1 Harry’s Roadhouse
96 Old Las Vegas Hwy.
505-989-4629
What makes the Roadhouse worth taking a trip a bit farther down Old Las Vegas Highway than you might usually? Maybe it’s that friendly, helpful waitstaff. “We always say work hard and have fun doing it,” Peyton Young, one of the 17-year-old restaurant’s owners, says. Harry’s focuses on having a waitstaff that can handle the hustle and bustle of a busy lunch or dinner rush with smiles on their faces. The result is an establishment that feels nothing like another faceless diner but, instead, one big, happy family. The restaurant also keeps its environment comfortable and its food moderately priced to make that family as big as possible. It’s been Harry’s aim since day one, Young says, to make a place for “both the people who own $1 million mansions and those who built it [for them].” With the recent arrival of a gelato machine, an array of aguas frescas and with new specials being dreamt up constantly, it looks like there are even more reasons to leave a healthy tip. (Alex Roberts)

2 Cowgirl BBQ, 319 S. Guadalupe St., 505-982-2565

3 Tune-Up Café, 1115 Hickox St., 505-983-7060