Two Cranes Bistro + Brew image

Two Cranes Bistro + Brew

Restaurant Cafe Bar Coffee shop Bar and grill Wine bar Sports bar Juice shop

😐 The food was mediocre. The wait staff were attentive once we got their attention. The appetizer we got had velveta cheese in it??? Just why? If I'm going to a sit down restaurant I do not want processed cheese product. The salad I ordered was pretty good. I also ordered a small side of chicken and t... People often mention good, staff, great, menu, drinks, pretty, service, server, chicken, time,


Address

901 Rio Grande Blvd NW 190 & 192 Suite A, Albuquerque, NM 87104

Website

www.twocranesnm.com

Contact

(505) 295-3970

Price rating

$$ $$

Rating on Google Maps

4.40 (550 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: good (22) staff (16) great (12) menu (11) drinks (11) pretty (10) service (10) server (9) chicken (8) time (8)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 4/5 Ryan H. 2 years ago on Google
    I got the green chili cheeseburger. The menu warned me that it came with American cheese, so I was able to change that to Swiss, but it didn't warn me that it had mayo on it. That was my bad, I should have asked, but I was able to scrape it off pretty easily. The burger tasted good, although I was surprised that there were actual green chilis instead of a green chili salsa like everyone else puts in everything in Albuquerque. I was a little afraid that it would build up and be over my spiciness tolerance, but it was fine. The fries were hot and well seasoned. I did have to ration the ketchup a bit to make sure I had enough for my fries after putting some on my burger. The restaurant wasn't very busy, but the three people working the bar and the tables seemed pretty occupied.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Angel M. 8 months ago on Google
    The food was mediocre. The wait staff were attentive once we got their attention. The appetizer we got had velveta cheese in it??? Just why? If I'm going to a sit down restaurant I do not want processed cheese product. The salad I ordered was pretty good. I also ordered a small side of chicken and that was very flavorful. I needed it to get the feeling of plastic cheese out of my mouth.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Melissa M. 1 year ago on Google
    Went here for dinner as part of a large group (12 people!). They accommodated our group, let us reserve tables, and helped us add more tables as people arrived. We were in the back area and it got really loud back there, it was hard to hear after awhile. The setting and vibe are really nice, simple but nice decor. Some cool paintings on the walls. I ordered the shrimp scampi, which was nicely plated, appropriate pasta portion, and big juicy shrimp that were perfectly cooked. The wine sauce was tart and delicious. I got a lavender lemonade and asked the server to add vodka to it and he hooked me up! They do serve a lavender lemon drop, but I wanted a full size drink. He charged me $13 for vodka on the bill, no charge for the lemonade. It was worth it. There were so many good looking options on the menu, I’ll definitely head back to try more food dishes. Heads up: the parking situation can be tricky. It fills up fast from the other businesses, and parking is spread out around the buildings in the shopping center, so you might have to walk a bit if it’s busy. I had to park far away on the other side of a building.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Shaun M. 2 years ago on Google
    Amazing spot for local beer! Majority of taps are local and the bar tender was very friendly and helpful in selecting what beers we might like. If you like small but fun local spots and beer, this is the spot for you!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Bill B. 2 years ago on Google
    They were very busy and only two staff members up front which one stayed mostly behind the bar. The draft beer I got was great but the bottle of bud lite my wife received was very warm. The wait staff brought a chilled glass and he explained they have told the owners about the issue. She couldn't finish. The staff was short handed but very professional and damn good at there job. The food was excellent. Prime rib sandwich and truffle mac and cheese was shared and both were perfectly prepared. Fix the beer fridge and get more staff and you would have deserved more than 5 stars.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Thelander H. 5 months ago on Google
    Wonderful patio, amazing menu, delicious food, great service, convenient bike racks and easy access to bike trails. Two Crain's has it all!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sal B. 1 year ago on Google
    Great place and good food. I haven't had a bad experience here since we've been there (4-5x). I have tried different foods every time and each time I have enjoyed it. The drinks are good as much as the staff. The only down fall I see here is the restroom...there is only one. Other than that great location, great food and drinks!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Hope M. 11 months ago on Google
    Really disappointed with the lack of customer service. We called two weeks in advance to book a table of five for Mother’s Day. When we arrived they never reserved us a table, even though they had reservation signs; we were told to seat ourselves. The only table that seated five was dirty, there were no servers available so we had to ask the bartender to wipe it down. Although the food was satisfactory, part of dining out (especially on a holiday) is the experience. Throughout our entire meal we never got a waiter nor did we have trash or dishes cleared from our table. We had to get up and ask the bartender for water, drinks, bussing services, etc… so much for a relaxing meal on Mother’s Day. Definitely won’t return.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Anthony 8 months ago on Google
    Really good food. I got the philly cheesesteak and was a great pick. The sweet potato fries were also amazing, this was a great area for this place. Would recommend 10/10.

  • 3/5 Leon B. 8 months ago on Google
    Located near a hotel, kind of off the normal tourist area. Plenty of seating, only two servers for the whole place so service was a bit slow. I got the Buffalo chicken strips which were a bit over powering. My wife got the Sriracha rolled tacos, which is an odd combination, but she liked them, even though they were a bit spicy. Decent beer selection on tap, but it seems they were out of a few of them.

