Best Patios in ABQ
DRINKS & DINNER OUTSIDE
Ten spots worth sitting outside for, from the big North Valley garden patios to the breweries with real beer gardens.
1. El Pinto
North Valley · New Mexican · Garden patio · Since 1962
The patio is the reason to make the drive north. Cottonwoods, koi ponds, an horno, and enough room that a 600-person crowd never feels packed. There's a dog-friendly patio too.
2. Casa Rondeña WineryLos Ranchos · Winery · Pond + string lights · Daily 12–7
Get a glass of the Viognier and sit by the pond. Old cottonwoods, a stone colonnade mirrored in the water, string lights once the sun drops. Free live music in the tasting room most days.
3. Casa de BenavidezNorth Valley · New Mexican · Koi ponds + waterfall · 50+ years
A 4th Street institution the Benavidez family has run for over 50 years. The patios wind around koi ponds and a little waterfall. Get the sopapilla burger, and go for lunch — it's mostly a daytime spot now.
4. Farm & TableLos Ranchos · Farm-to-table · String-lit pergola · Tue–Sat
Dinner on a pergola strung with lights, looking out at the ten-acre farm that grows half the menu. It won Albuquerque The Magazine's Best Patio Dining, and the patio is still the reason to book.
5. Bow & Arrow BrewingDowntown · Brewery · Fire pit + food trucks
A 2024 James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Bar. The patio has picnic tables under striped umbrellas, a wood-burning fire pit for when it cools off, and a food truck parked most days.
6. Canteen BrewhouseMidtown · Brewery · Heated patio · Since 1994
Albuquerque's original brewery, going since 1994. The patio is the draw: heaters for after dark, and live music Thursdays and Sundays.
7. Rio Bravo BrewingWells Park · Brewery · Beer garden + live music
About half the place is outside. The beer garden has a covered stage strung with lights and a fire pit, with room for more than 200 and live music many weekends.
8. Steel Bender BrewyardLos Ranchos · Brewery · Covered beer garden
A North Valley brewyard with a big covered patio out back — picnic tables, wine barrels, a tree for shade, and Sandia views across the road. Good beer, room to spread out.
9. Sandia BarCorrales · Bar · Tree-shaded patio · Since 1948
A Corrales original from 1948, reopened with a bigger patio. A giant cottonwood does the shading, there's live music and a food truck, and the Sandias sit right there to the east.
10. Flock of MoonsNear UNM · Brewery · String lights + fire pit
A newer brewery between Downtown and Nob Hill with a secluded back beer garden: string lights, a fire pit ringed by Adirondack chairs, and a stage for live music. No kitchen, so there's a food truck, and Laguna Burger is next door for green chile.
El Pinto if you've got out-of-towners to show around. Bow & Arrow or Rio Bravo if you just want a beer outside with a fire pit going.