A Student’s Guide to Eating Around Our Old Town Campus

One of the quiet perks of training at Aveda Institute New Mexico is the neighborhood itself. Our campus sits at 1816 Central Ave SW, right at the edge of historic Old Town, which means some of Albuquerque’s most beloved New Mexican kitchens are a short walk from the student floor. When you are putting in 1,600 hours toward your cosmetology license, where you spend your lunch break matters. Here are three local institutions our students lean on, each one a genuine reason to look forward to the lunch break.

• Duran’s Central Pharmacy serves some of the most respected red and green chile in the state, a few minutes up Central.
• Garcia’s Kitchen is practically next door and cooks an all-day New Mexican breakfast ready on any schedule.
• Old Town Pizza Parlor brings green chile to a classic pizza, an easy walk toward the Plaza when you want something different.

Duran’s Central Pharmacy: chile with a reputation

Tucked inside a working pharmacy at 1815 Central Ave NW, Duran’s is the kind of place that confuses out-of-towners and delights locals. The Duran family has been filling prescriptions here since 1942 and filling plates since the soda fountain became a diner in the mid-1960s. What keeps the line out the door is the chile. Duran’s red is famously honest, built on the pod with a touch of garlic and salt rather than the cumin that muddies lesser versions, and it has earned best-of-Burque honors more than once. Order a combination plate, watch the tortillas come out by hand, and you will understand why this counter is a rite of passage for anyone living or studying in the neighborhood.

Garcia’s Kitchen: breakfast any hour

If Duran’s is the short drive, Garcia’s Kitchen is the short walk. The original location sits at 1736 Central Ave SW, the same street as campus and only a block or two east. Garcia’s has been an Albuquerque favorite since 1975, and the draw for students is simple: they serve breakfast at any hour. A green chile breakfast burrito between a color class and a cutting class is one of the better ideas you will have all week. Regulars point to the carne adovada as some of the best in the city, and the menu runs deep into blue corn enchiladas, green chile cheeseburgers, and stuffed sopapillas when you want a real sit-down meal.

Old Town Pizza Parlor: green chile on a classic pie

Some days you want comfort food that is not a plate of chile, and that is where Old Town Pizza Parlor earns its place. Family owned and operated since 2008, it sits at 108 Rio Grande Blvd NW, on the southern tip of the Old Town Plaza, a pleasant walk north from campus. Owner Nilo Gonzalez has spent more than two decades in the business, and it shows in the simple, well-made pizzas, calzones, and pastas. New Mexico still works its way onto the menu in the green chile pizza and the green chile Alfredo, so you can have a slice and keep the local flavor at the same time. It is a relaxed spot to land when a group of you wants to share a table.

The neighborhood is part of the education

Old Town gives our students galleries, coffee, the Plaza, and restaurants like these three kitchens, all within reach of AVEDA Institute. It is a small thing that turns out to matter, the difference between grabbing whatever is nearest and actually enjoying where you train. When prospective students tour AINM, the location surprises them.

If you are considering a career in beauty and want to see the campus and the neighborhood for yourself, come visit. Explore our Cosmetology and Esthiology programs, ask our team about FAFSA and start dates, and schedule a tour. New cohorts begin in July, and lunch is on you.

Aveda Institute New Mexico
1816 Central Ave SW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
505.294.5333