Greenside Cafe — Restaurant in Cedar Crest

I’m writing this review from a neighboring restaurant since I didn’t stay after the outright rude, dismissive welcome.

First let me say that my husband and I have been eating at Greenside since it first opened under the original ownership. We moved away two years ago, however, and today would have been only the second time since I came out to Cedar Crest for a visit.

I walked in during the lunch hour, and about a dozen tables were occupied. Two servers were circulating and the hostess, a young woman with brown hair, was behind the bar. When I came in, she briefly looked up but did not acknowledge me and went back to whatever she had been doing behind the bar. A minute or so ticked by, which, believe me, is a long time when a hostess is pointedly ignoring you while you’re standing at her greeting stand 5 yards away. Another young woman came up to her behind the bar and they began talking, continuing to ignore me and both now refusing to look in my direction. More minutes ticked by. Another server who had been seeing to customers out on the patio passed by, glanced at me briefly, but also said nothing. More time passed. The two women had finished talking and now appeared to be sharing a good joke, but neither still would not look in my direction even though by now I was looking at them pointedly, waiting for eye contact.

Finally, by now extremely put off, I started walking in their direction and said, “Are you not seating anymore today?” She replied, “Yeah, we are,” very carelessly, walked a few steps toward the main dining room and asked me where I wanted to sit. I said that I had a favorite booth in the corner but saw that the section was roped off. “We’re not seating there,” she informed me. I told her I would like a booth in a quieter part of the restaurant. She shrugged. “What about on the other side?” I asked and motioned to the area south of the kitchen. “You can go and look if you want,” she said in the same careless tone and with the same shrug. Ohhh, I realized: I’m expected to go look for myself.

I looked but the two booths there were occupied and the rest of the south end didn’t have the lights on. By then, irritation at her rudeness won out and I just left, saying that on second thought I expected to find better service at a Burger King.

This had been our go-to restaurant and pub since we were new homeowners here and Greenside first opened its doors, what, fifteen years ago? We had remained faithful through menu and staffing changes,, and faithfully got takeout most nights of the week all through Covid, trying to do our part to help keep it afloat.

Well, today was my last time through...

My husband and I are East Mountain locals. If you live up here, you know, there isn't a lot to choose from for take-out. It's a small community and we like it that way. That being said, the few places that are around here really rely on that small community for their support. One would think that customer service would be a top priority for establishments like this one. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. At least not any more. The Greenside has been around for a long time, and it's always been kind of hit or miss. These days it's mostly a miss. We keep trying with these guys, but lately we find ourselves asking, "why do we KEEP coming here?? " Our order is usually incorrect. Not anything crazy, but simple things that could be caught if anyone checked the order even a little. The past couple of times, there have been key ingredients that really complete certain dishes that were left off, either by negligence, or because they were out of stock of that ingredient. Even that is understandable, but no mention is ever made and NO offer to replace or substitute for the missing items is ever given. (At the very least, write the items you're out of on the 86 board that EVERYONE can see!(employees &customers) )The bulk of our experiences are with take-out. Even these short exhanges with the waitstaff are often rushed, disorganized and borderline hostile. We DON'T dine in. The slow service, exorbitantly long wait times for food and unpredictable dining environment led us to make that decision years ago.

I think the last time I called in is what really takes the cake for me, though. I wanted to place a take-out order. Just 1 plate. Because I know these guys reputation, I wanted to ask if all the ingredients in the dish I wanted were available. I called in. A woman answered. I stated, " I wanted to place a take-out order, but I had a question first." The woman that answered my call sighed very loudly and said, "Well, I'm in the middle of putting in a really big order, but you go ahead and ask your question about your 1 little to-go plate.. " I was speechless. I told her "Just forget it " and I ended the call. I hope that order was worth it. I'm pretty sure we're going to tell the Greenside Cafe, "JUST FORGET IT" for good.

They do have a pet friendly patio, and I suppose the location is pretty convenient too, being right next to the grocery store. Maybe that's what keeps them going? 1 local's advice?? Don't bother. There are plenty of other places, a stones throw away, that will actually be happy to...

I was visiting the Albuquerque area for just a few days and made a trip up the mountain to enjoy the scenery. I stopped here for a relaxing evening meal after hiking and exploring Sandia Crest. I noticed this restaurant on my drive up to the mountain and made a mental note to check it out on the way back. I'm glad I did!

I ordered the green chili burger - because why not! Nearly everything in New Mexico has green chili as a topping... I'm pretty sure I saw a jar of green chili mayonnaise at the grocery store. The burger itself is partially deconstructed when served - meat, cheese, and green chili in between golden buttery buns, and you're given the choice to dress it however you wish with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, and mustard.

I was very pleased with the taste and choice of seasoning. Everything is well balanced and I didn't notice overpowering flavors, including the green chili. it's a very good burger... I asked for a medium texture but ended up getting well-done. The house-made potato chips are very delicious - light, crunchy, and perfect with a burger.

Overall, my only true disappointment is that they didn't have the dessert option I ordered off the menu.

The staff is friendly once you start a conversation, however, getting there may be a bit awkward. Upon entering the restaurant, my presence was acknowledged but I was not greeted - it was just a glance in my direction. I stood at the entrance waiting to be seated for several minutes before one of the waitresses approached me and asked if I wanted to dine in. I almost felt as if I was not going to be served.

It's a nice restaurant, it definitely has its unique way of handling guests, and it seems to be working for them. But I'm not sure if outsiders, such as myself, are truly welcomed and wanted. As I enjoyed my meal, I did notice other guests entering the restaurant were quickly greeted and seated... I'm talking less than a minute from opening the door to being at the table. Whereas I had to wait anywhere between 6-10 minutes - and there were only two tables being served when I showed up, so not...