Farina Alto
10721 Montgomery Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87111
Farina Alto Menu
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.
Visit below restaurant in Albuquerque for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Albuquerque for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Albuquerque for healthy meals suggestion.
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
-
Address :
10721 Montgomery Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM, 87111 - Phone (505) 298-0035
- Website https://www.farinaalto.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Hipster
Noise Level : Average
Music : Background
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Happy Hour : Yes
Coat Check : No
Smoking : No
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Categories
Pizza
Pizza is a famous Italian dish savored around the world. The entire credit for the popularity of Pizza in the United States goes to the chain of pizzerias all over the country. While the base and the texture of Pizza remains same across the globe, it's the toppings that differs from country to country. In the United States, you will find the top pizzerias serving pizzas with the toppings of mainly beef, bacon, chicken, ham, and sausage for the non-vegetarians. Other than these famous meat options, Pizzas with veg toppings such as mushrooms, pepperonis, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, etc. are also famous in most restaurants in the United States.
Irrespective of your locality, you will find a variety of different restaurants in your cities offering pizzas of all different types. Pizza is hot favorite among people of all ages in the United States. A large size pizza is enough to feed a family of 3 or 4 at large. Pizza is also the most preferred food whenever a group of friends is hanging out together. Pizza gained popularity in the United States after the American soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II.
Over the years, different pizzerias in the United States have developed their own respective regional variations. Pizza gained popularity as the iconic dish in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. Whether you prefer thin or thick crust pizza, you can find a pizza of your preference at the best pizza restaurants in your city.
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online
Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.
Stephanie N.
We dined here during lunch & since we had 2 kiddos w/ us, we opted for the patio so they can run around. We ordered a full pizza. The salcissia. Sweet fennel Italian sausage, roasted onions, roasted tomatoes & mozzarella. I also ordered the house made ravioli, & that was delicious. Worth coming back for that alone. Our waiter, Jordan was amazing. He was brand new but he was on his A game. He showed us how the plants in the patio was actually a garden of the fresh veggies & herbs they use at the restaurant. There was tomatoes, eggplants, basil, mint, etc. He also told me how they have wine pairing events sometimes, paired w/ a several course meal. Looking forward to trying that out sometime. They apparently are owned by the same people as the artichoke cafe. So I will have to try that out too.
(5)Ling Tzu W.
We went on a Sunday right when they opened. The staff seems nice and the environment seems friendly. Their patio is beautiful and wonderful to sit at. The food is average. I ordered a salad and it was good. My husband ordered pizza and he thought it was good but both of us thought that it probably is not a place we would frequently visit. The food is tasty but not WOW.
(3)Travel'en C.
Another solid home for pie lovers! Again, Albuquerque isn't exactly a quintessential Mecca for pizza however, after 5 years, a lot of cheese and patience, we've managed to locate a few. That said, This place makes a deliciously consistent pie! I'm definitely a creature of habit, steering clear of those foo-foo pizzas for the more traditional animal fat-based pies, accompanied by the holy trinity of veggies...mushroom, onion and green chili. Here, I'd highly recommend the Salsiccia with an add on of pepperoni. On a side note, the Verde salad is "must-try" as well...perfect for sharing.
(5)Ulysses P.
This place is fairly new but off to a great start. We came to eat at around 4pm to beat the rush. If you like some quiet then I would suggest coming around this time. We were sat promptly and our waiter was both very friendly and very knowledgable... a rare combination. Before the meal we were served ice water along with bread and a dish of very fancy olive oil with a dash of balsamic vinegar in it. This was a nice surprise since it is definitely a step up from just your run of the mill bread before the meal. My wife and I split a half baby spinach salad and a half salciccia pizza since we weren't that hungry. It turns out this was just the perfect serving to satisfy both of us and it was spectacularly tasty and gourmet. My only little gripe about the salad is that there was a little too much onions in it. No complaints about the pizza made from quality dough. The atmosphere of the restaurant is trendy and cool. There is soothing/hip music playing, some cool abstract art on the walls and good lighting. Also, this is a minor detail but, the forks only have 3 prongs which always freaks me out and it makes it more difficult to eat the food without it falling through the larger spaces. But I digress. The prices are not cheap but not too expensive for quality food. To sum up, this place has it all, food, atmosphere, art, good lighting and friendly people. It's worth a try any day of the week.
(5)Joel D.
We've had dinner here many times, since the restaurant is near my daughter's house. I have gotten in a rut in ordering here because I have several favorites, but I haven't gotten bored yet. Among my favorites are the salsiccia and fromaggio di capra pizza. Frequently the ravioli di giorno's ingredients appeal to me, and such was the case yesterday. The butterscotch budino is outstanding, and I may never get tired of it. Although the tiramisu is acceptable, there is another version in town that is off scale. Service for us has always been outstanding, and yesterday's was no exception. Although there are supposed to be rotating Marble and La Cumbre taps, the offerings are generally the same. I can only think of one exception, when La Cumbre's wet hopped - dry hopped ale was offered. Now there was a great beer! I keep hoping it will be offered again.
(4)Sara M.
I did not have a pizza, but the salad, although not huge for the price, was a good portion. I got the antipasto it had wonderful crispy pancetta and goat cheese balls rolled In herbs. I believe whit beans and a nice vinaigrette. Untouched they had a choice of gluten free pizza as well. I will be back to try that.
(5)Lola N.
Have been back several times now and things have improved although service can be sketchy and specials non-existent. I'm a fan b/c there isn't much else NE of Montgomery and Wyoming.
(4)Margaret M.
Surprisingly good. Every member of the waitstaff was pleasant, and I was flying solo with the kiddos, so always appreciated. The food was also quite good, from chopped salad to antipasto to the ravioli. All very tasty - the kids enjoyed their pizza too, and the dough balls. The only reason I had to knock off a star, is bc we never did get the booster seat, and service - though pleasant - was slow. Those are minor complaints though, and we will definitely be back!!
(4)Bryan C.
Delicious food. Same quality as the downtown location in a much more comfortable environment. This location has spacious dinning room with tasteful decor, bar, and patio. My favorite apps are the enorme meatball parmesan. Chicken wings for some reason are really good. They're small but a good sign that they're not loaded with growth hormones. As far as the pizza, all high quality ingredients and the crust is off the hook, even the gluten free crust is delicious and has a good bite to it. I've had nothing but great service from friendly staff.
(5)Chan J.
Gluten free pizza heaven with excellent texture and flavor! We had a GF Formaggio di Cappra, GF margerhita pizza, and baby spinach and pancetta salad. Wine and drinks were great, the ambience was beautiful, and our hostess and waitress were friendly and attentive. We will definitely return when we are in Albuquerque...Farino Alto nailed it!
(5)Tricia K.
I love Farina, both the original and the Alto. I actually like the location and atmosphere of Alto better since there is more space and the tables are larger. My favorite item is the margherita pizza. I also had an awesome salad off their specials menu which was beet greens with spanish ham and cheese. My sister thought the greens were too chewy for her taste but I thought the flavor was amazing. I agree with the other reviewers, Farina has the best wood fired pizza in town.
(5)Gavin M.
Every single pizza is made from scratch. No frozen dough here! Amazing chefs using their creativity to come up with rotating Classic Italian special dishes to compliment the regular menu. The only restaurant in town curing their own meat which is displayed behind a glass wall for the dining room to observe. Wonderful atmosphere and a delicious menu!
(5)Jordan A.
I enjoyed the food at Farina Alto. We started with some Prince Edward Island Mussels, which were quite nice. I wish they had been cooked a little bit longer, but it was still good. My fiancé and I opted to share a pizza with pepperoni and green chile, which was good. The chunks of green chile were rather large, but we still enjoyed it. My issue with tonight was our server. I've done my time in the industry, and I know better than to walk past a table 3 times and not check on them once. He never brought out the stand for our pizza and didn't have plates ready either. The restaurant lost two stars because this server did not even come close to proper service.
(3)Sarah N.
Best brick oven pizza in town! The menu is offers a unique selection of pizzas, a few pasta and other entrees. They make their own gluten free pizza crusts and bread, smoke and cure their own meats and take extra preparing every menu item. They offer a full bar and have a great selection of speciality cocktIls. You cannot miss with farina alto!
(5)Yunchi Z.
After dining here on 5 different occasions, I'm a fan especially for their consistent top notch service. Funny I often forgot to check-in on Yelp App when I was here, because all my attention was on the dining party and the experience we enjoyed. Not a lengthy review to repeat what others had already written, some of my highlights are: Garbanzo bean coated fried calamari comes with 2 dipping sauces, both are good but I love the creamy tarragon one just a tad more. Balsamic meatballs are to die for, and the generous portion of thoughtful grilled bread to dip in the divine sauce can easily fill my stomach up. But how could I stop there?! Artisan pizzas are so wonderful! This is the place where I have found the best gluten free crust in town. I'm not allergic to gluten, just try to eat less when possible. Often I ended up ordering my favorite Formaggio di Capra. I subbed goat cheese for ricotta during the last visit, server was very accommodating. The tiramisu here is the best I've tasted in town, after being on a mission to find the best one last year... granted, I still have a few Italian places to try this staple dessert! Here's the good to great service: they put thoughtfulness in boxing up the leftovers beyond the norm! Real pizza box for my half leftover pizza, then they gave us full portion, freshly grilled bread instead of the slightly sauced bread we couldn't finish from the entree!
(5)James B.
This was my first time here and I was surprised by a few things. Some good, some not so good. Here goes: Service -- place only had a few tables that were occupied and a few seats taken at the bar. We chose to sit in dining room. Waitress was very quick to get us drinks and take our orders. She had a few recommendations and took her advice with truffle fries, these were good. Food-- my daughter and I both got salads ( mine-spinach of course, believe hers was verde or something ) We both liked our salads but after the app we took most of it to-go. Price-- where the price of the appetizer and the salads was okay. My only complaint was the extra charge for chicken and cucumber ( 8 bones for thin piece of chicken on my salad, was good, just small. My daughter was charged 2 bones for cucumbers that were half slices and not very plentiful ) Dessert--Holy expense Bat Man. 8 bones for Tiramisu ( sp?) of which we had ordered two. Bill was almost 70 bones w/o tip. Yikes. Will return again and update, will just be careful what I order.
(3)John D.
Nice ambiance. Great staff. Nice music and art on the walls. Itsy TV, so not a sports bar. Caprese and penne vodka gets my lunch specials vote, but also check out sauteed broccolini or lasagna. The caprese salad was perfect. They even use this type of almost rock salt, so you get this salty sensation which is quite different. This is definitely a date place for when things get serious. Lunch service is a little slow.
(3)Miriam H.
We went in at time when they were busy and were given an estimate of a 25 min. wait time for seating. When two seats opened up at the bar a minute or so into that wait we slid in with no problems. The drinks were good and the bartender was knowledgeable and personable. We got a half of the verde salad to split but acknowledged that in the future we would need a full between us. The Margherita pizza was amazing and the butterscotch budino was the perfect end to the meal. The staff as a whole was friendly and the place inviting. Have gone back once since (I apparently started this review and never posted it) and was impressed all over again.
(4)Maria G.
This place has the same food as Farina on Central but the place is much better. No drafty seats. Big open dinning room, no need to sit on top of the table next to you. Specials at the bar/lounge. Art all over that rotates. And the service isn't rushed like Farina. The drive is worth the atmosphere compared to the downtown location.
(5)Nessie V.
So good! So nice to find a place with vegan/nondairy cheese for pizzas, especially when the crust and everything else is so excellent. It was one of my favorite pies I've eaten in a long time. My parent's liked their spaghetti and meatballs too. Service was very attentive and friendly. The decor is warm and contemporary, and they were playing Lourde at a nice background volume. Parking is ample, but the spots are narrow. The restrooms were clean, with samples of a nice salt scrub, but no changing tables.
(5)Howie K.
A partial definition of "alto", ripped from Wikipedia, says this: the second highest part of a contrapuntal musical texture. Contrapuntal, or counterpoint, is defined by this same source as "the relationship between voices that are harmonically interdependent (polyphony), but independent in rhythm and contour". For fans of the original Farina, this perfectly defines the new location. The harmonically interdependent ingredients of the original restaurant are tantamount to the successful launch of the new venue. They gotta nail the pizza, right? And they do. The pies match the beauty of the EDo location. But I'll go a step further in stating that this new location beats the old hands down. Independent in rhythm and contour, Alto hits a high note on service, ambiance and style. If you have reservations about the crowded, busy mess downtown, hit this place up for a roomy, mellow feel. You'll find more than elbow room. Reviews of group experiences are, from my point of view, more representative of the overall management of a business than a simple lunch or dinner might provide. There were eight of us. We had reservations and arrived at varying times. We dined over two hours. We had apps, salads, entrees and dessert, so I'm thinking this review is pretty reliable. What wasn't to love? The house-made ravioli made me wet my pants, and I only had a bite. The olive hors d'oeuvres were insanely hot off the plate, we were warned, and they were delish. So were the mushrooms. I had the antipasto salad, definitely big enough for an entree, and let me riff on the dried prosciutto for a minute: smokey, almost a hit of nicotine, the stuff kicked in my taste buds with abandon. Check out the meats, they're hanging in an adjacent room and you'll know the place sources the very best. The calzone: human sized perfection. Not one of those gigantic fold-over pizzas you'll find at a place like Saggio's, but largesse. Also, I hear the eggplant parmesan was very nice, and exceptionally well-presented. To finish, indeed, the butterscotch thingy was divine. The chocolate gelato was very nice, although it tasted and looked like ice cream, so I'm guessing I'm sounding like a wanna-be snob for not knowing the difference. It came with a chocolate biscotti. Pants were wetted a second time. Insanely choco. I was finished. My final note: these guys won't rush you. Service is stellar but cautious. If you want to sit around and let the night fly (as happens in Italy), they're cool with it. So don't stress the time, or your cell phone. Just relax. Eventually you'll find a reason to be harmonically interdependent and you'll keep coming back.
(5)Victor D.
