Boom! Tomato Cafe is alive and kicking , and still the bang for any buck. Fresh, tasty, GREAT people, and you just can't beat it. ABQ ----- go !!! read more

Went to Tomato Cafe on San Pedro the place is very small , no variety on pizzas , no games it just sucks period not good better buck for your money cici's hands down wayyyyyy better and cheaper read more

Too expensive for what it is. I could have eaten at Olive Garden for what I spent here. And it doesn't taste anywhere near as good. Spent almost $40 for 3 people. Nope. Never again. read more

This place is REALLY good. They have a buffet-type setup with salad, soup, pizza, and pasta. Everything that I have tried here is delicious. The only downside is that it is a bit pricey. For a family of four, expect to pay about $40 including a tip. Other than that, this place is great! read more

An Albuquerque original. The concept is pretty simple: Italian food buffet. You've got salads and soups, pizzas, and pastas. Also, veggies. They make sure to offer vegetarian options of everything, and even have gluten-free things as well. For the adults (or at least those over 21) they have beer and wine available. Service was excellent, even though the place was pretty busy. Expect two major demographics here: families with kids, and poor/hungry students. For ~$10 you can feed a person all they can eat, so it makes sense. read more

The food is ok... the price is right if you have a huge appetite, but don't go unless you're starving. I think it would be good for sports teams, etc. The salad is fresh, the pizza is a little greasy and the crust isn't great. That said, I still like the bread sticks that were from the same crust. The pasta is ok too. There's a variety of sauces. The raviolis are good too. They also have vanilla and chocolate ice cream. with syrups and sprinkles. read more

Wasnt sure what to expect here. It is close to home and wanted to see what it was about. It is a one price for the pizza bar. They have wine and beer too. The salad bar section of the bar is a little limited but you can make a solid salad. Just not a huge selection of extras for the salad. The pizza section is about 6 different pizzas, then 4 pastas (one whole grain) and various sauces and meatballs. The most memorable item was the red clam sauce for pasta. Definitely check that out. Overall the pizza was good and no complaints. I would say it is about quantity here not quality. Still good pizza and fast service, but if you are looking for more gourmet pizza you may want to look around. Place was pretty busy on a Saturday night, lots of families partaking in the pizza bar. They kept the bar well stocked and service was fast. read more

Love that this place lets toddlers eat free. My kid eats more then me and this place is her heaven. Salad bar is scarce but good and s nice fresh touch before hitting the pizza. Breadsticks are yummy. Pizza options are limited. But should be a type there for everyone. My fav are the green beans. And the Alfredo sauce with penne. Never lets me down. Also, all the managers are super nice here. They really go above and beyond and even come around and give stamps to the kids. I don't know their names but shout out to the manager lady with short hair and the younger blonde manager guy too. Always service with a smile and makes the experience all the better read more

Salad, soup, pizza pasta. What is there not to like??? I thought this place was very good bang for the buck. At $8.49 for lunch buffet, this was a bargain. The greens for the salad were very fresh, and even the torn up spinach wasn't mushed up. The toppings were also very fresh. What i really liked was the dressing choices. I had to have several servings so I could try them all!!! Yummy. The soups were very, very tasty. I think there was a chicken noodle and a tomato vegetable soup. The pizzas were smaller pieces. I appreciate that also, as an excuse to take several different varieties. The pasta was well done al dente. The different sauces again were a convenient excuse to try them all. I think I must have eaten more than $8.45!!!! Good, clean, friendly, delicious. Too bad it is not in my home town. Yelp 365 Challenge: 55/365 read more

Staff are nice, kids are welcome, food is constantly good. I only give 4 stars because they water down their alfredo and cheese sauces. I was almost sure about this, then today I watched the chef guy pour hot water into the sauce. I would love it and be back more except for this. read more

Pizza was ok for a buffet though they could've offered a larger variety. Great variety of sauces for pasta though. 4 types of pasta, 5 types of sauces, and 2 rupees off meatballs. Customer service is great and dining area is clean. read more

Great people and great food! We walked into the place packed with the football team. The staff kept the food flowing and the atmosphere upbeat even though very busy. Don't miss coming here when you are in town! Thanks, Deb, awesome owner. Thanks, John, awesome manager. Thanks to all the great staff. Refreshing to have great tasting, non greasy, pizza with a delicious crust. Wonderful pasta and best of all...the green beans! Don't skimp out and make sure to try the tiramisu! read more

