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Mobile truck turned brick and mortar serving New Mexico and California fusion food including tacos and loaded fries both with protein choice of impossible ground, seitan asada or jackfruit carnitas. Or get the Vato burger that consists of Impossible patty on whole wheat buns with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onion, queso, green chile, and slaw and served with fries. Schedule is posted its website. Est. 2021. Inside the Imperial Dive hotel restaurant. Open Tue-Sat 12:30pm-8:30pm. Hours reported to be irregular - call ahead.
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701 Central NE (at Imperial Food Hall), Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Last update on 02 Jun 2025 by Jax_The_Coyote
Update business info -
Added by Veganvatoeatz on 08 Mar 2021
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48 Reviews
First Review by SarahPugh
MCKGoldfinger
Points +44
Great Vegan Food - Edit
I had the loaded nachos and they were awesome and amazing!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-07-29
Pros: Awesome Food
Cons: Weird AI Drink Machine, Not Full After Plate
Guest
Babbs1302
Points +155
Best New Mexican in ABQ - Edit
Tucked into a corner of labyrinthine Old Town, this eatery is yet another reason why you love New Mexico so much. Delicious, fast, authentic vibe, amiable and humble human beings cooking and serving up enchantment.
Read morePros: 4 protein choices-ALL delicious , Authentic local cuisine , Lovely staff
Cons: Space could be bigger , Bathroom could be nicer
Guest
TomFay
Points +41
Delicious and delightful - Edit
Really excellent. I had the street tacos: jackfruit and vegan asada. The food was amazing and the folks running the place were really friendly. It's a cute place as well. 100% going back next time I find myself on Albuquerque.
Read moreGuest
fufflycloud6
Points +66
Yummmm! - Edit
Service was friendly and the jackfruit birria was too die for!! When I was done I wished I was hungry enough to buy more it was so good. Loved that it was in a 50s hotel as well.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-04-16
Pros: Great Location, Easy Parking
Guest
Chef_Cuy
Points +1366
Hella HELLA good tacos - Edit
This place is inside a little food court area connected with a boutique hotel. So glad I came here. I of course wanted to try everything but I went for the Hella Good Tacos and I’m glad I did. Seriously some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. For my proteins, I chose seitan mushroom asada and birria style jackfruit. So delicious, and a good size portion tha came with rice, beans and salsa along with some lettuce and tomato. The owner/cook was extremely friendly and quick. Go support this place. You will not be disappointed
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-04-04
Pros: All vegan menu, Super friendly service , Big portion / fair price
Guest
zoeyk100
Points +136
Delicious and close to motel - Edit
The food was soo excellent and portion sizes perfect for hungry people. It’s so convenient if you’re staying at the Imperial motel, definitely a highlight of staying there (but also super worth a separate trip). It’s in a little food court with some other omni restaurants.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-04-01
Guest
vff24
Points +32
Tasty and Big Portions - Edit
Price is pretty typical of vegan food. Portions are generous. Flavors were great. Convenient if staying at the motel.
Read moreGuest
BillBraile
Points +278
Vegan gold in Albuquerque! - Edit
Owner was chill and awesome made a couple of recommendations and hit it out of the park. The burrito with the Seitan Mushroom Asada was incredible. The depth of flavor was insane. I also grabbed the loaded nachos with the cauliflower and it was amazing as well.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-03-12
Pros: Very fresh food, Great service
Guest
veganlover27
Points +33
Delicious & filling! - Edit
Located in a food court style building @ the Imperial Motel. Had the Loaded Fries … recommended if you’re hungry!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-02-08
Pros: Nice presentation , Generous portion
Guest
plantaciousvivacious0
Points +292
Great southwest style vegan Food! - Edit
Tried this place for the first time and we were very happy! Great comforting New Mexican and southwest style food. I love how el vato offers a broad range of proteins for each dish, seitan-mushroom asada, impossible beef, birria (jackfruit), BBQ Tempeh (which was good but just a tad too sweet for my personal taste compared to the other proteins), and spicey cauliflower. It's in a food court-style setup with some other places, including a bar so you can enjoy drinks with your meal. We enjoyed the burrito and the frito pie! Will go again to try more options!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-01-24
Guest
McMallory
Points +2919
Really good, but ENORMOUS - Edit
Definitely err on the side of under-ordering, the portions here are enormous! I couldn't even come close to finishing, but I definitely tried! There is a solid base menu with a lot of different protein options. I tried both the jackfruit and the seitan and they were both fantastic. The chile is top-notch as well. If you want a Frito pie in Albuquerque (and you do!) this is the place to go.
Read moreIt's also super cute, in a little food court in a renovated motel. Fun vibe. I would definitely stay at the motel if I weren't visiting family.
Guest
Sarahzach
Points +85
Mushroom Seitan Asada 😍 - Edit
So delicious, only downside is they serve a wet burrito on a piece of paper 😅 but beside that it’s incredible. Despite previous reviews we have never encountered a long wait, and we’ve been coming here the past year!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-01-21
Guest
CarolineJohnson
Points +73
Wow - Edit
Delicious! I got the quesadilla with seitan. Would recommended. Very filling. The owner was very kind!
Read morePros: Affordable, Tasty, Kind owner
Guest
AutumnTierra
Points +1556
Not a brick and mortar - Edit
This is a food court kind of place and there’s only one person working. When we tried to eat there is was approximately an hour wait for fast food. Since we have kids, we did not stay. That being said, I would not have gone there if I’d known it was not an actual restaurant and was a food court. It’s also strange how few vegan restaurants in ABQ have full service.
