Comida Buena

Food is not «buena». Way overpriced. Coffee isn’t good because it is tangy, and develops a bad taste as it cools. Eat somewhere else. Yuck.

I was actually surprised how moderately priced a coffee and bagel were here! About five bucks of honey wheat, cream cheese, coffee bliss… Luckily, there are some decent options at ABQ airport and this is definitely one for those early morning flights, as they open at 5am. Off I go…

You know that great feeling you have at the end of a vacation when you’re at the airport and you realize you actually have some money left over? If you’re hungry, the suits at Comida Buena will make sure to fix that and make you hate yourself in the process.
More like Comida Exorbitanto! How is it that in this socially conscious culture we live in, we tolerate corporations so blatantly jacking up the prices of such a basic commodity as food? Yeah, I get it; you have us at your mercy because we have gone through security and we are hungry. But just because you can, does not mean that you should.
So let’s look at what we have here: one breakfast sandwich, one blueberry muffin, one Cinnabon wannabe with an impenetrable, shellacked exterior cortex, one fruit cup and 2 bottles of water. Grand total: $ 30. For 30 bucks I could have gotten Bourdain to make me a dodo egg and truffle omelet and I could have picked up a contact buzz from his whisky breath.
With the exception of the Cinnabon briquette, the food was tolerable but largely devoid of flavor. The blueberry muffin, surely the crown jewel in some Monsanto exec’s list of accomplishments had the flavor and texture of hydraulic cement. The egg sandwich — well, I can only apologize in advance to my soon-​to-​be fellow passengers. I know this feeling all too well and it ain’t pretty.
Getting back to the cinnamon shot-​put, my wife gave up after her second spork wussed out and splintered in defeat.
Lest you think that we consumers are the losers here, take a minute and sympathize with the minimum wage employees serving this crapo. Not only do they see the abysmal quality of these food-​like items from the moment they arrive off the 18-​wheeler of shame but they can compare and contrast their minimum wage salaries with the astronomical profit margins of these grossly marked up items. There’s the real crime.
Seriously, avoid this place. Joints like this make me want to protest… and I very well might, just as soon as I get up of the hopper.

Maybe I was so starved that I was easily impressed, because I had not been able to stomach my breakfast at Chicago O’hair. But I believe the Albuquerque Turkey sandwich was one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten. Turkey, fresh avocado spread, pepper jack cheese, green chili, and light mayo on fresh baked green chili focaccia bread… It was delicious. It was spicier than I expected, but that was okay too… I love spicy. And hey, it is New Mexico!

I got the fruit cup for breakfast before my early flight. Almost all of the fruit was not fresh and very soggy. I didn’t eat the strawberries because they were soft and mushy. Very disappointing. If your going to do fruit cups, make sure it’s fresh. Given its at an airport…

This is a great stop pre or post flight. If you want baked goods, they have slices of banana bread the size of one’s head. It’s quite tasty. I’m eating it right now, actually. They have some enormous cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, and cream cheese pastries that all look spectacular. I will have to try one of each, the next time I’m here! Quick and friendly staff and service.

Go elsewhere. This place is slow and the counter service was literally rude. Foran expensive airport deli, the food was not great and the service was among the rudest I have experienced in many years. Better know how to order your sandwich as the unhappy counter girl gets irritated if you don’t order to her liking.

It made me put a star, I would have put negative stars my self.
Well a trip out of the country started at the Albuquerque sunport! In the mood for a salad, a Cobb salad look quite good. The rude staff did stare at me only for 3 minutes, before I ordered it. Once I had the salad, the hunt for a fork took just as long. Once poring my salad dressing on my salad, to my amazement I had a frozen greens. The whole bottom portion was frozen.
At this time I am somewhere over the Midwest, a frozen more than likely old salad, and a growing hunger. Thinking back I got proper *ucked. Use caution when your hunger says get a Cobb salad in an airport!

Friendly and efficient staff with great looking food, which only tastes good… but in comparison to other airport meals this place is a great choice.
On my visit I found the service quick, my sandwich hot and freshly made, the fruit cup was filled with ripe fruit (surprise), and the cookies were quite tasty. Now this isn’t something i’d stop at out to get while out in town and surrounded by the wonderful cuisine of ABQ but take it from a frequent traveler… Comida Buena is a solid choice for grabbing a bite to eat between flights or taking something to go for the plane.
When I’m back at ABQ Sunport and catching a long flight back east I’ll probably grab something from here again, 3 Stars.

Nice service but mediocre food.
The green chili chicken soup seems to be their specialty and I found it to be watery, and spicy but bland. The chicken was mushy.
Someone on here is raving about the peanut butter cookies. So I had to get one. That’s a mistake too. It’s super dry and sandy. Not a large chewy gooey chocolatey cookie at all!
Service was quick and friendly though and that’s a plus!
I do not recommend stopping here and will not return.

