ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s the moment a lot of traveling foodies have been waiting for – the new food hall at the Albuquerque International Sunport is open.

It isn’t completely finished but holiday travelers will have four new spots to grab a bite to eat. While that may not sound like much, it’s a step toward having more places to eat than ever before.

Mayor Tim Keller joined officials from the Sunport to unveil the four places Monday:

• Flavor of New Mexico
• Rush of Prana
• Panda Express
• Dunkin’

Right when you pass security, you’ll see those new restaurants and the new spot for the iconic Dream of Flight statue.

“At the beginning of 2022, we had a vision of making a change here at the Sunport. And that vision was also to take into consideration the sense of place in Albuquerque and New Mexico,” said Richard McCurley, the director of aviation for the City of Albuquerque.

McCurley added they wanted to incorporate New Mexican culture and food – and he believes this project hits that goal.

Some passengers took notice too.

“Everything looked different. My wife and I, right away, said, ‘What’s going on?'” Darren Watson said. 

Watson and his wife fly through the Sunport a few times a year to visit family. While he and other flyers are only seeing the first phase of the food hall so far, he believes it’s an improvement. He said there weren’t many choices before.

“You got quite a few options. [It’s] Kind of fun. You have a donut spot, this healthy smoothie place, a little bit of everything going on here,” Watson said. “So I think that’s a good change because a lot of times you get to the airport early.”

The Dream of Flight statue now sits on a stage. As you wait for your flight, you can hear from performers like Jason Younis.

“This stage eventually is going to host musicians, demonstrating, artists, storytellers – all those things that are just touch points to our unique culture and traditions,” Younis said.

Younis said moving the statue and adding a stage gives people a chance to really sit and enjoy the performances there.

“What’s wonderful about this space is it’s accessible. And it’s opened up to where there’s seating, where it’s not a passing through,” Younis said.

There’s more on the way for this area too. Sunport officials said Monday they expect Teller Spirits to open later this month. Then, Cheese and Coffee, Steel Bender Brewyard and other places are expected to open throughout next year.

“We’re committed to roughly an 80% local mix and that also includes extremely small micro vendors,” Mayor Keller said.