Burque Licks — Restaurant in Albuquerque

This place has a lot of promise. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with several things on my initial visit. 1- Ice Cream was fine but forgettable. I had the raven which is raspberry and oreo. The raspberry flavor was weak and over powered by the sweet cream base. The oreo pieces were unevenly mixed in resulting in several large clumps of oreo that were gummy and unpalatable. There is also no viewing glass to look at the ice cream like most ice cream shops, the flavors are listed on the wall. 2- Ordering system and customer service need major improvements. I went with a friend and we waited for nearly 10 minutes while a pair of older women in front of us sampled multiple flavors, and the line behind grew. Another employee finally showed up at the next register ready to take orders and took someone behind us. There were some colorful barriers to help organize the line that were unused and kind of just piled in the middle making it unclear where to order. Finally someone took my order, but completely ignored my friend, who waited another 5 minutes in the confusing line for at least one employee to come to the register to take orders. My ice cream was ready long before my friend's, and also before several other people who had ordered before me. This seemed to upset the people who ordered before me, and also my ice cream partly melted before my friend even got theirs. While eating ice cream outside, one of the employees was confused when trying to give someone else their order who had already gone outside to sit. There is no clear flow of where to get in line, where to order, how many samples are reasonable, where to wait for or pick up your order. In my opinion, the line should cue up on the far left side of the registers so that when people get their ice cream they are on the way out the door. This way, the employees would also be able to see people in line because the high walls and stacks of ice cream cups seem to block their ability to see the line forming. It also appeared that there was only ever 2 of the 5 employees working at any given time, and the others seemed to be either waiting for something or forgot how to put on gloves and were doing it in slow motion. 3- The noise levels inside and outside were unbearable. Inside was really echo-y, there was a radio station blaring so loudly the employees had a hard time hearing orders. There is no sound dampening and you can hear conversations, shoes squeaks, ice cream scoop clinks and the radio all echoing and mixing together while trying to firgure out where you should get into line and what you want to order. If you think it will be quieter outside, think again! Under the patio there is also a lot of echoing, so all of the cars on Lomas are magnified, and if there are any loud children nearby the sound will echo and magnify. Outside also had the added ambience of fluorescent lights to attract insects to you and your ice cream. I understand you don't want people to hang around too long, but there are easier ways to get people moving out besides making the environment to enjoy the product completely intolerable. You could start with making the ordering process smoother. (I am autistic and sensitive to these things, but this experience -even while wearing earplugs- was so noisy, so intolerable, and so painful that I will not be able to return. I won't be missing the ice cream either.) 4- The parking lot is a hot mess, paint some arrows so people know how to get out. There is a random curb where you'd expect there to be an exit. I saw an old man trying to come back down the one-way entry after finding no parking, and another SUV tried a 3 point turn and nearly hit a toddler who took that moment to dash away from the family. This parking lot is cramped and dangerous to kids and your car.

2 stars instead of just 1 because I have actually had...

Burque Licks: An Ice Cream Fever Dream, Straight From the Heart of the 505

There’s a particular kind of joy that only handmade ice cream can deliver. It’s the joy of sugar and nostalgia colliding on your tongue, of a childhood memory resurrected with better ingredients. And in Albuquerque, where desert heat lingers like a warning and sunsets feel like hallucinations, Burque Licks is exactly the fever dream you didn’t know you needed.

Tucked just off Lomas—north of Nob Hill’s kaleidoscope of coffee shops and vintage shops—Burque Licks doesn’t play by anyone else’s rules. Gone are the tired millennial grays, the sterile minimalism, the faux-artisanal gloom. Instead, this parlor bursts with color, life, and unfiltered excitement. The mood is less “urban rustic” and more “Technicolor joyride.” Think 1950s soda fountain meets Saturday morning cartoon, with a touch of Burque’s signature irreverence. Think Disneyland for your taste buds, if Walt had been raised on Breaking Bad reruns and New Mexico sunsets.

And then, there are the flavors.

Cuban Coffee Oreo is a jolt of caffeine and cookie-fueled indulgence—a grown-up take on mocha that doesn’t forget to have fun. Butter Cookie? It’s like your abuela’s kitchen met a buttery hug. Strawberry Krunch Bar hits all the right nostalgic notes, evoking the ice cream truck you chased as a kid—only now it’s better, fresher, and doesn’t melt before you get back to the sidewalk.

For those seeking something darker and moodier, The Raven lives up to its name—brooding and decadent with rich chocolate that borders on poetic. Samoa delivers the coconut-chocolate-caramel trifecta in glorious scoop form, and Unholy Cannoli leans into chaos—in the best way—like biting into a Sicilian secret.

There are local touches, too. Rio Graham (we see what you did there) and Sandia Chip pay homage to the 505’s own terrain and palate, while Lobo Tracks keeps the UNM crowd well fed between existential crises and finals week. For the vegans, fear not—there’s Vegan Chocolate Chip, Vegan Cuban Coffee Oreo, and even a deep-hued Vegan Chocolate, proving that plant-based doesn’t have to mean boring.

You don’t come to Burque Licks to be subtle. You come for Peanut Butter Oreo, Banana Pudding, and that unapologetically colorful tower of cones glowing from the center of the shop like some dairy-soaked altar. One scoop here is the size of your dreams. Two scoops? You’re signing up for a brief sugar coma and zero regrets.

Service is young, energetic, and delightfully unfussy. Despite the grand-opening chaos and a line snaking around the building, the team kept things moving—smiles intact, scoops overflowing. You could argue about the lack of a changing table in the restroom, sure. But with Aye Aye Cap’n in your hand and the taste of Black Raspberry still melting on your tongue, even minor inconveniences fade into the waffle-cone-scented ether.

Burque Licks isn’t just another ice cream shop. It’s a love letter to flavor. A full-throttle embrace of joy in a world that could use more of it. And while the rest of the city swelters, here’s a place that cools your body and reawakens your soul—with a scoop.

Come early, bring friends, and leave with a grin you didn’t know your adult face...

I've never met ice cream I didn't love, so I wanted to try out Burque Licks, along with my kids, who also love ice cream. Pros: the shop was clean, bright and well designed. From the gorgeous penny tile floor, custom murals, the door handle shaped like an ice cream cone, marque lighting on the signs, the ice cream bench out front. It was pretty fabulous & I loved the attention to detail. Although I would suggest putting the outside lights on a timer - other wise that sign is going to burn out the bulbs soon. The ice cream choices and add on options were plentiful. Ice cream itself was delicious. The scoops on the sugar cones were very generous. Two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Cons: The music inside was way too loud - and that's why I docked a star. As soon as you stepped inside, it was overwhelming. I nearly told everyone "let's go find somewhere else". The speaker was over a corner of the seating area and it blasting. Add to that the employees having to shout out peoples orders in order to be heard over the music, and people talking loudly to be heard over the music - it was an absolute cacophony. My oldest kid who has sensory issues asked to sit outside where even despite the heat and noise from Lomas, it was still quieter and more chill. I'm all for music in a shop, but it should enhance the experience, not detract. If employees want music, maybe it should play in the kitchen area only?

This isn't a "con" per say, but rather a growing pain suggestion: I would suggest making a designated pick up area, the second register to the left. The employees couldn't decide if they were going to hand over orders at the same register were orders were collected or the other register to the left. Pick a spot to avoid confusing customers.

We look forward...