Nightlife in Albuquerque

75 VENUES · 11 CATEGORIES

75 hand-picked nightlife venues across Albuquerque — dance clubs, cocktail bars, rooftops, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ bars, live music rooms, pubs, dive bars, distilleries, hookah lounges.

Dance Clubs

DJ-driven club at 4th and Central. Open Monday through Saturday until 2am.

Effex Nightclub

Three bars, three dance floors, and a rooftop patio. The LGBTQ+ club downtown.

The Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall & Saloon

Country dance hall with a 1,300 sq ft floor and live bands Thursday through Saturday.

The Library Bar & Grill

Late-night dance and karaoke spot on Central. Salsa Wednesdays are the draw.

LGBTQ+ Bars

Albuquerque Social Club

Albuquerque's oldest gay bar, open since 1983. $30 for a three-year membership.

Rocksteady's Social Club

Queer-friendly East Central bar with karaoke and a pride-flag ceiling.

Sidewinders Bar and Grill

Leather-and-levi bar with a dance floor, pool tables, and drag bingo. RuPaul's Drag Race guests on occasion.

Cocktail Bars

Self-billed smallest and most dog-friendly bar in town. Serious cocktails, no pretension.

Cocktails and small plates in the old Nob Hill Bar & Grill space.

Happy Accidents

Kate Gerwin's distillery-bar in Nob Hill. Most spirits made in-house. Forbes Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar 2022; 2024 Bar of the Year (Bar and Restaurant Expo).

Open-air agave bar next to the Copper Lounge. Tequila, mezcal, and sotol.

The Copper Lounge

Two bars in one space at the UNM-Nob Hill border. Classic cocktails (Copper) and modern Mexican agave (Los Conejos).

Speakeasies

Daydream Rum Bar

Rum den hidden up a staircase inside Little Bear Coffee. Named best-designed bar in North America in 2025.

Cocktail lounge behind Urban Hotdog. Book a 'delivery' and bring a donation for a rotating nonprofit.

Founders Speakeasy

Password-only speakeasy under the El Rey Theater. This week's password posts to Instagram.

Hidden in the alley behind M'tucci's Bar Roma. Two-hour reservations, live music or burlesque or magic on the schedule.

The Parlor Room

Dim speakeasy-style lounge under Mission Wine & Dine, with cigar-den decor and parlor games.

Vernon's Speakeasy

Pre-Prohibition steakhouse behind an unmarked steel door in Los Ranchos. Knock three times. Reservation and password required.

Zema Vinyl Lounge

Hi-fi vinyl lounge hidden inside Hotel Zazz, behind a mirrored wall.

Rooftop Bars

Apothecary Lounge

Rooftop of Hotel Parq Central in EDO. Prohibition-era cocktails, Sandia and downtown views.

Bien Shur Rooftop Lounge

Ninth floor of Sandia Resort and Casino. Mountain views, live entertainment varies.

Rooftop bar atop Hotel Andaluz, named for the site of Albuquerque's first bootlegging arrest. Post-Prohibition deco theme.

Level 5 Rooftop

Top of Hotel Chaco in Old Town. Sandia and Old Town panorama, reservations required.

Seasons Rooftop Cantina

Open-air rooftop over Old Town atop Seasons Rotisserie & Grill. Walk-ins only.

10,300 feet up, only reachable by Sandia Peak Tramway. Sunset cocktails at the literal top of the city.

Far Northeast Heights rooftop with Sandia views. Dress code, fine-dining bar.

Volaré Rooftop Bar

Seventh floor of Element by Westin in Uptown. Sandia views east, sunset views west. Opened August 2024.

Live Music Venues

Nonprofit since 2009 presenting flamenco with resident artists from Spain. Near Old Town.

1941 Spanish Mission Revival theater. Concerts most nights, dance club Friday and Saturday.

Historic Lobo Theater

Restored 1939 Nob Hill movie house, now a 550-seat music room with a full bar.

Isleta Amphitheater

Outdoor amphitheater seating around 15,000. The big-tour summer stop.

Pueblo Deco picture palace from 1927, restored to a 650-seat theater downtown.

Kiva Auditorium

Half-round 2,300-seat auditorium in the Convention Center. Eddie Vedder and Norah Jones have played it.

300-capacity rock club on Central since 1997. Indie, metal, hip-hop, garage.

Moonlight Lounge

Intimate downtown music club from the Sunshine Theater and Launchpad team.

New Mexico's largest performing-arts hall, on the UNM campus. Up to 1,985 seats.

