Left At Albuquerque

1 star for their service.
I don’t like this place. I really don’t. I ordered a grilled steak fajita and wow… the steak is dry and tasteless! as a matter of fact, it was nearly warm. To top that off, my coworker’s entrée had a piece of hair in there!!! We asked the waiter if they can make another one for her and he said yes. He brought the plate to the kitchen on the other end and I saw him pull out the hair, and gave the plate to the chef. 5 – 10 minutes later, the entrée was back on a different style plate. I come to wonder… did they just switch it over? O_​o
Dessert, we had the crème brûlée and was surprised to see that it came in a burrito form! Very interesting.
Their service was indeed good. Nice staff, but food could’ve been much better.

Meh. The food is about on par with that of Chevy’s, in my opinion– both in price and quality– and with that being the case, then I would rather eat at Chevy’s, because at least their chips are warm and thin and crispy.
I don’t mean to sound bitchy but really, I’ve eaten here more than three times, hoping that it would get better, but it just stays pretty unremarkable. Much better Mexican on Chestnut.

Game over. Why are all you people hatin’ on Left at Albuquerque? You need to start appreciatin’! Let’s break it down shall we:
1) This may not be authentic Mexican cuisine that you find in the Mission. Well typically people from the Mission pretty much hate anything in the Marina because it is… in the Marina. So just ignore their bitching. Also, I have searched the Mission for fantastic food and I have yet to find any that blows my mind but the search continues.
2) The food is good. It is not spectacular and you aren’t going to have your mind blown or your taste buds melted, but there are tasty things on the menu. When I go here with friends someone always says «wow, this is good!». The chimichangas are huge. Some people like chimichangas — I know I do! So get right with that. Open your mind. It’s tex-​mex and it fills the belly. Appreciate that.
3) The top shelf margaritas are tasty when served on the rocks with a shot of Grand Marnier. As any good margarita should be prepared. Plus if you have friends and you are in a party mood they have table toppers — think of it like a tall skinny clear keg filled with beer or margaritas. Uh hello fun! I saw some people get f*cked up with a table topper last Sunday. It was quite entertaining. For them and for me.
4) I can always get a reservation if I want one even on short notice. The service has actually gotten better over the past 2 years (it was not so good before that — good now — really).
I could go on but I shall not as I have made my point. Don’t get all caught up on categories and what not. Half the places in this city that are labeled Mexican are not so much. Just take it for what it is, don’t be so serious you foodies, fill your belly with some tasty food and beverages, and of course… word of the day… appreciate!

I went there mid-​day on Saturday. The sidewalk tables were full but my friends and I were the only ones inside.
The waiter was nice enough but the chicken fajitas drove me to drinking.
I think I saw a tumble weed drift across that little plate.
No Bueno.

I am surprised at the low reviews here, I got this
25 dollars certificate for 1 dollar, that’s right, they were on special last month so I purchased tons of them for various restaurants.
They do require that you spend minimum 50 and tip at 18% for pre-​deducted bill.
Anyways, service was very good! They give us nachos (like Chevy’s) with salsa, and they refilled without our asking, that was 1 star itself.
Food was okay, how much can you really charge for beans and rice, and people say Chinese food is overrated! You got to be kidding, Mexican food is the most overrated sitting right next to Indian food!
The part about the place is the atmosphere, the place was packed and the food could have been a little better, I guess the 49’ers brought everyone in, lol…

This restaurant is in my neighborhood and I’ve passed it a zillion times. Why didn’t I ever stop?
A. It’s always crowded
B. It seems Chevy’s-like
C. In my 20s it was a lame bar called Tar & Feathers
D. All of the above
D is the correct answer. However, I walked by today (Labor Day) and it didn’t look very busy, so I thought I’d check it out for a change of pace from my regular places.
It wasn’t horrible like I expected. In fact, I have a special fondness for warm spinach salads (yes, Cha Cha Cha warm bacon spinach salad, I’m talking about you) and the one I had was pretty good. It had the correct amount of spinach wilting, roasted corn, sweet tomatoes, avocado, sauteed shrimp, and a basil vinaigrette. The sangria wasn’t much to write about. Yes, it came in a pint glass, but it didn’t have much flavor and I didn’t get a buzz on. The salsa was kind of watery and not spicy at all. (Yeah, I ate half the container, but I was starving.)
The ambiance was a little like a sports bar except no sports (CNN was playing, thank goodness). I received friendly and efficient service from my server (Ari) and the other staff. It wasn’t that busy, so I’m not sure what it would be like on one of their normal days.
All in all, it was an OK meal, but it wouldn’t be at the top of my list to visit in the area. I might come back to try one of the Mexican dishes (like the chimichangas or fish tacos, which were recommended by my waiter) or get the spinach salad again, but I wouldn’t wait in line. Maybe takeout…