I am sad to say that I was really looking forward to wonderful dining experience, but my expectations fell short. Our oder was cut in half. The waiter come came by and said he only put in one order and would bring the rest later. We finished our food and had to wait until he was ready to get it. I wasn't happy with the service.
(1)Mark V.
Great Pie. Had the Salsiccia Pizza. Crust was perfect. Not to heavy. Great atmosphere.
(5)Amy O.
When we arrived at Farina Alto we were a bit excited because we choice to sit on the patio where it was a little more private, this might have been a mistake because our wait staff seemed to forget about us at times (not in a good way). The antipasto appetizer was ok, I was expecting more since they cure their own meat. I would have also like the wait staff to be educated on this process and give me a little information. The balsamic meatballs were good but honestly dipping the fresh made bread into the sauce was the best thing about the appetizer because the sauce is delicious. I would highly recommend the Carne Pizza with green chili. Although, if you like tiramisu maybe pass. Presentation was nice but flavor was missing. Overall, I feel because our service wasn't the best it effected our food experience. Not sure if I will return to Farina Alto anytime soon but I might give it a second chance in the future.
(3)Kerry K.
Farina Alto was great during our brief stop in Albuquerque. My boyfriend and I stopped in about 8PM on a Thursday night. The manager was courteous and promptly sat us outside on their patio which was super nice because the weather was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. It was such a great spot for dinner. Our waitress was spot on with the size of salad we should order. I really liked that this place has the option of gluten free pizzas and pastas and their dough is flown in from Italy so you know it's less chemically processed than other food sourced here in the US. This was a good little spot for a quick, reasonably priced dinner.
(4)Veronica B.
Interesting blend of a bistro and Italian fusion, just the place for a quick bite or a nice dinner date. Their house wine (red) is a refreshing compliment to their antipasto platter and dinner selection. I've had the Caprese salad, light, fresh and delicious! There typically playing sports games at the bar, but soft tunes in the restaurant area. There are also options for planning a large party. Quite, peaceful atmosphere and great service. Farina Alto is a great place to check out after work to grab something light and enjoy a drink from their wine and beer selection to start the night!
(5)Kate H.
Farina Alto was a fabulous choice for a recent date night. The atmosphere was nice and it wasn't overly crowded, which made getting a table for two no trouble at all. We started with the Fried Artichoke Hearts, they were fresh and the lemon créme fraiche was rich. I could have honestly just eaten a plate of these and not been disappointed. For dinner we shared the large Funghi pizza. It was a mushroom lover's dream! The combination of a perfectly crispy crust, creamy fontina and the rich, earthy mushrooms made a great meal.
(5)Jennifer M.
I enjoy eating at local restaurants and this is a favorite we like to frequent. They serve brick oven pizza, source as much local food as they can, cure their own pancetta, and serve fresh salads. My favorite salad is the chopped vegetable salad! It is so delicious!! It has tons of fresh, crisp vegetables like cucumber, cauliflower, celery, bell peppers, garbanzos, mixed lettuces, and a red wine vinaigrette. The grilled bread with olive oil they serve with it is amazing! We are simple, we love the margarita pizza and the melanzane which has eggplant, DELICIOUS!!! The homemade sorbets are also terrific!
(5)Cassidy L.
Very much like the original--which is a good thing. But also better than the original. I love places that are quaint and nook-like feeling. But also dislike waiting for long periods of time for service or feeling too cramped--this would occasionally happen at the LoDo locale. At this place I saw it fill up but the restaurant still felt spacious and inviting. We decided to sit on the patio and really enjoyed it. The crowd here is also a little different, but not for the worse. The food is the same wonderful quality we've come to appreciate from Farina and the service was also superb. We enjoyed the fried artichoke with a pesto base and topped with arugula. Then a traditional, yet filling and high quality Caesar salad. We split the Formaggio di Carna pizza. I just love the wood fired crust! This pizza is yummy. Simply put. It's creamy, salty and crunchy. Just like pizza should be. These three were certain fillers and would have been thoroughly enjoyed with a glass of wine. Left under $40. I can dig it.
(4)Michael P.
This is our go to place. The quality has been consistent since the day it opened. The service is top notch and very attentive. The calamari and roasted Italian olives are our favorite apps. This place is very forward thinking, offering gluten free and Daiya vegan mozzarella options. They even have organic wines. For your $ this is one of our favorite places in Albuquerque. Clean, trendy and not too expensive. You can bring your children and not feel out of place. You can seriously drop Farina Alto in any top trendy city and it would rival the best.
(5)Karen H.
This was our first time in, very disappointing! The hostess convinced us to sit in the bar, took forever to get an order in. The place was practically empty of customers. We finally were helped by the bartender, then we got our food, pizza was burned on the bottom. Appetizers were 25%off & now we know why! The balsamic meatballs on the yelp photos looked so good, but we got 1 inch size bread, & 4 meatballs not fully cooked. We received no drink refills, as well as had to eat our pizza off our original appetizer plates! We asked for our check & left hungry We don't recommend the service or food! What a horrible experience for a date night!
(1)Jaime Patricio M.
Had a great meal here--I went with a long time friend for wonderful food and service. I called to see if reservations were available and they are only for larger parties. When I called I was told I might have to wait a while given it was a Friday. I thought when I got there that we would wait for at least an hour instead the wait was only 20 minutes. The service was friendly and attentive. We ordered meatballs, a green salad, and the mushroom pizza with chicken. Each item was nicely prepared and plated. The pizza was a big surprise--a much larger sized pizza than I am used to getting when I order fresh-high quality pizzas. A lot of cheese, mushrooms, right amount of chicken and nice crust. A larger wine list filled with cocktails and beer. I look forward to going back!
(5)Amanda B.
I would definitely give it a five for the food and the atmosphere. Both are beyond great. However, the customer service is pretty hit and miss. Some servers have been phenomenal, but others have been awful. Example: when being seated with my friends, they walked is outside to the COLD patio where no one was seated because I had my service dog with me, after explaining that I did not want to sit outside, she seated us in the far corner away from everyone else in an attempt to hide us.
(4)Lisa F.
Delicious an love the environment had a nice snack w the sampler platter for appetizers! Was delicious an has great happy hour 25% off beer an apps in bar area! Lovely place
(5)Emily B.
Absolutely fantastic! Great service, even better food, good dietary alternatives, very calm and stylish, yet social, atmosphere. I had never had Eggplant Parmesan before but their version was phenomenal--a bit on the sweet side but the sauce was superb. Evidently mine came out a bit small (the waiter claimed it was the smallest he had ever seen it), so they sent out a second small portion, which was really commendable (I even overheard them doing a similar service at the table nearby--impressive customer service). Looking forward to going back!!
(5)William A.
Love their pizza. Probably my favorite in Albuquerque. Love their salads as well. My only complaint is their salads to go are half the size of what they are in restaurant. They do not make them the same and not worth the money they charge for a to go salad. Scarpas is better for to go.
(3)Ruben R.
Owners at farina alto take note and recognize when quality staff makes your business a success. Not only is the atmosphere at Farina Alto modern and new, the pizza excellent, the marble beer and wine well matched with the pizza, but on top of that, and most important, our server Jeff is an exemplary professional! The attention and affect he presented were both refreshing and nurturing. This location has more than made up for the last disaster service experience at the downtown farina LODO location. Perhaps the downtown location is biased in-favor of hipster yuppies, and not families, or perhaps they have a captive nob hill downtown client base that feels the heights are too uncool or homogeneous and are willing to put up with some abuse with Friday night dinner, whatever the reason, there is a lot that the owners of downtown farina can learn from the owners of the farina heights. Thank you Jeff for your great service. It was much appreciated by me and my little family tonight.
(5)Jessica N.
Ordered take out for dinner. Granted a Saturday night, is it busy. I was 5 minutes late to pick up, and they were still not done with my order. I waited an additional 10 minutes. Dinner for my friend and I ended up being pricier than we both felt it was worth. Not sure if I will go back or not.
(2)Cristina M.
My first time to Farina Alto. I went to the original Farina once about a year and a half ago and thought it was delicious, though super crowded (uncharacteristically so for Albuquerque). I visited Farina Alto on a Thursday night with my two kids. The environment is large, hip, modern, classy. I'd say most people there were in their 50s and my kids were the only children in the entire establishment, which was surprising (at 7 pm). Luckily, my kids are well-behaved and ladies love to gush over my son, so I don't feel like they were unwelcome at all (just trying to give an accurate impression). We had an excellent waiter, though we waited a while before our order was taken because he had a large party of indecisive folks to contend with. We were hungry and it was getting to be the kids' witching hour, but everyone survived. The pizzas come in a full or half size. I was told the full was about 12 inches in diameter, but I'm guessing it was more like 14 inches. We almost ordered one half and one full pizza, but I'm glad we didn't--it would have been too much food. The three of us shared a full salsiccia sans the onions and with green chile on half and my daughter and I shared a spinach salad. There were six nicely-sized slices, so two each. It was the perfect amount of food. The full pizzas seem to average $16-18 while the half pizzas average around $8-10. I was craving a glass of wine since they are a wine bar and all, but seeing as though I would have to drive halfway across town, I did not dare order a glass. A perfect-sized glass of wine for me is about 2-3 oz. I loved the wine bars in the DC area because they served half-glasses and it was perfect! I have yet to find an establishment here that does that. Nevertheless, I thought I'd try my luck. The next time our waiter came by I asked, "since you're a wine bar, do you offer half-glasses of wine?" He said no, but that they offer tastes of wine and they are pretty generous. He said I could try as many as six or so! He asked what I'd like to try so I asked for a taste of a Malbec. The doll of a waiter came back with a good 3 oz. glass of Malbec. It was awesome, the perfect amount and I can't believe how sweet he was. Maybe he felt bad because we waited so long to order. So, a great meal, a nice little glass of wine, pleasant service. My kids loved the food. I guarantee we'll be back.
(4)Jesse M.
I was impressed with the quality of vegetables and the fresh ingredients on the pizza. Definitely a quality place to have pizza and salads. Atmosphere is impressive and relaxed.
(4)MG M.
Here's the summary: Food: Great Experience: Eh Service Recovery Attempt: Good I'm a big fan of Farina in EDO. Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Great. I've gotten a pizza to go once before from Farina Alto, and it was delicious, as expected. When I ordered a pizza to go this time, I was told it would be ready in 25 minutes, which I thought was a bit of a long time for pizza. But ok. When I went in to pick up the pizza, it didn't make sense to me that it was now more than 30 minutes later when 1) that's what they do, and 2) the restaurant was maybe a third full before 6pm on a Friday night. There truly seemed to be more wait staff than people in the restaurant. The manager seemed genuinely apologetic, which I appreciated and gave me a seriously delicious dessert. So major props for trying to recover service, for sure, but if you're primarily a pizza restaurant, it seems reasonable to expect pizza production to take less than 30 minutes. Overall, I think this atmosphere just isn't for me. While pizza may be a "family" food, at Farina & Farina Alto's price point (which I have no problem with) & atmosphere (nice wine list, bar seating), personally, I expect a more adult atmosphere. I don't hate children, but if I were dining in the restaurant, I wouldn't be ok with crying babies. I realize this is difficult for a restaurant to manage, and I'm just including this in my review to be descriptive so that others can decide whether or not the atmosphere is right for what they want.
(3)Eric And Jennifer R.
I've been here at least two dozen times. In the past six months, the service and cleanliness have gone down hill. It has a modern vibe but very cozy. It's a great place for business meeting. There is an outdoor seating area with a water fountain. They have the best pizzas in town (as of 2014) because of the crust and topping selections. When they first opened, I came in for their eggplant Parmesan and antipasto salad. They changed the marinara sauce of the eggplant and removed the antipasto salad from their menu. Now, I come in just for business meetings and order pizza. My favorite pizza is the Bianca. The Bianca has mozzarella, Parmesan, ricotta, artichoke hearts, sage and truffle oil. I usually add grilled chicken and roasted garlic. It is amazing! I also love the formaggio de Capra and funghi. The formaggio has leeks, scallions, goat cheese, mozzarella and prosciutto. The funghi has mushrooms, thyme, shallots and three cheeses. Couple of months ago, we took a group of coworkers out to dinner. Each person ordered a pizza. One person got the wrong pizza and waited almost 30 minutes for a replacement while everyone ate their pizza. They brought her the wrong pizza again. She ate a slice and asked for a box. The waitress brought her pizza to the back to box. When she returned, she said the cook ate a slice of her pizza before she put it in the box. We were mortified! The waitress thought it was funny. Another coworker spoke up and asked them to make another pizza for our coworker to take home without a missing slice. They did. Today, my coworkers and I had a lunch meeting at Farina. The bathroom was filthy. There was blood and something that looked like dried raw meat splattered on the walls. The floor had a thin layer of dirt with trash in every corner. The drain was so filthy that they will need a plumber to unclog it. I wonder what the kitchen looks like. Tip: box your leftovers at your table.
(3)Dianna M.
Perfect setting for families or couples looking for a great dining experience. The pizza was perfectly cooked and the dessert was killer. Our server, Sam, was the friendliest most helpful server we've encountered in months. Do not miss this amazing Albuquerque addition. It trumps the Central location. We live mere blocks from the Central restaurant but will return to Farina Alta.
(5)Candia M.
I've been here twice and had slightly different experiences each time. I think this is a good place to have dinner and drinks or lunch with a grown up but for my teenage daughter with the culinary taste of a 6 year old, there wasn't much to offer her. On the other hand, I went to dinner with friends and had their chopped salad and a lovely bottle of pinot noir. It was really nice and fresh with that trendy urban ambience that I tend to like. I like it mostly for the location but the menu is nice and fresh and the wine list is lovely.
(4)Ana R.
