Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Shark Reef Cafe

    3.1 (69 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Shark Reef Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    SHARK REEF CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Touristy
    Classy
    Outdoor seating

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Shark Reef Cafe

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    I just got a basket of fries and they were good aside from the price but I ordered at the table with the QR code and on the receipt it said it would be delivered to my table and after waiting for a while I hear someone yelling my name saying my orders ready and I think my order was sitting their for a while. It's a good place but if you don't deliver food to the table they shouldn't say they do.

    View from seating area of Shark Reef
    Kevin M.

    Shark reef café is one of Albuquerque's true gems. The food is excellent. I particularly recommend the sliders. It's presented in a visually effective way and is also very tasty and filling. They have a nice selection of beers on tap. It's particularly serene to sit and watch the aquatic life. I strongly recommend putting your smart phone away, and just sitting there and watching whole you enjoy the food and ambience. The staff is particularly friendly and helpful. Prices are very reasonable; it's adjacent to the botanical gardens, but you can enter the shark reef café, without going into the gardens.

    a salad in a box
    Lindsay B.

    This restaurant was so neat! You can eat right next to a gigantic fish tank and watch the sea-life swimming while you're eating. Animals I saw were all kinds of enormous fish, sting rays, sharks and even a turtle! We got the chicken salad and fish and chips and both were delicious! The food is slightly expensive, but it's totally worth it for the neat and unique atmosphere. You don't need to buy an admission fee for the zoo or aquarium-you can just go right into the restaurant. You order up at the front and then wait at your table until your order is ready-they hand out light/vibrating beepers to notify you when your food is ready. The food was served in cardboard to-go boxes - maybe for easy clean up as well as for covid precautions.... No matter where you sit, you will have a view of the giant fish tank-there are also smaller fish tanks scattered through the restaurant as well. (Everyone wants to sit close to the big fish tank but even if you sit farther from it, you might get a more comprehensive view of the whole place). I would definitely recommend this place for a visit!!!

    queso sliders & fries
    Kalie G.

    Perfect place for dinning with a view. They have comfort foods and good coffees. A must visit for an aquarium or botanical garden day.

    The Aquarium may be closed, but the Shark Reef Cafe is open.
    Laura B.

    The Aquarium is closed still, but the restaurant is open. The food is always good quality, but pricy, even with the member discount. The children's meal with Mac and cheese is good with tons of melted cheese. The cheeseburger was cooked to perfection and the French Fries are great. I love their raspberry lemonade too. The star of the show though is the huge aquarium to view large sharks, fish and a mega turtle. I do not know that the fish have seen many people during the Covid shutdown, so some of them were entertained by us, staring at us! Too funny.

    Ashley L.

    The last time we ate at the Shark Reef Cafe was before they remodeled and updated the menu. It's always been fun to eat by the shark tank but the food was nothing spectacular before. Today we stopped in to check it out and grab lunch to go. We were very happily surprised to find how fun it looked and how much the food has improved to go with the new atmosphere! Since I eat Keto, I got a cheeseburger without the bun and a coffee. Their coffee is fantastic! They even offer piñon coffee! It's self serve too with to go cups so fill up! My burger was AMAZING! It came with fresh, crisp veggies and homemade pickles. The meat itself was spiced just right and the cheese was delicious! My husband ate the homemade chips that came with my burger and loved it! He got the house salad (sans radish) with grilled chicken and balsamic dressing. He said it was fantastic! We will definitely be back to eat in and enjoy the ambience!

    Debi Ennis-Steven B.

    My wife and I went here for lunch today. She had a chicken pecan salad except it had walnuts. I had a hamburger patty between two sopapilla rolls and a ton of french fries with enchilada sauce and cheese. Both were about $12. Both meals were only mediocre. My hamburger patty was cooked to death and I ended up really only having french fries with cheese and sauce on them. My wife let me have part of her salad because she felt sorry for me. The aquarium is pretty cool. It takes up an entire wall and has sharks, Turtles, barracuda and a variety of others. I would not go there and order the food but I would buy a drink and sit and watch the fish. Be ready to shell out $4 for a soda.

    Microbrew
    Vin S.

    I give the Shark Reef Cafe four stars based on the ambiance and the service. The food would only warrant two and a half stars, however. Our server Natalie was friendly and very attentive. It was recird hot outside on the day I was there, and a cold beer sounded fantastic. Natalie told me a bit about their local microbrew offerings from Marble Brewery, so I ordered a Marble Red Ale. Turns out it was a good choice. Very refreshing! The bottle was $6.00, which is a bit high, but I went for it anyway. My friend ordered the fish and chips, which came with just two small pieces of fish and some potato chips. Most folks think "fish and chips" means fish and fries, or fish and potato wedges. Fish and potato chips doesn't work, particularly for $11.00! My companion complained a little bit, and Natalie didn't hesitate to bring him out a side order of fries. No charge. That was nice! The best part of dining here is watching the fish and sea turtles in the big saltwater aquarium. Very cool! There are also lots of smaller tanks along the walls, so nearly every seat has a great view. Try to sit near the big tank if possible for the best show.

    Great view of the big fish.
    Davin T.