Tomato Cafe - The face of hospitality. Owner - Deb. - Italian Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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I thought about making this a two star review, but realized that two stars might just be the result of me over-reacting to something that has annoyed me for almost a decade about Tomato Cafe. Yes, we have dined at this establishment at their first location (on Wyoming), at their second location (on Paseo) and now at their newest location (on San Pedro). The fact that they changed what was once the best posole in the greater Albuquerque metro area to what they serve now - which doesn't measure up to their original - is disappointing but I'm not letting that affect this review. So, If you accept what Tomato Cafe offers, (comfort food, quick bite and casual) and scale down your expectations accordingly, you will more than likely enjoy your experience there. The service is generally on point. The salad ingredients, two soups, several pre-made pizza selections, different types of pastas, sauces, meatballs, spinach ravioli and choice of green beans and/or broccoli are all tasty enough. It's hit or miss on whether or not each item will be hot, lukewarm or even cold. (Something we all face at most buffets). I guess the pricing is acceptable. So if you go in with lowered expectations, you will leave satisfied. Not me. I have been wondering FOR YEARS - if pizza is one of the main items you offer, AND if one of the pizzas seems to be more popular than some of the others - like the green chile and pepperoni pizza (now called the "Lobo") than WHY do you ALWAYS run out of it? Why do your customers have to wait for several minutes on any given day for another fresh pizza to replace the one from which all the slices were taken within a minute or two after you put it out? Does this happen once in a while? Is it an anomaly when this occurs? NO! It happens time and time again!! And it has FOR YEARS! What's even more exasperating is when a pizza that still has slices left on the first tray has another full tray of the same pizza sitting behind it ready to go! It is MIND-BLOWING to me that this has been the situation at Tomato Cafe for as long as we have been eating there. Also, good luck on getting freshly-made, hot, items if the cafe isn't crowded. When we were last there, only a few tables were occupied. Consequently, not only did we not get a steady-stream of freshly made items, we had to choose from many items that weren't even hot. There was one container in which the pasta was just a large clump of sticky goo. The good news is - once the place started to get more crowded, out came the hotter, fresher food. Yeah, all things considered, I am proud that I didn't let my years of frustration with Tomato Cafe cause me to go overboard while writing this review. I opted to give them a three star review instead of a two. read more

This place is AMAZING!!! Our knitting group of 6-20+ ladies was not made to feel welcome at Jason's on Holly anymore. We were in search of a new venue and Tomato Cafe was Thrilled to have us there!! They set up the tables for us, set up a standing Tues night reservation for anywhere from 10-20 people and took excellent care of us! The owner stopped by the last Tues we were there and thanked us all for coming - and we thanked for for having us! The food is wonderful, homemade, local and they offer gluten-free pizza!! Oh Yeah! They are very knowledgeable about what items on the food bar are gluten-free and helped steer my friend away from something because it had "some - not much but some" gluten in the seasoning. Excellent customer service. oh - and they donate to the community! What more could you ask for! They have invited meet-up groups to feel free to stop in week nights, they would love to have your business! and my meet-up groups was more than pleased to provide it! read more

We came through on our way to Seattle from Texas. Albuquerque was our first stop along the way. I am so glad we stopped by here! The prices are reasonable and there are a lot of healthy, delicious options. I wish there was one of these in Seattle! read more

Not bad . But if the food is warmer enough, it will be better. I went two times but felt it could be better if they took care more, little tiny things. read more

This has always been my daughter's favorite place to eat on the weekends after a week's worth of training for her various school sports. We definitely felt its absence while they were closed and moving into a new location. On that note, we went for the first time over the weekend. Food is great-- still our favorite marinara sauces, steamed veggies, and meatballs! However, the ambiance is not the same!!The lighting feels industrial and cold. Like a school classroom. Standard recessed canister bulbs. Money spent on higher light-quality bulbs would well serve the atmosphere. Also, diners can see the back door and the 'behind the scenes' of the restaurant from the dining room, which is a turn-off. The food is fabulous, but the dining experience is cold and classroom-y given the overuse of gray colors (floors, ceilings, walls, tables, chairs) and the bad lighting; and the design and layout of the dining area is not diner-friendly as far as keeping the 'backstage' of the restaurant respectfully hidden from the patrons. Oh, and only one bathroom? The whole experience feels more like eating at the birthday party room at a local trampoline park or museum than a restaurant dining space. Go for the still-awesome food, but know they did not get the ambiance right in the new location. read more