It is a cute up scale restaurant were children are welcomed. Our waiter was very friendly and offered to bring dough to keep our kids occupied. So far everything was great. I really liked that they are creative with the pizza toppings which works for adults who are open to trying different toppings. But for kids, I wished they would just do a plain pepperoni or cheese. But my kids didn't have a problem enjoying the meaty toppings. But here is what made it just ok for me and my family. Our food service took a lot longer than we were expected. The dough only kept the kids happy for maybe 15 minutes, and at this point I was already thinking I should have ordered an appetizer. At that point the waiter disappear as well and my glass of iced tea was empty. When our food finally arrived my pizza was burnt. I had read on the menu that you could expect some burn on the dough but I didn't expect my whole pizza. And when I looked around to some of the other pizzas they did not compare to ours on the extra crispiness. At that point I was completely unsatisfied. Because we were celebrating my son's birthday that weekend we decided on dessert. My boys had gelato which was tasty and my husband I had tiramisu, and here's were they won me back a little. It was uniquely serve in a glass and was really good. I might return, to experience it without my kids.
(3)Molly R.
I came here for the first time in July for my rehearsal brunch before my wedding. The service was amazing, polite, and extremely professional. The food was amazing. I got the eggplant parmesan napoleon and it was amazing. I used to hate eggplant but thanks to this dish, I am a believer. Wow! My whole family came back only a few days later to celebrate my father-in-law's retirement. Excellent meal! I wish they had a cook book!
(5)Melinda B.
Wonderful atmosphere and ambiance. The staff was personable, friendly and attentive. My dish was excellent. The eggplant parmesan Napoleon was displayed beautifully on the plate and tasted delicious. Love this place. It is worth the money. Dishes are reasonably priced.
(5)Mari D.
After posting my initial review, the owner (?) of this restaurant added a response offering to send me a gift certificate to make things right. I answered to him via email, and never got a response. Seems like he wasn't that interested in fixing the problems we had. I'll find other places to go.
(1)Mindy J.
The menu is the same as their down town location though the atmosphere is more upscale because you sit at individual tables instead of a more family style arrangement. Because of the location a different crowd is at this location, and I have to say for people watching I prefer the downtown location. Though if I was going out for a dinner date I would prefer this location. The food preparation was just as good as the down town location, which I think it the best wood fired pizza in Albuquerque.
(4)David T.
Great food, great service and great people. If you want to indulge, Pepe Caldo with extra peppers! Everything is good!
(5)Kathy L.
I do like this place, very nice. It's close to home and very tasty for pizza. It's kind of a fancier place to go for a night out.
(4)Jennifer L.
Loved the original and love alto even more.... Closer to my house and a much bigger space with a cute patio, too. The bar area and dining room have an urban yet warm feeling. There is a wine cellar in the back to view as well. We felt the pizzas were just as great as the original on central. We had the fungi and bianco (spellings?) and they were great. Was happy to see the space so busy on a thursday night. It was my birthday and they comp'd me dessert....which if you read my original farina review... Is the best dessert in The world.....the butterscotch budino.... That made my night since I wanted that anyway as my birthday dessert even if I had to pay for it..... Most places give u some generic bday dessert which u don't ask for.l. I hate that cuz thenu can't order the dessert u want and u are stuck eating the free crummy one.... Anyway... Not here! I can't wait to keep coming back...just wish my waistline would cooperate more.
(5)Lucas L.
While visiting my parents house up in the heights I decided to try out the new Farina since I frequent the downtown location. The wide open space gives this location a different feel and experience. It is well suited for the heights. It definitely seems targeted towards the older and more affluent crowd while still maintaining its swag . The fine dining experience is fantastic and the service is spot on. If you are looking for a new weekly spot in the heights for pizza, pasta and salads, add this to your list immediately.
(5)Toby E.
I thought the food was very tasty and reasonably priced. Good local beer selection on draft. We had salad, pizza & pasta & all were very good and well portioned. The atmosphere is nice, especially at night.
(4)Stephanie I.
I liked this place. It's been awhile since I have been in ABQ and every time I come back, there are new places to try. There weren't any tables available, but luckily we found spots at the bar. We didn't have any issues with service at all and the food came out in a timely manner. I ordered the Eggplant Parm and my husband ordered the Meatball Calzone. I really enjoyed mine. It was slightly salty, but I had no problem finishing it. My husband really liked his calzone. Next time we are back, we will try the pizza!
(4)Steve M.
Great pizza, great ravioli, good wine list and a nice spacious warm atmosphere. Wondering if it will be a happy hour destination?
(5)Lisa M.
We just had an awesome meal tonight at Farino Alto. Everything was amazing, from our server Colt, to the antipasto chopped salad to the meatball pizza. The atmosphere is great also! This truly is a welcome addition to the Albuquerque pizza scene. We will be going back soon. Problem is that everything on the menu sounds so amazing, that I won't know whether to order the same awesome meal or something new. You truly need to try this restaurant, you won't be disappointed!
(5)Suz A.
Wonderful place to drink wine and eat fabulous food. The vegetable salad (to share) is so good. A nice bottle of wine (go on Monday); take bottle with you if you don't drink it all. It is really great to take children, a special friend or a casual date. I love the mushroom, meatball and carne pizza!
(4)Brooke M.
I lived in New York City for 17 years and San Francisco for 2 years.. I love my food and I'm pretty picky about my pizza.. The pizza here is some of the best pizza I've ever had. The crust is just delicious.. I like the ambiance of the place. Very cool and chill vibe.... I just moved to Abq in May and there is nothing in this town that even compares to Farina Alto's pizza.
(5)Jill C.
Small menu but very delicious. I will definitely like to go back the next time I'm in Albuquerque.
(4)Melissa C.
Horrible service!!! We sat there for over an hour without being served. Everyone around us was served. When we finally got an order my food came out 15 minutes before the rest of my party. No one offered to keep it warm. When we asked for the manager he smirked and blamed it on new cooks. Didn't even offer to comp anything. Will NEVER be back and will NEVER. Recommend this place. Ever.
(1)milissa g.
I live closer to the central location and enjoy the food and atmosphere very much. I happened to pass Farina Alto and placed a take out order. I had the chopped vegetable salad and the pizza with goat cheese, pancetta and leek. The food was consistent with the high standards of Farina/Central which serves well prepared food with quality and fresh ingredients. Staff was pleasant and order came out quickly.
(5)Jerry D.
First visit to Farina Alto. Pizza was exceptional! The funghi pizza is a delectable symphony of cheese, mushrooms and spices melded together for a mellow scrumptious experience. Leeks on a pizza? When they are paired with crispy pancetta, they create a delectable combination, especially when adorned with the dipping sauce. Spinach salad was a great was to start a meal, and the gorgonzola, creme fraiche(sp?) Doing sauce was tangy and refreshing. The service however left something to be desired. My drink was refilled a total of zero times as was my wife's. We were attended to maybe 3 times during the meal. The other tables in our section were attended to more often. We weren't asked if we wanted dessert. So my recommendation is go for the food, but dress like you have money or influence, because if you dress like you're going to a local pizza place, you will be treated with apathy. Not sure if the food is worth the treatment.
(2)Edward N.
The mixed greens salad for two was outstanding and we topped it off with the fennel sausage pizza for a memorable meal.
(5)Suburban R.
cool space. cool lighting. a patio. a bar. most excellent thin-crust pizza (tried at inaugural visit the margherita and funghi) . a most welcome addition to the neighboring savoy and el patron; hope they think of starting a happy hour soon!
(5)Michael Z.
Food good. Issues w eating at the bar. Lot of staff chatter w each other and not w customers. If they would just keep level of service consistent , it would be a good place to go.
(2)Heather B.
If the staff spent as much time attending to customers as the did socializing and drinking at the bar, maybe I would like this place. Sadly, I spent the entire meal listening to them flirt and gossip - not the experience that this "pizza gone upscale" restaurant is probably wanting to promote. In addition, whereas the original Farina is warm, cozy and welcoming, this version, which I understand does not have the same set of owners, is loud and overly trendy. The original Farina is the place to go and, even though it is a drive across town, the only one we'll be returning to. This location is trying too hard - and the owners should probably let the manager know that he should be too, with the customers, not his staff. Bummer.
(2)Mike R.
Ate here on 9/19/13 for lunch asked if they had Gluten free pasta dish waitress said yes we can make the dish GF and she recommended spaghetti and meatballs. Dish comes out she states oh I forgot the meatballs have flour is that OK? Since I don't have to go GF free and I do so just to eat better and cleaner I said yes it's OK. But I feel bad for someone that had to go GF and if they would have eaten it what that outcome would have been. Waitress was uneducated on the menu & snippy at times due to all the questions we had. Spaghetti Sauce was terrible & meatballs not that great considering they are known for them? I could have made this dish with canned sauce and frozen meatballs that taste the same! #ABQ
(1)Lotus G.
Have always loved Farina. However, I took a friend there for her Birthday dinner and the service was good at first and then, it took forever for the pizza to come out. The waitress brought out the wrong glass of wine. She apologized 2 x for the delay in the pizza. Then, the check came and there were two errors with the bill which the waitress corrected and then, we never saw her again. The waters were not refilled and we sat there with no service for the remainder of our time there. Will not be back any time soon.
(2)Ellen H.
Yay! A Farina closer to home!! I am already a huge fan of the original Farina's on Central, so naturally I had to check out the new Farina Alto in my 'hood. It did not disappoint! The pizza's were great! As a group, we ordered the Margherita, fungi, and the special (fresh veggies and sausage). No leftovers. This location is perfect, large space with a patio and plenty of parking. Service is, as always with Farina and Artichoke, friendly and professional. I think I just fell in love.
(5)Gaston H.
I just returned from my second visit to Farina Alto, which is rapidly becoming certainly one of my favorite restaurants in Albuquerque. It's not difficult to see the expert hand of a seasoned restaurateur from t he design of dining space to the last taste of their imaginatively created desserts. Their antipasto is exceptional and most generous. Their meat balls are served in a sauce that would cause even Emily Post to sop up the last drop with their beautifully toasted Italian bread. Their salads are fresh from the farm and their dressings light but flavorful. Their pizzas are served with perfect crust. I cannot imagine anyone faulting the service, as both servers that I had could not have been more helpful, pleasant, or attentive. One even suggested that I might want to order a smaller pizza due to the other dishes I had selected. Farina Alto is a jewel and those who appreciate really good Italian food and live in Northeast Albuquerque need to do themselves a favor and "Eat, eat, eat."
(5)Bryan C.
Delicious food. Same quality as the downtown location in a much more comfortable environment. This location has spacious dinning room with tasteful decor, bar, and patio. My favorite apps are the enorme meatball parmesan. Chicken wings for some reason are really good. They're small but a good sign that they're not loaded with growth hormones. As far as the pizza, all high quality ingredients and the crust is off the hook, even the gluten free crust is delicious and has a good bite to it. I've had nothing but great service from friendly staff.
(5)Amy O.
When we arrived at Farina Alto we were a bit excited because we choice to sit on the patio where it was a little more private, this might have been a mistake because our wait staff seemed to forget about us at times (not in a good way). The antipasto appetizer was ok, I was expecting more since they cure their own meat. I would have also like the wait staff to be educated on this process and give me a little information. The balsamic meatballs were good but honestly dipping the fresh made bread into the sauce was the best thing about the appetizer because the sauce is delicious. I would highly recommend the Carne Pizza with green chili. Although, if you like tiramisu maybe pass. Presentation was nice but flavor was missing. Overall, I feel because our service wasn't the best it effected our food experience. Not sure if I will return to Farina Alto anytime soon but I might give it a second chance in the future.
(3)Kerry K.
Farina Alto was great during our brief stop in Albuquerque. My boyfriend and I stopped in about 8PM on a Thursday night. The manager was courteous and promptly sat us outside on their patio which was super nice because the weather was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. It was such a great spot for dinner. Our waitress was spot on with the size of salad we should order. I really liked that this place has the option of gluten free pizzas and pastas and their dough is flown in from Italy so you know it's less chemically processed than other food sourced here in the US. This was a good little spot for a quick, reasonably priced dinner.
(4)Veronica B.
Interesting blend of a bistro and Italian fusion, just the place for a quick bite or a nice dinner date. Their house wine (red) is a refreshing compliment to their antipasto platter and dinner selection. I've had the Caprese salad, light, fresh and delicious! There typically playing sports games at the bar, but soft tunes in the restaurant area. There are also options for planning a large party. Quite, peaceful atmosphere and great service. Farina Alto is a great place to check out after work to grab something light and enjoy a drink from their wine and beer selection to start the night!
(5)Kate H.
Farina Alto was a fabulous choice for a recent date night. The atmosphere was nice and it wasn't overly crowded, which made getting a table for two no trouble at all. We started with the Fried Artichoke Hearts, they were fresh and the lemon créme fraiche was rich. I could have honestly just eaten a plate of these and not been disappointed. For dinner we shared the large Funghi pizza. It was a mushroom lover's dream! The combination of a perfectly crispy crust, creamy fontina and the rich, earthy mushrooms made a great meal.
(5)Mike C.
Mushrooms and baked olives were extremely good as appetizers. Has three large pizzas and all were very good. One was slightly burned. Service was horrible. Waited 10 minutes to get someone to come by and ask us for our drink order. Our waiter disappeared and we ended up flagging down other waiters when we needed something. Asked our waiter for our check and after about 20 minutes we flagged down someone else who ended up bringing our check. Overall food was good but service was extremely disappointing.
(3)Melissa C.
Horrible service!!! We sat there for over an hour without being served. Everyone around us was served. When we finally got an order my food came out 15 minutes before the rest of my party. No one offered to keep it warm. When we asked for the manager he smirked and blamed it on new cooks. Didn't even offer to comp anything. Will NEVER be back and will NEVER. Recommend this place. Ever.
(1)milissa g.
I live closer to the central location and enjoy the food and atmosphere very much. I happened to pass Farina Alto and placed a take out order. I had the chopped vegetable salad and the pizza with goat cheese, pancetta and leek. The food was consistent with the high standards of Farina/Central which serves well prepared food with quality and fresh ingredients. Staff was pleasant and order came out quickly.
(5)Brooke M.
I lived in New York City for 17 years and San Francisco for 2 years.. I love my food and I'm pretty picky about my pizza.. The pizza here is some of the best pizza I've ever had. The crust is just delicious.. I like the ambiance of the place. Very cool and chill vibe.... I just moved to Abq in May and there is nothing in this town that even compares to Farina Alto's pizza.
(5)Nessie V.
