Posted by Michael Stern on January 03, 2008
Breakfast at The Frontier in Albuquerque is a gas, especially if you haven't been to bed the night before. Located on old Route 66 across from the University of New Mexico, this landmark eatery has been open round the clock for more than forty years. Wait in line until a green light flashes, indicating someone is ready to take your order. “Bingo!” the counter man calls as our turn comes; and 120 seconds later, the food is ready for us to carry to a table. The famous Frontier sweet roll is hot and gooey with a cinnamon sugar glaze; the breakfast burrito is a lovely tan flour tortilla wrapped around scrambled eggs, melted cheese, hash browns and hot green chilies.
Lunch and supper are great examples of quick-eats, New Mexico-style. There is fine green chili stew by the bowlful, there are big broad enchiladas that can be had with beef or vegetarian-style with meatless green chili, cheese and onions; there are chalupas and tacos and some excellent blue-plate hamburgers. We are particularly fond of the Frontier burger special, a big goopy sandwich made with hickory-flavored sauce, cheese, and 1000 Island dressing, served with French fries on the side.
The Frontier is huge: a multi-room, block-long mess hall decorated with a collection of art that includes John Wayne portraits, antique rifles, steer horns, and romantic paintings of soaring eagles, bold stallions, and Pueblo pottery.
Overall: Worth driving from anyplace
29 out of 29 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
Reviewers "Must Eats" List
Huevos Rancheros
($6.00)
cinnamon roll
($2.00)
green chili
($4.00)
"The Frontier sells 'six packs' of sweet rolls frozen, ready to take home and nuke."
Michael Stern
"With a menu this big, it is easy to forget how good the burgers are here. This Bonanza Burger comes dressed with cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickle and Thousand Island dressing."
buffetbuster
"A hearty filling breakfast with enough zing to start your day."
wanderingjew
"Simple, full-flavored and elegant, Frontier's tortillas come hot off the flame just moments before they are put on your tray."
Michael Stern
"Buried underneath the cheese and fiery green chile are a couple of sunnyside-up eggs. I mashed my warm tortilla down and sopped up some yolk, which was a pretty good damper for the chilies' heat. The flavor mix of this dish is spectacular: rich, brilliant, exciting and immensely satisfying."
Michael Stern
"Here's the one-man assembly line turning out four tortillas for breakfast. The aroma around this fiery machine is intoxicating."
Michael Stern
"The breakfast crowd has yet to arrive. Note the portrait of Duke Wayne on the far wall."
Michael Stern
"The Frontier isn't exactly at the cutting edge of New Mexican cuisine, but you haven't really tasted Albuquerque until you've been there ... especially at 4am!"
Michael Stern
"The sun is rising in the east and the late-night crowd is mostly gone from the always-open Frontier while break-of-day people come for breakfast."
Michael Stern
