I have reviewed QBar before and am compelled to review again. Please understand: I go on either Friday or Saturday to take in jazz. The crowds are surprisingly small. Those there consist of many loyal followers of the musicians. Drinks are reasonably priced, bartender is friendly. The wall have several large paintings and there is a sculpture display adjacent. Billiard table one room over. The quality of the music is exceptional and there is no cover charge! Plenty of parking available. This place seems to be committed to remaining a mystery....very few people know about it. read more

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This bar is inside Hotel Albuquerque. To me, this is a classy bar..but just meh to me (depending on whether or not they have performances of the day). I found the inside of the bar wayyy too loud to enjoy any conversations and not really any offerings of food. But if you are going for a drink and to listen to the music/performances, then that's a decent place to do that! read more

Wasn't open the entire weekend we were staying at the hotel. Which could be understandable but every member in the hotel continued to tell us about it. Don't go off the hours given online. read more

After a fun night of eating as a group at Nexus Brewery we decided to go dancing. We were told it was Salsa and Hip Hop night at this particular club. The 10 of us split ride shares and made the trek over to QBar located inside Hotel Albuquerque. Excited and ready to dance the night away we showed our IDs and made our way in. When we got there the DJ was playing salsa and we jumped right in. Loved seeing the older and younger generation dancing and having an good ole time! The locals invited us to dance being patient with teaching us the steps and getting us into the vibe. Heard some salsa, bachata and watched some fancy footwork with those dancing the casino. We danced, drank, and waited for any indication of hip hop music filling up the room. We even asked the DJ to come through with some hits but alas, nothing. Had a good time overall! Shoutout to the locals- especially the 56 year old Puerto Rican man who spun me around a million times! read more

Always a great time to be had a The QBar Lounge with FREE Salsa Dance Lessons every Thursday Night from 8:15-9:30pm! The best Latin night in town. The night features a rotation of Albuquerque's top Latin DJs from 8:00pm - 1:30am. read more

QBar Lounge - a group of people dancing at a party - Lounges Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Finally made it out here for Latin night with my wife and I left afterwards with mixed feelings about the bar, the Latin night, the crowd, and the DJ. The beer selection here is weak, like Dos Equis weak, so I wasn't drinking a beer. Problem is, I'm not the hard-partying, shot-taking, Jack and coke guy I used to be, so the sad liquor display at Q Bar did nothing for me. I chose not to drink if that's at all believable. The space is cool here, if perhaps devoting far too much space to underused lounging, and not enough to its dance floor. We got there around nine and the place was about a third full, but it got fairly packed pretty quickly. As for the crowd, pretty interesting. First off, it's kind of weird in a place like New Mexico that there's even such thing as a Latin night. This is a Latino-majority state, que no? Every night should be Latino night. But whereas every where else I go to dance salsa, merengue and other Latin music, the crowd is all Latinos because we're in a Latin neighborhood or country and this is just the people coming out to enjoy our music, here in Albuquerque it's more like a hobby or an adventure. For some strange reason, Latin night in Albuquerque almost feels counter-culture. Weird. So needless to say the crowd here was quite bizarre. There were clearly some Spanish-speakers here looking for the music of their homeland, but there were also a good deal of folks that appeared to not speak a word of Spanish. Of this set, many were 50+ in age and maybe even older. Quite the contrast from hitting the local club in Washington Heights. Add to this that there were some serious salseros at Q Bar when we were there, at least salseros in that they could dance their asses off, and the entire vibe kind of reminded me of Copacabana NYC (the now defunct epicenter of salsa dancers looking to only dance with other seasoned salsa dancers) meets Club Med. I guess my point is when I go out to dance, I'm looking to have a good time, not compete in a dance off with a geriatric gringo that thinks he's a backup dancer in a Marc Anthony video, which is what you can expect at Latin night at Q Bar. Finally, let's talk about the DJ. Ay el pobre. What is it about DJs in New Mexico? What law dictates that they must be a decade behind the times, inept in their mixing and song choices, and reluctant to play HITS? I thought the internet cured all this shet! I don't wanna hear the wack reggaeton song from 2007 that got a month of play back then. I don't wanna hear cha cha cha when I'm out for a night on the town. This is not pre-Castro Cuba, homie! My advice for the DJ: listen to La Mega NYC for a month straight. Copy EVERYTHING they do and track down every effing song they play. Carry on. read more

