pin idea too. At the end of the day it’s all about the food though. The food could have used more salt and I was also disappointed that the bathroom floor looked like it needed to be cleaned.