The food was good - but not a huge variety. Will definitely bring the kids to give it a try. Double white made a huge difference! read more

Tomato Cafe - Trying an Italian bar for the very first time! - Italian Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Great family Italian joint! We ordered online, the process was quick & easy, and we were sent an email with a pickup time. Our food was ready on time, we called when we arrived and they brought it out to our car, hot & ready to go! We got spinach ravioli, alfredo pasta, garlic green beans, family size salad with peppercorn dressing, and meatballs. The only thing that was so-so was the meatballs, they were a bit small and not up to my standards. $30 bucks for all of this, plenty of leftovers for a family of 3 - fresh, great flavors, & tasty! Good job Tomato Cafe! (Sorry, I forgot to get pics) read more

Good buffet (although I sometimes get here and Sweet Tomatoes mixed up...). From my understanding, the place has recently been redone. Salads, soups, pizza, pasta, ice cream- all your staples and an Italian food lover's paradise, but my favorite by far would be cheesy breadsticks read more

We've been following Tomato Cafe around for a while, to all its various locations. I think I like this newest location the best. I've been coming for my birthday for the past few years. I like the openness of the restaurant. It isn't too stuffy and the food is good. They have a big buffet with different sections; salad, pizza, pasta, sauces and veggies. I am a huge fan of the Greek salad dressing. I like the saltiness and tanginess. I even dip my pizza crust in it! The salad bar is just pizza toppings plus lettuce. I don't mind. They are fresh and crisp, which is more than I can say for places like Sizzler that pride themselves on their salad bars. The vegetarian posole is my favorite. I love the beans and hominy combination. The tomato basil soup is usually good, too. I only really ever eat the pepperoni pizza, but they have several kinds. The veggie pizza is just blah, however. The pastas are not overcooked, nor gummy. There are several good sauces, most tomato based. I tried an artichoke sausage one the other day that was delicious. In the same section, there are green beans and broccoli, along with some ravioli and meatballs. I like all of it, except the meatballs, which I think have a strange texture. Everyone else loves, them, however. The servers are always attentive and are good about clearing plates and refilling drinks. I will continue to go back, year after year. (As long as I can find them!) read more

Food was cold- specifically the sauces, meatballs, broccoli and green beans. Then I found out that our waiter didn't wash his hands- my Father was right after the guy, he opened the stall then opened the door to go back to work, he didn't even use water let alone soap! Tomato cafe has been my favorite for years but it's gone so far downhill under the new manager read more

Waiter was very nice and was good service. Pizza was cold and hard. There was a roach that came on our table and another crawling on the ground. read more

Been coming here since I was a kid in the 90s and now I'm bringing my daughter! The quality has always been amazing.

This is one of our eat-out mainstays.my husband and son are both picky eaters and neither will touch vegetables. That usually means I don't get as many vegetables as I should when we are cooking at home. At Tomato Cafe, the guys can get their pizza and breadsticks, my son can get meatballs (in addition to his usual carbs) and I can get... Drum roll please... Vegetables!!! Some days I'm in the mood for salad, some days I want a big old plate of their garlic sesame green beans, and some days I just want a slice of veggie pizza with a side of steamed broccoli and a bowl of marinara to dip it in. It's all available at the Tomato Cafe. Plus, when the little one eats well, we have the option of self-serve ice cream as an after dinner treat. Win/win/win! The service has always been prompt and friendly, and we usually see the owners and the general manager. It's got the vibe of a family place and my boy lives for the tomato stamp they give all the kids. I really appreciate that there's a family owned restaurant that consistently focuses on a variety of fresh, hot, healthy options (and not so healthy if you're in the mood for those, but it's made with quality ingredients.) My family loves that it's all tasty, and you can eat literally 2 minutes after walking in the front door. We love you, Tomato Cafe! read more

You're not going to get top notch Italian cuisine here, but you shouldn't be expecting that with these prices and the value you get. It's good food, not much of a variety, but you got your spaghetti, your ravioli, your assortment of pizza, and various sauces. One of the top places for kids. Bring mine here all the time. Family friendly atmosphere and, of course, you got the ice cream machine at the end to ensure they leave with a smile on their face. Docked one star only because it could use a little bit more variety for a buffet style restaurant, but if I could it'd only be half a star. Definitely recommend, especially for families with young'ns! read more