So good! So nice to find a place with vegan/nondairy cheese for pizzas, especially when the crust and everything else is so excellent. It was one of my favorite pies I've eaten in a long time. My parent's liked their spaghetti and meatballs too. Service was very attentive and friendly. The decor is warm and contemporary, and they were playing Lourde at a nice background volume. Parking is ample, but the spots are narrow. The restrooms were clean, with samples of a nice salt scrub, but no changing tables.
(5)Mike C.
Mushrooms and baked olives were extremely good as appetizers. Has three large pizzas and all were very good. One was slightly burned. Service was horrible. Waited 10 minutes to get someone to come by and ask us for our drink order. Our waiter disappeared and we ended up flagging down other waiters when we needed something. Asked our waiter for our check and after about 20 minutes we flagged down someone else who ended up bringing our check. Overall food was good but service was extremely disappointing.
(3)Jordan A.
I enjoyed the food at Farina Alto. We started with some Prince Edward Island Mussels, which were quite nice. I wish they had been cooked a little bit longer, but it was still good. My fiancé and I opted to share a pizza with pepperoni and green chile, which was good. The chunks of green chile were rather large, but we still enjoyed it. My issue with tonight was our server. I've done my time in the industry, and I know better than to walk past a table 3 times and not check on them once. He never brought out the stand for our pizza and didn't have plates ready either. The restaurant lost two stars because this server did not even come close to proper service.
(3)Maria G.
This place has the same food as Farina on Central but the place is much better. No drafty seats. Big open dinning room, no need to sit on top of the table next to you. Specials at the bar/lounge. Art all over that rotates. And the service isn't rushed like Farina. The drive is worth the atmosphere compared to the downtown location.
(5)Sarah N.
Best brick oven pizza in town! The menu is offers a unique selection of pizzas, a few pasta and other entrees. They make their own gluten free pizza crusts and bread, smoke and cure their own meats and take extra preparing every menu item. They offer a full bar and have a great selection of speciality cocktIls. You cannot miss with farina alto!
(5)Yunchi Z.
After dining here on 5 different occasions, I'm a fan especially for their consistent top notch service. Funny I often forgot to check-in on Yelp App when I was here, because all my attention was on the dining party and the experience we enjoyed. Not a lengthy review to repeat what others had already written, some of my highlights are: Garbanzo bean coated fried calamari comes with 2 dipping sauces, both are good but I love the creamy tarragon one just a tad more. Balsamic meatballs are to die for, and the generous portion of thoughtful grilled bread to dip in the divine sauce can easily fill my stomach up. But how could I stop there?! Artisan pizzas are so wonderful! This is the place where I have found the best gluten free crust in town. I'm not allergic to gluten, just try to eat less when possible. Often I ended up ordering my favorite Formaggio di Capra. I subbed goat cheese for ricotta during the last visit, server was very accommodating. The tiramisu here is the best I've tasted in town, after being on a mission to find the best one last year... granted, I still have a few Italian places to try this staple dessert! Here's the good to great service: they put thoughtfulness in boxing up the leftovers beyond the norm! Real pizza box for my half leftover pizza, then they gave us full portion, freshly grilled bread instead of the slightly sauced bread we couldn't finish from the entree!
(5)James B.
This was my first time here and I was surprised by a few things. Some good, some not so good. Here goes: Service -- place only had a few tables that were occupied and a few seats taken at the bar. We chose to sit in dining room. Waitress was very quick to get us drinks and take our orders. She had a few recommendations and took her advice with truffle fries, these were good. Food-- my daughter and I both got salads ( mine-spinach of course, believe hers was verde or something ) We both liked our salads but after the app we took most of it to-go. Price-- where the price of the appetizer and the salads was okay. My only complaint was the extra charge for chicken and cucumber ( 8 bones for thin piece of chicken on my salad, was good, just small. My daughter was charged 2 bones for cucumbers that were half slices and not very plentiful ) Dessert--Holy expense Bat Man. 8 bones for Tiramisu ( sp?) of which we had ordered two. Bill was almost 70 bones w/o tip. Yikes. Will return again and update, will just be careful what I order.
(3)John D.
Nice ambiance. Great staff. Nice music and art on the walls. Itsy TV, so not a sports bar. Caprese and penne vodka gets my lunch specials vote, but also check out sauteed broccolini or lasagna. The caprese salad was perfect. They even use this type of almost rock salt, so you get this salty sensation which is quite different. This is definitely a date place for when things get serious. Lunch service is a little slow.
(3)Jennifer M.
I enjoy eating at local restaurants and this is a favorite we like to frequent. They serve brick oven pizza, source as much local food as they can, cure their own pancetta, and serve fresh salads. My favorite salad is the chopped vegetable salad! It is so delicious!! It has tons of fresh, crisp vegetables like cucumber, cauliflower, celery, bell peppers, garbanzos, mixed lettuces, and a red wine vinaigrette. The grilled bread with olive oil they serve with it is amazing! We are simple, we love the margarita pizza and the melanzane which has eggplant, DELICIOUS!!! The homemade sorbets are also terrific!
(5)Cassidy L.
Very much like the original--which is a good thing. But also better than the original. I love places that are quaint and nook-like feeling. But also dislike waiting for long periods of time for service or feeling too cramped--this would occasionally happen at the LoDo locale. At this place I saw it fill up but the restaurant still felt spacious and inviting. We decided to sit on the patio and really enjoyed it. The crowd here is also a little different, but not for the worse. The food is the same wonderful quality we've come to appreciate from Farina and the service was also superb. We enjoyed the fried artichoke with a pesto base and topped with arugula. Then a traditional, yet filling and high quality Caesar salad. We split the Formaggio di Carna pizza. I just love the wood fired crust! This pizza is yummy. Simply put. It's creamy, salty and crunchy. Just like pizza should be. These three were certain fillers and would have been thoroughly enjoyed with a glass of wine. Left under $40. I can dig it.
(4)Michael P.
This is our go to place. The quality has been consistent since the day it opened. The service is top notch and very attentive. The calamari and roasted Italian olives are our favorite apps. This place is very forward thinking, offering gluten free and Daiya vegan mozzarella options. They even have organic wines. For your $ this is one of our favorite places in Albuquerque. Clean, trendy and not too expensive. You can bring your children and not feel out of place. You can seriously drop Farina Alto in any top trendy city and it would rival the best.
(5)Karen H.
This was our first time in, very disappointing! The hostess convinced us to sit in the bar, took forever to get an order in. The place was practically empty of customers. We finally were helped by the bartender, then we got our food, pizza was burned on the bottom. Appetizers were 25%off & now we know why! The balsamic meatballs on the yelp photos looked so good, but we got 1 inch size bread, & 4 meatballs not fully cooked. We received no drink refills, as well as had to eat our pizza off our original appetizer plates! We asked for our check & left hungry We don't recommend the service or food! What a horrible experience for a date night!
(1)Jaime Patricio M.
Had a great meal here--I went with a long time friend for wonderful food and service. I called to see if reservations were available and they are only for larger parties. When I called I was told I might have to wait a while given it was a Friday. I thought when I got there that we would wait for at least an hour instead the wait was only 20 minutes. The service was friendly and attentive. We ordered meatballs, a green salad, and the mushroom pizza with chicken. Each item was nicely prepared and plated. The pizza was a big surprise--a much larger sized pizza than I am used to getting when I order fresh-high quality pizzas. A lot of cheese, mushrooms, right amount of chicken and nice crust. A larger wine list filled with cocktails and beer. I look forward to going back!
(5)Miriam H.
We went in at time when they were busy and were given an estimate of a 25 min. wait time for seating. When two seats opened up at the bar a minute or so into that wait we slid in with no problems. The drinks were good and the bartender was knowledgeable and personable. We got a half of the verde salad to split but acknowledged that in the future we would need a full between us. The Margherita pizza was amazing and the butterscotch budino was the perfect end to the meal. The staff as a whole was friendly and the place inviting. Have gone back once since (I apparently started this review and never posted it) and was impressed all over again.
(4)Amanda B.
I would definitely give it a five for the food and the atmosphere. Both are beyond great. However, the customer service is pretty hit and miss. Some servers have been phenomenal, but others have been awful. Example: when being seated with my friends, they walked is outside to the COLD patio where no one was seated because I had my service dog with me, after explaining that I did not want to sit outside, she seated us in the far corner away from everyone else in an attempt to hide us.
(4)Lisa F.
Delicious an love the environment had a nice snack w the sampler platter for appetizers! Was delicious an has great happy hour 25% off beer an apps in bar area! Lovely place
(5)Emily B.
Absolutely fantastic! Great service, even better food, good dietary alternatives, very calm and stylish, yet social, atmosphere. I had never had Eggplant Parmesan before but their version was phenomenal--a bit on the sweet side but the sauce was superb. Evidently mine came out a bit small (the waiter claimed it was the smallest he had ever seen it), so they sent out a second small portion, which was really commendable (I even overheard them doing a similar service at the table nearby--impressive customer service). Looking forward to going back!!
(5)William A.
Love their pizza. Probably my favorite in Albuquerque. Love their salads as well. My only complaint is their salads to go are half the size of what they are in restaurant. They do not make them the same and not worth the money they charge for a to go salad. Scarpas is better for to go.
(3)Ruben R.
Owners at farina alto take note and recognize when quality staff makes your business a success. Not only is the atmosphere at Farina Alto modern and new, the pizza excellent, the marble beer and wine well matched with the pizza, but on top of that, and most important, our server Jeff is an exemplary professional! The attention and affect he presented were both refreshing and nurturing. This location has more than made up for the last disaster service experience at the downtown farina LODO location. Perhaps the downtown location is biased in-favor of hipster yuppies, and not families, or perhaps they have a captive nob hill downtown client base that feels the heights are too uncool or homogeneous and are willing to put up with some abuse with Friday night dinner, whatever the reason, there is a lot that the owners of downtown farina can learn from the owners of the farina heights. Thank you Jeff for your great service. It was much appreciated by me and my little family tonight.
(5)Jessica N.
Ordered take out for dinner. Granted a Saturday night, is it busy. I was 5 minutes late to pick up, and they were still not done with my order. I waited an additional 10 minutes. Dinner for my friend and I ended up being pricier than we both felt it was worth. Not sure if I will go back or not.
(2)Cristina M.
My first time to Farina Alto. I went to the original Farina once about a year and a half ago and thought it was delicious, though super crowded (uncharacteristically so for Albuquerque). I visited Farina Alto on a Thursday night with my two kids. The environment is large, hip, modern, classy. I'd say most people there were in their 50s and my kids were the only children in the entire establishment, which was surprising (at 7 pm). Luckily, my kids are well-behaved and ladies love to gush over my son, so I don't feel like they were unwelcome at all (just trying to give an accurate impression). We had an excellent waiter, though we waited a while before our order was taken because he had a large party of indecisive folks to contend with. We were hungry and it was getting to be the kids' witching hour, but everyone survived. The pizzas come in a full or half size. I was told the full was about 12 inches in diameter, but I'm guessing it was more like 14 inches. We almost ordered one half and one full pizza, but I'm glad we didn't--it would have been too much food. The three of us shared a full salsiccia sans the onions and with green chile on half and my daughter and I shared a spinach salad. There were six nicely-sized slices, so two each. It was the perfect amount of food. The full pizzas seem to average $16-18 while the half pizzas average around $8-10. I was craving a glass of wine since they are a wine bar and all, but seeing as though I would have to drive halfway across town, I did not dare order a glass. A perfect-sized glass of wine for me is about 2-3 oz. I loved the wine bars in the DC area because they served half-glasses and it was perfect! I have yet to find an establishment here that does that. Nevertheless, I thought I'd try my luck. The next time our waiter came by I asked, "since you're a wine bar, do you offer half-glasses of wine?" He said no, but that they offer tastes of wine and they are pretty generous. He said I could try as many as six or so! He asked what I'd like to try so I asked for a taste of a Malbec. The doll of a waiter came back with a good 3 oz. glass of Malbec. It was awesome, the perfect amount and I can't believe how sweet he was. Maybe he felt bad because we waited so long to order. So, a great meal, a nice little glass of wine, pleasant service. My kids loved the food. I guarantee we'll be back.
(4)Jesse M.
I was impressed with the quality of vegetables and the fresh ingredients on the pizza. Definitely a quality place to have pizza and salads. Atmosphere is impressive and relaxed.
(4)Nessie V.
So good! So nice to find a place with vegan/nondairy cheese for pizzas, especially when the crust and everything else is so excellent. It was one of my favorite pies I've eaten in a long time. My parent's liked their spaghetti and meatballs too. Service was very attentive and friendly. The decor is warm and contemporary, and they were playing Lourde at a nice background volume. Parking is ample, but the spots are narrow. The restrooms were clean, with samples of a nice salt scrub, but no changing tables.
(5)Mike C.
Mushrooms and baked olives were extremely good as appetizers. Has three large pizzas and all were very good. One was slightly burned. Service was horrible. Waited 10 minutes to get someone to come by and ask us for our drink order. Our waiter disappeared and we ended up flagging down other waiters when we needed something. Asked our waiter for our check and after about 20 minutes we flagged down someone else who ended up bringing our check. Overall food was good but service was extremely disappointing.
(3)MG M.
Here's the summary: Food: Great Experience: Eh Service Recovery Attempt: Good I'm a big fan of Farina in EDO. Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Great. I've gotten a pizza to go once before from Farina Alto, and it was delicious, as expected. When I ordered a pizza to go this time, I was told it would be ready in 25 minutes, which I thought was a bit of a long time for pizza. But ok. When I went in to pick up the pizza, it didn't make sense to me that it was now more than 30 minutes later when 1) that's what they do, and 2) the restaurant was maybe a third full before 6pm on a Friday night. There truly seemed to be more wait staff than people in the restaurant. The manager seemed genuinely apologetic, which I appreciated and gave me a seriously delicious dessert. So major props for trying to recover service, for sure, but if you're primarily a pizza restaurant, it seems reasonable to expect pizza production to take less than 30 minutes. Overall, I think this atmosphere just isn't for me. While pizza may be a "family" food, at Farina & Farina Alto's price point (which I have no problem with) & atmosphere (nice wine list, bar seating), personally, I expect a more adult atmosphere. I don't hate children, but if I were dining in the restaurant, I wouldn't be ok with crying babies. I realize this is difficult for a restaurant to manage, and I'm just including this in my review to be descriptive so that others can decide whether or not the atmosphere is right for what they want.