  • 5/5 Kerry H. 5 months ago on Google
    Let’s just start with awesomeness!! My wife and I are from Dallas and just stumbled upon this place heading to Old Town. It’s a laid back vibe and the staff was awesome. They gave us great recommendations and the food was amazing. Really spot on with the wine pairing for the shrimp scampi. If we lived here we would be back. Kimberly and Alexa were awesome.

  • 2/5 Michelle P. 5 months ago on Google
    First off, I would not call this place a Bistro, It's more of an over priced bar. There are TV's all over the place, while they simultaneously play music way to loudly. There is no ambiance at all. The food is mediocre for the price and the menu is so obscure and inconsistent. I had the California burger for $17, it lacked flavor and bacon that was listed on the menu. Also Its seat yourself, which doesn't help the wait staff realize you are there. After Seating ourselves and waiting 10 minutes we finally went up to the waitress and let her know where we were seating and that we were ready to order. To top it all off there was a 3% fee added to the bill, not for credit card processing. It was too pay the back of boost employees a livable wage, I have never seen that in my life. I was not at all impressed with anything about this place.

  • 5/5 Joan R. 10 months ago on Google
    We ate here a few weeks ago on a whim and we feel like we truly found a gem. The whole brunch menu looked delicious. We tried the huevos rancheros and breakfast burrito. Both the green and red chile were very good. I'm in love with the cocktail menu. We tried four of the six drinks on it and they were fantastic. We arrived right at opening and had the whole patio to ourselves. We really enjoyed all aspects of our meal and hope to be back soon.

  • 5/5 George B. 9 months ago on Google
    Loved the experience. Very friendly and accommodating staff. Great selection of NM beers and wines. Pasra dishes were well seasoned and very tasty. Very generous portions. Inside and outside seating. Looking forward to returning soon.

  • 3/5 Brandon B. 9 months ago on Google
    The food is overpriced for what it truly is. If the menu was designed by a chef who used higher quality ingredients, it would be a 5-star meal. The drinks are good. The patio is great. Please hire another server or resolve the lack of teamwork displayed by the younger members of the staff. It's amazing how lazy some of your employees are. Not acceptable, the poor bartender was running circles around the kids on their phones....we may come back for a second chance, definitely potential here.

  • 4/5 Angelo M. 3 years ago on Google
    Went for brunch after our Frida Kahlo museum Adventure. I was wanting to get the pancakes that I had there before but sadly they didn't have them. So I opted for their truffle mac and cheese it was pretty good, I also got to try their chipotle shrimp bowl also pretty tasty and a nice little kick. They have a nice patio with seating spaced out. Wheel chair accessible. The service was good and my water stayed full with out me having to ask. 4 for not having what I was craving maybe next time.

  • 5/5 Michelle J. 1 year ago on Google
    We changed our Two Cranes for the first time yesterday and it was great. The staff was very helpful in telling us about the food and bar selections. We really enjoyed our meal and I had one of the best Old Fashioned ever. This will definitely become one of our favorite spots.

  • 2/5 H. P. 11 months ago on Google
    The menu has downsized a lot, the food isn't as good as it used to be. The shrimp scampi used to be my fav but the past few times I ordered it I wasn't happy. Yesterday I tried the green chili chicken pasta dish and told the waiter that I didn't want the food and gave it back. Yeah, it was that bad. It tasted like chicken out of a can stewed in some milk and green chili. No other flavoring and no other reason to pay for some cafeteria food. We blindly paid our ticket for the other food and drinks but were charged for the food I sent back. The only thing good here is the outdoor seating. I don't think we'll be back anytime soon.

  • 2/5 Wes C. 11 months ago on Google
    We went for drinks there many times with great experiences every time. The wait staff was amazing. They now have a new floor manager that has taken away the wait staff's vibrancy. Everyone runs, and I mean runs around with a scared look on their faces. I even as if the establishment had been sold because it felt so different. And the manager was drunk or stoned when I spoke to him. Get him out of there. He will run this place into the ground befit the end of the year. They are now out of types of alcohol, mixers and menu items. The beans are also poor with a big if salt in them. Sad to see a sweet place go downhill so fast. We will not go back.

  • 4/5 Jesse A. 1 year ago on Google
    Great little “Bistro” with a bar vibe. Good seating for a couple or a small group of 4. The food options are plentiful and decently priced. The beer list is awesome and pretty much all local. However, it’s over priced - $8 for a pint is a little high for local brews. Overall, very good. Great staff!!!

