Frontier Restaurant - Burger Special

Recently in Albuquerque and not sure where to dine I decided to go to my trusty resource Urbanspoon.com to do my research. Frontier Restaurant ranked #1 in the list of “100 Best in Albuquerque” and was under the category of “Diner” (both being a PLUS for me) and the price was a single “$” which means the cost per person is under $10 (another PLUS). I feel like the #1 restaurant for any big city is worth checking out, however in Albuquerque’s case I am not so certain that they got it right.

The ATMOSPHERE… Sitting directly across the street from the University of New Mexico it is the perfect location for students and locals. The prices are cheap, and it has been in business since 1971 so it acts as a historical landmark for the city.

The SERVICE… First you order at a counter from posted menus, then you pay, then you watch monitors overhead until your number comes up. When it does you pick up your food at a different counter, gather your silverware and napkins, and hope that you have secured a seat in one of their dining rooms.

The FOOD… Diner Food (Mexican, American, or somewhere in between)

After staring at the menu for a few minutes I decided to get the Frontier Burger Special (Hickory Smoke Sauce, Cheese, 1000 Island and Onions, with French Fries and a Salad $6.79). It was the right price so I decided to give it a try. I left off the 1000 Island, and was excited to learn that instead of Fries that I could get their Mexican hash browns instead.

My number was posted, I picked up my food, and on to the review….

The salad was lettuce, tomatoes, shredded carrots and sunflower seeds with a bland ranch dressing. I was a little disappointed, but who cares, the rest is going to be so good!

The hash browns looked good and greasy, covered with cheese and lots of peppers. First bite – Oh No! These are Mexican hash browns. In this case that meant extremely spicy! (Now I like a little spice, but sadly these were way too spicy for me to enjoy).

OK, when all else fails there is still the burger. But to my dismay it seemed like a basic frozen patty, and although I did eat it, I was left feeling like I had been better off just going to McDonald’s.

The most enjoyable part of the meal was the hash browns, and they were too spicy for me to eat. There is obviously a lot of good in this place or it could not have achieved such high marks on Urbanspoon, and I will give them respect for years of success. I am sure that low prices and a great location will continue to keep them going, however the Frontier Restaurant is definitely not for me.