For airport food a great convenient choice. The turkey sandwich is great. Green chile soup is spicy and actually has good pieces if chicken. Excellent soup.
Agree the peanut butter cookies are quite good. I think it’s the bits of chocolate that make it so good.

The cashier was rude, he asked me to step aside as I was moving away from the register. I ordered a croissant breakfast sandwich and the product was cold and quite obviously old. I will not patronize this place again.

This review of Comida Buena is for one thing and one thing only… their Peanut Butter Cookie.
Yes, Comida Buena has food.
Yes, Comida Buena has drinks.
Yes, Comida Buena has other sweets and cookies.
Yes, I stop at Comida Buena EVERY TIME I’m at ABQ’s Airport.
Yes, the only item that I have ever purchased here is their Peanut Butter Cookie.
And No, I don’t have a peanut butter problem.
If you love peanut butter cookies, then you’ll love Comida Buena’s. Give them a shot. All I ask is that you leave at least one cookie for me.
PS: The staff is starting to recognize me. I think it’s time to wear a disguise.
That’s it. Review done. Guess What?!

Fresh sandwhiches made with quality ingredents. 12 bucks for a sandwhich was pretty steep but then again its airport food.

Definitely a solid choice in the Albuquerque Airport. I got the Albuquerque Turkey sandwich on Green Chile Focaccia and was pretty pleased with my choice. The sandwich had a decent amount of spice to it but wasn’t overpowering. It tasted fresh, and I think it’s a step above a lot of airport fast food.
It took about 5 minutes to get my sandwich, so if you’re in the middle of a world record sprint between gates, you probably shouldn’t stop here. It was really nice though to see them freshly making the sandwich when I ordered.
I also got a coffee (flying west and was going to be up late) and it was alright. Certainly wasn’t anything special, but wasn’t burnt or overly bitter.
Prices are a bit more expensive then other food options in the airport, but I think the food is a little higher quality.

I ordered the veggie sandwich on the green chili focacia bread — no cheese– I got the sandwich with guacamole instead of cheese for something vegan. It was excellent.
I wish they had more veg. options but I was happy to find something in the end.

This is one of the better choices at ABQ. The spinach and cranberry salad that came with feta cheese and walnuts was good and so was the Santa Fe BLT.
Comida buena also has good coffee and a staff that is happy to provide a service.
Overall solid food (sandwich, salad, baked goods) makes it a good place to grab something on the go before getting to your plane.

Quick update: My previous review 6 months ago highlighted the great service I got, even at what should be a grumpy 6am on a Sunday. Here I am at lunchtime waiting for a flight, and what do I get? Even BETTER service than last time, and even BETTER food.
How rare is it to have a meal in an airport restaurant where you 1) get friendly service, and 2) don’t feel like a disgusting greaseball after you eat the food?
The service today was fast, friendly, and patient — all the things airport experiences usually are NOT. I ordered the Albuquerque Turkey sandwich (turkey + green chile + avocado) with all the fixins, and it does not disappoint. Yeah, it’s a $ 10 sandwich, but this is the airport… What DOESN’T cost at least $ 10 here? This is probably the freshest, healthiest sandwich I’ve ever had that I didn’t make myself.
If you’re at the Sunport, don’t waste your time on Quiznos right around the corner. Their food is so cookie cutter and most of the staff is on par with the high school kids who work at McDonald’s. Comida Buena, on the other hand, makes sandwiches that are so fresh and well made, your dear mother could’ve made them. And their friendliness and manners might put even your mother’s etiquette to shame…

I ordered a giant sausage, egg and cheese on a croissant here this morning on my early flight east. It was dense, greasy, salty and probably pushing 800 calories, maybe more. It was delicious, didn’t sit in my stomach, didn’t give me cramps or horrible bowel movements. I skipped lunch and felt great! Unscathed!

Oh, how I pine for the good ol’ days when I could get a GREEN CHILE BREAKFAST BURRITO from La Hacienda express. The reason I PUT THAT IN CAPS is because it’s downright RIDICULOUS to replace such authentic Go Food with places like Comida Buena. Listen to me, I just turned 37 and I totally sound like my parents; «Back in my day…»
I digress.
For a straight up sandwich, you’ll be moderately satisfied. I ordered the Italian turkey panini and was generally good with it; there wasn’t much pepperoni and the bread was just American, but it did the trick. Coffee here is decent and the lattes and espressos are very good.
Service was rather unusual, however. You just order at the register so it’s not like it should’ve been complicated, but they didn’t seem to know what came with my sandwich in the first place. Ranch or Italian dressing? Mustard or mayo? (I said mustard and never tasted it.) It was kinda comical, actually, and thank goodness I had a little time, because it could’ve been hectic.
Look, I’m glad this isn’t a chain, and I’m not going to settle for the Panda Sodium Express next door on any visit to this airport. But it’s a real, real shame to lose express New Mexican food. So often when I travel, I know I won’t be tasting green chile for days and I want that one last fix. I’m sure the Albuquerque turkey sandwich would give me a taste, but it’s nothin’ like it used to be.
Ouch, my hip…