Right across from the University of New Mexico campus, this barn-shaped diner has been dishing out New Mexican cuisine to Albuquerque students since 1971. It is one of the city’s most popular restaurants, famously serving about 4,000 customers per day in 2000, and open daily from 5 a.m. to midnight.
The building holds five dining rooms covering a total of 8,000 square feet (740 m2) and is decorated with over 100 Western-themed artworks, including several portraits of John Wayne, referencing the nicknames he and the city share: 'The Duke' and 'The Duke City'. Frontier was established in 1971 by Dorothy and Larry Rainosek, who had recently moved here from Austin, Texas. Hoping to attract college students, they leased this barn-shaped building on Central Avenue across from the University of New Mexico, a site that previously housed the Country Barn and, earlier still, the famous Chisholm's soda fountain.
The Frontier opened on February 10 with just 15 menu items and five employees, initially serving breakfast, hamburgers, sandwiches, and some Tex-Mex foods. Picture five a.m. regulars and midnight crowds filling these wide, art-lined rooms, with Central Avenue and the campus waiting just across the street.