The New Yorken Cafe and Bakery

I just learned the restaurant is now closed. Albuquerque just lost a great place to eat. :(

I was really upset when I heard that this place was closed as I had found a great place to get fresh, plain cheesecake for my husband for special occasions. Since it’s one of the few desserts he likes, a plain cheesecake is typically what he gets as his birthday cake. We used to order it from Dee’s, and when they closed, I found this little gem. My husband’s birthday is tomorrow and I was planning on getting him a cheesecake from the New Yorken, but when I tried to pull up their page a few days ago to get their phone number so I could call and make sure a cheesecake would be available for me to pick up, I found that the page had been removed. Fearing the worst, I did a little digging and found information stating that they had in fact closed their doors. Thank goodness for a friend of mine who informed me that the owner still makes desserts by special order. She gave me the number, I called and ordered a cheesecake and was able to pick it up today in time for my husband’s birthday tomorrow. Yay!!! Even after the Cheesecake Factory opens, I’ll still be ordering all of my cheesecakes from the owner as long as he’s making them!

I’ve gone a few times so far, I’ve gotten the awesome Reuben and meatball sandwich… I have a hard time deciding between these two, usually go with meatball because its more food.

Excellent little family place. Everyone in our group was pleased. The food was delicious, and we ordered everything from sandwiches and burgers to pasta dishes. The food was generously portioned, quickly prepared, and the service was great. Definitely check it out!

Hey, I’m eatin’ here! (In my best Dustin Hoffman voice).
After growing up near NYC, living in DC for 4 years, and eating at countless delis and Italian joints in both places, I’d say the New Yorken Café best captures the essence of an Italian deli in Albuquerque.
Everything is done right with Boar’s Head meat, high-​end ingredients, and affordable prices.
The first time I ate here, my stepdad got the chicken parm sandwich with stuffed zucchini sticks. fuhgeddaboudit !

friendly service, delicious food and all the New York east coast native flair you could ever want. They even make a family recipe New York style cheesecake!

Meatball sandwich was a little dry. But overall everything was great! I love the cheesecake! The sweetness is just right! Love love it! I will be back for more cheesecake and try different food they have there.

First time here. Reuben is amazing as was the Little Italy sandwich. Service is outstanding, environment well kept and great prices. We are full and returning for the cheesecake!

Fabulous food, friendly service. Easily the best cheesecake in town. Authentic New York style with wonderful texture and just the right amount of sweetness.

Great food, friendly service. SO great, I had them cater an event I hosted. Stuffed mushrooms, fresh salad, homemade dressing, baked ziti, meatballs, lemon and berry cheesecake! The best and everyone at the bridal shower thought so as well!

Interesting new place. Family run in a very efficient and friendly manner. So far I had lunch and breakfast. For lunch I had a great take out chicken parm sandwich. For breakfast I had the «porken eggs» which I enjoyed and I like how they do their breakfast potatoes. I haven’t done dinner yet but the menu looks good and the cheesecake looked like authentic New York style.

Love this place!!! Food is just wonderful. Have been multiple times and it’s consistently good. Authentic Italian. My entire family rates this excellent! !

Food here is just out of this world! By far the best Italian in ABQ! Can’t wait to try it out again for more dishes and to try the Cheesecake that everyone raves about!

The food is good try the meatball sub! the waitress is great we go there and she knows us and remembers our drinks! very friendly love it,

The food and service are wonderful. The sausage is delicious. Pizza burger great and hearty. They work as best they can with gluten sensitive people– the places both my entrees on a bed of lettuce. Don’t let this local place evaporate like so many do!

Good Reuben sandwich and the cheesecake was also tasty (and generously portioned) although a little different in texture and taste than my admittedly hazy memories of eating cheesecake in NYC.