    The zoo, aquarium experience was so great we didn't get a chance to get out before lunchtime so we were kind of trapped at the only food outlet at the aquarium. It was pricey and food was average, but you got to sit right next to the fish tank that house the sharks, large turtles and a variety of other amazing sights. I had the fish and chips for $14, it said french fries were an extra two dollars and if I was going I was getting potato crisps I might've gotten that option. My son went the grilled cheese kids item for $7.50, his fries came in a cute deep fryer basket. That was my favorite thing of the lunch.

    Cheese burger tower
    Denise H.

    Impressed.... Brought my kiddos here before the river of lights tour. It was very worth our trip. Walking in I wasnt sure what to expect, I found out you had to order at the counter then take a seat in the dining area. We ordered a tower of cheese burgers and the New Mexican Turkey Panini. They also have a decent list of beers and wine to choose from. The tower of cheese burgers did not disappoint, there was 4 cheese burger sliders and the tray it came out on was a bed of crispy French fries topped with fresh chopped green chile and the entire try was smothered in queso. We will definitely order this again. Next, the Turkey New Mexican was served with fresh made potato chips. The sandwich was a panini filled with sliced turkey, chopped green chile, avocado and queso. This sandwich was delicious and the chips were just as food. This cafe is a great place for date night, kiddos outing dinner, girls night out.

    Front counter

    See all

    28 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tony M.
    5000
    1300
    1408

    1 year ago

    Helpful 13
    Thanks 3
    Love this 9
    Oh no 3

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 13
    Thanks 0
    Love this 17
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Vin S.
    655
    950
    7691

    12 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    HAVE AGAIN: The strawberry, pecan, chicken salad was really good. Great place to eat just before the River of Lights.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Howie K.
    4802
    1814
    7931

    13 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 8
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of C. M.
    27
    12
    0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Amber T.
    25
    17
    54

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ellen G.
    116
    14
    0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Angela W.
    0
    825
    5129

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lisa D.
    46
    15
    0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Shark Reef Cafe

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Burgers 5,515 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Stackers Burger - Green chile cheeseburger

    Stackers Burger

    (55 reviews)

    Business Parkway/Academy Acres

    First time going to this location. I'm sad to say it wasn't as stellar as I had originally…read moreanticipated. This start off by saying the employee there was not very friendly. He walked away as I approached the counter. I was confused as I wasn't aware I had to order on the tablet on the counter. When I began using the tablet I was in search of the new mushroom burger they sent me an email yesterday about. Of course you know it's what I wanted to try. Sadly it wasn't on the menu on the tablet. When I called the employee for help I basically got the vibe he didn't want to be there and he was hesitant to approach. When he did come to the counter I asked about the burger even showed him the email to get told it's not out yet and it was coming soon. I found myself wondering why I even got the email if this was true. Needless to say the food came out really fast. I thought well that's good at least. The presentation was better than the experience. The cheese on the queso fries was pretty skimpy. There were way more fries than cheese which was disappointing. The burger I wasn't a fan of either. It needed more cheese and the stackers sauce tasted strange like it a chipotle sauce it wasn't the same as I recalled. I'm sad to say this is the second location I've had a bad experience with. It's really disappointing because I really loved this place. I guess I'll have to stick to the central food hall because so far that's the only location that hasn't disappointed me like this yet.

    Still excellent I just wanted to make sure that I didn't confuse Indian food with Pakistani food…read morebecause that could get me in real trouble went again this evening and it was still fantastic.

    Lucky Goose - The chicken sammie called the Lucky Chick'n

    Lucky Goose

    (106 reviews)

    $$

    Nob Hill

    I've had this place on my radar for a while so finally ordered delivery. I got the lucky burger and…read morethe wild style fries as well as the Cookies and Cream shake. I've had regular burgers in ABQ that weren't this good. I've never beeen a fan of Impossible meat but I couldn't tell at all in this delicious, good sized burger. The Wild Style fries are Similiary to Animal Fries and just as good. And I was only going to drink a little of the milk shake but drank the whole thing. Good value, especially for a vegan meal. I will definitely order from here again.

    Let me start out by saying I've been aware of the lucky Goose for quite some time but had not…read morethought of it when I'm going out... not until today. Though I'm not vegan I was very excited at the prospect of having a good meal that is vegan. Unfortunately, we had disappointing experience. Food: so-so... I had the triple patty, lucky burger, my partner had the double lucky double burger minus one patty. We shared the lucky fries. The total was just under $30. My partner eats light, but he did not realize how thin a single burger actually was. He said if he went back, he would definitely have the double patty next time because that's still not equal to one patty in most places. The triple lucky that I had was just messy. I ate it with knife and fork on the paper that covered the tray on which it was served. Between the messiness, the soft bun (not toasted) and having to use a knife & fork to eat it off a piece of paper covering the tray on which all the food was served was not a great eating experience. Finally, the french fries the lucky fries, was just the regular basket of fries with their lucky toppings. The amount of toppings was so light as to be ridiculous given the amount of the up charge. Service: Zero charm, Zero finesse! I, in principle, DO NOT ever leave a gratuity with my order on these iPads where the order is taken totaled and paid for. Simply put, tipping before service makes no sense to me. There were two females working the counter and serving the food. The only pleasant moment in all of it was when the female who took our order also served the table. She put the tray down and was very sweet in her presentation, which was brief. We both could not help thinking it might have been because we had the cash gratuity sitting out on the table. I have no way of knowing if that was it or not, but given the quality of interaction with these two females up to that point... I did address this with them both before we left. I feel like I was gentle, but also to the point. When a female apparently became so upset that she had remove herself and the second female hung in with a lot of bravado, making an absolutely insincere apology... Ending it with "I don't know what else to say". My response to that was "something with a little sincerity would be helpful". Ambience: the lounge area was very inviting, but unfortunately, when we entered into it, the gentleman behind the bar informed us that it was closing for the day. The dining area was more than sufficient comfortable no complaints. Apparently, we've missed the hey-day of the Lucky Goose because based on this experience, I would guess that it is on its way out.