I once went to a restaurant called Platanos and was told that they were out of plantains. Tomato cafe had tomatoes but they were not so good. I started with a salad, the salad bar was pretty fresh, but there were only about a dozen items, including dressing. The tomato basil fat free dressing was way too sweet and pretty much rendered my salad inedible. Pazole soup was next. The soup was actually very tasty (I'm a pazole virgin though), nice and spicy, but I was not a huge fan of the actual pazoles. I did appreciate that it was vegetarian. Then I moved on to pizza. I recognize I am in Albuquerque and not in Italy, so I will say that the vegetarian pizza was pretty good, except the crust was dense and hard. If it had been any thicker, I wouldn't have eaten it. Pasta, I tried the green chile alfredo sauce - it was barely spicy.and not too alfredo-ey. The pasta was well done though, not too soft as one would expect at a buffet. By the time I got to the veggies I had much lower expectations. The broccoli was really mushy and over done, and the alleged garlic butter sauce was not detectable by my palate. The garlic green beans were tasty, but the beans weren't fresh, tasted like warmed up frozen. You'd do better going to whole foods to get a salad and some other prepared goodies... and at $11 a head, it wasn't even that cheap. read more

The pizza was okay. The BBQ chicken pizza was disgusting and I couldn't even finish my slice but the other other slices I had were decent enough. The pasta was okay. I just wish there was more of a variety. read more

What a kind hearted and delicious place. I am so glad to have found such a sweet gem. Earlier this morning while on a hike, someone broke into our car and stole our belongings. The owner of Tomato Cafe, Deb, was also hiking and saw our plight and kindly invited us to dinner at her restaurant. This sweet gesture turned our day around and made me believe in the kindness of humanity again :) My friend and I had a DELICIOUS dinner - I highly recommend the green chile alfredo and the veggie pizza. What a yummy restaurant, led by such a kind owner and lovely staff. I highly recommend this place and will be back for more! I felt cared for, well nourished, and happy to end such a rough day on such a sweet note and for that I am truly grateful! read more

I love this place but my last visit there was very disappointing! The manager was very rude and unhelpful to her staff. It was as if we were a bother to her day. Very disappointed with this past visit. read more

This is a great, family friendly place for a healthy variety of good food in a very family friendly environment. There is a salad bar, pizza bar (much better and fresher than most pizza bars) and pasta bar. It is a serious cut above the standard teen pizza place. Wine by the glass is a good sign. You and your kids will love it for dinner and it makes a nice lunch as well. ts hard to take your posole review seriously from a virgin, but Linda is if right-that is great vegetarian posole (that Z spelling is not so common in New Mexico). I do wish the meatballs were all beef instead of beef/pork. read more

I second Denise. This place is totally awesome. Our big family loves coming here. Not just for the great food, but for the great and accommodating service as well. Deb has done such a great job as well has her management and staff. My favorite is the veggie pizza and the meatball spaghetti. I always add a bit of the peppercorn ranch to my marinara sauce. It's soooooooooo good. read more

The Tomato Cafe used to be one of my faves, so I chose to go there for Mother's Day today. What a disappointment. It was fast food quality. My pizza was cold, the polenta was watery, and the salad bar had about 5 items. The garlic green beans were too salty to eat. Servers were nice but slow. We saw others complaining about their food, too. And the tab for all of this was over $40 for 3 people. Won't go back. read more

Good food, poor service! Mariela brought us our check 15 minutes before we were done! Assumed my daughter was 5 and charged us for the more expensive meal at first. I guess if she would have stopped by our table before hand she could have taken the time to find out. No tip! Earn your keep, I do. read more

REALLY REALLY delicious! REALLY REALLY fresh! The buffet is simple. The salad bar is small, but what they offer is garden-fresh ingredients. It's not the quantity but the QUALITY that we love! The green beans? REALLY REALLY awesome! I don't eat the pizza but my family loves it! :) Great job Tomato Cafe! read more

I'm traveling for work and staying around the corner from Tomato Cafe. I considered going to Jason's deli because I'm gluten free and figured a salad bar would work best for dinner tonight. Tomato Cafe is in the same shopping center and I decided to look them up before I made a decision. Boy, am I glad I did! Their website is handy, gives you all the information you need about the restaurant: what's on the food bar, prices, and highlighted the most important thing I was looking for, gluten free (well, and the fact that they have a wine selection; beer too but I had to give that up because of the gluten). The staff greeted me as soon as I walked in, asked me if I'd been before, and proceeded to tell me all about the restaurant. I was seated and the server came out immediately with a glass of water, asked again if I'd been there, and then asked if I was gluten free. Wow. I told her yes, so she pointed out exactly what was on the buffet that was safe for me. Every item is clearly labeled and if gluten free, labeled with a GF. I also learned that they can make any pizza into a personal gluten free pizza for $1.49! I enjoyed the green beans (they were quite tasty), tried the polenta (it wasn't for me, but wasn't bad at all), soup (both were GF), and salad bar (I have to say, it could have had a few more veggies to select from, but there were lots of dressings to choose and all were GF). I decided to order a GF pizza, it came out within 6 minutes, and was super tasty. My waitress kept my water glass filled, took away plates as I finished, and offered to box up my leftover pizza (I wasn't sure if they'd let me take it home, considering it was a buffet, but now I have 3 slices of pizza in my hotel fridge waiting for a midnight snack). I got a small cup of the soft serve (lactose intolerant friendly) ice cream, and finished up my house wine. The restaurant was clean, service was exceptional, food was fresh, and I saw several families there and the kids seemed very happy. I even saw a couple on their laptop (free wifi) and they looked to be camped out (made several trips back to the buffet while I was there and were not rushed by staff). I commented on the great GF options and the server said "she takes that very seriously." She is obviously the owner and it's clear that she is very involved in the running of her business. Family owned and it shows. If I lived here, I'd visit Tomato Cafe often. If I have a reason to come back to Albuquerque for work again, I'll make it a point to visit. read more

