Left At Albuquerque

This place has been gone for years now and I still miss it. The food was always great. They had recipes that were completely unique, and always well prepared with good quality ingredients-​much better than any other chain restaurant you could care to name. I occasionally do a search with the hope that the company that owned this will decide to revive it. It was that good!

Overall, this place is okay. i must say, however, that I thought their crab nachos were notably different. I never had crab nachos until coming here and was pleasantly surprised. I would have come back again to see if I came across anything else pleasantly surprising that would have me add another star BUT as per Stacie T.‘s Unilocal… all three bay area locations are now closed. Too bad.

Restaurants are now All Closed
On Sunday Jan. 3, 2010 my husband and I attempted to go to the Campbell location for lunch. The website said the restaurant opens at 11:00 AM 7 days a week. They were closed at noon with no posted hours on the door. No answer or voicemail when we called. Two days ago the website still said they were open so I sent an email asking what’s up. Today the website says all three Bay Area locations are now closed.

WARNING! NO ENTRADA!
My friend and I ate lunch here today for the first (and last) time. Although it seemed weird that a big restraurant in the Pruneyard should be almost empty at 12:10, we decided to try it anyway.
Service was quick, although we noticed at least one patron came in after us and had to wait almost 10 minutes for the Host to notice her, as he was busy in the back room (during lunch hour??) and chatting with the Manager.
The food was bland and unimaginative. About halfway through my friend’s carnitas (pulled pork) sandwich, he had piled up two tablespoons-​worth of huge chunks of tendon, and a very sharp, triangular bone about the size of a quarter. He complained to the waiter, who explained that that amount of tendon/​gristle was NORMAL in carnitas! (It’s NOT). He had nothing to say about the bone. He said he would «discuss it with the chef». Even though it’s normal (I think) with such a complaint to send the manager over, we had to ask him a second time to send the Manager.
The Manager apologized, although he attempted to play off the tendon/​gristle as «normal» in carnitas, then blamed it on their machinery.
Although the Manager ended up comp’ing the sandwich and our iced teas, this was a miserable experience and I’ll certainly never patronize this hole again.

I was visiting my friend from San Jose, and we ended up here for a late lunch. I really like Mexican Food & I really liked it here. The place itself is decorated pretty cute, with tequila bottles, pinatas, and other alcohol signs.
Now on to the food. I ordered the Shrimp & Crab Enchiladas. They came with this yummy green sauce, green cilantro rice, & spicy black beans. Awesome chips & salsa, and to complete my meal a top shelf margarita on the rocks with SALT! Yummmmmyyyy!
Great food, pretty good service, and I would definitely go back!

The food wasn’t that bad. The menu selection is comparable to Chevys
I had the green something enchiladas. It tasted very fresh. I have no idea if I was really hungry but I ate ALL of it. I NEVER eat all my food haha. The chicken enchilada was on top of rice with a very light sauce. I wouldn’t mind coming back for the enchilada. plus it was only like 10 dollars. pretty good.
My bf had a shrimp wrap. He enjoyed the food also. Everything here just tastes healthy and fresh.
I guess if I’m debating between chevys or left at albuquerque, I’ll choose this restaurant hands down.

yeah its okay i guess. i mean if you wanted something to eat in this shopping center and nothing else was open i might entertain it. The last and final time i went here. The food wasnt fresh, it was bland, I had dirty silverware and the service was slow ass shit when there was barely anyone in there.
So sorry to say i dont recommend this joint. ricky rackmen was here one night, thought that was kinda cool for any old school headbangers ball fans. Dont see how that makes the food better, but hey it gave me something positive to say about them.

Um I will say it’s unfair since I’m not a huge fan of tex mex food in general but I would never come back.
The hostess and waitress were both nice but nothing above and beyong greatness. Pleasant and efficient.
The place is a bit dark, sports bar/​catina feel with lots of empty liqour bottles and neon lights — kind of cute if you like that sort of thing.
The corn pancakes were interesting and had a bold flavor. But by my 3^rd bite I was a little over whelmed with it. Eh. .. ok. My food was kind of bland, no real flavor, kind of mushy and although a large portion it didn’t leave me wanting to eat the leftovers.
It’s not cheap either for what it is. .. . I’d pass.

From the moment we entered I was not a fan. This trashy little number with lip piercings and penciled in eyebrows guided us to our table, and from then it was a good ten minutes before we were finally able to order our drinks. The chili con queso appetizer we ordered came about 15 minutes after we ordered it and were already done with our chips, and it was freezing cold to boot. It apparently had been sitting under the heat lamp so long that the «cheese» (more of a gooey yellow substance) had hardened on the top, forming a thick layer of crust. Extremely disgusting.
The chicken ceasar salad I ordered was decent, but the chicken was a little too day-​glo orange for my liking. The burrito my girlfriend ordered, with sour cream, came without sour cream. Hm.
Overall, Left At Albuquerque is another idiotic Tex-​Mex hybrid that hokey white people drool over. If you are one of them, and are craving some Tex-​Mex and dollar Bud Light on Sharks nights, do yourself a favor and go to Chevy’s.

