On May 18, Valentin Estrada was taking orders from the window of his El Catrin Mexican Kitchen truck on the southeast corner of Winrock Park, across from the Regal theater and near the pond. The Albuquerque Journal described that corner as a dormant part of Winrock Town Center, now turned into a curated food stop called The Campground.
That truck, and the corner it parks on, explain more about Uptown this fall than any of the new storefronts. Winrock's permanent food hall still has no groundbreaking date. In the meantime, the developer is using the park itself as the place to eat, with a lunch counter by day and a programmed calendar at night. To eat at Winrock after dark this October, you have to check what's on the schedule.
A Restaurant Pad That Became a Lawn
The Campground was not part of the original plan. Darin Sand, senior vice president of development at Goodman Realty Group, explained the change to KRQE in late June:
"That little pad there is really a future restaurant pad, but we didn't have a lot of interest just yet. So we decided to make it into a food truck park and expand the park a little more, which actually is turning out to be fantastic."
In the same interview, Sand said the food hall will sit on the north side of the park, with large garage doors that open so the park seems to continue indoors. He also said the schedule has shifted several times and declined to give a groundbreaking date. Hotels and apartments are still planned at Winrock, but rising construction costs are slowing them down. In October 2024, KOB reported that Winrock's food hall was expected to open the following fall. That target came and went.
The food trucks are meant to lead into the food hall. Sand said Goodman is working with the Campground vendors to see which ones fit, how their food does, and how to help them grow, with the idea that some could move indoors once the hall opens. The Campground held its official grand opening July 2, from 6 to 9 p.m., with lawn games, live music and drinks.
What Changed Between May and September
The Campground running today is a slimmer version than the one described at launch. Comparing the Journal's May report with Winrock's own Campground page, updated September 25, shows the difference:
| May 2026 | Late September 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendors named | Big Boss Hotlinks, El Catrin Mexican Kitchen, Ace's Fry Guy, Latin Flavor | El Catrin, Big Boss Hotlinks |
| Regular hours | Daily, about 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday | Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Evenings | Not yet programmed; acoustic music nights and campfire storytelling planned | Thursday nights, plus extended hours during park events |
Neither source gives a reason for the change, and none is offered here. For planning purposes, the outcome is clear. On a regular weekday, The Campground is a lunch spot that serves for three hours. Its page has a link to view the menu and order ahead, and it lists the address as 2100 Louisiana Blvd NE, inside Winrock Park and directly across from Regal Cinemas. In May, Sand said the lineup was meant to be permanent, with an occasional substitute when a regular truck was booked at another event.
Evenings now run on a schedule.
The Nights Are Scheduled
The Campground page describes Thursday nights as Plant Bingo hosted by a comedian from Hyena's Comedy Club. Free cards are handed out starting at 6 p.m., the first round begins at 6:30, and play runs until about 8:30. Prizes include plants and tickets to Hyena's shows. Bring your own dauber or pen. RSVPs through Hold My Ticket are encouraged but not required. Winrock's October calendar listed bingo on October 1 and showed no later October dates when this was written, so check the calendar before planning a Thursday around it.
Winrock's calendar also covers the rest of the park. Wednesday nights at 6:30 have free yoga on the grass, a weekly series that runs May through October. The upcoming dates:
- Thursday, October 8, 7:30 to 10 p.m. Family Movie Night in the Park, a free showing of Pixar's Up with food trucks on site.
- Friday, October 9, 6 to 9 p.m. Winrock Night Market, a curated set of local artisan and craft vendors. From 6:30 to 9:30, Zivi + The Rocks and Scott Hirsch play a free concert at Sunward Amphitheater. Winrock bills it as the final night of the LIVE @ WINROCK Fall Series 2026. RSVP is free.
- Friday, October 23, 6 to 9:30 p.m. Junior Toots with Vibestrong, a free concert that is part of Lensic 360 Fall Siesta.
- Saturday, October 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Harvest Fest, with a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, family activities and an artisan market of more than 75 local vendors.
- Saturday, October 24, 5 to 10 p.m. Barks & Bangers, a benefit concert.
- Friday and Saturday, November 27 and 28. Winrock Wonderland. The November 27 listing runs 2 to 6 p.m. and includes a tree and park lighting, a market with more than 100 vendors, live music, Santa and family activities.
The Campground page says its operating hours may be extended during park programming. The October 8 movie listing names food trucks on site. Friday markets and concerts draw people to the lawn after the 2 p.m. lunch close. So the nights listed above are the ones most likely to have food at Winrock after dark. Harvest Fest and Barks & Bangers on the same Saturday make October 24 the longest day on the park's fall schedule, with events running from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a gap in the middle.
The Friday concerts take place at Sunward Amphitheater, which shares its name with Sunward Federal Credit Union. Sunward is also opening a branch nearby at 2201 Louisiana Blvd NE, Suite G. It announced a November soft opening, with grand opening details still to come.
The Buildings Around the Park Are Filling In
The temporary setup on the lawn sits next to permanent leases. Several new tenants follow the same pattern as the trucks, starting small or tentative before committing.
85°C Bakery Cafe is the clearest finished example. Goodman signed a 10-year lease with the Taiwanese chain in January for the former Slapfish space. The Journal reported in March that it would be New Mexico's first location. Albuquerque Business First reported a soft launch on September 9, and Winrock's campus map now lists the bakery among its dining tenants.
Homebody Matcha most closely follows the path laid out for the Campground vendors. In June, Albuquerque Business First reported that it was moving from Winrock's test incubator space into a permanent tenant location. No opening date for the permanent café had been published as of early October.
The Boathouse is a new bar concept Winrock announced in September, with plans to open in October. As of this writing it has not confirmed an opening day, so watch Winrock's channels before planning a night around it.
Milan Laser Hair Removal announced a clinic of about 1,450 square feet at Winrock, expected by year end. It now appears in the campus directory under health and wellness.
None of these tenants needed the food hall to open first. 85°C moved into an existing space, and Homebody Matcha tested its concept in incubator space before signing a permanent lease. The Campground took a pad that sat empty for lack of a restaurant tenant and put trucks on it instead. Across Winrock, the developer is opening what it can in space that already exists while the food hall waits.
Elsewhere in Uptown This Fall
Uptown's other two shopping centers also added tenants this fall:
- Blake's Lotaburger opened Friday, September 18, in Coronado Center's food court at 6600 Menaul NE, in the former Burger House space.
- Satellite Coffee is open at ABQ Uptown. The center's directory says the easiest way in is off Indian School Road.
- Toys "R" Us is coming to ABQ Uptown, in the former Eddie Bauer space on the east side between Apple and Lucky Brand. KOB reported the news September 10 without an opening date.
For now, the free events in Winrock Park are the easiest of these to plan around. The Night Market and Zivi + The Rocks on October 9 close out the Friday concert series, Harvest Fest fills the lawn on October 24, and Winrock Wonderland lights the park on November 27.
Uptown's new openings, delays and event schedules help shape what daily life near Louisiana Boulevard feels like, and they come up in many of our conversations about the area. If you live near Winrock and want to know how this fall's changes play into a future move or sale, The Lovely Home Company is glad to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation.
