ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” is a food reality TV series that takes host Guy Fieri across the United States to visit local restaurants. Fieri has made many visits to the Duke City throughout the years, tasting the best “greasy spoon” eateries well-known among locals.
From bakeries to breweries, here are the active restaurants Fieri has visited in Albuquerque.
*Note: some restaurants Fieri visited have since closed.*
Coda Bakery
- 201 San Pedro Dr SE Suite B1, Albuquerque, NM 87108
This Vietnamese deli and tofu house specializes in banh mi, the sandwich fusion combining fresh Asian ingredients with the culinary ingenuity of the French. Coda Bakery makes many menu items from scratch, from their fresh-baked bread to house-made deli meats. The restaurant serves Vietnamese home cooking, also described as Vietnamese casual fast food with authentic flavor, from owner Uyen Nguyen, with recipes she inherited from her Vietnamese-born parents. Guy Fieri visited Coda in 2022, noting the bakery had “a menu that I don’t think I’ve quite seen before” and praising the tofu, calling it one of the “best three tofus I’ve ever had in my life.”
Here’s what Guy Fieri ate at Coda Bakery:
- Bì – Shredded Pork Skin – Shredded pork & pork skin, roasted rice powder, fish sauce
- Bún Đậu Hũ – Fried Tofu – House-made fried tofu served plain or with Korean BBQ sauce
Frank’s Famous Chicken and Waffles
- 400 Washington St SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108
Frank’s Famous Chicken and Waffles is a quintessential family-owned and operated restaurant, with owner Frank Willis at the helm and his family members with a hand in day-to-day operation. While the eatery is known for chicken and waffles, the menu has a lot more to offer with soul food ranging from grits to po’ boy sandwiches to catfish. In 2015, Albuquerque The Magazine awarded Frank’s a Hot Plate Award, and in 2017, the magazine declared Frank’s the best soul food eatery in the Albuquerque metro.
Here’s what Guy Fieri ate at Frank’s Famous Chicken and Waffles:
- Temptation Platter
- Pecan & Bacon Waffles
Golden Crown Panaderia
- 1103 Mountain Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
This old-fashioned neighborhood bakery in Old Town offers a diverse menu, with sandwiches on homemade breads, pizza on homemade doughs, gourmet coffees, beer on tap from local breweries, and unique seasonal breads. Golden Crown Panaderia supplies breads and pastries to many restaurants and hotels throughout Albuquerque. The bakery is perhaps best known for its New Mexico green chile bread, baked with green chile, onions, fresh tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and cilantro. All artisan breads are baked fresh daily. Their bakery-style pizza was rated the best pizza on Route 66 by a Roadfood crew in 2010.
Here’s what Guy Fieri ate at Golden Crown Panaderia:
- Oven Roast Turkey Bread
Guava Tree Cafe
- 118 Richmond Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106
The owners of Guava Tree Cafe met in 2004 in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, and moved to Albuquerque in 2008, where they serve the very best of their childhood home kitchens in Colombia and Puerto Rico. Some popular dishes from this restaurant include the Cuban sandwich, café con leche, Luciano, el guava pollito, pernil, and ajiaco. Known for their arepas, a popular South American flatbread stuffed with various fillings, Guava Tree Cafe was named one of the 50 best restaurants in America by MSN. Guy Fieri said of the arepa machilla, “You got sweet, you got tangy, you got rich. I mean, really good.”
Here’s what Guy Fieri ate at Guava Tree Cafe:
- Arepa Machilla
Monte Carlo Liquors & Steak House
- 3916 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87105
This steakhouse was featured in the 2008 episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” called “Where the Locals Go.” Despite the episode’s name, Monte Carlo is more of a hidden gem. The restaurant is accessible through a package liquor store, which doubles as a collectible museum and features a full-service bar. Monte Carlo Steak House has a distinctly 60s aesthetic and offers everything from Greek appetizers to green chile chicken soup to porterhouse steaks to apple pie a la mode. Guy Fieri called Monte Carlo “just an average off-the-hook steakhouse with homemade Greek.”
Nexus Brewery and Restaurant
- 4730 Pan American Fwy NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109
New Mexico’s microbrewery and brewpub scene has grown over the last few years, with Albuquerque at its center. While many breweries tend to put their focus on their drinks, Nexus has also prioritized its food and become a dining destination in its own right. This restaurant specializes in New Mexican soul food. Albuquerque The Magazine selected Nexus Brewery as having the fourth-best nachos in the city and also awarded the restaurant a Hot Plate Award in 2012. “That is some crispy chicken. There’s a ton of crunch, but the breading’s not too heavy… It’s just really flavorful,” Guy Fieri said of the fried chicken.
Here’s what Guy Fieri ate at Nexus Brewery and Restaurant:
- Southern fried chicken breast meal
Red Rock Deli
- 2414 San Mateo Pl NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
Red Rock Deli is home to Polish and European comestibles from borscht to sauerkraut. This true hole-in-the-wall serves as an authentic Polish deli with an Eastern European menu and an attached grocery section. Red Rock makes dishes including sandwiches, hot dogs, gyros, burgers, pierogies, and nalesniki, but also carries some New Mexico favorites like menudo. While New Mexico isn’t traditionally associated with Eastern European cuisine, TripAdvisor has consistently rated the restaurant very highly. Guy Fieri visited this deli in 2021 and called the “ten times tender” schnitzel one of the best he’s had.
Here’s what Guy Fieri ate at Red Rock Deli:
- Stuffed Cabbage
- Wiener Schnitzel