Drinks here are expensive! But they sure are good & strong. Music was a good mix of different types of old school & more current songs. But my friends & I had a blast dancing the night away. read more

We were staying here, so stopped in. It was ok, but service wasn't great, Music wasn't great. My cosmo was ok,but my husband ordered an Old Fashioned and said it tasted like 100% Fireball; don't think I'd return. read more

They think it is Vegas. Wouldn't let half our group in dress shirts and shorts in the club. If they didn't want our money, so be it. So don't bother w/ this place. Not worth it! Other half of our group stated place was dead at 11pm. I wonder why. We went somewhere else to have drinks. read more

NOT IMPRESSED.. OVERALL: The ambiance was OK. They tried to hard to be an upscale club, but failed. The decor is OK. Dim lighting, but everything is so scrunched together, it looks more crowded than it really is. There were a few hoodboogers in the club, but I guess that's to be expected. The age range was good (old and young alike came out to have a good time) NOTE: To get into the lounge, it's best to get there BEFORE 10. Who goes clubbing BEFORE 10PM? Ah that's right.. I have to remember that I am no longer living in NYC where things don't start to jump off until 12AM. So, after waiting online for almost 2 hours, we finally got in.*** (Security has NO idea how to be dominant, and tell people NOT to cut the line. Grow some balls gentlemen, and do your job diligently) DRINKS:The website offers a list of drinks. As per the bartender, they dont have a drink menu anymore. In fact, I was told that the person who orders the liquor has NO clue as to what to order. TSK TSK TSK, they didn't have anything I wanted to drink. They ran out of Ciroc, didnt have grey goose ran out of Ginger ale, and were running low on Pineapple Juice. C'mon MUSIC: Someone commented that the DJs were some of the best they've heard in the world.. WTF did you travel to buddy? The music was mediocre at best. The DJ was all over the place. hip hop one minute, techno the next. Selection was really outdated. I made a song request, and the DJ had never even heard of the song. *throwing rocks* BOOOOOO read more

Never again ever! I wish I could rate this a Zero!!!! Worst management and service I've ever experienced, especially towards males. Turned away our wedding party at the door claiming we were not dressed towards there standards and males can't wear shorts. Then they let multiple ladies in wearing running shorts, hands down awful! We live in Los Angeles and service is hit or miss, but this took the cake!! read more

We came tonight to celebrate my friends birthday. We decided to come to Q-Bar due to the fact that we frequent this place and it's a great environment. However in this particular occasion the security guards didn't let us into the club. They accused us of littering which we didn't. But in my opinion they were just looking for an excuse to not let us in. Negative experience because of the security. read more

So I went there on a Friday night...that was my first and last time there. To me, it felt like it was trying too hard to be a hip and cool, LA-type bar, but it was not. And there were a bunch of cops there at one point...not sure why...it was kind of weird. at the end of the night, right b4 they closed, my friend went outside the glass doors to go to the restroom. (the restrooms are located just outside the bar). then after they "closed," the bouncers wouldn't let me go through the glass doors to meet up w/her. they told me to go out the back door and then go and try & find her in the parking lot...at one point, my friend and i were looking at each other through the glass doors, but they wouldn't let her back in or me out!! they were letting other ppl out the doors though! in conclusion, not a fan and not planning on a return trip read more

Do not go here even if you stay in the hotel. I'm staying at the Hotel Albuquerque because my friend is getting married tomorrow nearby. After a night out, we came back to our hotel bar for a nightcap. We were denied entry after the two bouncers apparently assessed that i was too intoxicated to enter. I'm staying at the hotel the bar is at. I'm with a wedding party. I'm not that drunk. These two bouncers, a man and a woman (tall and large, but cowardly), went on a crazy power trip. There was no reason for them to treat me that way. Avoid the Q Bar. Even on a Friday night, no one is there. It's a waste of your time. read more