Quick and easy buffet is kid friendly. Much smaller scale than CiCis pizza bit more pasta options. More sauces with more pasta options is jey, especially since the pasta is not over cooked. Service is great. Dirty plates rarely sat at any table more than a couple of minutes and our drinks were very rarely below half. read more

Amy greeted us and was very friendly and helpful. We are from out of state, so she explained how to navigate the all-you-can-eat food bar and told us about their GF options. She worked here during high school and now she's happy to be back post-covid, and we could tell by her knowledge and attitude. The cafe was bright, spacious, and very clean. The salad was fresh and the pizza was hot. The pastas, sauces, spinach ravioli, and meatballs were awesome. The prices were very reasonable and family friendly, they also offer a senior price. We will definitely be back when we are in town! read more

I love Tomato Cafe. I have loved them in every location. Tomato Cafe has my favorite marinara ever. Service is excellent. Salad Bar is small but tasty and very fresh. Pizza or pasta? The thin crust pizza is delicious. Mama Leoni's is my favorite. When I get pasta, I get a bowl for Marinara on one side, Green Chile Alfredo on the side. I get a taste of each as they commingle. Excellent! Soft serve dessert is good. read more

I've drove past this Cafe multiple times ever since I moved into the area & it called my attention because I love Italian food & this is an Italian food bar! I gave it a go a few days ago & it wasn't too darn bad! It's in a nice location around many other businesses, parking is decent, the place is very clean & well put together & staff is very kind & attentive. There's somebody at the door who greets you (we assumed this might be the owner or some sort of manager due to them being dressed differently--also, I may have caught her in one of the pictures for the seating area by accident lol), we were sat down as fast as we walked in, our waitress came to our table, let us know how the process worked, took our orders for drinks and we were on our way to the bar. At first glance, you'll notice there isn't too many options but they're pretty decent. There is salads, pastas, different sauces, EVEN VEGETARIAN POSOLE (which I thought was cool)!!! I didn't actually try it because I wasn't in the mood for posole, but my friend said it was good! They do have ice cream available in chocolate & vanilla, you can also get a swirl & there is caramel, chocolate or butterscotch syrup. The cups for the ice cream are super small but there's no limit since it comes included within the price. You either get dinner price or lunch price. Tiramisu & other options are available at an extra cost. If I'm being honest, this is a nice place to go eat if you just need some food in your tummy. The pizza was decent & so was everything else but there was nothing I ate that made an impression on me or made the food memorable. To me, this is a place you'd go to if you don't feel like cooking but want something that will taste like the food you can make at home. Like I said, it doesn't have a bad taste, it's well done, just not impressive in any way. The customer service is great though so we will absolutely be back. They have a whole bunch of seating available & it's actually a pretty busy place. I always recommend for people to try something even if I can't give it 5 stars (unless it's suuuuuper horrible in any way, shape or form). But customer service goes a long way & this place has that! The downside is there is only one restroom & it's gender neutral. Other than that, not too bad, Tomato Cafe! read more

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Wife wanted to come here for the first time, must say I enjoyed it. Service was good, front receptionist could use customer service but wait staff took her rudeness away. Great food for the price. I will be back. read more

Tomato Cafe - Salad and soup....good :) - Italian Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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If you have people with particular diets, want all they can eat, and enjoy a decent selection, this place does it right. The service here is sooooo awesome. I haven't had a bad trip to Tomato Cafe. This place has almost all the veggies you can handle with a variety of different salad toppings and dressings. The pizza here is ok, the green chile isn't really spicy but their green chile alfredo sauce is on point...TRY IT! you know you want to. Very clean establishment and had a good time here. read more

Tomato Cafe - Pizza anyone - Italian Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

What's the worst thing I can say about the Tomato Cafe? Ice cream was sooo cold. Salad was fresh and crisp, pizza was tasty (not the best ever) and pasta with sauce was good, again not best ever. Food is good but not excellent, service was very good and prices are right read more

Been here a few times since this new location opened up. Very disappointed! Pizza buffet with an empty bar. I loved the green beans at the original Tomato Cafe and these don't even compare. Seating is cramped, can't get up without hitting the person behind me. My kids weren't offered a tomato stamp which is kind of a staple. Miss the original owner and staff! Seemed as though when we came in the first week they were aiming to do fill her shoes. Not so much. read more

