Category: Rio Rancho

Breakfast BurritosMexicanNew MexicoRating: Very GoodRio Rancho

El Agave Mexican Restaurant – Rio Rancho, New Mexican

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Even the teetotalers among us recognize the importance of agave in the production of tequila and mescal.   What most of us may not fully appreciate is  agave’s diverse cultural and culinary significance, particularly in Mexico.  For example, the drought-resistant succulent plant has been used in medicinal treatments such as treating wounds, digestive ailments, and even as a remedy for coughs and sore throats.  It’s a source of natural sweetener and a healthier alternative to refined sugars.  Restaurants in Mexico use it to prepare salsas, marinades, desserts and even some traditional dishes.  Agave even plays a prominent role in indigenous cultures where it’s revered and valued.  Many of us use it to xeriscape our yards throughout the Southwest. Since October, 2017, foodies in the City of Vision have recognized another type of agave for which to be grateful.  That would be El Agave, a delightful family-owned-and-operated Mexican restaurant.  If you haven’t seen El Agave during your own peregrinations in Rio Rancho, that’s because it’s recessed about a block from heavily trafficked Rio Rancho Blvd., the city’s main north-south drag.  Worse, it’s esconced in the Lujan Plaza, a timeworn shopping center that’s seen better days.  El Agave occupies a corner space diagonally…

HawaiianNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)Rio Rancho

L&L Hawaiian Barbeque – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

It’s amusing to reflect back on what children of my generation considered funny during the prehistoric days before Nintendo, iPhones and even before color television.  As children were apt to do, we found humor in terms related to scatalogical and bodily functions such as caca, poo poo, pee pee and moco.  The latter is the Spanish term for booger.  Our reaction to learning that Hawaiians actually ate “loco moco” (which translates from Spanish to  “crazy boogers”)  would have beeen simultaneously raucous and nauseating.  Sure, most of us grew up eating chicharrones, menudo and morsillas, but only a crazy person would admit to eating boogers. Hawaiians do indeed eat loco moco, but it has nothing to do with boogers, crazy or sane.  Loco moco is a contemporary (circa 1949) and simple Hawaiian dish consisting of rice, a hamburger patty, and an egg smothered in a savory gravy.  As to the genesis of the name, the loco moco was named for a Hawaiian boy nicknamed “Loco.”  “Moco” was added simply because it rhymed and sounded mellifluous.  During my perigrinations across the country, I’ve had loco moco a number of times.  Though palatable enough, it never struck me as particularly memorable.  “If only,”…

ItalianNew MexicoRating: OutstandingRio Rancho

Joe’s Pasta House – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:02 AM

Much as they might wish for it to happen, no restaurateur can make their restaurant THE hometown favorite.  It happens organically and it happens only by the unanimous will and consent of the people.  Similarly, it takes the acclamation of the dining public for a restaurant to become THE heartbeat of a community–where residents go to interact with one another in a convivial spirit of sharing a great meal. A restaurant has to prove itself every single time with every single guest.  It must offer a combination of memorable food, a homey look and feel and mostly, personable, attentive service.  There can be no such thing as a “bad day.”  To find the template for how a restaurant becomes the heartbeat of a community and the undisputed favorite restaurant in a hometown you need look no further than Joe’s Pasta House, a paragon of service excellence and culinary deliciousness where all guests are treated like family. While dining out has always been an essential part of Rio Rancho’s cosmology, in its nascent days residents had to drive down the hill or across the river to enjoy restaurants that weren’t national chains. Then in 1999, Joe and Kassie Guzzardi assumed ownership…

AsianNew MexicoRating: ExcellentRio RanchoThai

Thai Cuisine – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

New Mexican men can be so haughty.  (I don’t include New Mexican women in this categorization because they’re generally smarter.)  We laugh at what Californians, Arizonans and especially Texans call “chili.”  We pride ourselves on machismo, some of which is on display even when we eat out.  We never ask if the chile is hot.  We assume (and hope) it is so we can prove how tough we are.  We question the manhood of any New Mexican who prefers his chile “mild.”  Mild chile is for children and law enforcement officials in Uvalde, Texas.  Give us chile with the piquancy of napalm or volcanic lava.  Give us chile even Satan can’t eat. Yeah, right!  I’ve seen New Mexican men wheeze and sputter, their eyes watering with tears as they beg for sweet, merciful death as they try to eat Thai food…and that’s not even at the “Thai hot” level of heat.  Thai peppers provide another level of heat, one that makes New Mexican chile seem like bell peppers in comparison.  Consider that sacrilege if you will, but Thai peppers have kicked even my tail and I’m pretty heat tolerant.  I still order the “Thai heat” level at most restaurants.  Over…