Not a huge fan of the "club scene" here on weekends, BUT some friends and I popped in for an early drink on a Thursday evening (around 8:00pm) and were pleasantly surprised to find that they offer FREE Salsa lessons! We didn't stay too long, but the instructor was really great and the crowd (when we went-- early) was small. Great little spot to grab a drink and Salsa dance the night away! Can't wait to go back and try again :) read more

Salsa dancing lessons are great! However even if you are 21 they don't let you buy drinks even if you are 21 (and out of state) which is frustrating since the clubs and hotels nearby do. My advice is go to another bar downtown that offers salsa nights! read more

I wish I could give them a better rating but their staff left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. I took my wife their to watch Vanilla Pop. They were entertaining as always but at the end of the night they waitress closed my tab without bringing me a breakdown. All she brought was the credit card receipt. It was $56 for 5 drinks. I knew it was a bit pricey but I told her it didn't look right and she said she forgot to take off a drink I ordered that they had ran out of. She comes back and it went from $56 to $42 for 1 non-alcoholic beer. On top of trying to rip me off she also decided herself that my wife should have the $9 Grey Goose instead of the well vodka she asked for. Her response was that it was only a dollar more than well. When we spoke to the manager about the whole ordeal he didn't seem to upset about the fact that his staff is trying to rip their customers off. He offered to buy my wife another drink for her troubles. If you have a waitress named Lacee make sure to get a breakdown of what she is charging you for. She tries to prey on drunk people and hope they don't notice her thieving ways. The worst part for me is that she gave good service and would have gotten a good tip had she not tried to rip me off. This place can be good but the staff and management bring it down. read more

Been here several times for happy hour and once for the club. Nicely decorated and nice vibe. Pretty swanky place for Alb. Earlier in the evening it can be pretty empty. Once went when they had someone playing piano and someone singing and there was almost no one there except the performers and a few of their friends. Went another night and there was some sort of Catholic convention at the hotel so there were a lot of priest and at least 1 archbishop walking around lobby outside the bar. Service can be hit and miss. During the weekend, later in the evening, Qbar turns into a club. Often there is a DJ but sometimes they have a live band. The one time I was there for the club the music was good and it was pretty crowded. TIP -- they have dress code so later in the evening don't come wearing a t-shirt or sneakers. TIP - on most evenings from 4 to 7 they have a happy hour. The drinks costs less and their appetizer menu is 1/2 price. Food is pretty good not a bad price during happy hour. read more

I have gone out here about a couple times. Both times the DJ was not that great! The drinks were very strong as well wasn't sure they were doing the proper ratio of liquor. read more

I'm a dancer but my husband isn't sooo when I heard that they offer free Salsa lessons on Thursday, I decided to drag one of my good friends out with me and give it a try! We got there a little early so the place was pretty dead but the bar tender was friendly and poured us some good drinks before the classes started. Once the classes got going there was a pretty nice crowd of beginners willing to learn. The teacher was really helpful and patient and she really just went over the basic steps so nothing complicated. The party really starts once the classes were over though. I guess this is the hang out for all of the Salsa lovers or professional dancers because it seemed like everyone knew each other and recognized each other. My friend and I had a really good time watching the good dancers and attempting to keep up with them. I think I learned a thing or two. read more

Terrible. Absolutely terrible. The bouncers and owner profiled our group and refused to let us in. I've never been treated like this, we will never stay at the Hotel Albuquerque again and will continue to advise our friends to stay elsewhere. read more

I went on a Thursday for salsa night and had a blast. There was no cover, free salsa lessons from 8:30 to 9:30 (donation optional), and I ended up being too busy dancing to even get a drink! The party really got started around 10:30, so if you already know how to salsa, I'd show up then. Great crowd, nice atmosphere, and fun music. read more