(3)Eric And Jennifer R.
I've been here at least two dozen times. In the past six months, the service and cleanliness have gone down hill. It has a modern vibe but very cozy. It's a great place for business meeting. There is an outdoor seating area with a water fountain. They have the best pizzas in town (as of 2014) because of the crust and topping selections. When they first opened, I came in for their eggplant Parmesan and antipasto salad. They changed the marinara sauce of the eggplant and removed the antipasto salad from their menu. Now, I come in just for business meetings and order pizza. My favorite pizza is the Bianca. The Bianca has mozzarella, Parmesan, ricotta, artichoke hearts, sage and truffle oil. I usually add grilled chicken and roasted garlic. It is amazing! I also love the formaggio de Capra and funghi. The formaggio has leeks, scallions, goat cheese, mozzarella and prosciutto. The funghi has mushrooms, thyme, shallots and three cheeses. Couple of months ago, we took a group of coworkers out to dinner. Each person ordered a pizza. One person got the wrong pizza and waited almost 30 minutes for a replacement while everyone ate their pizza. They brought her the wrong pizza again. She ate a slice and asked for a box. The waitress brought her pizza to the back to box. When she returned, she said the cook ate a slice of her pizza before she put it in the box. We were mortified! The waitress thought it was funny. Another coworker spoke up and asked them to make another pizza for our coworker to take home without a missing slice. They did. Today, my coworkers and I had a lunch meeting at Farina. The bathroom was filthy. There was blood and something that looked like dried raw meat splattered on the walls. The floor had a thin layer of dirt with trash in every corner. The drain was so filthy that they will need a plumber to unclog it. I wonder what the kitchen looks like. Tip: box your leftovers at your table.
(3)Stephanie N.
We dined here during lunch & since we had 2 kiddos w/ us, we opted for the patio so they can run around. We ordered a full pizza. The salcissia. Sweet fennel Italian sausage, roasted onions, roasted tomatoes & mozzarella. I also ordered the house made ravioli, & that was delicious. Worth coming back for that alone. Our waiter, Jordan was amazing. He was brand new but he was on his A game. He showed us how the plants in the patio was actually a garden of the fresh veggies & herbs they use at the restaurant. There was tomatoes, eggplants, basil, mint, etc. He also told me how they have wine pairing events sometimes, paired w/ a several course meal. Looking forward to trying that out sometime. They apparently are owned by the same people as the artichoke cafe. So I will have to try that out too.
(5)Chan J.
Gluten free pizza heaven with excellent texture and flavor! We had a GF Formaggio di Cappra, GF margerhita pizza, and baby spinach and pancetta salad. Wine and drinks were great, the ambience was beautiful, and our hostess and waitress were friendly and attentive. We will definitely return when we are in Albuquerque...Farino Alto nailed it!
(5)Tricia K.
I love Farina, both the original and the Alto. I actually like the location and atmosphere of Alto better since there is more space and the tables are larger. My favorite item is the margherita pizza. I also had an awesome salad off their specials menu which was beet greens with spanish ham and cheese. My sister thought the greens were too chewy for her taste but I thought the flavor was amazing. I agree with the other reviewers, Farina has the best wood fired pizza in town.
(5)Gavin M.
Every single pizza is made from scratch. No frozen dough here! Amazing chefs using their creativity to come up with rotating Classic Italian special dishes to compliment the regular menu. The only restaurant in town curing their own meat which is displayed behind a glass wall for the dining room to observe. Wonderful atmosphere and a delicious menu!
(5)Howie K.
A partial definition of "alto", ripped from Wikipedia, says this: the second highest part of a contrapuntal musical texture. Contrapuntal, or counterpoint, is defined by this same source as "the relationship between voices that are harmonically interdependent (polyphony), but independent in rhythm and contour". For fans of the original Farina, this perfectly defines the new location. The harmonically interdependent ingredients of the original restaurant are tantamount to the successful launch of the new venue. They gotta nail the pizza, right? And they do. The pies match the beauty of the EDo location. But I'll go a step further in stating that this new location beats the old hands down. Independent in rhythm and contour, Alto hits a high note on service, ambiance and style. If you have reservations about the crowded, busy mess downtown, hit this place up for a roomy, mellow feel. You'll find more than elbow room. Reviews of group experiences are, from my point of view, more representative of the overall management of a business than a simple lunch or dinner might provide. There were eight of us. We had reservations and arrived at varying times. We dined over two hours. We had apps, salads, entrees and dessert, so I'm thinking this review is pretty reliable. What wasn't to love? The house-made ravioli made me wet my pants, and I only had a bite. The olive hors d'oeuvres were insanely hot off the plate, we were warned, and they were delish. So were the mushrooms. I had the antipasto salad, definitely big enough for an entree, and let me riff on the dried prosciutto for a minute: smokey, almost a hit of nicotine, the stuff kicked in my taste buds with abandon. Check out the meats, they're hanging in an adjacent room and you'll know the place sources the very best. The calzone: human sized perfection. Not one of those gigantic fold-over pizzas you'll find at a place like Saggio's, but largesse. Also, I hear the eggplant parmesan was very nice, and exceptionally well-presented. To finish, indeed, the butterscotch thingy was divine. The chocolate gelato was very nice, although it tasted and looked like ice cream, so I'm guessing I'm sounding like a wanna-be snob for not knowing the difference. It came with a chocolate biscotti. Pants were wetted a second time. Insanely choco. I was finished. My final note: these guys won't rush you. Service is stellar but cautious. If you want to sit around and let the night fly (as happens in Italy), they're cool with it. So don't stress the time, or your cell phone. Just relax. Eventually you'll find a reason to be harmonically interdependent and you'll keep coming back.
(5)Travel'en C.
Another solid home for pie lovers! Again, Albuquerque isn't exactly a quintessential Mecca for pizza however, after 5 years, a lot of cheese and patience, we've managed to locate a few. That said, This place makes a deliciously consistent pie! I'm definitely a creature of habit, steering clear of those foo-foo pizzas for the more traditional animal fat-based pies, accompanied by the holy trinity of veggies...mushroom, onion and green chili. Here, I'd highly recommend the Salsiccia with an add on of pepperoni. On a side note, the Verde salad is "must-try" as well...perfect for sharing.
(5)Ulysses P.
This place is fairly new but off to a great start. We came to eat at around 4pm to beat the rush. If you like some quiet then I would suggest coming around this time. We were sat promptly and our waiter was both very friendly and very knowledgable... a rare combination. Before the meal we were served ice water along with bread and a dish of very fancy olive oil with a dash of balsamic vinegar in it. This was a nice surprise since it is definitely a step up from just your run of the mill bread before the meal. My wife and I split a half baby spinach salad and a half salciccia pizza since we weren't that hungry. It turns out this was just the perfect serving to satisfy both of us and it was spectacularly tasty and gourmet. My only little gripe about the salad is that there was a little too much onions in it. No complaints about the pizza made from quality dough. The atmosphere of the restaurant is trendy and cool. There is soothing/hip music playing, some cool abstract art on the walls and good lighting. Also, this is a minor detail but, the forks only have 3 prongs which always freaks me out and it makes it more difficult to eat the food without it falling through the larger spaces. But I digress. The prices are not cheap but not too expensive for quality food. To sum up, this place has it all, food, atmosphere, art, good lighting and friendly people. It's worth a try any day of the week.
(5)Joel D.
We've had dinner here many times, since the restaurant is near my daughter's house. I have gotten in a rut in ordering here because I have several favorites, but I haven't gotten bored yet. Among my favorites are the salsiccia and fromaggio di capra pizza. Frequently the ravioli di giorno's ingredients appeal to me, and such was the case yesterday. The butterscotch budino is outstanding, and I may never get tired of it. Although the tiramisu is acceptable, there is another version in town that is off scale. Service for us has always been outstanding, and yesterday's was no exception. Although there are supposed to be rotating Marble and La Cumbre taps, the offerings are generally the same. I can only think of one exception, when La Cumbre's wet hopped - dry hopped ale was offered. Now there was a great beer! I keep hoping it will be offered again.
(4)Ling Tzu W.
We went on a Sunday right when they opened. The staff seems nice and the environment seems friendly. Their patio is beautiful and wonderful to sit at. The food is average. I ordered a salad and it was good. My husband ordered pizza and he thought it was good but both of us thought that it probably is not a place we would frequently visit. The food is tasty but not WOW.
(3)Victor D.
I am sad to say that I was really looking forward to wonderful dining experience, but my expectations fell short. Our oder was cut in half. The waiter come came by and said he only put in one order and would bring the rest later. We finished our food and had to wait until he was ready to get it. I wasn't happy with the service.
(1)Mark V.
Great Pie. Had the Salsiccia Pizza. Crust was perfect. Not to heavy. Great atmosphere.
(5)Jordan A.
I enjoyed the food at Farina Alto. We started with some Prince Edward Island Mussels, which were quite nice. I wish they had been cooked a little bit longer, but it was still good. My fiancé and I opted to share a pizza with pepperoni and green chile, which was good. The chunks of green chile were rather large, but we still enjoyed it. My issue with tonight was our server. I've done my time in the industry, and I know better than to walk past a table 3 times and not check on them once. He never brought out the stand for our pizza and didn't have plates ready either. The restaurant lost two stars because this server did not even come close to proper service.
(3)Sarah N.
Best brick oven pizza in town! The menu is offers a unique selection of pizzas, a few pasta and other entrees. They make their own gluten free pizza crusts and bread, smoke and cure their own meats and take extra preparing every menu item. They offer a full bar and have a great selection of speciality cocktIls. You cannot miss with farina alto!
(5)Yunchi Z.
After dining here on 5 different occasions, I'm a fan especially for their consistent top notch service. Funny I often forgot to check-in on Yelp App when I was here, because all my attention was on the dining party and the experience we enjoyed. Not a lengthy review to repeat what others had already written, some of my highlights are: Garbanzo bean coated fried calamari comes with 2 dipping sauces, both are good but I love the creamy tarragon one just a tad more. Balsamic meatballs are to die for, and the generous portion of thoughtful grilled bread to dip in the divine sauce can easily fill my stomach up. But how could I stop there?! Artisan pizzas are so wonderful! This is the place where I have found the best gluten free crust in town. I'm not allergic to gluten, just try to eat less when possible. Often I ended up ordering my favorite Formaggio di Capra. I subbed goat cheese for ricotta during the last visit, server was very accommodating. The tiramisu here is the best I've tasted in town, after being on a mission to find the best one last year... granted, I still have a few Italian places to try this staple dessert! Here's the good to great service: they put thoughtfulness in boxing up the leftovers beyond the norm! Real pizza box for my half leftover pizza, then they gave us full portion, freshly grilled bread instead of the slightly sauced bread we couldn't finish from the entree!
(5)James B.
This was my first time here and I was surprised by a few things. Some good, some not so good. Here goes: Service -- place only had a few tables that were occupied and a few seats taken at the bar. We chose to sit in dining room. Waitress was very quick to get us drinks and take our orders. She had a few recommendations and took her advice with truffle fries, these were good. Food-- my daughter and I both got salads ( mine-spinach of course, believe hers was verde or something ) We both liked our salads but after the app we took most of it to-go. Price-- where the price of the appetizer and the salads was okay. My only complaint was the extra charge for chicken and cucumber ( 8 bones for thin piece of chicken on my salad, was good, just small. My daughter was charged 2 bones for cucumbers that were half slices and not very plentiful ) Dessert--Holy expense Bat Man. 8 bones for Tiramisu ( sp?) of which we had ordered two. Bill was almost 70 bones w/o tip. Yikes. Will return again and update, will just be careful what I order.
(3)John D.
Nice ambiance. Great staff. Nice music and art on the walls. Itsy TV, so not a sports bar. Caprese and penne vodka gets my lunch specials vote, but also check out sauteed broccolini or lasagna. The caprese salad was perfect. They even use this type of almost rock salt, so you get this salty sensation which is quite different. This is definitely a date place for when things get serious. Lunch service is a little slow.
(3)Maria G.
This place has the same food as Farina on Central but the place is much better. No drafty seats. Big open dinning room, no need to sit on top of the table next to you. Specials at the bar/lounge. Art all over that rotates. And the service isn't rushed like Farina. The drive is worth the atmosphere compared to the downtown location.
(5)Amy O.
When we arrived at Farina Alto we were a bit excited because we choice to sit on the patio where it was a little more private, this might have been a mistake because our wait staff seemed to forget about us at times (not in a good way). The antipasto appetizer was ok, I was expecting more since they cure their own meat. I would have also like the wait staff to be educated on this process and give me a little information. The balsamic meatballs were good but honestly dipping the fresh made bread into the sauce was the best thing about the appetizer because the sauce is delicious. I would highly recommend the Carne Pizza with green chili. Although, if you like tiramisu maybe pass. Presentation was nice but flavor was missing. Overall, I feel because our service wasn't the best it effected our food experience. Not sure if I will return to Farina Alto anytime soon but I might give it a second chance in the future.
(3)Kerry K.
Farina Alto was great during our brief stop in Albuquerque. My boyfriend and I stopped in about 8PM on a Thursday night. The manager was courteous and promptly sat us outside on their patio which was super nice because the weather was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. It was such a great spot for dinner. Our waitress was spot on with the size of salad we should order. I really liked that this place has the option of gluten free pizzas and pastas and their dough is flown in from Italy so you know it's less chemically processed than other food sourced here in the US. This was a good little spot for a quick, reasonably priced dinner.
(4)Veronica B.
Interesting blend of a bistro and Italian fusion, just the place for a quick bite or a nice dinner date. Their house wine (red) is a refreshing compliment to their antipasto platter and dinner selection. I've had the Caprese salad, light, fresh and delicious! There typically playing sports games at the bar, but soft tunes in the restaurant area. There are also options for planning a large party. Quite, peaceful atmosphere and great service. Farina Alto is a great place to check out after work to grab something light and enjoy a drink from their wine and beer selection to start the night!
