A few times a year I like to host a sibling staycation for my four-year-old and her teenage sister and brother. It’s a chance for us all to reconnect, catch up, feast, and be fabulous. This winter we chose the newly renovated Imperial in Albuquerque for two very important reasons: aesthetic appeal (it’s gorgeous!) and front-door access to all the food, drink, and coffee we could want or need. 

Originally opening along Central Avenue in 1960 as the Imperial 400, this midcentury modern motel recently got the facelift of its dreams (or my dreams, anyway) and reopened in 2024 as The Imperial, with fifty-two rooms and sixteen residential suites. As a super-nerd for all things Americana, and a retired pinup girlie, I praise anyone who sees the value of saving Route 66 relics, especially with the Mother Road’s centenary birthday just a year away.  

In its resurrected state, The Imperial is once again a landmark of downtown Albuquerque, with its asymmetrical, atomic-era sass, 1950s pastel paint colors, and big jaunty neon sign. Every detail of the property makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. You wouldn’t bat an eye to see Elroy and Astro walking around, though I’ve been told that “no one even knows what the Jetsons are, OK?” 

Even the kidney-shaped pool has been rehabbed to its former glory and now invites summertime swimmers for a dip alongside the 4,410 square feet of commercial space that includes a food court and The Imperial Dive bar—which leads me to the next reason this is a staycation, or vacation, dream. The Imperial has been thoughtfully designed as a destination for families like us, as well as longer-term visitors that are, for instance, working at one of the nearby hospitals. Once you’re there, you only have to leave if you want to (unless you’re here for work, that is), and we opted to stay and feast.

The check-in desk is also Mojo Rising, which serves locally roasted coffee, adaptogenic mushroom coffee, and tea. I can’t say enough good things about having an on-site coffee shop. It saves so much time and hassle and definitely makes Mommy a much nicer human when her toddler wakes her up before dawn.

Across the parking lot at the Imperial Food Hall, you’ll find a selection of vendors that hospitality manager Miguel Duran described as showing folks a side of Albuquerque cuisine most visitors don’t know about. The city, and New Mexico in general, has become so well known for its red and green chile that a lot of incredible and diverse local chefs and offerings get lost in the whole enchilada of it all. Here, the food hall showcases Salvadoran, Venezuelan, and Cali- and New Mexican–inspired vegan cuisines alongside freshly baked sourdoughs, pastries, and riffs on Greek and American sandwiches, all of which are a vital part of the local food map.

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Latin Flavor ABQ is a family-owned Venezuelan spot that began their business with a food truck that still pops up in other locations for public and private events. Their South American specialties are empanadas and arepas, both made from corn flour. Filled with cheese and/or meats and fried to golden perfection, Latin Flavor’s empanadas are definitely what folks come for, but many leave having discovered the arepas. To a North American eye, a stuffed arepa might resemble a taco or a gordita, but the texture of the corn cake and the flavors of their fillings make for a distinctive treat. Don’t skip the side of sweet plantains either—they do something magical to all the savory notes.

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La Cocina de Maria is owned by Maria Reno, who was raised in Santa Ana, the second largest city in El Salvador, and came to Albuquerque in 2005. She began selling pupusas at farmers markets eight years before moving into the food hall in April 2024. Reno says that pupusas are so widely available in her home country that it wasn’t until she moved here that she made her first one, mixing meat and cheese into the corn masa before flattening it onto the griddle like a fat tortilla. She missed them, and through that bit of homesickness, she has built a tasty business for herself.

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Owned by Rome Arrey, an army combat veteran from southern New Mexico, Vegan Vato brings in some of the regional flavors one might expect, only in a very unexpected way. Tostadas, tacos, burritos, tortas, and other New Mexico and California comfort foods are all on the menu, but in this case they’re filled or topped with Impossible burger, seitan-mushroom asada, birria-style jackfruit, or jalapeño roasted cauliflower. Raised in the heart of green chile country, flavor is in Arrey’s DNA—meaning that even a carnivore might not miss the meat in his New Mexican–style Philly plate.

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Ursa Minor & Suffocakes is a two-hander, with Stephanie Vigil running the bakery side and Liam Kimball doing the sandwiches. Naturally, they are the early birds on the block and offer baked goods and breakfast items before the others are open. Their totally-from-scratch sandwiches are served on sourdough baked daily right there, and use fresh, sustainably sourced ingredients like perfectly cooked eggs with the most golden yolks ever. But, to balance out all that no-guilt food, you have to get a house-made cherry pop tart and a sourdough sticky bun—otherwise you are not staycationing correctly. 

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The Imperial Dive is not a dive but an elegant bar overlooking that cute little pool. Donna Maestas and her wife, Sherry Maestas, manage the bar and supply it with local brews from their other business, Ponderosa Brewing Company. The cocktail menu features Sherry’s twist on white Russians, mojitos, martinis, and other classics, all made with locally distilled spirits, but they can easily go off-menu. The kids and I are looking forward to warmer weather so we can enjoy our mocktails, cocktails, pupusas, burgers, arepas, and sticky buns poolside for sibling staycation 2025.

📍 701 Central NE, Albuquerque, 505-460-1950, theimperialabq.com