I've been here a handful of times. Ladies are usually free. Otherwise, it's a $10 cover. You can use the Yelp check-in feature and get free cover on a Friday! The drinks are good and strong, but also expensive. The places to sit are usually taken and to sit by the dance floor you have to pay a pretty hefty bottle service/sitting fee. The music is usually pretty good. I've seen a few fights break out and there's usually some kind of drama, but it usually doesn't deter me. I like the fact that people dress up to go there. read more

I came to Albuquerque for a close friends wedding. We tried to go to Q bar twice and were treated like dirt each time. They brought my fiancé to tears, I will never come here again. The first thing I will do when someone asks me advice on how to go about their trip to Albuquerque is advise them NOT to go to Q Bar or stay at the Hotel Albuquerque. Awful, everyone at this establishment should be fired for terrible customer service and profiling. read more

Do not go here. Extremely unreasonable and would not let bridal party into the bar despite all staying at the hotel. People they let in are shady and are not even staying at the hotel. read more

We had a good time, but I think it's because of the group I went with. It's kind of stuffy since it's completely indoors with no windows. I was surprised that they serve buckets of beer as their bottle service. Not really much to say about this place... read more

Stayed at The Hotel Albuquerque over the weekend for a wedding. The party we were with was renting 27 rooms in the hotel over the three day span. After the rehearsal dinner Friday night, we decided to stay local and check out the "Q Bar". Most of the party was starting to settle comfortably awaiting the bride and grooms arrival before security at the front stopped the groom on the way in, and told him his shoes too closely resembled sneakers and he needed dress shoes. Are you serious? The general manager of the "Q Bar" and neighboring "Casa Esencia" came out and flatly denied the grooms entry due to his shoes claiming, "we had a pretty big fight last weekend". What a joke. In one terrible business decision he successfully emptied his bar, as the 40+ people in the party decided to take our our money to a bar on the other side of the hotel. Would not recommend read more

Worst place ever. Wouldn't let everyone in (including guests of a wedding) because some were wearing flip flops. Again, worst place ever. Also super hostile and unprofessional. read more

First timer. Nice and quiet. Went for a private party. The drinks were good. My husband order the chicken quesadilla it was ok. Our bill was fairly cheap wasnt sure if it was because of private event. Service great I ferl the server handled everything well being the only one. read more

About 10 minutes away from Qbar is the Hard Rock Casino. There was a club in there that was much bigger and looked great. So my question is, why would you even consider going to Qbar? I guess if you want a place that's totally La-Ti-Da, then Qbar is the place. Anyways, we decided to go to Hard Rock Casino after being kicked from Qbar's line, and ended up winning over $300 there. I guess I should thank them for kicking us =]. read more

Came here for a drink on Friday night, before heading to casa. I had never been to either spot and had a friend in town who wanted to go dancing so we decided to check it out. Coming from LA, I was pretty underwhelmed with the vibe of this place, though it was nice that it was a lounge but still had a Dj and a dancefloor. It was a mix of both worlds for people in a group who may want a more relaxed evening and those who want to get some dancing in as well. Drinks were ok, I got the same drink within an hour and was charged two different prices so that was amusing. Not really anything to ride home about but overall like a nice decent chill spot. read more

This place put a sketchy charge on all of our credit cards this past weekend and no one can explain the charge. Would avoid going here unless you have cash or want a "gardunos/qbar" charge read more

This bar/ nightclub was so much fun. The bartender was awesome. The DJ was great! The bouncers were great too. We never stopped dancing. My family and friends had the best time. We spent over FIVE hours there, celebrating my sister's 40th birthday. The hotel of Albuquerque was very rude and unprofessional though, once leaving the bar and going back to our rooms. We would definitely recommend Q bar to have drinks and dance if you want to. You do not have to be close to the music, because there are couches and tables and chairs to hangout, away from the dance floor. I just do not recommend staying at the Hotel of Albuquerque though. Thank you, Q Bar staff! read more