BurgersDog FriendlyNew MexicoRating: Very GoodRio Rancho

Laguna Burger – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno2:59 PM

For the second year in a row, Livability.com has named Rio Rancho as one of the “top 100 places to live in America.”  The City of Vision ranked 81st with a “LivScore” of 714.  That measure takes into consideration eight broad categories:  Economy, Housing  and Cost of Living, Amenities, Transportation, Environment, Safety, Education, and Health. Santa Fe was the only other city in New Mexico to make the top 100 list, ranking 98th with a LivScore of 694.  In 2023, the City of Vision earned a ranking as the 86th place to live based on the Livability’s quality of life score. Theories abound as to what accounts for the improvement–from 86th to 81st–in Rio Rancho’s ranking.  I’ve got my own theory.  In February, 2014, Laguna Burger announced its expansion to Rio Rancho where it will be housed within the sprawling Latitudes complex.   Latitudes,  the first store of its kind in the metropolitan area, combines the elements of a neighborhood market and a convenience store with competitive gas prices.  Until early in 2024, Latitudes housed Mac’s Steak In The Rough. Laguna Burger’s Rio Rancho space is the 3,000-square-foot restaurant previously occupied by Mac’s.  It’s situated on Rio Rancho Blvd. near Westside…

BakeryBreakfast BurritosGermanNew MexicoRating: ExcellentRio Rancho

Dagmar’s Specialties – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno5:34 PM

In her last Facebook post, Dagmar Gertrude Ingeborg Schulze Marshall Mondragon remained optimistic about making a full recovery from the most recent of the many recent health woes that plagued her otherwise rich and wonderful life. Dagmar refused to be defined by those health woes. Instead, we’ll remember her as not only an extraordinary chef and baker, but as one of the kindest, most loving and optimistic souls to ever grace our Earthly plane. Dagmar was devoted to her customers.  She passed away on  25 February 2023.  You can read more about the amzing Dagmar below. Michael Almanzar, a long time friend of Dagmar’s who is affectionately known as Dagmar’s “Brother from another Mother” is the new Owner/Operator of Dagmar’s!   Dagmar’s reopened on August 25, 2023.  We’re happy to report that under Michael’s stewardship, this outstanding German bakery hasn’t skipped a beat.  Though we miss the beautiful baker, we’re gladdened that her delicious legacy lives on.  One of the improvements Michael has made is in expanding the Dagmar’s space.  The restaurant now has a dining room with a handful of tables in which diners can enjoy their German fare in comfort.  If you prefer al fresco dining, it’s available,…

Dog FriendlyNew MexicoRating: Very GoodRio RanchoVietnamese

Pho Garden – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno9:24 PM

NOTE:  In the first few introductory paragraphs below I describe an encounter that took place between two friends.  Though that encounter took place several years ago, it perfectly  illustrates the idealogical divide that has torn our great nation apart. It should have been a point-counterpoint debate for the ages. My ideologically opposed and perpetually squabbling friends Carlos and Hien were arguing about the concept of American exceptionalism. Carlos took the Reaganesque position that America is the shining city on a hill. “Everything about America is great,” he proclaimed. “We have the highest standard of living and pretty much the best of everything.” Hien mirrored Obama’s stance that America does not have exclusivity in believing itself to be exceptional. Much like the chasm that divides Congress, neither disputant would concede a modicum of merit in the other’s argument. When it seemed as if this argument would end in another stalemate, Hien pulled out his trump (no, not another reference to a President) card. “There’s one thing about America that isn’t exceptional,” he declared. “American fast food is terrible.” With that point having been made, Carlos, long an advocate of independent mom-and-pop eateries, capitulated. True to form, they then began an argument…