(5)Kate H.
Farina Alto was a fabulous choice for a recent date night. The atmosphere was nice and it wasn't overly crowded, which made getting a table for two no trouble at all. We started with the Fried Artichoke Hearts, they were fresh and the lemon créme fraiche was rich. I could have honestly just eaten a plate of these and not been disappointed. For dinner we shared the large Funghi pizza. It was a mushroom lover's dream! The combination of a perfectly crispy crust, creamy fontina and the rich, earthy mushrooms made a great meal.
(5)Jennifer M.
I enjoy eating at local restaurants and this is a favorite we like to frequent. They serve brick oven pizza, source as much local food as they can, cure their own pancetta, and serve fresh salads. My favorite salad is the chopped vegetable salad! It is so delicious!! It has tons of fresh, crisp vegetables like cucumber, cauliflower, celery, bell peppers, garbanzos, mixed lettuces, and a red wine vinaigrette. The grilled bread with olive oil they serve with it is amazing! We are simple, we love the margarita pizza and the melanzane which has eggplant, DELICIOUS!!! The homemade sorbets are also terrific!
(5)Cassidy L.
Very much like the original--which is a good thing. But also better than the original. I love places that are quaint and nook-like feeling. But also dislike waiting for long periods of time for service or feeling too cramped--this would occasionally happen at the LoDo locale. At this place I saw it fill up but the restaurant still felt spacious and inviting. We decided to sit on the patio and really enjoyed it. The crowd here is also a little different, but not for the worse. The food is the same wonderful quality we've come to appreciate from Farina and the service was also superb. We enjoyed the fried artichoke with a pesto base and topped with arugula. Then a traditional, yet filling and high quality Caesar salad. We split the Formaggio di Carna pizza. I just love the wood fired crust! This pizza is yummy. Simply put. It's creamy, salty and crunchy. Just like pizza should be. These three were certain fillers and would have been thoroughly enjoyed with a glass of wine. Left under $40. I can dig it.
(4)Michael P.
This is our go to place. The quality has been consistent since the day it opened. The service is top notch and very attentive. The calamari and roasted Italian olives are our favorite apps. This place is very forward thinking, offering gluten free and Daiya vegan mozzarella options. They even have organic wines. For your $ this is one of our favorite places in Albuquerque. Clean, trendy and not too expensive. You can bring your children and not feel out of place. You can seriously drop Farina Alto in any top trendy city and it would rival the best.
(5)Karen H.
This was our first time in, very disappointing! The hostess convinced us to sit in the bar, took forever to get an order in. The place was practically empty of customers. We finally were helped by the bartender, then we got our food, pizza was burned on the bottom. Appetizers were 25%off & now we know why! The balsamic meatballs on the yelp photos looked so good, but we got 1 inch size bread, & 4 meatballs not fully cooked. We received no drink refills, as well as had to eat our pizza off our original appetizer plates! We asked for our check & left hungry We don't recommend the service or food! What a horrible experience for a date night!
(1)Jaime Patricio M.
Had a great meal here--I went with a long time friend for wonderful food and service. I called to see if reservations were available and they are only for larger parties. When I called I was told I might have to wait a while given it was a Friday. I thought when I got there that we would wait for at least an hour instead the wait was only 20 minutes. The service was friendly and attentive. We ordered meatballs, a green salad, and the mushroom pizza with chicken. Each item was nicely prepared and plated. The pizza was a big surprise--a much larger sized pizza than I am used to getting when I order fresh-high quality pizzas. A lot of cheese, mushrooms, right amount of chicken and nice crust. A larger wine list filled with cocktails and beer. I look forward to going back!
(5)Bryan C.
Delicious food. Same quality as the downtown location in a much more comfortable environment. This location has spacious dinning room with tasteful decor, bar, and patio. My favorite apps are the enorme meatball parmesan. Chicken wings for some reason are really good. They're small but a good sign that they're not loaded with growth hormones. As far as the pizza, all high quality ingredients and the crust is off the hook, even the gluten free crust is delicious and has a good bite to it. I've had nothing but great service from friendly staff.
(5)Miriam H.
We went in at time when they were busy and were given an estimate of a 25 min. wait time for seating. When two seats opened up at the bar a minute or so into that wait we slid in with no problems. The drinks were good and the bartender was knowledgeable and personable. We got a half of the verde salad to split but acknowledged that in the future we would need a full between us. The Margherita pizza was amazing and the butterscotch budino was the perfect end to the meal. The staff as a whole was friendly and the place inviting. Have gone back once since (I apparently started this review and never posted it) and was impressed all over again.
(4)Amanda B.
I would definitely give it a five for the food and the atmosphere. Both are beyond great. However, the customer service is pretty hit and miss. Some servers have been phenomenal, but others have been awful. Example: when being seated with my friends, they walked is outside to the COLD patio where no one was seated because I had my service dog with me, after explaining that I did not want to sit outside, she seated us in the far corner away from everyone else in an attempt to hide us.
(4)Lisa F.
Delicious an love the environment had a nice snack w the sampler platter for appetizers! Was delicious an has great happy hour 25% off beer an apps in bar area! Lovely place
(5)Emily B.
Absolutely fantastic! Great service, even better food, good dietary alternatives, very calm and stylish, yet social, atmosphere. I had never had Eggplant Parmesan before but their version was phenomenal--a bit on the sweet side but the sauce was superb. Evidently mine came out a bit small (the waiter claimed it was the smallest he had ever seen it), so they sent out a second small portion, which was really commendable (I even overheard them doing a similar service at the table nearby--impressive customer service). Looking forward to going back!!
(5)William A.
Love their pizza. Probably my favorite in Albuquerque. Love their salads as well. My only complaint is their salads to go are half the size of what they are in restaurant. They do not make them the same and not worth the money they charge for a to go salad. Scarpas is better for to go.
(3)Ruben R.
Owners at farina alto take note and recognize when quality staff makes your business a success. Not only is the atmosphere at Farina Alto modern and new, the pizza excellent, the marble beer and wine well matched with the pizza, but on top of that, and most important, our server Jeff is an exemplary professional! The attention and affect he presented were both refreshing and nurturing. This location has more than made up for the last disaster service experience at the downtown farina LODO location. Perhaps the downtown location is biased in-favor of hipster yuppies, and not families, or perhaps they have a captive nob hill downtown client base that feels the heights are too uncool or homogeneous and are willing to put up with some abuse with Friday night dinner, whatever the reason, there is a lot that the owners of downtown farina can learn from the owners of the farina heights. Thank you Jeff for your great service. It was much appreciated by me and my little family tonight.
(5)Jessica N.
Ordered take out for dinner. Granted a Saturday night, is it busy. I was 5 minutes late to pick up, and they were still not done with my order. I waited an additional 10 minutes. Dinner for my friend and I ended up being pricier than we both felt it was worth. Not sure if I will go back or not.
(2)Cristina M.
My first time to Farina Alto. I went to the original Farina once about a year and a half ago and thought it was delicious, though super crowded (uncharacteristically so for Albuquerque). I visited Farina Alto on a Thursday night with my two kids. The environment is large, hip, modern, classy. I'd say most people there were in their 50s and my kids were the only children in the entire establishment, which was surprising (at 7 pm). Luckily, my kids are well-behaved and ladies love to gush over my son, so I don't feel like they were unwelcome at all (just trying to give an accurate impression). We had an excellent waiter, though we waited a while before our order was taken because he had a large party of indecisive folks to contend with. We were hungry and it was getting to be the kids' witching hour, but everyone survived. The pizzas come in a full or half size. I was told the full was about 12 inches in diameter, but I'm guessing it was more like 14 inches. We almost ordered one half and one full pizza, but I'm glad we didn't--it would have been too much food. The three of us shared a full salsiccia sans the onions and with green chile on half and my daughter and I shared a spinach salad. There were six nicely-sized slices, so two each. It was the perfect amount of food. The full pizzas seem to average $16-18 while the half pizzas average around $8-10. I was craving a glass of wine since they are a wine bar and all, but seeing as though I would have to drive halfway across town, I did not dare order a glass. A perfect-sized glass of wine for me is about 2-3 oz. I loved the wine bars in the DC area because they served half-glasses and it was perfect! I have yet to find an establishment here that does that. Nevertheless, I thought I'd try my luck. The next time our waiter came by I asked, "since you're a wine bar, do you offer half-glasses of wine?" He said no, but that they offer tastes of wine and they are pretty generous. He said I could try as many as six or so! He asked what I'd like to try so I asked for a taste of a Malbec. The doll of a waiter came back with a good 3 oz. glass of Malbec. It was awesome, the perfect amount and I can't believe how sweet he was. Maybe he felt bad because we waited so long to order. So, a great meal, a nice little glass of wine, pleasant service. My kids loved the food. I guarantee we'll be back.
(4)Jesse M.
I was impressed with the quality of vegetables and the fresh ingredients on the pizza. Definitely a quality place to have pizza and salads. Atmosphere is impressive and relaxed.
(4)Travel'en C.
Another solid home for pie lovers! Again, Albuquerque isn't exactly a quintessential Mecca for pizza however, after 5 years, a lot of cheese and patience, we've managed to locate a few. That said, This place makes a deliciously consistent pie! I'm definitely a creature of habit, steering clear of those foo-foo pizzas for the more traditional animal fat-based pies, accompanied by the holy trinity of veggies...mushroom, onion and green chili. Here, I'd highly recommend the Salsiccia with an add on of pepperoni. On a side note, the Verde salad is "must-try" as well...perfect for sharing.
(5)MG M.
Here's the summary: Food: Great Experience: Eh Service Recovery Attempt: Good I'm a big fan of Farina in EDO. Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Great. I've gotten a pizza to go once before from Farina Alto, and it was delicious, as expected. When I ordered a pizza to go this time, I was told it would be ready in 25 minutes, which I thought was a bit of a long time for pizza. But ok. When I went in to pick up the pizza, it didn't make sense to me that it was now more than 30 minutes later when 1) that's what they do, and 2) the restaurant was maybe a third full before 6pm on a Friday night. There truly seemed to be more wait staff than people in the restaurant. The manager seemed genuinely apologetic, which I appreciated and gave me a seriously delicious dessert. So major props for trying to recover service, for sure, but if you're primarily a pizza restaurant, it seems reasonable to expect pizza production to take less than 30 minutes. Overall, I think this atmosphere just isn't for me. While pizza may be a "family" food, at Farina & Farina Alto's price point (which I have no problem with) & atmosphere (nice wine list, bar seating), personally, I expect a more adult atmosphere. I don't hate children, but if I were dining in the restaurant, I wouldn't be ok with crying babies. I realize this is difficult for a restaurant to manage, and I'm just including this in my review to be descriptive so that others can decide whether or not the atmosphere is right for what they want.
(3)Eric And Jennifer R.
I've been here at least two dozen times. In the past six months, the service and cleanliness have gone down hill. It has a modern vibe but very cozy. It's a great place for business meeting. There is an outdoor seating area with a water fountain. They have the best pizzas in town (as of 2014) because of the crust and topping selections. When they first opened, I came in for their eggplant Parmesan and antipasto salad. They changed the marinara sauce of the eggplant and removed the antipasto salad from their menu. Now, I come in just for business meetings and order pizza. My favorite pizza is the Bianca. The Bianca has mozzarella, Parmesan, ricotta, artichoke hearts, sage and truffle oil. I usually add grilled chicken and roasted garlic. It is amazing! I also love the formaggio de Capra and funghi. The formaggio has leeks, scallions, goat cheese, mozzarella and prosciutto. The funghi has mushrooms, thyme, shallots and three cheeses. Couple of months ago, we took a group of coworkers out to dinner. Each person ordered a pizza. One person got the wrong pizza and waited almost 30 minutes for a replacement while everyone ate their pizza. They brought her the wrong pizza again. She ate a slice and asked for a box. The waitress brought her pizza to the back to box. When she returned, she said the cook ate a slice of her pizza before she put it in the box. We were mortified! The waitress thought it was funny. Another coworker spoke up and asked them to make another pizza for our coworker to take home without a missing slice. They did. Today, my coworkers and I had a lunch meeting at Farina. The bathroom was filthy. There was blood and something that looked like dried raw meat splattered on the walls. The floor had a thin layer of dirt with trash in every corner. The drain was so filthy that they will need a plumber to unclog it. I wonder what the kitchen looks like. Tip: box your leftovers at your table.
(3)Stephanie N.
We dined here during lunch & since we had 2 kiddos w/ us, we opted for the patio so they can run around. We ordered a full pizza. The salcissia. Sweet fennel Italian sausage, roasted onions, roasted tomatoes & mozzarella. I also ordered the house made ravioli, & that was delicious. Worth coming back for that alone. Our waiter, Jordan was amazing. He was brand new but he was on his A game. He showed us how the plants in the patio was actually a garden of the fresh veggies & herbs they use at the restaurant. There was tomatoes, eggplants, basil, mint, etc. He also told me how they have wine pairing events sometimes, paired w/ a several course meal. Looking forward to trying that out sometime. They apparently are owned by the same people as the artichoke cafe. So I will have to try that out too.
(5)Chan J.
Gluten free pizza heaven with excellent texture and flavor! We had a GF Formaggio di Cappra, GF margerhita pizza, and baby spinach and pancetta salad. Wine and drinks were great, the ambience was beautiful, and our hostess and waitress were friendly and attentive. We will definitely return when we are in Albuquerque...Farino Alto nailed it!
(5)Tricia K.
I love Farina, both the original and the Alto. I actually like the location and atmosphere of Alto better since there is more space and the tables are larger. My favorite item is the margherita pizza. I also had an awesome salad off their specials menu which was beet greens with spanish ham and cheese. My sister thought the greens were too chewy for her taste but I thought the flavor was amazing. I agree with the other reviewers, Farina has the best wood fired pizza in town.
(5)Gavin M.