I called in a take-​out order for a Chicken Cesar Salad Wrap with no cheese & dressing on the side. They told me it would be ready in about ten minutes.
I arrived about 7 minutes later, payed at the bar & sat there for about 5 minutes until someone from the back came out to give me my «wrap». I started walking home and the smell coming from the bag did not smell like a wrap… I looked inside and saw a huge order of fries and no wrap. I walked back and told them; they apologized.
I waited a few more minutes and finally my wrap came… as I was walking home I looked in the container and saw that there was no dressing on the side (and that it was probably inside the wrap), I was too annoyed and lazy to go back.
The wrap was OK (way too much dressing), the fries were awesome & the cow slaw wasn’t very good.
Overpriced, not very good food & not very good service.

Open on the 4^th of July.
It was warm and sunny when we entered, in the early afternoon. We were seated in the front window immediately. The place looked and smelled like a bar, but there were plenty of tables in the roomy space.
We ordered shrimp salad, a chicken club sandwich, extra guacamole, and two margaritas for $ 44.31 + tip. About half of that price was in the margaritas. The free chips were great, and so was the extra guacamole. The salsa was fresh, and had a slow heat in it that crept up on me. The chicken club sandwich had bacon in it, and a crispy tortilla in it to give it some extra crunch. The tortilla replaced the middle layer of bread that would normally make this a club. The waitress was friendly and attentive, too.
I’ve always wondered what the name meant. The mural in back near the restrooms explained it for me.

Foods okay if your starving, service is wonderful and fast.
Not enough alcohol in the drinks… My boy friend and I shared a 66 ounce margarita and i felt completely sober after…

I think it’s pretty hard to ruin Mexican food, but it takes a lot for it to be exceptional. While ‘Left At Albuquerque’ was not exceptional, it surely did not disappoint. It could have been because my expectations were lowered after reading some of the Unilocal!reviews before going there, but I had a pretty good time and the food was good.
Let’s start with atmosphere. It was a fun place, perfect for a get together. I was there with my friends and we all had a good time, kind of reminded me of ‘Margarita Mondays’ back in college, except without the cheap food. Everyone was there to have a good time and enjoy some food. The tables were sticky though — too sticky, which made me question the cleanliness of the area. Also, my biggest complaint was the fact the restaurant was SO HOT — almost unbearable. Everyone was sweating — geesh invest in an air conditioner or something!
Food. I got the Green Monster Chicken Enchiladas, and they were pretty good! While the size definitely wasn’t monster, they were good-​sized portions and the chips/​salsa appetizer left me full. The sauce was perhaps a little too mild/​bland, but not as tasteless as some of the reviews would lead you to believe. The nachos were given to us on the house, which was pretty cool, and they were a good portion with lots of good toppings — i had no complaint about those. Finally, the margaritas were a little too sweet, and our table had trouble finishing them.
Overall, I would say while I had a good time at ‘Left At Albuquerque’ I probably will not return. The rowdy atmosphere could be had somewhere else, and the food, while good, was not spectacular. I could get a better dinner at Chipotle. The prices at this place are also a little steep, especially for the quality of the food.

5 stars for the «Albuquerque Rocks» Margarita (when it’s mixed right)
*3 stars for food (the Nachos are good to munch on…)
4 stars when combining the above :)
*Note: Sure, I agree with other Unilocalers that the food’s nothing to write home about, and can be compared to Chevy’s. It’s pretty standard, and nothing special, but it’s certainly not gross. And the margaritas are damn good! (again, they have to be mixed right — I’ve had them mixed incorrectly before, and we sent them back to get made the right way!) :)

«Wish I’d been able to Unilocal this place before I went.» –Beth T.
«It’s like a bad version of Chevy’s.» –kevin m.
«If you like canned stewed tomatoes salsa then this is your kind of place.» –Craig M.
«…their pulled pork is a disgrace to pigs.» –Tim G.
«The only saving grace was our nice waitress.» –Karl B.
«…it’s UNION street for F sake! They have no option but to overcharge you lest they go out of business.» –dan m.
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+1

2.5 STARS. The service was good to us, food meh…
I came on a Monday night with a party of 9. It was actually pretty crowded for a Monday. I felt very bad for our waiter who clearly looked like he was taking care of the entire restaurant. We consisted of a group of girls who either came on time or had to be fashionably late, and L@A did not mind that it took some of us 20 minutes later than our scheduled reservation to get there. In fact they still gave us our
points and were nice enough to let us stay beyond closing.
Clearly we ordered the double pitcher margaritas x2. Those machines, however, leak! How much of our precious margaritas were wasted! Never fear! Luckily the margarita dispenser was in front of me so I just kept my glass under it while it dripped. In terms of margaritas they are simply average. Everyone said their food was also average. I ordered the Red Chile Cheese Enchiladas and they were extremely bland. I had to slather them in Tapatio. The rice is just blah. The food really isn’t anything special. We only went there because we had a
coupon. Puerto and Tommy’s are both much better options.

