Popular pizza biz opens its second location in Santa Fe

restaurant tries to use local ingredients where possible. The restaurant is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m to 9 p.m. on weekends.

Meanwhile, Anntonette Franklin, owner and operator of Blended Acai, said the restaurant will offer a mix of juices, smoothies and bowls that use acai, pitaya and other plant-based offerings. Franklin said the restaurant began in a food truck, but she jumped at the opportunity to move the business into a 1,200-square-foot location in One Central.

“I love that it’s in the heart of downtown, I just really liked the location,” Franklin said.

Dion’s expands north, again

One of Albuquerque’s most famous pizzerias now has a second location in Santa Fe.

With its ceremonial first slice, Dion’s Pizza opened its new location in The City Different near the end of September. The new restaurant is at 4980 Promenade, off Cerrillos near Interstate 25.

“We are excited to be part of the growth of Santa Fe and offer great food to the families and working professionals in this active part of the city,” said CEO Mark Herman in a prepared statement.

Deena Crawley, marketing director and chief of staff for Dion’s, said the company has been looking at opening a second location in Santa Fe for several years. She cited the city’s growth and the success of Dion’s original Santa Fe location, at 2014 Cerrillos Road, as reasons for the expansion.

“It’s been a great location for us,” Crawley said of the original Santa Fe location, which opened in 2005.

The new 4,000-squarefoot restaurant features a more modern look that incorporates design elements such as bleacher wood from a local gymnasium, along with a pickup window for call-ahead and online orders. Crawley said the restaurant has seating for 129 customers.

With the new location, Dion’s now has 24 restaurants in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas. The Santa Fe restaurant will be open 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, per the company website.

COURTESY OF SVN/TEAM SOUTHWEST The newly opened restaurant Urban Taqueria is the first commercial tenant to open at One Central, a mixed-use development in Downtown Albuquerque.