Hang a left at Albuquerque but make sure you eat before your travels. The food sucks but aren’t you thirsty? One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, order four more!
I first had the Patron Drifter at the Santa Barbara location and have been hooked ever since. The down side, they’re $ 9 but if you’re going to destroy your liver better make it count. All the drinks are good though, my other favorite is the grape martini which comes with actual Concord grapes crushed in the glass. Some of the drinks look a little girly but pack a mean punch.
Happy Drinking!

I don’t get the idea behind Left at Albuquerque…
They are attempting to link Anglo, Native American and Mexican cooking. I don’t know about you, but I have never eaten Anglo, Native American food so I don’t have anything for comparative purposes. However, I have eaten my fair share of Mexican food and can tell you that in my opinion, Left at Albuquerque lacks in the two most important characteristics that Central American foods are known for:
1) Taste
2) Appetite Fulfillment
— — — — — — — — — — — — — -
+1 star because they have a nice bar with plenty of floor space for big groups.
+1 star for having a jukebox with LL Cool J on the playlist.
«doing it and doing it and doing it well.»
Unfortunately, the Anglo, Native American-​Mexican food fusion, doesn’t «do it» all that well.

Came here on New Years Day after wanting to go to El Burro — and they weren’t opening till 3. We weren’t disappointed at all in Left at Aburquerque.
I I am confused. People are looking for «authentic» coming here? I mean, tex mex isn’t authentic by any means. It is fancy mexican based food — totally americanized. I mean, think Chevy’s with a twist. And Left At Albuquerque does it alright. The plating is beautiful, too.
Go to El Burro for mexican.
So…the plusses…
+ Service was pretty good
+ Shrimp Appetizer was really good. Sauce was this dark sauce and tastey.
+ Chips have this seasoning mix on it… nice.
+ Fish tacos… they tasted like fish tacos.
+ Carne Asada plate. Boyfriend liked it and he is picky as shit on carne asada.
The negatives…
— Salsa is boring. Tastes like it came out of the jar.
It’s a good place to get a shot of tequilla, a bottle of beer, and have some decent food. This place is more about atmosphere, drinks, and some sports bar… so…Why not?

The Fat Sombrero guy at the bar is ICONIC! I sat at the bar, got a Turkey club and a few PBR draws. The sandwich was pretty decent and the PBRs were rejuvenating. The bartender never said anything off-​putting, but he seemed like a jerk. All-​in-​all a decent place. I won’t be back though. ‘Meh’ is about all I can give it.

Good tequila menu, ok food. Good place to hook up with some of my south bay friends. The only real strike I have against them is that every time they actually put something that’s incredible on the menu, they swap it out six months later (but continue to leave the samo-​samo bland stuff on the menu).
Go for the tequila menu… stay for the appetizers.

This place was not my choice. The food is mediocre, at best. My burrito, or what was called a burrito, was unsurprisingly bland — the rice was overcooked, the roasted peppers tasted a day old, and the chicken in the burrito was plain and dry.
Our server was friendly, attentive, and made sure the margaritas kept coming.

Obviously this is not where you go for authentic anything.
It’s where you go if your best friend just bought her wedding dress steps away Trudy’s and you want to enjoy celebratory margaritas and not be bothered for a while on a Sunday afternoon.
Excellent service, but I suspect… shitty food.

One star for our server who was running his ass off while a bunch of other servers were just standing around.
Another star for not being crowded.
Okay…I just don’t like giving a one star rating unless I really hate the place. And I didn’t totally HATE the place, I just didn’t like it.
The food was flavor-​less. And my poor server had so many tables to manage that we got lost in the shuffle. When another couple were sat next to us, he eventually asked them if anyone had taken their order. When they said no, he let out a sigh of frustrations bc he obviously was the only one working hard that night.
My kids didn’t even like the mac n’ cheese. And they LOVE mac n’ cheese everywhere we go. We would’ve been better off at Burger King getting the Mac n’ Cheese kid meals.

This place is obnoxious as hell — as in mistaken-​for-​Chevys decorating crisis and Margarita «towers» the likes of which haven’t excited me since I was 17 and visiting New Orleans for the first time.
But I’m going to come out of the closet and say — I like their food. I am a sucker for Tex Mex’s gigantic proportions, use of corn, and pilings on of cheese (secret A) and their dishes are actually pretty innovative (point B, which I try but am unable to ignore). So as long as I’m not trying to impress my dining companions, I’ll happily recommend this place when I’m in the area. Good vegetarian options, too. Exciting!
PS, did you know they have a restaurant on Union St in SF? This is very bizarre yet fitting in my mind.
Do you end up in Texas or Arizona if you go left at Albuquerque? Alas, the waitstaff were unhelpful as to the quest for this answer.

I seriously do not get this place… the food is bad and I am baffled that with all of the great places in the area that Left At Albuquerque does as well as it does.
If you really like food, stay away.

This is a great place to stop by if you want drinks or happy hour specials. They have this margarita called «The Route 66» that you’re supposed to share with another person, and it’s great. Sometimes it’s a little weak, but given the fact that you’re paying about $ 20 for it, I don’t feel bad sending it back for some «adjustments».
The happy hour menu isn’t bad either, and they always bring out chips and salsa. I’d recommend the mango-​chicken quesidilla; it’s light, fresh, and tasty.
Don’t expect spectacular service, of course.
And sit in the bar area if possible. It’s seat yourself, it’s got a neat lit-​up bar and a jukebox, and the people are more fun over there too.