Tomato Cafe - Italian Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

My wife and I prefer local eateries over chains any day. So on an sunny Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago, we decided to give this place a shot after hearing that they donated a portion of their proceeds to various local charities. We had our 13 y.o. daughter and 2 and a half y.o. son in tow. Now my son is a rambunctious and sweet kid who gets impatient ... like any 2 y.o. The food was good. Great pizza and very nice pastas with some decent sauces. We certainly enjoyed the food and their kids gave their seal of approval as well. Our waiter was overworked but did his best. What prevents a higher rating is the owner and the clientele. The clientele seem to think that they were something special or at least they did this particular morning. I saw people walking by and rolling their eyes at my son and he started singing at the table. Last time I checked, it was supposed to be a family place. I saw another teen girl bump my daughter as she felt she needed to get to the buffet line first without a word of apology. I saw some adults cut the line in front of school aged kids without so much as a glance or even the semblance of apology. While some families were courteous and waited their turns, there were vastly outnumbered by the self-important people who seem to inhabit the NE Heights. The owner wasn't much better. My wife took my son out side for a walk and when she returned she interrogated my wife as to where she was sitting and with whom. When my wife explained she had take my son outside so that he wouldn't disturb the others, she seemed exasperated and apologized half heartedly. It seems some people and some businesses forget that all green spends the same. read more

Food is fresh & really tasty! I saw the staff constantly checking the food & rotating out anything that wasn't the freshest anymore. I really appreciated that. Decent prices. FYI, dinner starts at 4pm & you pay when you're done, so expect dinner prices if you're still eating after 4pm. Our waitress was great about letting us know our options since we were finishing up very close to 4pm. Dinner & weekends include additional options of spinach & cheese ravioli and all beef meatballs (in addition to the beef/pork meatballs they have all the time). I'll definitely be back! read more

Went there for the first time last night. Salad was good, pizza tasted great, and really liked the crust (not too bready). Pasta noodles cooked correctly, really enjoyed the spinach raviolis. The plain Alfredo sauce was so-so, but the green chile Alfredo sauce was full of flavor. My son even joked about wanting to take the sauce as his prom date this year. Service was stellar, super friendly and on top of things. read more

Absolutely delicious food! My only complaint is that there is not a bigger variety of options, but what they do have there is flavorful and cooked to perfection. It's hard going to buffets sometimes because it can be a hit or miss in that type of restaurant but even buffet-style, the food hit the spot. You can tell they keep on top of things and keep everything fresh. The new location is definitely better than the last as far as layout and space. read more

Went to the cafe with my sister and son. Food was fresh because they make a new pizza every 10 minutes. I have to say that the green chili Alfredo sauce was my favorite and the vegetable soup was delicious read more

On a Sunday night this place is jumping. A great place for kids who want to pick out what they like and teenagers who can't ever get filled. Friendly helpful servers and wonderful salad, pizza, pastas and vegetables. Can't beat the green beans and broccoli. read more

Best cafe in Albuquerque, we drive from Amarillo, TX. There is something here for everyone, the pozole is outstanding. If you haven't tried you are missing out! read more

I've been coming here since I was a small child and I still love it! Very family friendly atmosphere and the food is always great! Staff is always more than accommodating and kind and we will continue to keep coming back! read more

Some reviewers seem down on Tomato Cafe, but I like the place. Buffet-style dining with salad, soups, multiple pizzas, pastas, sauces, and veggies. But the food quality is gourmet-level and the prices are surprisingly good for what you get (Adults $8.49 lunch or $10.49 dinner; kids $5). It's quick, the food is excellent and you don't break the bank. Plus the place is spotless. What, exactly, is not to like? Salad - Not a huge variety of toppings, but the greens are crisp and unwilted, and everything is super fresh and ripe, including the namesake tomatoes. And they offer a fine choice of dressings, including some interesting vinaigrettes. My salad was most excellent. To the people who complained about variety, the name of the place is not "Tomato's Salad Bar Extravaganza." If you really must have your baby corns, go to Wendy's. Pizza - Thin crust, very high quality and delicious. Replenished often so very fresh Pasta - Not my thing in general, but several choices with multiple sauces; Definitely not the "out of the box" style; The meatballs were homemade and fantastic - I ate these as a separate side dish Homemade Soups - I tried the vegetarian posole and tomato-basil. Both were excellent but I especially enjoyed the posole - who knew it could be so good w/o the pork? Veggies - steamed broccoli was perfectly cooked; garlic string beans were phenomenal (if you like garlic) And one more thing: any place that can please both me and my picky daughters with exactly the same selection gets a thumbs up any day! read more

