Sidewinders Ranch — Restaurant in Albuquerque

Having relocated to New Mexico not so long ago, a few weeks back I stopped in on a Friday night which was my first gay bar experience here in Albuquerque. I sat at a table in the corner by myself and it was mostly an older crowd and they seriously all seemed to know each other. Everybody was laughing and having a good time. One of the 2 bartenders acted as my waiter and I ordered the fish and chips platter and a Stella Artois. The fish and chips tasted great and I'm not sure why, but their tartar sauce just seemed amazing. It had a certain tang to it. The place felt totally like a dive bar but my meal was delicious. However, the bartender/waiter never checked in on me after dropping off my meal and I didn't see him again until I walked up to the bar so I could pay my bill. The place wasn't that busy and the two bartenders were mostly just standing around talking with each other. My meal was great but having worked as a front of house service manager for many years, I know that dropping off food and then never checking in on me and me having to go to the bar to get my check is just really poor service. He was friendly and affable, though. Also, the fish and chips said one price on the menu but on my actual check it was a few dollars more. I really enjoyed my food but you absolutely have to as a business owner make sure the prices listed are congruent to the final bill pricing. Another small thing, they have a long bar but there are zero chairs or bar stools to sit at the bar. I'm not sure why that is, but maybe they have their reasons. Overall, I would return but would probably bring a friend to keep me company so as to not feel like the odd man out in a place where everybody seems to have known each other for years and years. Also, I wonder if they would sell me a bottle of just their tartar sauce. Pure tangy...

So it is now 6 pm, not a large crowd. There are 4 tables on the patio that have customers. I would hate to see how this waiter would actually do in a place that was busy. For the record not all the tables were eating. The waiter comes on the patio only if he has a mission and never looks anywhere (to any other tables) than the one he is going to. In the two hours I have been here, he came to my table on his own twice. He had to be called over for anything else. He would have a bad time at Denny’s where you have enough tables to keep you busy. They need new wait staff or he need to rethink how he does his service. HOLD THE PHONE. To be fair to him, ALL THE TABLES on the inside are full of customers. So, it’s not him. Their should be more wait staff. That is a MANAGEMENT ISSUE. To the server I apologize. However checking on your...

An albuquerque institution, and one of its final true “LGBTQIA” friendly establishments here in the southwest, “Sides” is locally owned by two wonderful men whose philanthropic work throughout our community have made them both integral to our cities character and spirit! What would we do without Renee and Michael??

Sometimes folks go to a bar like Sides with expectations that aren’t fair, then they leave nasty comments and reviews; please know that their hurt does not adequately represent what you will experience if you visit... sides is a great place, I have a great time when I go there, and I adore the gentlemen that own this place.

The customers are sexy, and the folks that work there are...