    3128 Social House - Steak & Potatoes

    3128 Social House

    (72 reviews)

    Nob Hill

    I had an absolutely flawless dinner here today, and I'm officially calling it one of the best spots…read morein Albuquerque. If you're in Nob Hill and looking for a meal that actually delivers on every level, this is it. The steak was prepared to perfection incredible sear, juicy, and the toppings added such a sophisticated layer of flavor. Even the presentation was high-end; you can tell the kitchen really takes pride in their craft. Beyond the food, the vibe is spot on. The ambiance is stylish and perfect for a night out, and the service was 10/10. The staff was attentive and made the whole evening feel like a priority. I'm giving this place full marks for food, service, and atmosphere. I'll definitely be back for another round!

    I've been here twice now, and my first experience was way better than last night…read more Our waiter was pretty, obviously out of it, potentially high, and at one point her clothing actually brushed the food on the table as she went to rearrange plates on our table top. She also seemed very distracted and did not have good recall when we were putting in our orders. She came back several times to ask what our drink orders were before finally bringing over the tablet to enter in the information right in front of us. Secondly, our food took forever to come. This also happened the first time we came to eat at social house a year ago, but it felt more pronounced this time. And the restaurant was not full. Probably a third full of patrons? We were seated at 6:45 and our food did not arrive until 830. Quite the wait if you ask me. Finally, the kitchen was having some sort of smoke issue. If you've never been in an establishment where the grease smell and smoke is visibly accumulating in the air, you know it's quite distracting from a dining experience. It was so smoky inside. I actually caught myself blinking my eyes to see if it was just my vision being blurry or if it was the room. Our food was fine, the pork belly was a standout. Otherwise, I'm not sure I need to come here again. I wish that they would get a better handle on service timing, because that seems to be an ongoing issue.

    Sixty Six Acres - Shishito Peppers - not spicy. Still very good.

    Sixty Six Acres

    (542 reviews)

    $$

    North Valley/Los Ranchos

    I was traveling across the country and had a stay in Albuquerque and was lucky enough to be staying…read moreat a hotel right around the corner from Sixty Six Acres. First on service - I ordered carry out, and the woman who took my order over the phone was extremely kind. She also was the one who helped me once I arrived to pick up my food, and she was just as kind in person. It truly seemed like the entire staff was very customer centric. Food - holy cow it was great! I had the sixty six burger with the hatch chilis, and it was a phenomenal burger. Highly recommend upgrading to the truffle fries, worth the extra two bucks!! If I lived here I know I would be a regular and ensure I tried out the entire menu!

    We went in on a Friday evening right at 5 to avoid any dinner rush. We were seated immediately and…read morebrought water right away. We planned to split some small app's and one entree. We went with the Korean Chicken bites, the Margarita Flatbread, & the green chilli cheeseburger. The Chicken bites were terrible. Taste wasn't great at all, they were very very fried, but not in a good way. I love some good crunchy fried chicken but these just were not it! The flavor, the texture, none of it was right. The Margarita Flatbread was med. Taste was pretty good, but it was soggy and didn't hold up well at all. That said it was the best of the 3 things we did get. Unfortunately, that's not saying much..... The burger was okay also. Not bad by any means, but nothing special at all either....considering there's a burger place next door I thought the burger would be able to compete with the neighbor, but trust me if you want a burger, go next door! They don't put sauce on it at all, no nothing. Just straight up patty, cheese and bun. Only my 6 year old cousin eats like that.....I did add some mayo and ketchup, which helped, but still not a great burger.... The bun didn't add much for us either, even though it was baked in house with green chilli....A simple brioche would be better imo... The fries with the burger were actually the best single item of the experience. Their fries are really good! So good that I was going to eat every single one of them but instead my waiter just came and took my plate before I had finished the last 10 or so. No are you finished yet, or anything, just grabbed it, turned and left. I was so shocked I didn't even have time to say I'm not done with that. He left the crummy chicken bites we weren't eating though..... LOL Seriously don't touch my plate unless it's empty, or you ask first! Since it was a small amount I let it slide and didn't reduce his tip because the rest of the service was actually pretty good overall..... I definitely 100% will not be back here though, there's much better food in the area.

    Shark Reef Cafe - burgers - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...