Restaurants in Rio Rancho

Though Banana Leaf is owned and operated by a Vietnamese family, its menu also flaunts culinary influences from China and Thailand to ensure complex and well-rounded flavor profiles. Below hanging lights that glow like radioactive wizard hats, tables heave under the weight of pan-fried noodles and jasmine-rice entrees strewn with bamboo shoots, pineapple, and crunchy cashews. Morsels of beef, tofu, or shrimp simmer in thai curries infused with basil, coconut milk, and veggies, and Chinese classics such as sweet-and-sour pork and general tso's chicken glisten beneath tangy sauces. In the kitchen, one lone chef prepares all of these mouthwatering masterworks, ensuring that the dishes are consistently delicious and share the same jawline.

Named Best New Restaurant in 2010 by Alibi, CoolWater puts a spin on traditional recipes with a menu full of creative flavors and plating techniques, leading to upscale American-inspired dishes nuanced by French and Italian flavors. Alibi recommends CoolWater's "scrumptious" boneless short ribs, which braise their protein with a mix of red wine, chilis, and plums, and Albuquerque Magazine touts the well-blended flavors of the rainbow trout. Lunches star five sandwich plates and London-style fish 'n' chips, a tilapia battered in the English tabloids but comforted by red-cabbage coleslaw and house-made potato chips.

Seated in cozy booths that are softly lit by dangling light fixtures, patrons can enjoy occasional live music or hone their x-ray vision by staring intently at the brightly colored walls.

StreetFood Asia’s chef and owner, Tai Tok, cobbles fresh ingredients into traditional street-food dishes from six countries—China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, and Vietnam. The resulting aromas apparently piqued the noses of The Avengers cast members Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Ruffalo, who TMZ reports dined there as many as four times a week when the movie was shooting nearby.

With its eclectic food selection, it's no surprise that StreetFood Asia would inspire such frequent visits and be named Best of the City: Best Restaurant That Doesn't Fit into a Category by Albuquerque The Magazine and was voted Best Asian Fusion by readers in the Local IQ 2013 Smart List . Atop its wooden tabletops, small plates of wontons, fried shrimp, and kimchi unite with noodle-filled entrees such as pho, tom yum soup, and Bangkok street mee siam. A lengthy beverage list fills glasses with imported beers, specialty cocktails, such as the sake-tini, and hot tea from New Mexico Tea Company. As customers sup, an accommodating staff stands by to point out the history behind each dish and the paparazzo behind each banquette.

For more than 50 years, Ned's on the Rio Grande's homemade green and red chilies have graced their signature sandwiches, burgers, and Mexican specialties. Plates of their famous Stormin' Normin sandwiches—stuffed with Boar’s Head turkey, ham, pastrami, swiss, and cheddar cheese—share table space with tacos, enchiladas, and burritos. Come Sunday morning, the kitchen’s skillets host simmering omelets and various New Mexican specialties. Football games appear on the television screens throughout their bar, and the restaurant's patio hosts regular live bands and irregular appearances by guitar-playing cowboy ghosts.

At Burritos Alinstante, owner Mary Ellen Chavez upholds her mother's culinary legacy with a menu of meaty, New Mexico–style burritos. Chefs grill certified Angus beef and succulent carne adovada before loading them into locally made tortillas. Chefs also peel and slice their own potatoes, and whip up refried beans from scratch every day. Customers can also build their own burritos, choosing from more than a dozen fixings including northern New Mexico–style chicharrones, hand-trimmed steak, and a series of smaller and smaller Russian nesting burritos.

Servers clad in traditional Vietnamese dresses escort guests to linen-topped tables inside Miss Sai Gon Bar & Grill’s expansive two-story dining room. Behind the scenes, chefs pair stir-fried shrimp with rice cooked in a hot clay pot and tuck beef inside piles of fried rice noodles. Spicy pho broth topped with thin slices of beef is served as sunlight floods in through the floor-to-ceiling windows and potted plants, scattered throughout the space, quietly keep on keeping on. On the second level, a natural-stone wall complements the slate flooring and wood tabletops. For those who are really, really popular, chefs can prepare meals en masse for parties of up to 400 inside the dining room, which also includes a dance floor and professional stage.