The bright colors of the food let you know how fresh the food is. My family always wants to go for the meatballs, fresh green beans, and the bbq pizza! I love the neighborhood feel of the restaurant and that it has a local owner. read more

Not open during dinner rush on Fridays. Going to spend my money elsewhere...another example of a poorly run local business in ABQ opening the door for more chains. I bet there will be an Olive Garden here within 12 months if they dont change their hrs. read more

My family had an awesome time at this fun, casual spot. The food and service was amazing. The owner Deb is so kind and friendly. This is a must try. read more

We love Deb and team Tomato. Service is great and food is amazing. We try to eat here at least once a week. They always accommodate our large parties and everyone has an awesome time. Good job guys read more

Polenta on the buffet?!?! I was surprised and even more so when I tasted it! Not too bad. Great place for the dime and the food was all fresh! read more

We LOVE pasta. But everything always looks so good on menus. I have the hardest time deciding what kind of pasta with what kind of sauce...then the pizza always looks good. Italian restaurants are the hardest for me to go to, SO MANY DECISIONS. That is where Tomato Cafe comes in. A food bar full of deliciousness! Small, but just enough. A few pasta choices with about 7 sauce choices. And fresh pizza. Even a small salad station. Not overwhelming, but enough combination choices to make me very happy! There are even multiple gluten free dishes to choose from. They were moderately busy this afternoon. Not sure if we even had a server, but our dirty plates were removed and our waters refilled often enough. The only minor issue was the pizza. There was enough space for 8 pizzas, but only 4 of them were being used. And of those 4, there were but 2 or 3 slices. I would have liked a bigger selection, but I didn't need it. Spent $20 for the two of us to over indulge on yummy food. We will definitely be back. Also...they are locally owned, and a sign out front says that they donate unused food at the end of every day. read more

I see no reason not to give 5 stars. The buffet was full of good food and the salad lettuce was fresh and crisp. The pizzas were great with lots of choices. The staff were super friendly and attentive. This was a very good "all you can eat" pizza and pasta joint! read more

Great place to eat. They have a little bit of everything! Pasta, soup,salads, and of course pizza! Come in the evening for dinner and they yummy ravioli too. Staff is very nice and the place is very clean too! read more

Love this place. Great hideaway when we don't feel like cooking at home. Green chili Alfredo sauce rocks the pasta here, but the pizza, and salads are also great and always fresh! read more

The food was good and we were so glad to have the restaurant opened again. However, worst service ever.... The restaurant was very busy, but since ordering off buffet no problem, just need drink refills. The lady that sat us brought drinks and said our server would be right with us. Well, it seemed we didn't have a server as no one showed up during our entire meal. I flagged down random people for drink refills and even asking one did we have a server. Sadly, I saw tables all around being waited on. When no check came, we went up front to pay our bill and left no tip. I believe this is the first time in my life that I have left no tip. But no server (service), no tip. read more

The restaurant is in a good plaza and the staff is very attentive. The food however is middle of the road, kind of like the stuff you microwave or throw in the oven from the store. You have to take these kind of restaurants for what they are: a buffet. You sacrifice quality for quantity. Definitely a place I would go to with buddies if we are just looking to eat a lot lol. If you like CiCi's Pizza, you'll like this place. read more

I've been eating here since they first opened in the 90s. Always the best service, best quality, and great price. The boys love it and always are treated like family! Love this place. One of my all time favorites. read more

This place was great! They had awesome food choices for our runners. It was healthy and tasty and the people working were friendly and charismatic. When we finished eating every single kid on our team asked if we were going to come back tomorrow! Our waiter was on point! He had our drinks out before we even finished our last and kept our kids entertained. The manager or owner came over and talked to our kids as well. Very friendly atmosphere. We will definitely come back. read more