Category: Closed in 2026

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2026Gone But Not ForgottenLaoSushiThai

Sakura Sushi Thai & Laos Cuisine – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno2:02 AM

Opinions vary as to what the next “hot” cuisine in America will be. As an independent observer of the New Mexico culinary condition, I’m more interested in how long it will take for that heat to make its way to the Land of Enchantment…and whether its sizzle will wow Duke City diners or pass us by. In 2005, Bon Appetit declared Peruvian the next hot cuisine. Apparently Albuquerque didn’t think it was so hot because Perumex, the city’s first and only Peruvian restaurant at the time both opened and closed the year of Bon Appetit’s proclamation. Thankfully in 2011 Rene…

AmericanBreakfastClosed in 2026Gone But Not ForgottenNew Mexico

Placitas Cafe – Placitas, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno3:11 PM

While it does have a nice ring to it, “beautiful downtown Placitas” probably won’t catch on the way “beautiful downtown Burbank” did when the catch phrase (and quite often, punch-line) was made famous first on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In then on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Located just a few miles northeast of Hollywood, beautiful downtown Burbank is 34-blocks of retail, office, residential and entertainment destinations that include more than 200 shops and 90 restaurants. Beautiful downtown Placitas, on the other hand, is pretty much limited to the Homestead Village shopping center which is surrounded on all sides by…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2026Gone But Not ForgottenItalianNew Mexico

Paisano’s Italian Restaurant – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno6:20 PM

For years, the Duke City dining scene has been infiltrated by a plethora of cookie cutter Italian “chain gangs.” Despite deep corporate pockets, the flash and panache of Madison Avenue marketing machines and scripted, saccharine service, the chains have failed to drive away the beloved local mom and pop establishments to which Duke City diners remain steadfastly loyal?  One of the very best of the mom-and-pop lot is Paisano’s Italian Restaurant which was launched in the 1970s by  Johnny Camuglia.  Paisano’s gained a faithful following well before the plague-like incursion of the Olive Garden, Johnny Carino’s and others of that…

Closed in 2026Gone But Not ForgottenNew MexicoPizzaRating: ExcellentSanta Fe

Pizzeria Espiritu – Santa Fe, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno1:59 PM

The name Pizzeria Espiritu reflects the deep-seeded faith of its founder and owner Tom Berkes, the liturgy and music director at St. Joseph’s Church in Cerrillos since 1990. A liturgical music composer, Berkes plays guitar, piano and harmonica for the small Catholic parish on the Turquoise Trail. Berkes is probably more well known for the fun and festive pizzeria he and songstress Jewel Sato founded in 1997, a restaurant which has garnered recognition as one of America’s Hot 100 Independents by Pizza Today Magazine, a respected trade publication. A self-professed Renaissance Man, it is Berkes’ goal to create a fun…