Read morePros: Good menu
Cons: Extremely slow, Food court kind of place
Guest
Jax_The_Coyote
Points +623
Tasty burgers - Edit
Great tasting food with good green chile! Service can be a bit slow but it's worth the wait.
Read moreGuest
Meltron
Points +1084
Lovely place - Edit
All vegan restaurant with a lot of options and lovely staff!
Read moreGuest
dhall22
Points +575
Top-tier burrito - Edit
I got the New MexiCali burrito with the mushroom seitan and it was so delicious, truly among the best burritos I've ever had. The protein was a perfect taste and texture. Price was reasonable for the amount of food (it came with a small side of chips and guac).
Read moreIt was not fast, so I can imagine that if it was more crowded it would have taken a long time. My other complaint was that the paper lining that the burrito came on started to rip and fall apart which was messy, there's really no reason to include it. But not enough to reduce my rating.
Pros: Amazing food!
Cons: Paper liner fell apart in sauce, Somewhat slow service
Guest
ShelleyReynolds
Points +528
Not open - Edit
We arrived on a Tuesday at 12:30pm and according to their website they open at that time. Talking to other vendors next door the owner doesn't have set hours. Works a food truck and has another job. This guy needs to hire help!
Read moreAs a retired small business owner I can tell you this place is not going to make it.
We tried calling multiple times to both phone numbers and you can't leave a message.
This business is going to fail! Don't bother going unless you know for sure that someone is there.
BTW, we were greatly disappointed that it wasnt open, we were really looking forward to eating there.
Updated from previous review on 2025-08-05
Cons: Closed, Hours mean nothing, Stupid business practices
Guest
couscous4
Points +99
Wow! - Edit
Vegan Vato is fantastic! I ordered the tacos - 2 with seitan and 2 with tempeh. My partner ordered something that looked like loaded Fritos. Both were delicious. Our food was fast and hot. Definitely recommend!
Read morePros: 4 protein choices!, Delicious , Fast
Guest
veganhedges
Points +52
Love this place - Edit
Small but very nice place shared with other restaurants. Vegan Vato is amazing. I have been following his FB page for ever since it was a food truck. Always said if I found it I was going to try the food. Definitely, was good
Read morePros: Flavor, Atmosphere, Presentation
Guest
BiancaLStarr
Points +281
Best tacos in town! - Edit
Best tacos, vegan or otherwise, and given that it is New Mexico that's really saying something. The owner is a great guy and the food is satisfying. Sometimes it takes too long because they have figured out how to line cook by prepping multiple of the same dish from separate tickets and sometimes the food is a bit too salty, but generally a great choice! It is located inside The Imperial Motor Lodge food hall so you can get a margarita from the place next door to go with your food. In the summer I believe patrons of the food hall can use the pool too!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-05-23
Pros: Tacos, Satisfying tasty vegan food, Nice vibes in the food hall
Cons: Can be slow, Sometimes too salty
Guest
CarolinaTejada
Points +145
So good - Edit
I bought the tacos and for the protein and I chose the mushroom and it was so good very flavorful and my order came out fast.  Delicious!
Read morePros: Tacos , Mushroom meat, Fast service
Guest
lpalex502
Points +65
Food took way too long - Edit
We were told the food would take about 35 minutes, but it was over 90 minutes until some of our food was ready. We had to go ask the staff for an update, and they gave us the 1 out of 3 meals that was ready. The other two weren’t ready until nearly 2 hours after we ordered. Staff didn’t seem to particularly care that they were inconveniencing customers and didn’t apologize for the significant wait time.
Read moreThe food was really good (especially the frito pie!) but I would suggest ordering in advance online to avoid having to wait there.
Pros: Food
Cons: Wait time, Customer service
Guest
imveganfortheanimals
Points +65
Didn’t even get a chance to try the food - Edit
We were quoted 20 minutes for our order to be made. We checked in 40 minutes after ordering and they didn’t even start our order yet. We checked in 60 minutes after ordering and they still hadn’t even started our order. No apology. No remorse. Just a very blasé attitude and oh well. Super disappointed as we were visiting from out of state and really wanted to try their food but we couldn’t wait anymore and they couldn’t even give us an estimate of when we could expect food to be ready.
Read moreCons: Slow, Bad customer service, Rude
Guest
KitteeBee
Points +433
Best nachos ever - Edit
We split an order of the deluxe nachos. They were great. The chips were topped with housemade nacho sauce, Mexican rice and ground impossible. Came with quac. We devoured them and I do t even like vegan ground meat.
Read morePros: Delicious nachos , Cute spot
Cons: Slow service on a busy night (was worth the wait) , Loud live music in the food hall
Guest
cdiehm
Points +22
great vegan mexican! - Edit
whatever you do, get the seitan mushroom asada with your dish. absolutely delicious!!
Read morePros: great food, great service
Guest
mezzanayne
Points +34
This sandwich changed my life - Edit
I asked the owner for a recommendation and he suggested the Philly plate (cheesesteak style sub with a side of beans and rice). Normally I would have passed on a Philly sandwich but I took his word for it and WOW...I'm still thinking about that plate. The flavor of the mushroom/seitan blew me away. The bun was perfectly chewy. The beans and rice could have some straight out of an abuela's kitchen. I had to go back the next day for a burrito (which smelled and tasted so delicious that I forgot to take a photo) and yet again the day after for a quesadilla. Everything was superb with incredible quality and flavor. The portions were huge and a great value.
Read morePros: Loads of flavor, Variety of menu options, Very nice owner/chef
Cons: Late opening time (12:30pm)
Guest
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