Every single pizza is made from scratch. No frozen dough here! Amazing chefs using their creativity to come up with rotating Classic Italian special dishes to compliment the regular menu. The only restaurant in town curing their own meat which is displayed behind a glass wall for the dining room to observe. Wonderful atmosphere and a delicious menu!
(5)Howie K.
A partial definition of "alto", ripped from Wikipedia, says this: the second highest part of a contrapuntal musical texture. Contrapuntal, or counterpoint, is defined by this same source as "the relationship between voices that are harmonically interdependent (polyphony), but independent in rhythm and contour". For fans of the original Farina, this perfectly defines the new location. The harmonically interdependent ingredients of the original restaurant are tantamount to the successful launch of the new venue. They gotta nail the pizza, right? And they do. The pies match the beauty of the EDo location. But I'll go a step further in stating that this new location beats the old hands down. Independent in rhythm and contour, Alto hits a high note on service, ambiance and style. If you have reservations about the crowded, busy mess downtown, hit this place up for a roomy, mellow feel. You'll find more than elbow room. Reviews of group experiences are, from my point of view, more representative of the overall management of a business than a simple lunch or dinner might provide. There were eight of us. We had reservations and arrived at varying times. We dined over two hours. We had apps, salads, entrees and dessert, so I'm thinking this review is pretty reliable. What wasn't to love? The house-made ravioli made me wet my pants, and I only had a bite. The olive hors d'oeuvres were insanely hot off the plate, we were warned, and they were delish. So were the mushrooms. I had the antipasto salad, definitely big enough for an entree, and let me riff on the dried prosciutto for a minute: smokey, almost a hit of nicotine, the stuff kicked in my taste buds with abandon. Check out the meats, they're hanging in an adjacent room and you'll know the place sources the very best. The calzone: human sized perfection. Not one of those gigantic fold-over pizzas you'll find at a place like Saggio's, but largesse. Also, I hear the eggplant parmesan was very nice, and exceptionally well-presented. To finish, indeed, the butterscotch thingy was divine. The chocolate gelato was very nice, although it tasted and looked like ice cream, so I'm guessing I'm sounding like a wanna-be snob for not knowing the difference. It came with a chocolate biscotti. Pants were wetted a second time. Insanely choco. I was finished. My final note: these guys won't rush you. Service is stellar but cautious. If you want to sit around and let the night fly (as happens in Italy), they're cool with it. So don't stress the time, or your cell phone. Just relax. Eventually you'll find a reason to be harmonically interdependent and you'll keep coming back.
(5)Ulysses P.
This place is fairly new but off to a great start. We came to eat at around 4pm to beat the rush. If you like some quiet then I would suggest coming around this time. We were sat promptly and our waiter was both very friendly and very knowledgable... a rare combination. Before the meal we were served ice water along with bread and a dish of very fancy olive oil with a dash of balsamic vinegar in it. This was a nice surprise since it is definitely a step up from just your run of the mill bread before the meal. My wife and I split a half baby spinach salad and a half salciccia pizza since we weren't that hungry. It turns out this was just the perfect serving to satisfy both of us and it was spectacularly tasty and gourmet. My only little gripe about the salad is that there was a little too much onions in it. No complaints about the pizza made from quality dough. The atmosphere of the restaurant is trendy and cool. There is soothing/hip music playing, some cool abstract art on the walls and good lighting. Also, this is a minor detail but, the forks only have 3 prongs which always freaks me out and it makes it more difficult to eat the food without it falling through the larger spaces. But I digress. The prices are not cheap but not too expensive for quality food. To sum up, this place has it all, food, atmosphere, art, good lighting and friendly people. It's worth a try any day of the week.
(5)Joel D.
We've had dinner here many times, since the restaurant is near my daughter's house. I have gotten in a rut in ordering here because I have several favorites, but I haven't gotten bored yet. Among my favorites are the salsiccia and fromaggio di capra pizza. Frequently the ravioli di giorno's ingredients appeal to me, and such was the case yesterday. The butterscotch budino is outstanding, and I may never get tired of it. Although the tiramisu is acceptable, there is another version in town that is off scale. Service for us has always been outstanding, and yesterday's was no exception. Although there are supposed to be rotating Marble and La Cumbre taps, the offerings are generally the same. I can only think of one exception, when La Cumbre's wet hopped - dry hopped ale was offered. Now there was a great beer! I keep hoping it will be offered again.
(4)Ling Tzu W.
We went on a Sunday right when they opened. The staff seems nice and the environment seems friendly. Their patio is beautiful and wonderful to sit at. The food is average. I ordered a salad and it was good. My husband ordered pizza and he thought it was good but both of us thought that it probably is not a place we would frequently visit. The food is tasty but not WOW.
(3)Victor D.
I am sad to say that I was really looking forward to wonderful dining experience, but my expectations fell short. Our oder was cut in half. The waiter come came by and said he only put in one order and would bring the rest later. We finished our food and had to wait until he was ready to get it. I wasn't happy with the service.
(1)Mark V.
Great Pie. Had the Salsiccia Pizza. Crust was perfect. Not to heavy. Great atmosphere.
(5)Ana R.
It is a cute up scale restaurant were children are welcomed. Our waiter was very friendly and offered to bring dough to keep our kids occupied. So far everything was great. I really liked that they are creative with the pizza toppings which works for adults who are open to trying different toppings. But for kids, I wished they would just do a plain pepperoni or cheese. But my kids didn't have a problem enjoying the meaty toppings. But here is what made it just ok for me and my family. Our food service took a lot longer than we were expected. The dough only kept the kids happy for maybe 15 minutes, and at this point I was already thinking I should have ordered an appetizer. At that point the waiter disappear as well and my glass of iced tea was empty. When our food finally arrived my pizza was burnt. I had read on the menu that you could expect some burn on the dough but I didn't expect my whole pizza. And when I looked around to some of the other pizzas they did not compare to ours on the extra crispiness. At that point I was completely unsatisfied. Because we were celebrating my son's birthday that weekend we decided on dessert. My boys had gelato which was tasty and my husband I had tiramisu, and here's were they won me back a little. It was uniquely serve in a glass and was really good. I might return, to experience it without my kids.
(3)Melinda B.
Wonderful atmosphere and ambiance. The staff was personable, friendly and attentive. My dish was excellent. The eggplant parmesan Napoleon was displayed beautifully on the plate and tasted delicious. Love this place. It is worth the money. Dishes are reasonably priced.
(5)Mari D.
After posting my initial review, the owner (?) of this restaurant added a response offering to send me a gift certificate to make things right. I answered to him via email, and never got a response. Seems like he wasn't that interested in fixing the problems we had. I'll find other places to go.
(1)Mindy J.
The menu is the same as their down town location though the atmosphere is more upscale because you sit at individual tables instead of a more family style arrangement. Because of the location a different crowd is at this location, and I have to say for people watching I prefer the downtown location. Though if I was going out for a dinner date I would prefer this location. The food preparation was just as good as the down town location, which I think it the best wood fired pizza in Albuquerque.
(4)David T.
Great food, great service and great people. If you want to indulge, Pepe Caldo with extra peppers! Everything is good!
(5)Candia M.
I've been here twice and had slightly different experiences each time. I think this is a good place to have dinner and drinks or lunch with a grown up but for my teenage daughter with the culinary taste of a 6 year old, there wasn't much to offer her. On the other hand, I went to dinner with friends and had their chopped salad and a lovely bottle of pinot noir. It was really nice and fresh with that trendy urban ambience that I tend to like. I like it mostly for the location but the menu is nice and fresh and the wine list is lovely.
(4)Toby E.
I thought the food was very tasty and reasonably priced. Good local beer selection on draft. We had salad, pizza & pasta & all were very good and well portioned. The atmosphere is nice, especially at night.
(4)Molly R.
I came here for the first time in July for my rehearsal brunch before my wedding. The service was amazing, polite, and extremely professional. The food was amazing. I got the eggplant parmesan napoleon and it was amazing. I used to hate eggplant but thanks to this dish, I am a believer. Wow! My whole family came back only a few days later to celebrate my father-in-law's retirement. Excellent meal! I wish they had a cook book!
(5)Kathy L.
I do like this place, very nice. It's close to home and very tasty for pizza. It's kind of a fancier place to go for a night out.
(4)Jennifer L.
Loved the original and love alto even more.... Closer to my house and a much bigger space with a cute patio, too. The bar area and dining room have an urban yet warm feeling. There is a wine cellar in the back to view as well. We felt the pizzas were just as great as the original on central. We had the fungi and bianco (spellings?) and they were great. Was happy to see the space so busy on a thursday night. It was my birthday and they comp'd me dessert....which if you read my original farina review... Is the best dessert in The world.....the butterscotch budino.... That made my night since I wanted that anyway as my birthday dessert even if I had to pay for it..... Most places give u some generic bday dessert which u don't ask for.l. I hate that cuz thenu can't order the dessert u want and u are stuck eating the free crummy one.... Anyway... Not here! I can't wait to keep coming back...just wish my waistline would cooperate more.
(5)Lucas L.
While visiting my parents house up in the heights I decided to try out the new Farina since I frequent the downtown location. The wide open space gives this location a different feel and experience. It is well suited for the heights. It definitely seems targeted towards the older and more affluent crowd while still maintaining its swag . The fine dining experience is fantastic and the service is spot on. If you are looking for a new weekly spot in the heights for pizza, pasta and salads, add this to your list immediately.
(5)Toby E.
I thought the food was very tasty and reasonably priced. Good local beer selection on draft. We had salad, pizza & pasta & all were very good and well portioned. The atmosphere is nice, especially at night.
(4)Molly R.
I came here for the first time in July for my rehearsal brunch before my wedding. The service was amazing, polite, and extremely professional. The food was amazing. I got the eggplant parmesan napoleon and it was amazing. I used to hate eggplant but thanks to this dish, I am a believer. Wow! My whole family came back only a few days later to celebrate my father-in-law's retirement. Excellent meal! I wish they had a cook book!
(5)Dianna M.
Perfect setting for families or couples looking for a great dining experience. The pizza was perfectly cooked and the dessert was killer. Our server, Sam, was the friendliest most helpful server we've encountered in months. Do not miss this amazing Albuquerque addition. It trumps the Central location. We live mere blocks from the Central restaurant but will return to Farina Alta.
(5)Stephanie I.
I liked this place. It's been awhile since I have been in ABQ and every time I come back, there are new places to try. There weren't any tables available, but luckily we found spots at the bar. We didn't have any issues with service at all and the food came out in a timely manner. I ordered the Eggplant Parm and my husband ordered the Meatball Calzone. I really enjoyed mine. It was slightly salty, but I had no problem finishing it. My husband really liked his calzone. Next time we are back, we will try the pizza!
(4)Steve M.
Great pizza, great ravioli, good wine list and a nice spacious warm atmosphere. Wondering if it will be a happy hour destination?
(5)Jennifer L.
Loved the original and love alto even more.... Closer to my house and a much bigger space with a cute patio, too. The bar area and dining room have an urban yet warm feeling. There is a wine cellar in the back to view as well. We felt the pizzas were just as great as the original on central. We had the fungi and bianco (spellings?) and they were great. Was happy to see the space so busy on a thursday night. It was my birthday and they comp'd me dessert....which if you read my original farina review... Is the best dessert in The world.....the butterscotch budino.... That made my night since I wanted that anyway as my birthday dessert even if I had to pay for it..... Most places give u some generic bday dessert which u don't ask for.l. I hate that cuz thenu can't order the dessert u want and u are stuck eating the free crummy one.... Anyway... Not here! I can't wait to keep coming back...just wish my waistline would cooperate more.
(5)Lucas L.
While visiting my parents house up in the heights I decided to try out the new Farina since I frequent the downtown location. The wide open space gives this location a different feel and experience. It is well suited for the heights. It definitely seems targeted towards the older and more affluent crowd while still maintaining its swag . The fine dining experience is fantastic and the service is spot on. If you are looking for a new weekly spot in the heights for pizza, pasta and salads, add this to your list immediately.
(5)Steve M.
Great pizza, great ravioli, good wine list and a nice spacious warm atmosphere. Wondering if it will be a happy hour destination?
(5)Lisa M.
We just had an awesome meal tonight at Farino Alto. Everything was amazing, from our server Colt, to the antipasto chopped salad to the meatball pizza. The atmosphere is great also! This truly is a welcome addition to the Albuquerque pizza scene. We will be going back soon. Problem is that everything on the menu sounds so amazing, that I won't know whether to order the same awesome meal or something new. You truly need to try this restaurant, you won't be disappointed!
(5)Suz A.
Wonderful place to drink wine and eat fabulous food. The vegetable salad (to share) is so good. A nice bottle of wine (go on Monday); take bottle with you if you don't drink it all. It is really great to take children, a special friend or a casual date. I love the mushroom, meatball and carne pizza!
(4)Sara M.
I did not have a pizza, but the salad, although not huge for the price, was a good portion. I got the antipasto it had wonderful crispy pancetta and goat cheese balls rolled In herbs. I believe whit beans and a nice vinaigrette. Untouched they had a choice of gluten free pizza as well. I will be back to try that.
(5)Lola N.
Have been back several times now and things have improved although service can be sketchy and specials non-existent. I'm a fan b/c there isn't much else NE of Montgomery and Wyoming.
(4)Margaret M.
Surprisingly good. Every member of the waitstaff was pleasant, and I was flying solo with the kiddos, so always appreciated. The food was also quite good, from chopped salad to antipasto to the ravioli. All very tasty - the kids enjoyed their pizza too, and the dough balls. The only reason I had to knock off a star, is bc we never did get the booster seat, and service - though pleasant - was slow. Those are minor complaints though, and we will definitely be back!!
(4)Heather B.
If the staff spent as much time attending to customers as the did socializing and drinking at the bar, maybe I would like this place. Sadly, I spent the entire meal listening to them flirt and gossip - not the experience that this "pizza gone upscale" restaurant is probably wanting to promote. In addition, whereas the original Farina is warm, cozy and welcoming, this version, which I understand does not have the same set of owners, is loud and overly trendy. The original Farina is the place to go and, even though it is a drive across town, the only one we'll be returning to. This location is trying too hard - and the owners should probably let the manager know that he should be too, with the customers, not his staff. Bummer.