There is a reason that I basically forgot about this place and never wrote a review… when I was looking through a list of places in SF online the other day for my brother I came across the name of this place and all of the crowded sticky memories came back…
Now I did not eat here, so I have no comment on the food… but it looks like from the other reviews that the food sucks here, so I guess I didn’t miss out on much. I came here with a group of people for some drinks late one night, and this bar is just WAY too crowded for comfort. You literally cannot move once you get in here, if you even can manage to do that! I hate places that take more effort to walk two feet than talking to some lame sociall inept person… because this place is that in a nut shell. And if you want a beer, good luck getting up to the bar, let alone finding a bar tender that will actually have time to serve you or take your order and then somehow managing to carry your beer and your friend’s back to them without spilling it on someone or being bumped into by someone or anything fun and exciting like that.
blah

Let’s just say, I was the only Latin mamacita in this joint. (figures)
One star semi OK guac.
Next time, I’ll make a right.

1^st off… you know where you are (likely) so you know the rent here is FAR from restaurant friendly. Why on Earth would anyone try to make a living like this?
FOOD
I had the chile relleno, ala cart. Holy $shit! It was so good! Not overly cheesy. Verde sauce was tasty, perhaps a green chile sauce? I would think… Albuquerque and all that. The pepper was a good size for eating (not to match the price) and was just spicy enough. The best part was the batter style. It was lightly!! CRISPY! like a good tempura or chimichanga. I love a bit of crispy in just about everything I eat, so I was loving this.
ATMO
Like a slightly classier Chevy’s. Outdoor seating on a beautiful SF sunny day is very nice. It’s a pants area (as in fancy pants) so the people are generally dressed to impress about town and lots of happy dogs to smile at. Lastly, it wasn’t crowded at all for 1pm on a weekday… not bad.
PRICE
As noted at the top of this review, it’s UNION street for F sake! They have no option but to overcharge you less they go out of business (unless they have rent control from like 30 years ago or own the building).
SERVICE SAYS
It was good. Seated right away, kept up with, and they brought out ice water for my buddies dog /​politely asked if it would be okay to do so. Right on.
OVERALL
I have no idea about the rest of the snack’n here… but I would try it again if I needed to have food in the area.

I rarely venture to the Marina… not necessarily because I’m in the ranks of the Marina Bashers, but because it’s kind of out of the way for me.
But Saturday night was the Pink Party, and my last memory of Pink Saturday involved my being 9 months pregnant, 2 days past my due date, and going to the party thinking that all the walking and excitement might induce labor. Well, all that got induced was me and my screaming bladder having to walk from the Castro to Civic Center before I could get a cab home. And still, the kid didn’t arrive for another 2 ½ weeks.
5 years later I still have a touch of PTSD over that episode, so when when it came time for the beau and me to decide where to go for dinner, I suggested going as far as possible in the other direction. We ended up in the Marina and randomly walked into Left at Albuquerque.
As soon as I walked in, I thought «does Chevys own this place?». It definitely has a Chevys feel to it, both in appearance and in menu. But I’m not ashamed to say that I like Chevys! So what if it’s a chain and it’s not «authentic»? Food doesn’t always have to be «authentic» to taste good. The enchiladas we ordered were tasty and a good value. We sat at the bar and got spoiled rotten by the cute young bartender. He gave us great service and free drinks… I think what happened was that someone changed their mind about a pitcher of margaritas they had ordered, so he snuck it to us. Hey… I’m also not ashamed to drink abandoned margaritas!
Restaurants like this have their place. I’ll definitely be back.

The wait was a bit long for a chain restaurant in SF…50 minutes. The food was much, much better than expected. (Overall grade: B) If I could, I would have given 3.5 stars.
I ordered the BBQ Salmon. It came with spinach and rice and was REALLY TASTY! My fiancée liked it too! The portion size was pretty large. I would go to a Left at Albuquerque again just to have the BBQ Salmon again. (Grade for this dish: A) My fiancée ordered the chicken fajitas and liked it.
The area has major parking issues so be prepared to drive around for a while looking for street parking. We drove around for 15 minutes. That was NO fun at all!

I enjoy this place. Even though its crawling with Marina-​ites. On a Sunday, its the best. Again, even though its crawling with Marina-​ites whom sit outside with their toy dogs.
Love the crushed grape margarita. Yum. Their fish tacos and their chili cheese enchiladas are mighty tasty. Their salsa tastes a little funky, but their spicy chips aren’t half bad.
Spacious, great food, drinks, sports bar, and people watching.

Duh.