The Smoky Note — Restaurant in Albuquerque

A Familiar Haunt, Reimagined: The Smoky Note’s Ascent from Dive to Destination

There was a time when Monte Vista’s dimly lit barstools carried the weight of a different crowd—one that came for cheap well drinks, questionable decisions, and the comfort of a room that had long abandoned any effort to impress. Those days are gone. In their place stands The Smoky Note, an exercise in reinvention, where the ghosts of the past now swirl in finely aged spirits rather than spilled beer.

It’s been about a year since the transformation, and curiosity—if not skepticism—demanded a visit. The first impression? A studied effort to maintain some of the old intimacy, even as the space has traded its grit for polish. The interior, while refined, still holds a trace of familiarity, as if the walls remember the years they’ve seen but now whisper their stories over a well-crafted Old Fashioned instead of a shot of well whiskey.

The upstairs lounge, a quiet escape from the hum below, is particularly well-executed—moody without being pretentious, comfortable yet unmistakably upscale. The drink menu, however, is another beast entirely. A vast and ambitious selection greets you, teetering between indulgent and overwhelming. Fortunately, the staff—attentive, patient, and effortlessly professional—guides even the most hesitant of drinkers toward something they didn’t know they wanted.

For our large group, the experience was seamless. Every drink arrived as a small masterpiece, from their house Old Fashioned—a deliberate, smoky revelation—to signature concoctions that demonstrated a clear respect for both balance and innovation. The cocktails here aren’t just beverages; they’re statements, priced accordingly, but executed with a precision that makes the expense feel justified.

The Smoky Note is not Monte Vista’s past, nor does it pretend to be. It is something else entirely: a confident, deliberate evolution that respects the bones of what came before while embracing a more refined future. For those who seek out the art of a well-made drink, it is worth not only a visit,...

We've been here a few times. The previous visit we were charged a $50 additional fee for something, when we asked the waitress what it was, she said its just something the register adds but its taken off later (couldn't really hear her because the music was very loud, despite seated far from the speakers). The charge was never removed and we were really upset about it. Now, fast forward a few weeks later, last night we attended the Mindfield Film Festival at the Guild Theatre down the street. A lot of festival people were headed over there for a drink, we tagged along and thought we'd give it another try...Mind you, most of the people we were with were acquaintances, many of which had just met for the first time at the festival, but were hanging out for the evening. We entered The Smoky Note and there wasn't a place for us to sit together. It wasn't busy, it was just that people were seated spread out throughout the facility. We asked if we could go upstairs and were told it was "closed for the night". ?REALLY? Saturday night and it's closed??? (As we saw people coming and going from the upstairs). Ok, we'll make do, we found an area in the far back, close to the DJ, it was very loud but what to do, right? As we were settling in, we were brought waters right away, great! Then someone informed us that we'd have to be ALL on ONE (1) check/bill! We couldn't believe it! If we'd come in all individually and sat separately or went to the bar to order, would they have made everyone pay on one check? OMGosh did Smoky Note lose A LOT of money last night. Not only by the Film Festival crowd, but future business as well. It's such a pity, it's a wonder why local businesses can't survive in Albuquerque, let alone Nob Hill, but here is an example of bad practices that contribute to failure. If they were short on staff, we weren't in a hurry, we would have been patient. Most bars take credit cards and start tabs....

Went here after a festival and nob Hill with a bunch of folks from the film industry, we sat down we were promptly served glasses of water which was nice but that's where this review begins to go downhill. We were sitting in an area where there was super loud music, but the worst part was that because we were one giant group of individuals that were all going to be paying separately they said that we had to pay all together which was an issue especially because we were there to get a few drinks at their price of $16 to $20 a cocktail. We may have been a group but we are all there individually, when we realize that they were going to try to charge us all together we got up and left... On our way out one person from our party was stopped by the manager to ask why we were leaving so quickly and they told them flat out that we were not going to pay as a group when we could go right up the street to a different establishment and pay individually. Sadly this establishment lost out on quite a bit of money for the night as well as customers, I don't believe with the attitude and policies that they have that this bar will be open that much longer. If this place is to survive they need to realize that just because you come in as a group doesn't mean you are all together and that one person is going to be paying for everything together especially not at 16 to...