Sawmill Market — Restaurant in Albuquerque

I love the idea of a food court like this in theory, but I didn't particularly like this location itself. It's mostly built out of stone, metal & glass w/ rustic wood accents - an industrial vibe - which made it very loud due to all the sound echoing and amplification.

The place was really clean and shiny new, and it was filled with a lot of people who appeared to be having a great time. It'd be hard to be in a bad mood here because everybody was so happy... Unless you had a headache aggravated by noise, or perhaps a backache made worse by the inability to find a place to sit or all the hard surfaces.

There was a ton of seating, especially outside, but on a Friday evening my husband and I still had to search far and wide for a place to sit and eat together. Then we sorta felt bad because the only spot that we could find was a large table with seating for six plus, which seemed to be the case for lots of other people too - creating a strange mix of too few people at big tables and large parties being forced to squeeze around small ones.

A directory at the entrances would be a good idea so you don't have to wander around so much to find what you are looking for. Some of the restaurants also had their menus displayed so far back behind them that it wasn't easy to read them without getting right up to the counter, which wasn't possible because of the line or crowd in front of them.

We decided to eat at XO Waffle, mainly because they didn't have a line at all. (A Clue?) The food wasn't very good and appeared to be cheap, frozen food that is just warmed in a microwave. The waffles were small, hard & dry; I didn't get enough syrup (nor the kind that I ordered) but my husband was happy with his strawberry & whip cream topping.

It wasn't as costly as some of the other booths, other than their extremely limited drink menu, but I would have rather paid more and waited longer for better food. They were fast & polite, and I did like that they gave us a buzzer that went off when our food was ready so we didn't have to stand & wait for it or try to guess when it had been long enough.

I thought that this place was supposed to be a gourmet food court... while the setting was sorta snazzy without feeling snotty, the food that I got certainly wasn't impressive. Perhaps the building management needs some higher expectations about quality from their vendors. I'm sure that tons of restaurants just starting out or upgrading from a food truck would find the place to make or break.

Anyway, I would like to return to The Sawmill Market again, perhaps during a less busy and quieter time. Although I'm not so sure how well it'd go now that the weather has turned cold and there's limited indoor seating. There are other restaurants there that I'd love to try, not to mention the breweries that looked to have a large selection.

I would recommend this place to families or large parties of people who have varied tastes - there's a lot of different kinds of food to choose from, making everybody happy if they're willing to split up and stand in line. It also seemed to be a laid back zone that is fine with folks moving around or making noise, so if you have kids they might enjoy it here more than other dining experiences. There was even some cornhole...

Bougie week’s epic curtain call went down at Sawmill Market for Friday lunch, and holy food cathedral, this place is a vibe. The concourse is so massive it could host a rock concert, with these giant church-beam supports giving off “hipster Notre Dame” energy. The air’s a gentle food-smell hug—nothing too heavy, thanks to ventilation so good it deserves its own Yelp page. The restaurant lineup? A glorious food circus. Tacos, sushi, pizza, probably some overpriced avocado toast—whatever you’re craving, it’s here, strutting its stuff. I zeroed in on a lamb gyro from some Mediterranean spot that looked like it could star in a foodie rom-com. This thing was tasty—juicy, tender lamb, fluffy rice, and a pita so soft I wanted to nap on it. Every bite was a flavor party, and I was the VIP. Paired it with a berry cider from Paxton’s Taproom, and let me tell you, this drink was a summer fling in a glass—fruity, bright, with a slight beer-y back finish that kept it refreshing but real. My bougie-week pal got some kale-heavy bowl that looked like a farmer’s market exploded, but they swore it was “life-changing.” If you’re a leaf enthusiast, you’re in paradise. This place is a choose-your-own-adventure for vibes. Indoor seating? Got it. Outdoor seating? Yup. Cornhole and games outside? You bet—I’m basically the LeBron of beanbag toss now. The floors are polished to a mirror gleam, the countertops scream “I’m in an architecture magazine,” and the benches? Built like they could survive an apocalypse. I’m a big guy—my beard’s got its own fanbase—and when I sat down, not a jiggle. Respect. Massive windows and mini skylights pour in so much light I almost got a tan. Seating’s everywhere—left, right, middle, upper deck, probably a secret throne for people who say “gyro” like they’re Greek royalty. Want a cocktail? Bars are slinging drinks fancier than a Real Housewife’s wardrobe. Beer? Craft brews for days. It’s the perfect spot to sip something bougie and act like you’re starring in your own Netflix food doc. Heads-up: it’s a kiddo free-for-all. Tiny humans are sprinting like they’re in a toddler Grand Prix, so it’s family-friendly to the max. Dodge those ankle-biters. Price-wise, it’s bougie without making you cry over your bank statement—a solid end to bougie week. Bonus: there’s a swanky hotel nearby if you want to keep the upscale dream alive and crash in style after one too many ciders. Sawmill Market is where bougie meets chill, and I’m already plotting my gyro comeback. Take your crew, your kids, or your cornhole nemesis, and wrap your week in...

Spent many hours here on Friday, If you have not been here you are doing your entire bloodline an injustice. I have patronized eateries all over the city of Albuquerque for decades and try to order everything on the menu where ever we go or at least vast assortment of items to get an idea of whether we want to return. I went to this place on a mission to do what I do and buy everything or at least something or many somethings from every single vendor in this special community .... the plot thickens upon arrival with available super close covered parking, alright SM wow me! Walking in to this building even without the amazing history overlay is a Wonka-like experience where everything is (EAT-able) edible. Even the flowers you see you can eat and the art that these amazing people put love into you can drink or sip cup after endless beautiful cup. After walking the first lap around this loop of sensory overload I realized the monumental task at hand. I could honestly write pages and pages about what played out over the next 6 hours and how much we enjoyed everyone we interacted with not just the food not just any one thing but everything all of it was amazing. So many positive points from cleanliness to seamless flow between vendors to outdoor space to safety to always important PIZZA! Sadly I failed and fell short of consuming one of everything on every menu from every vendor at SM after my second fruit tart and 8 orders of sushi I started questioning my strategy however we made a pretty good dent in the SM itinerary by the end of this first round. We will for sure be returning to finish this mission , honestly I do not think I will ever eat, drink out ever again with out SM being part of it. We are excited to go back for part two of the mission at hand. The best way to describe Sawmill is its like an all you can eat buffet that has just about anything you can imagine and also things you never knew you always wanted with out forcing you to pay for all the stuff you did not want. This place is much better than five stars. 5 to the 10th power is more proper. I will see you soon SM family. Thank you SM for existing ...