(2)Mike R.
Ate here on 9/19/13 for lunch asked if they had Gluten free pasta dish waitress said yes we can make the dish GF and she recommended spaghetti and meatballs. Dish comes out she states oh I forgot the meatballs have flour is that OK? Since I don't have to go GF free and I do so just to eat better and cleaner I said yes it's OK. But I feel bad for someone that had to go GF and if they would have eaten it what that outcome would have been. Waitress was uneducated on the menu & snippy at times due to all the questions we had. Spaghetti Sauce was terrible & meatballs not that great considering they are known for them? I could have made this dish with canned sauce and frozen meatballs that taste the same! #ABQ
(1)Suburban R.
cool space. cool lighting. a patio. a bar. most excellent thin-crust pizza (tried at inaugural visit the margherita and funghi) . a most welcome addition to the neighboring savoy and el patron; hope they think of starting a happy hour soon!
(5)Stephanie I.
I liked this place. It's been awhile since I have been in ABQ and every time I come back, there are new places to try. There weren't any tables available, but luckily we found spots at the bar. We didn't have any issues with service at all and the food came out in a timely manner. I ordered the Eggplant Parm and my husband ordered the Meatball Calzone. I really enjoyed mine. It was slightly salty, but I had no problem finishing it. My husband really liked his calzone. Next time we are back, we will try the pizza!
(4)Dianna M.
Perfect setting for families or couples looking for a great dining experience. The pizza was perfectly cooked and the dessert was killer. Our server, Sam, was the friendliest most helpful server we've encountered in months. Do not miss this amazing Albuquerque addition. It trumps the Central location. We live mere blocks from the Central restaurant but will return to Farina Alta.
(5)Michael Z.
Food good. Issues w eating at the bar. Lot of staff chatter w each other and not w customers. If they would just keep level of service consistent , it would be a good place to go.
(2)Lotus G.
Have always loved Farina. However, I took a friend there for her Birthday dinner and the service was good at first and then, it took forever for the pizza to come out. The waitress brought out the wrong glass of wine. She apologized 2 x for the delay in the pizza. Then, the check came and there were two errors with the bill which the waitress corrected and then, we never saw her again. The waters were not refilled and we sat there with no service for the remainder of our time there. Will not be back any time soon.
(2)Ellen H.
Yay! A Farina closer to home!! I am already a huge fan of the original Farina's on Central, so naturally I had to check out the new Farina Alto in my 'hood. It did not disappoint! The pizza's were great! As a group, we ordered the Margherita, fungi, and the special (fresh veggies and sausage). No leftovers. This location is perfect, large space with a patio and plenty of parking. Service is, as always with Farina and Artichoke, friendly and professional. I think I just fell in love.
(5)Brooke M.
I lived in New York City for 17 years and San Francisco for 2 years.. I love my food and I'm pretty picky about my pizza.. The pizza here is some of the best pizza I've ever had. The crust is just delicious.. I like the ambiance of the place. Very cool and chill vibe.... I just moved to Abq in May and there is nothing in this town that even compares to Farina Alto's pizza.
(5)Jill C.
Small menu but very delicious. I will definitely like to go back the next time I'm in Albuquerque.
(4)Melissa C.
Horrible service!!! We sat there for over an hour without being served. Everyone around us was served. When we finally got an order my food came out 15 minutes before the rest of my party. No one offered to keep it warm. When we asked for the manager he smirked and blamed it on new cooks. Didn't even offer to comp anything. Will NEVER be back and will NEVER. Recommend this place. Ever.
(1)milissa g.
I live closer to the central location and enjoy the food and atmosphere very much. I happened to pass Farina Alto and placed a take out order. I had the chopped vegetable salad and the pizza with goat cheese, pancetta and leek. The food was consistent with the high standards of Farina/Central which serves well prepared food with quality and fresh ingredients. Staff was pleasant and order came out quickly.
(5)Jerry D.
First visit to Farina Alto. Pizza was exceptional! The funghi pizza is a delectable symphony of cheese, mushrooms and spices melded together for a mellow scrumptious experience. Leeks on a pizza? When they are paired with crispy pancetta, they create a delectable combination, especially when adorned with the dipping sauce. Spinach salad was a great was to start a meal, and the gorgonzola, creme fraiche(sp?) Doing sauce was tangy and refreshing. The service however left something to be desired. My drink was refilled a total of zero times as was my wife's. We were attended to maybe 3 times during the meal. The other tables in our section were attended to more often. We weren't asked if we wanted dessert. So my recommendation is go for the food, but dress like you have money or influence, because if you dress like you're going to a local pizza place, you will be treated with apathy. Not sure if the food is worth the treatment.
(2)Edward N.
The mixed greens salad for two was outstanding and we topped it off with the fennel sausage pizza for a memorable meal.
(5)Gaston H.
I just returned from my second visit to Farina Alto, which is rapidly becoming certainly one of my favorite restaurants in Albuquerque. It's not difficult to see the expert hand of a seasoned restaurateur from t he design of dining space to the last taste of their imaginatively created desserts. Their antipasto is exceptional and most generous. Their meat balls are served in a sauce that would cause even Emily Post to sop up the last drop with their beautifully toasted Italian bread. Their salads are fresh from the farm and their dressings light but flavorful. Their pizzas are served with perfect crust. I cannot imagine anyone faulting the service, as both servers that I had could not have been more helpful, pleasant, or attentive. One even suggested that I might want to order a smaller pizza due to the other dishes I had selected. Farina Alto is a jewel and those who appreciate really good Italian food and live in Northeast Albuquerque need to do themselves a favor and "Eat, eat, eat."
(5)Suz A.
Wonderful place to drink wine and eat fabulous food. The vegetable salad (to share) is so good. A nice bottle of wine (go on Monday); take bottle with you if you don't drink it all. It is really great to take children, a special friend or a casual date. I love the mushroom, meatball and carne pizza!
(4)Sara M.
I did not have a pizza, but the salad, although not huge for the price, was a good portion. I got the antipasto it had wonderful crispy pancetta and goat cheese balls rolled In herbs. I believe whit beans and a nice vinaigrette. Untouched they had a choice of gluten free pizza as well. I will be back to try that.
(5)Candia M.
I've been here twice and had slightly different experiences each time. I think this is a good place to have dinner and drinks or lunch with a grown up but for my teenage daughter with the culinary taste of a 6 year old, there wasn't much to offer her. On the other hand, I went to dinner with friends and had their chopped salad and a lovely bottle of pinot noir. It was really nice and fresh with that trendy urban ambience that I tend to like. I like it mostly for the location but the menu is nice and fresh and the wine list is lovely.
(4)Lisa M.
We just had an awesome meal tonight at Farino Alto. Everything was amazing, from our server Colt, to the antipasto chopped salad to the meatball pizza. The atmosphere is great also! This truly is a welcome addition to the Albuquerque pizza scene. We will be going back soon. Problem is that everything on the menu sounds so amazing, that I won't know whether to order the same awesome meal or something new. You truly need to try this restaurant, you won't be disappointed!
(5)Jill C.
Small menu but very delicious. I will definitely like to go back the next time I'm in Albuquerque.
(4)Ana R.
It is a cute up scale restaurant were children are welcomed. Our waiter was very friendly and offered to bring dough to keep our kids occupied. So far everything was great. I really liked that they are creative with the pizza toppings which works for adults who are open to trying different toppings. But for kids, I wished they would just do a plain pepperoni or cheese. But my kids didn't have a problem enjoying the meaty toppings. But here is what made it just ok for me and my family. Our food service took a lot longer than we were expected. The dough only kept the kids happy for maybe 15 minutes, and at this point I was already thinking I should have ordered an appetizer. At that point the waiter disappear as well and my glass of iced tea was empty. When our food finally arrived my pizza was burnt. I had read on the menu that you could expect some burn on the dough but I didn't expect my whole pizza. And when I looked around to some of the other pizzas they did not compare to ours on the extra crispiness. At that point I was completely unsatisfied. Because we were celebrating my son's birthday that weekend we decided on dessert. My boys had gelato which was tasty and my husband I had tiramisu, and here's were they won me back a little. It was uniquely serve in a glass and was really good. I might return, to experience it without my kids.
(3)Melinda B.
Wonderful atmosphere and ambiance. The staff was personable, friendly and attentive. My dish was excellent. The eggplant parmesan Napoleon was displayed beautifully on the plate and tasted delicious. Love this place. It is worth the money. Dishes are reasonably priced.
(5)Mari D.
After posting my initial review, the owner (?) of this restaurant added a response offering to send me a gift certificate to make things right. I answered to him via email, and never got a response. Seems like he wasn't that interested in fixing the problems we had. I'll find other places to go.
(1)Mindy J.
The menu is the same as their down town location though the atmosphere is more upscale because you sit at individual tables instead of a more family style arrangement. Because of the location a different crowd is at this location, and I have to say for people watching I prefer the downtown location. Though if I was going out for a dinner date I would prefer this location. The food preparation was just as good as the down town location, which I think it the best wood fired pizza in Albuquerque.
(4)David T.
Great food, great service and great people. If you want to indulge, Pepe Caldo with extra peppers! Everything is good!
(5)Kathy L.
I do like this place, very nice. It's close to home and very tasty for pizza. It's kind of a fancier place to go for a night out.
(4)Heather B.
If the staff spent as much time attending to customers as the did socializing and drinking at the bar, maybe I would like this place. Sadly, I spent the entire meal listening to them flirt and gossip - not the experience that this "pizza gone upscale" restaurant is probably wanting to promote. In addition, whereas the original Farina is warm, cozy and welcoming, this version, which I understand does not have the same set of owners, is loud and overly trendy. The original Farina is the place to go and, even though it is a drive across town, the only one we'll be returning to. This location is trying too hard - and the owners should probably let the manager know that he should be too, with the customers, not his staff. Bummer.
(2)Mike R.
Ate here on 9/19/13 for lunch asked if they had Gluten free pasta dish waitress said yes we can make the dish GF and she recommended spaghetti and meatballs. Dish comes out she states oh I forgot the meatballs have flour is that OK? Since I don't have to go GF free and I do so just to eat better and cleaner I said yes it's OK. But I feel bad for someone that had to go GF and if they would have eaten it what that outcome would have been. Waitress was uneducated on the menu & snippy at times due to all the questions we had. Spaghetti Sauce was terrible & meatballs not that great considering they are known for them? I could have made this dish with canned sauce and frozen meatballs that taste the same! #ABQ
(1)Suburban R.
cool space. cool lighting. a patio. a bar. most excellent thin-crust pizza (tried at inaugural visit the margherita and funghi) . a most welcome addition to the neighboring savoy and el patron; hope they think of starting a happy hour soon!
(5)Michael Z.
Food good. Issues w eating at the bar. Lot of staff chatter w each other and not w customers. If they would just keep level of service consistent , it would be a good place to go.
(2)Lotus G.
Have always loved Farina. However, I took a friend there for her Birthday dinner and the service was good at first and then, it took forever for the pizza to come out. The waitress brought out the wrong glass of wine. She apologized 2 x for the delay in the pizza. Then, the check came and there were two errors with the bill which the waitress corrected and then, we never saw her again. The waters were not refilled and we sat there with no service for the remainder of our time there. Will not be back any time soon.
(2)Ellen H.
Yay! A Farina closer to home!! I am already a huge fan of the original Farina's on Central, so naturally I had to check out the new Farina Alto in my 'hood. It did not disappoint! The pizza's were great! As a group, we ordered the Margherita, fungi, and the special (fresh veggies and sausage). No leftovers. This location is perfect, large space with a patio and plenty of parking. Service is, as always with Farina and Artichoke, friendly and professional. I think I just fell in love.
(5)Lola N.
Have been back several times now and things have improved although service can be sketchy and specials non-existent. I'm a fan b/c there isn't much else NE of Montgomery and Wyoming.
(4)Margaret M.
Surprisingly good. Every member of the waitstaff was pleasant, and I was flying solo with the kiddos, so always appreciated. The food was also quite good, from chopped salad to antipasto to the ravioli. All very tasty - the kids enjoyed their pizza too, and the dough balls. The only reason I had to knock off a star, is bc we never did get the booster seat, and service - though pleasant - was slow. Those are minor complaints though, and we will definitely be back!!
(4)Jerry D.
First visit to Farina Alto. Pizza was exceptional! The funghi pizza is a delectable symphony of cheese, mushrooms and spices melded together for a mellow scrumptious experience. Leeks on a pizza? When they are paired with crispy pancetta, they create a delectable combination, especially when adorned with the dipping sauce. Spinach salad was a great was to start a meal, and the gorgonzola, creme fraiche(sp?) Doing sauce was tangy and refreshing. The service however left something to be desired. My drink was refilled a total of zero times as was my wife's. We were attended to maybe 3 times during the meal. The other tables in our section were attended to more often. We weren't asked if we wanted dessert. So my recommendation is go for the food, but dress like you have money or influence, because if you dress like you're going to a local pizza place, you will be treated with apathy. Not sure if the food is worth the treatment.
(2)Edward N.
The mixed greens salad for two was outstanding and we topped it off with the fennel sausage pizza for a memorable meal.
(5)Gaston H.
I just returned from my second visit to Farina Alto, which is rapidly becoming certainly one of my favorite restaurants in Albuquerque. It's not difficult to see the expert hand of a seasoned restaurateur from t he design of dining space to the last taste of their imaginatively created desserts. Their antipasto is exceptional and most generous. Their meat balls are served in a sauce that would cause even Emily Post to sop up the last drop with their beautifully toasted Italian bread. Their salads are fresh from the farm and their dressings light but flavorful. Their pizzas are served with perfect crust. I cannot imagine anyone faulting the service, as both servers that I had could not have been more helpful, pleasant, or attentive. One even suggested that I might want to order a smaller pizza due to the other dishes I had selected. Farina Alto is a jewel and those who appreciate really good Italian food and live in Northeast Albuquerque need to do themselves a favor and "Eat, eat, eat."
(5)