The food is just ok. People let their kids go up cough all over the food and no one is cleaning anything up. The servers are slow and unresponsive even though all they are providing is drinks. I had to ask for my check waited 10 minutes. Then had to wait another 5 minutes even though I put the money in while the server standing there. Waited for change another 10 minutes had to go searching for the server. The. He says let me get change he proceeds to talk to the pizza maker waited another 5 minutes. Then he comes out with the manager to get change she didn't say anything I said customer service was terrible. The manager said "kiss my ass". No wonder they are only open 4 days a week. The owner needs to take a serious look at what's going on or it's Ute to close. read more

Freshest food buffet I've been to in Albuquerque and it was tasty. Especially enjoyed the veggie pizza with a little Marinara sauce to dip the crust in. Pizzas are thin crust, and several pasta sauces and salad choices. Service was friendly and the restaurant clean. The Arnold Palmer was fairly artificial tasting so I'll stick to water next time. Location and parking a bit of a mess, but what doesn't have that problem along the Paseo food corridor? read more

Fantastic! Service with an exceptional smile, done right with basic, tasty ingredients. The salad was fresh and crisp. Pizza was good, pastas were properly cooked and the sauces were all top notch. Drinks were very reasonable and the kids left happy. We walked in with a supervisor greeting us with an open door, and left with the owner giving our kids hand-stamps and smiles. We will be back! Everyone of the staff was friendly and happy. The establishment is kept VERY clean and the buffet is never sloppy. Neighborhood prices on alcohol and sippy cups for the kids makes for happy parents. I love great customer service and love being a valued customer. read more

My boss brought us here for a reward lunch and my initial reaction was "Is our company in trouble?" I thought the salad portion of the buffet was missing a few basic fix-in's. The pizza was alright. Nothing to write home about. I really liked the pasta bar. I think that made the meal. The soft serve machine offered vanilla, chocolate and swirl. Very standard. If you seek simplicity, eat here. If you are looking for something to tantalize your taste buds, pick another venue. read more

UPDATE: I am downgrading my review of this place due to the consistently poor, slow service. I know - it's a buffet right? You'd think service doesn't matter. But it does and here's why. You can't get your drinks (even water) or your check without a wait person. And the servers are slow, disinterested, and frankly downright worthless most of the time. I continue to come to this place hoping that one day I will get a good server. So far - it's never happened. I'm dropping it from my favorites list. -------- Italian pizza and salad bar buffet - midrange to high priced but the pizza is delicious. There are vegetarian options which I like. The service can be very iffy. I'd probably give them 3.5 stars if I could. One day you get a very attentive server - the next - kids more interested in hooking up than bringing you drinks. The dinner is slightly expanded and includes more pasta options. The soups are very well done. All the food tastes fresh and good. One other small complaint is that the menu NEVER changes. It's the same thing EVERY TIME YOU GO! So I don't go THAT often because I know it will always be the same choices. If they offered slightly more salad toppings, changed out the pizza type more often, and did away with the servers and let you get your drinks self-serve, this could easily be a five star place. read more

I'm giving the Tomato Cafe an overall rating of 5 stars for a number of reasons. 1st, considering it is a buffet style restaurant, the food is fresh and obviously made with quality ingredients. 2nd, the establishment is clean and very family friendly. I have two little ones and given the choice they choose Tomato Cafe 10 times out of 10. 3rd, the owner is super friendly and engaging, but not overwhelmingly. Loves the little ones and they enjoy when she comes around with her tomato stamp. 4th, they have a wine selection to compliment the Italian-American cuisine. 5th, there is chocolate and vanilla soft serve for dessert! 6th, there is chocolate and vanilla soft serve for dessert! I should also note that I read some of the more , what I would consider, unfairly negative reviews and would advise first timers to remember that this is a family friendly buffet style restaurant with quality ingredients. If you are looking for a more traditional pizza or pasta experience you can undoubtedly find one in Albuquerque. Keeping that in mind I see no reason to give this establishment unfairly base and judgmental reviews. Furthermore, did I mention that there is chocolate and vanilla soft serve for dessert? read more

I've been a loyal customer for years. I love the food and the service is top notch. They are in their new location just east of Target on Paseo and San Pedro. Still my favorite eatery in town. read more