Multi-room entertainment complex on Alexander. Backstage at Revel hosts the live music, with dueling pianos and concerts most nights.

Sandia Casino Amphitheater

Outdoor amphitheater at Sandia Resort seating over 4,000.

Downtown live music and 40+ taps. Pinball arcade in back, 21+ after dark.

Sunshine Theater

1,000-capacity concert hall in a 1924 Trost building. Touring national acts.

Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque

The Southwest's first authentic flamenco tablao, inside Hotel Albuquerque.

The Outpost Performance Space

Nonprofit since 1988, booking 100-plus concerts a year: jazz, folk, world, experimental.

Tingley Coliseum

11,571-seat arena at Expo New Mexico, dedicated at the 1957 State Fair.

Pubs

Mediterranean food and cocktails on Route 66. Upstairs and downstairs reservations.

Gecko's Bar & Tapas

First gastropub in Nob Hill. Tapas, full bar, kitchen open until 11.

Horse & Angel Tavern

Juan Tabo neighborhood tavern known for green-chile pizza and Angel Fire wings.

O'Hare's Grille & Pub

Rio Rancho Irish pub that greets you with 'Cead Mile Failte' at the door.

Heights location of the classic Irish pub. Nob Hill flagship closed; this one's the survivor.

Stone Face Tavern

Opened in 2010. Two sand volleyball courts host the annual Sandia Mountain Volleyball Classic.

Two Fools Tavern

Authentic Irish pub in Nob Hill. 200+ whiskeys, 100 single malts. Fish and chips and traditional pub fare.

Sports Bars

12th Street Tavern

Pet-friendly neighborhood tavern with a patio, a take-out window, and big screens for the game.

Draft Day Sports Bar

A 15-foot video wall and 60 beers on tap inside the Revel complex. Golf simulators too.

Howie's Sports Page

The Packers bar on Sundays. Opens at 9am on weekdays, with pool and darts.

Overtime Sports Bar & Grill

Pachanga Taco Tuesdays. Free salsa and bachata lesson at 6:30pm, DJ Gabriel Goza after, $7 cover.

Sandia Sports Bar

Fifty-plus HD TVs and Sandia Mountain views inside Sandia Resort & Casino.

Locally owned for 40-plus years. Pool, darts, shuffleboard, and Golden Tee alongside the games.

Dive Bars

Second-floor pool hall on Central. Vintage furniture, plants, jukebox. One of the last true ABQ dive bars.

Billy's Long Bar

30-year NE Heights institution. Three pool tables, darts, casual late-night crowd.

No-frills North Valley dive with two-dollar well shots at happy hour.

Monte Carlo Steakhouse and Liquor Store

Open since 1970. Part liquor store, part dive bar, part old Route 66 steakhouse.

Oldest family-owned bar in New Mexico, open since 1933. Walls covered with decades of customer photos and hats.

Distilleries

Hollow Spirits Distillery

Grain-to-glass distillery and restaurant in Wells Park. Regular live music and market nights.

Safe House Distilling Co.

Downtown craft distillery. Teller Vodka, LockPick Gin, Prophet Share Bourbon. Small pour room on site.

Spirits of Old Town

Old Town's first micro-distillery, making small-batch blue agave spirits.

Craft distillery and tasting room since 2017. Its own spirits plus New Mexico beer and wine.

Los Poblanos' gin tasting room beside a working still. Lavender-and-pinon Western Dry Gin.

VARA Winery & Distillery

Spanish-American winery and distillery near Balloon Fiesta Park. Wine and spirit flights, plus tapas.

Hookah & Cigar Lounges

Da One Hookah Bar

Hookah bar inside a nightclub. Thursday through Saturday, 10pm to 2am.

Havana House Cigar Shop

Cigar shop with a free indoor lounge and a patio, up in the Journal Center.

Hookah Kings ABQ

All-you-can-smoke $10 deal on the far Westside. Outdoor patio, retail shop on site.

International District

Hookah lounge on Central, 21 and over, with a deep shisha selection.

Lady Huntington's Fine Cigar & Pipe Lounge

Woman-owned cigar and pipe lounge, started by a former firefighter and paramedic.

Monte's Cigars & Tobacco

Cigar shop since 1976 with a two-floor members' lounge. Day passes available.

Corrales cigar lounge with a walk-in humidor, indoor seating, and a patio.

The Palms Hookah Lounge

Largest hookah lounge on the Westside. Extensive flavor menu, theme nights.