Following Bosque closure, Restoration Pizza no longer joining WyMont development

Business across all Bosque Brewing Co. taprooms isn’t the only thing that halted after a federal judge tossed the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case in December.

Bosque’s plans to expand a local pizza joint known as Restoration Pizza also hit a wall, leaving a newly constructed 6,135-square-foot building within the WyMont development off Wyoming and Montgomery NE up for grabs.

Bosque signed a lease for the space in summer 2024 with the intention of opening a Restoration Pizza, according to Colliers broker Ben Perich, who is handling the leasing of the building.

“That is who it was being built for, and as a result of the bankruptcy, that will not be proceeding,” Perich said.

Bosque leadership did not respond to the Journal’s requests for comment.

Bosque filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October, hoping to continue operations while it reorganized its finances. The company’s bankruptcy filings showed Bosque had accrued $10 million to $50 million in liabilities, compared with less than $10 million in assets and roughly 190 unsecured creditors.

A federal judge threw out Bosque’s bankruptcy case in December after a U.S. trustee recommended that dismissal would be "in the best interest of creditors," a court order said. The decision prompted Bosque to close all of its taprooms statewide just days later.

Bosque defaulted on the deal for the WyMont building just as it was nearing completion, said Perich, who is now looking for a new tenant for the building.

The site would have been Restoration Pizza’s second Albuquerque location. Bosque launched the pizza brand in 2019, first opening its doors at 5161 Lang NE in Albuquerque and then at a second location in Santa Fe in 2022. The Santa Fe restaurant closed in early December amid Bosque’s bankruptcy proceedings.

Restoration Pizza’s sole Albuquerque location remains open. The pizza joint is now owned by an entity separate from Bosque, according to owner Rachel Bernal and statements from Bosque in December.

“We are an unrelated entity, so while (the WyMont site) is an amazing location, that deal is not ours,” Bernal said in an email.

The Restoration Pizza owner didn’t rule out the possibility of expanding to another site in the future.

“Our short-term focus is on our Journal Center location and the team there,” Bernal said. “We remain open-minded about a second location should the right property and opportunity arise.”

The empty WyMont building, which comes with a 1,500-square-foot covered and enclosed patio, is turn-key and move-in ready for another restaurant or brewery, Perich said. The building’s owner is open to both local and national options, he added.

A master developer by the name of AMREP Southwest Inc. bought the former La Mirada shopping center that once sat where the WyMont resides, along with the empty lots that surrounded it, in June 2021.

The company demolished the shopping center in late 2021 to make way for a small residential subdivision and thereafter began selling the site’s empty parcels, which have since welcomed Albuquerque ER & Hospital, Slim Chickens, Freddy’s and 7 Brew.

“I think nice, casual dining, potentially a local restaurant, would be a good fit,” Perich said. “Something that caters to the immediate neighborhood. Albuquerque is always looking for a quality restaurant.”

The WyMont development expects to welcome another local restaurant behind the old Bank of America building — which will become a Tap N Taco restaurant in May — though Perich declined to name which one. The site also has one more empty lot available, Perich said.

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.