I think this place was better by a little then I expected. The food seemed to be pretty fresh. The salad bar items were crisp and there was a decent selection of veggies. Most importantly there was none of the dreaded Ice Berg anywhere. As for the pizza, it was decent, not great but not horrible either. The pasta was pasta nothing spectacular there. it was nice that they had a Whole Wheat one also. The I believe five sauces were good not home made good but okay. Overall I might visit this place once every 2-3 months if I lived here. Price wise I think it is a little expensive but that is because this town has some of the cheapest eats of anywhere in the nation. If you want Mexican/New Mexican style food you are going to pay around $5-8 for dinner per person. This was $11. read more

I love this small local business! Great food and friendly service! The vegetarian posole lifts my spirits on cloudy days! The owner is often manning the front, seating tables and running the cash register. He even remembered me from previous visits long ago. read more

Check in for a free bottomless drink, worth $2.49. This place is great for families. The pricing is tiered, based on the kids' ages. You can eat healthfully or you can stuff yourself with pasta and pizza. Everything is good and fresh--especially the salad; great salad bar. I like their meatballs and sauce. There's a frozen yogurt machine that offers chocolate, vanilla, or a swirl and you can drizzle chocolate or butterscotch sauce over the top. It seems like they advertise it as (or used to) lactose free, which is a little strange since they serve pizza with cheese, but whatever. Really, no complaints. The service can be a little spotty sometimes, but even then it's not that bad. We usually spend around $40-$50 for a family of 4, so it's not the cheapest meal in town (particularly because if we go, it tends to be on a Saturday for lunch). read more

Before I begin my review I feel it is only fair to state that I'm not a huge fan of budget or mid-range Italian food - if I'm going to eat it, it is generally going to be the fancy schmancy stuff. Mostly that's because of the same reasons I wasn't blown away by Tomato Cafe. Another reviewer mentioned that the food was cardboardy... and I wouldn't say that he was completely wrong. In fact, the pizza was quite shameful... hardly worthy of being called pizza. The pasta and meatballs, on the other hand, were decent and at least had fair texture and flavor. Was the food edible? Sure. Was it delicious? Not really. The real problem lies in the rest of the story. You see, the buffet was $11 or so + drinks. That's pretty steep for a plateful or two of food I didn't really enjoy. But even that I can kind of justify because theoretically I could have eaten a lot (I didn't) and so the price might have been justified. What tips this place into the 2-star category is the fact that the service was terrible. The first thing our waiter did was complain that he was overworked (dude, it's a freaking buffet - all you do is fill drinks!!) and then never bothered to check in on us or actually fill our drinks until we were about to leave. Then when we got our checks he pulled a very tacky no-no and picked up our paid checks before we left the table because he wanted to go home. Seriously?? Looking back at it, I wish I wouldn't have tipped (yes, I know that that is a mortal sin in the Yelp community). Anyways, go here if you don't expect much out of your meal or service. The only thing I can really say about my trip here was that the company I ate with was enjoyable. Had it not been for eating with friends this would have been a 1-star review. read more

New look is fresh, with the same excellent / consistent taste! This location is tucked away along a strip mall just east of Lowe's on Paso Del Norte. They are clean, friendly, and the food always prepared in smaller portions so it is fresh. Wide variety of food for a very responsible price. My family loves going to Tomato Cafe and we will return to support our local business!! read more

Tomato Cafe is the best!! If you want fresh food & a friendly staff, visit here. They have a great selection of pizzas, pastas, and salad. It's buffet style so eat what you want & sample everything! Ravioli & broccoli is my fav! Also the polenta with some Alfredo sauce on top, yummy!! read more

I'm a vegetarian and I don't eat flesh of any kind, not even shellfish. This is a disclaimer. The salad bar was paltry. I expected 20 feet. This is 3 feet. The main course was various pizzas, probably 7 - all thin crust and the usual combos. The vegetarian model was a joke and cold. Pastas were the other main course and it was good. Pick from 3 pastas (spaghetti, linguini and rottinni (?)) and dip the sauce you like from 5 choices. I chose linguini and the roasted eggplant sauce. It was nice enough. The dessert was a bummer. An ice-cream machine barely cranked out the worst ice-ice flavored vanilla cream. There was butterscotch and Hersheys for a topping and that was it, a lonely ice generating machine in the corner. The price of $8.49 plus overly priced iced tea at $2.25 meant I spent over $11 for a quick lunch. The service was exceptional though and I spent another $2 for that so nearly $14 puts me at a very decent restaurant for lunch, otherwise. read more