AmericanBurgersClosed in 2025Gone But Not ForgottenNew MexicoRio Rancho

Upscale Rio – Rio Rancho, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

NOTE:  Upscale Rio shuttered its doors for good on 4 December 2025. My friend Schuyler used to joke that every meal we enjoyed together was “upscale” because “up” was the direction his scale climbed when we finished our marathon meals.  We were quite the trenchermen in our youth, bona fide threats to any all-you-can-eat buffet in town.  Back then–as impoverished junior noncommissioned officers in the Air Force–ten dollar meals were near the upper end of we could afford with an occasional fifteen dollar splurge.  Back then, some thirty years ago, you could get quite a bit of food for ten dollars.  Fast forward a few decades and the term “upscale” has a different meaning for both of us.  We have both been able to reap the harvest of our hard work and are able to (on occasion) afford upscale restaurants that features fine-dining. Back when a dollar would buy four burgers at Griff’s, we couldn’t have conceived of any burger being considered “upscale.”  Not even the most sage of soothsayers could possibly have had the prescience to predict the price of burgers exceeding ten dollars.  Today, it’s not uncommon to find burgers flirting with the twenty dollar mark (maybe that’s…

Dog FriendlyItalianNew MexicoPizzaRating: OutstandingRio Rancho

M’tucci’s Moderno – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno4:23 PM

“If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere It’s up to you, New York, New York <” ~Frank Sinatra Jeff Spiegel, the much-missed managing partner of the insanely popular M’tucci’s family of restaurants once described flagship restaurant M’tucci’s Italian Restaurant (previously M’tucci’s Kitchina) as “as good as anything we did in New York City.” That is really saying something considering over the course of 23 years, Jeff and his wife, life and business partner Katie Gardner owned and operated eleven restaurants in The Big Apple. Those eclectic eleven were highly regarded dining establishments, earning praise and acclaim from the dining public and media alike. One, The West End Bar & Grill, was a legendary Columbia University institution and veritable second home to students, faculty and staff. Two chefs who once worked for Jeff and Katie have earned Best Chef recognition from the James Beard Society while one has garnered significant notoriety as a chef, author and television personality (some of you might recognize the name Anthony Bourdain). When Jeff and Katie returned to Albuquerque (his hometown) in 2007, they initially pursued other ventures. Eventually the lure of the restaurant world at which they had succeeded at the highest…

CajunDog FriendlyNew MexicoRating: ExcellentRio RanchoSoul FoodSouthern

K’Lynn’s Cuisine – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno5:29 PM

Before permanent signage was mounted, a tethered banner in front of K’Lynn’s Southern & Cajun Fusion in Rio Rancho listed a few of the delicious treasures available in the tiny restaurant: “catfish, BBQ, gumbo, po boys, jerk chicken, carne adovada fries & more!” Yeah, we did a double-take, too. One of those items just seemed a bit out-of-place? If you’re thinking “carne adovada fries” don’t belong on the list because they’re not Soul food, you’d be wrong. Carne adovada fries definitely belong on the list. So does jerk chicken which, by most conventional definitions, isn’t soul food either. The one item we thought to be out-of-place was “& more.” I mean what more could you possibly want listed on the banner. If it didn’t have you at “catfish” you probably haven’t had catfish down South…and if it didn’t seal the deal with “gumbo,” you definitely need an infusion of South in your mouth. Beyond catfish and gumbo, the rest is gravy and it’s absolutely delicious. Until the summer of 2016, restaurant-goers craving Southern cuisine had only one option for soul food, albeit a wonderful option in Bucket Headz (sadly now closed). For those of us on the “west side,” the…

AmericanClosed in 2025Dog FriendlyGone But Not ForgottenNew MexicoRio Rancho

Whiptail – Rio Rancho, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

We all know New Mexico has an official state aroma (green chiles roasting),  an official state cookie (biscochito),  official state vegetables (chile and pinto beans), but did you know the Land of Enchantment has an official state reptile?  Chastity Bustos does.  In fact, in she named her new eatery  in honor of that reptile, the New Mexico whiptail (Aspidoscelis neomexicanus).  When I asked Chastity if she knew the New Mexico whiptail is a female-only species that doesn’t need male lizards to reproduce, she jokingly replied “it’s all about girl power.” Don’t get the impression that Chastity subscribes to the slogan popularized by feminist icon Gloria Steinem: “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.”  Chastity and her husband Brian have an egalitarian business relationship.  She manages day-to-day operations for Whiptail and he does the same for their other restaurant, Philly Steaks on Albuquerque’s east side. As soon as work began on the Highway 528 restaurant that for years had housed Banana Leaf, City of Vision residents became giddy with excitement.  It’s not everyday a new restaurant opens up in Rio Rancho.  Social media postings, particularly on Nextdoor swelled excitement and divulged revelations. “Visionaries” not only learned the new…