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! Awful service, ridiculous bouncers, and a lack of any reasonable policies or discernment. The securty staff is difficult and foolish. The bar has no idea how to accommodate any sort of party or entertain any evening. Worst night ever as a direct result of their staff. Would give 0 stars if I could - this is the first time I've ever been compelled to leave a rating just to articulate how AWFUL my night was. read more

This bar is horrible. The DJs are horrible, the decor is horrible, and the security staff is even worse. This place has turned into cougar town. Lots of older people frequent this bar now. It's not a place for a younger crowd. The security is always roughing people up for no reason. This place is usually dead and lame. Don't spend your money here. Casa Essencia is next door and is way better! read more

Ok everyone that is writing a negative comment is so full of crap. I'm sorry but I've never had an issue there. I feel like the people complaining where probably dressed ghetto. It's not a ghetto place so happy for that. Two if you get intoxicated I hate dealing with you guys so I'm happy they do. Their watch out for the safety of us that are there to have a good time. Thank you Security because I know I've never gotten into a fight in there because nicely dressed men and women know how carry themselves. Uh you don't want to get profiled don't dress with baggy clothes, Baggy jeans, because it is upscale obviously!!. If it's cold don't wear a hoodie wear a blazer. Some of you guys try to walk in with sneakers??? Up scale place:/ anyways they're not profiling because of your race. It's because they don't want drunk ghetto looking people in a bar where people go to dress up and dance. It's good that you don't drink and drive, but most of you think you can get real drunk because your staying there. You guys bug write a bad review about yourselves como in loud and swaying. I'm glad they kick you guys out, shit being an adult and still getting drunk to where you can't walk straight. Anyways they don't let the women act stupid either and thank you for that one. I hate dancing with a drunk woman that's loud pulling me down cause she's falling, throwing up on me (has happened twice), some of you girls are stinky drunks too. It's like compose yourself if your all dressed up then don't over drink. In conclusion they allow a lot of groups in the even section off VIP areas. The complainers about that are protecting that drunk dumbass that messed it up. But because they want them to be apart of their party they get all butt hurt:/ it's like control your dumbass friend that can't go to an upscale place and act like an educated controlled person. But everyone here sounds stupid. If I went was acting loud and drunk I would be pissed if they kicked me out, but since I never have they always check my id, check me and let me in. Don't get drunk, don't slur, don't dress ghetto. Then this the place for you!!!! I go there because I love to dance with beautiful women that are dressed so sexy. So I don't know if you don't like that then this bar isn't for you. And women go there for sophisticated nicely dressed men. Not for the men that security are gladly turning away. Trust me ladies the security just saved you from a duschbag. Lol all the men complaining on here remember their faces because they are the dushhhhhbags. Eh but these are just my thoughts and my review, what do I know I was just raised in Albuquerque with a few ghetto friends that I wouldn't invite to QBar. Just me though I'm crazy I guess read more

I love visiting this place when I go to Albuquerque. The time is the key to a nice time for me. I usually go around 5-6pm. The vibe is really mellow and people are there relaxing with a cocktail or 2. The atmosphere is really nice and sometimes there is live music. I love the plush couches and around then it's not too packed. I love sitting and watching the cooks make the food and watching some sports or something. The food has actually been delicious every time I have gone and they don't scrimp on the drinks. The bartenders are generally really personable...one even charged my phone while there lol. After about 9pm I didn't care to stay too long. But I will continue to visit for an evening cocktail. read more

Let me start off with this a great bar. Good music, friendly and attentive bartenders. What ruined it all was a bouncer named Chris. Scrubby, overweight guy, who treats people like sh.....t. read more

Consistent Latin dancing on Thursday nights. Good atmosphere and good staff. Wish there was a bit more room to dance, but otherwise a nice night out. read more

Salsa night is awesome, the decor and design of this place, also awesome. The margaritas are WEAK WEAK WEAK!!! I drank, 6 in 2 hours and never caught a buzz. I had to ask the bar tender to make it strong because I wasn't a fan of margarita flavored sugar water, but don't want to drink JD, or crappy shots. I seriously wanted to catch a buzz and dance. We both left sober, my suggestion? Get a room and bring your own booze. read more