Feeling at home: Artichoke Cafe continues long-standing tradition in Albuquerque culinary scene

Located in the heart of East Downtown, a staple of the community has survived and continues to thrive after more than 30 years.

Artichoke Cafe is more than good food and drink, it is a welcoming place that makes everyone feel like family. Owners Pat and Terry Keene want every patron to feel like a guest in their home.

The restaurant boasts a loyal customer base and has entertained celebrities and prominent government officials, including presidents.

“I think it’s always striving to put out the best product we can in terms of food, drink and service,” said Bradley Chapman, general manager, of Artichoke Cafe’s longevity. “I think it is the relationships that we’ve built over decades with the community and people of Albuquerque. I think it’s the relationship that Pat and Terry have with Albuquerque.”

Impeccable service comes naturally at Artichoke Cafe.

“We have great servers,” Chapman said. “Service is so important to this industry. Our goal is to make delicious food, have delicious drinks, but I think where we really excel is service. We try to be welcoming, warm and relaxed. And at the same time be really attentive. We still crumb your table, and we still mark for every course and we pre-bus, and we do a lot of table maintenance to heighten the experience.”

The restaurant is currently only open for dinner service from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on Sunday. Walk-ins are welcome and reservations are recommended on weekends. There are tentative plans to open the restaurant for lunch beginning in February 2024.

The menu features items that diners have made main staples. New offerings are introduced seasonally. The full menu can be viewed by visiting artichokecafe.com.

Popular requests are the artichoke and green chile dip appetizer, the meatballs appetizer and the vegetable Bolognese rigatoni entree.

Feeling at home: Artichoke Cafe continues long-standing tradition in Albuquerque culinary scene

“We got tired of complaints about fresh artichokes, so we needed to put something on the menu that represented the Artichoke Cafe,” said executive chef Tony Nethery. “That’s how we came up with the artichoke and green chile dip. I mean, it’s delicious. (It has) really yummy artichokes, New Mexico green chile, a little cumin and coriander, Philadelphia cream cheese, and we do crudités, homemade chips and a little bit of bread.”

The meatballs are created from a classic Italian recipe and dressed in a robust sauce.

“I wanted to make the best meatball in town,” Nethery said. “(It is comprised of) veal, beef and pork. We make a good plum tomato sauce. We have a good focaccia that we serve with it. The recipe obviously is really good.”

The vegetable Bolognese rigatoni was an “accident,” according to Nethery.

“The story behind that is I needed to get something on the menu that could be vegan or vegetarian,” he explained. “I started playing with Bolognese ideas, but with the interpretation of mushrooms and vegetables that I pulled from a classic Bolognese recipe. It turned out really delicious, and now it is a huge seller.”

Smaller versions of some of the items on the dinner menu can be enjoyed during happy hour, which runs from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Patrons will find an added treat mid-week when oysters are served on the half shell on Wednesdays.

“Usually we get them from British Columbia,” Chapman said. “I think that’s our biggest draw. We do Long Island, sometimes Baja, California, but overall people prefer, I think, British Columbia oysters.”

The cocktail menu exceptionally complements the food menu with its offerings of creative concoctions for every palate.

“I think our cocktail program is amazing,” Chapman said. “We change the cocktail menu seasonally, but we don’t overhaul the whole list.”

Artichoke’s classic martini is made with a vermouth saki blend.

“The saki adds a really nice kind of texture, I think, to the martini,” Chapman said. “It’s really good.”

Other popular cocktails include the lavender margarita, the Desert Mojito del Sol and the Churchill, which is made with an Earl Grey infused gin with Cappelletti and Dolin Blanc.

Its wine list is an impressive mix of traditional favorites and intriguing selections. Some gems include a Carignan blend from southern France and a Petit Verdot blend from Casa Robles.

“I think our direction with our wine program tends to be the classics more than anything,” Chapman explained. “I think our guests really enjoy a little bit of adventure, but they also know what they like. And we do, I think, a very traditional wine by the glass list and then our bottle program features a lot of interesting wines.”