The first food hall in Albuquerque soon will be established in a historic building along Route 66 in the downtown area.
The food hall, tentatively named 505 Central Market, will be at 505 Central Ave. (aka Route 66) in a 1937 three-story building eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
The Albuquerque Journal reported:
Architect Mark Baker confirmed plans to establish the restaurant concept featuring eight different food and beverage vendors with shared seating on the ground floor of a historic brick building at 505 Central Ave. NW. Baker sees it as a chance to not only add more fast-casual dining to a downtown core that’s often starved for such options, but also to create a unique dining experience that lures hungry customers from other parts of town.
“I always see people out looking for a destination,” he said. “This is going to be that destination.”
Baker told the newspaper the food hall will be on the building’s entire ground floor. The potential restaurants weren’t revealed, but Baker said they’d offer a range from pizza to ramen.
The building’s owners hope to have to food hall open by early next year.
In a comment on Facebook, Oklahoma Route 66 Association president Rhys Martin made this astute observation:
“With the popularity and success of Mother Road Market in Tulsa, I knew we’d see another one pop up somewhere on the route soon.”
(Excerpted image of the building at 505 Central Ave. in Albuquerque via Google Street View)