Café Chica

albuquerque's specialty coffee scene has been quietly building for years, drawing in roasters and independent shops that treat the high desert seriously. café chica on central ave sw sits at a stretch of albuquerque that carries real history, the old route 66 corridor running straight through the heart of the city. you don't stumble onto central ave by accident, and a shop holding its ground there says something about staying power. the reviews here back that up consistently, pointing to a place that people return to rather than just check off. whatever you're ordering, the afternoon light on that strip of central is reason enough to linger over a second cup.