Lookin’ for some east coast eats, tough guy?
You can’t go wrong with The New Yorken. This business is run by a dyed-​in-​the-​wool New York non-​apologist who learned to love New Mexico and deeply, terribly misses the food he grew up around. After languishing in a city that offered virtually nothing in the way of Manhattan deli standards, he took the leap and opened up his own shop in a nondescript strip mall along Juan Tabo. You’ll need to look hard for this place (or just let your Unilocal app give you directions) but once you step inside, you’ll be very happy you did.
I had a pastrami sammy, I mean, that’s the standard, right? It was very good. The owner was really excited about his bread and yeah, it was pretty good, but I thought he could be getting much better even in the Duke City. That said, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, right? And it did. Very solid, chewy meat balanced with just the right amount of cheese and thousand island. The meatball on the side was ballin’, and in classic east coast fashion, veggies didn’t really matter.
People are raving about the cannoli and cheese cake, rightly so, it’s some of the best in the city, finding its way to your arteries after the first couple bites, and you’ll suffer in caloric purgatory trying to eat the whole slice, it’s so worth it. If you care about supporting local, this place is hands-​down one of the most important new businesses to show your love to. Let’s keep this guy and his awesome family operating for many, many years to come.

I came here for a Unilocal CMYE event to have a try of a sampling of food. That was so good it brought me back for a lunch time visit.
The lunch menu is nice, with sandwiches, hot dogs and burgers, a very New York kind of menu, as you would expect. We came here on a mid-​week lunch time with three people.
The service was a bit slow, given that there was only one other table when we came in with 2 customers at it, and another group of 5 came in while we were there. I ordered the Chili cheese New York dog, which was excellent. The chili was hot and slightly spicy, a perfect accompaniment to the dog, onions and cheese. And the whole thing came on a delicious roll. Ok, there was more bread there than needed, but the bread was awesome nonetheless. I also ordered onion rings, which were tasty but greasy.
Overall, it was a good experience, and I’ll likely be back.

This place is SO new, most people probably don’t now about it, but you really will be happy if you give it a try.
Went for a private event today, and wow! The food is spectacular, the owners are really delightful — and the cheesecake!!!
So we had a little taste of several things on the menu, but I am anxious to go back and try even more. The baked ziti, apparently one of their signature dishes, is absolutely wonderful. I went back for seconds, and didn’t feel a bit guilty about it — just delectable!
Sausage and peppers were on today’s menu as well, along with frito pie, chicken salad and veggies. All were just tasty as can be — I am not a fan of frito pie, but this one was really good.
While I was in love with the ziti and could eat it all day — the true highlight of the day was the cheesecake. Wow… You know how cheesecake tends to be really thick, but creamy, and overwhelmingly rich? Usually you can’t eat much of it, feel bad afterward — both about eating it in the first place and physically, from all the fat and sugar. I like cheesecake, but it’s never been one of my favorites for that reason. But this stuff is different. Maybe this is what cheesecake is meant to be. It was dense, not as sticky/​creamy as cheesecake I am used to. It wasn’t so sweet you got ill after a few bites — this stuff is about the flavor, not the sugar. It’s absolutely delicious. Not at all overpowering, just plain delightful.
The owner was gracious, kind and fun. He is clearly excited about the restaurant, and loves his product. For good reason! A real New Yorker, with real New York food. Lots of Italian on the menu, but true to the New York melting pot, there are other types as well (German, a little New Mexico, true New York pastrami, etc.).
The menu is very impressive, and I am looking forward to trying their breakfasts asap. The pastrami ruben sandwich also calls to me.
We will definitely be heading back there — and you should, too!

The New Yorken is a new place that is locally owned. This wonderful Staten Island turned New Mexican owner has what it takes to go all the way. Everything from burgers to baked ziti — which is all in my wheel house of favs. On their journey to restaurateur stardom I wish them nothing but the best. I’ve personally had their baked ziti, cheesecake, potato salad, strudel, etc. The ambience, food, and company brings me home in the most delightful way. !!!