  • 4/5 Jenna B. 1 year ago on Google
    I really do not like writing reviews on poor customer service, however I have been to this neat little spot about 5 times after today and today was just awful. Our first server was completely overwhelmed and he let it show. It was my bad for not calling ahead for a table of 9 adults and 2 kids, but the amount of overwhelm we saw for a restaurant that just really was not that busy on a Tuesday evening was unjust in my opinion. The first server stopped working with us without our knowledge and before we ordered our food. A second server came out and even declared the first server was in fact overwhelmed and she took our order. Mind you, we haven’t even complained at this point, just chatting away and waiting to order. We lost our second server at some point. Everyone needed a drink or water and I finally went inside to address the waitstaff. I asked for the manager and I was told they were not in. I asked who was running the restaurant and the server told us she was. I very calmly tried to let her know that I have been here several times before and love this place, which is why I brought my family and spoke highly of it. I let her know the service today was awful, we didn’t have drinks and we just seemed to keep getting forgotten about outside. Her response was, “did you make reservations ahead of time” and issues with being short staffed (which I know everywhere is understaffed right now but not everywhere do I get service this bad). I did not make a reservation because most places don’t take reservations nowadays. I tried giving feedback to her directly and she just seemed to get offended and the service just got worse, unfortunately. The reason for the review is she went ahead and charged a 20% gratuity to our bill, which it does not state anywhere they charge parties a gratuity. Do people deserve a tip? Absolutely! Did they earn a 20% tip. Absolutely not. I do hope the kitchen staff keeps tips as well because waitstaff didn’t do much this evening. I am one person who has brought about 14 people to this restaurant so far, and they have now lost my service because they couldn’t take feedback and I will no longer be recommending them either. UPDATE 9/29/22: The manager, Jacob and GM, Tori were both extremely helpful in their responsiveness and willingness to make sure we don’t have this experience again with their servers. The tip was returned and they even offered a gift card, which I respectfully declined because I was not looking for anything free. I will be back to support this small business and hope to be able to leave a better review next time!

  • 5/5 Heather P. 1 year ago on Google
    Stopped in for a bite on our way to Old Town. There is indoor and covered outdoor seating available. Staff were quick to greet customers. We inquired about a couple of different alcoholic beverages on their menu and the waitress offered us samples of both. The pretzel bites and queso was delicious. The portion size of our main meals were more than enough. If you like your food a little on the spicy side you'll love it.

  • 5/5 Teri K. 1 year ago on Google
    Loved this place. The waitress was super sweet and good. It was taco Tuesday and I had 3 tacos which was the order and asked for both red and green sauce. The chicken was plentiful and the very flavorful. Hubby had buffalo chicken tenders and the plate was loaded and amazing flavor. My friend had the BLT and it was packed with bacon. She and I had our Long Islands and they were well balanced.

  • 2/5 Leeland 1 year ago on Google
    Marcos was a great server! Drinks were pretty good! I got the Cubano and it left quite a bit to be desired. It had a weird sauce and was just on a general bread loaf. My wife got the veggie flatbread with goat cheese and it was pretty blah and too salty. The fries were extremely oily and I would not get them again. The mixed drinks were pretty good though! Edit: in response to the owners reply below, the reason for the 2 stars was typically if the food at a restaurant isn't good, there isn't much reason in my opinion to go back (so it heavily weights the rating), but food can always improve over time with feedback from customers! However the drinks, service and environment were very good!

  • 5/5 Maegen J. 2 years ago on Google
    Very tasty dinner. The steak was great. I love the appetizers and drinks too

  • 5/5 Betsy K. 2 years ago on Google
    Ashley Lopez waited on us and recommended a drink called Berry Basil Bramble. It is soooooo good!! Definitely recommend it and ask for her to wait on you. She’s very attentive and fast! She made a sandwich recommendation for the turkey melt which was also awesome!!! They have a nice patio. Definitely try it out!

  • 3/5 Emily J. 2 years ago on Google
    Stopped for a quick lunch on our way back to OK. Used the restroom, where there was no soap and the paper towel dispenser was inoperable (they did have a roll of towel). Don’t know if this was the only restroom, but there were employee reminders on the wall. We did notify them, and they did put soap in the dispenser, but not right away. Made me wonder about food safety but we ate anyway, hoping there was another washroom for staff. My husband and I split a burger and fries, and it was pretty good. Wait staff was friendly and helpful.

  • 2/5 Heather M. 1 year ago on Google
    I was hopeful for this place as it was full and had a good vibe. Ordered 2 chicken Caesar salads to go. One with regular dressing one with Italian and got honey mustard for both. Seemed basically clean but I didn't examine every inch of the place. Maybe if the dude packing the orders checked before handing them out it would cut down on the waste.The chicken was dry when I tasted it. Not overly impressed. Probably won't return. The waiter was nice enough. Now I have to go back from my hotel to get the correct order.


Call (505) 295-3970 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Pets
    • ✓️ Dogs allowed
  • Parking
    • ✓️ Free parking lot
    • ✓️ Plenty of parking
  • Payments
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Beer
    • ✓️ Wine
    • ✓️ Coffee
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Cocktails
    • ✓️ Hard liquor
    • ✓️ Comfort food
    • ✓️ Small plates
    • ✓️ Happy hour food
    • ✓️ Happy hour drinks
  • Popular for
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Solo dining
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible seating
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible entrance
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible restroom
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible parking lot
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Brunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Dessert
    • ✓️ Seating
    • ✓️ Catering
    • ✓️ Breakfast
    • ✓️ Counter service
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✓️ Takeout
    • ✓️ Delivery
    • ✓️ Curbside pickup
    • ✓️ Outdoor seating

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