Mac’s Steak in the Rough

I love stopping at Macs for lunch. I am always impressed with how clean the front dining area is. The steak fingers are nice and crispy and the gravy is a must! This will continue to be one of my favorite stops for a quick bite! If I had one request, it would be to put the refreshments in the dining area. I don’t particularly like going up to counter to ask for a refill on my iced tea.

I can feel my arteries clogging as I chew, but I don’t care. I love the taste of this steak. Not fond of anything else there — but the chunks of steak battered and fried are a guilty pleasure.

While visiting Abq and after a day of shopping, my kids and I were hungry. My daughter wanted Red Lobster, so we go to Red Lobster for dinner — got there and the parking lot was PACKED!
We decided to go elsewhere. But while deciding where to go, my oldest son mentioned Mac’s Steak in the Rough. Naturally I decline — I’m not a fan of steak fingers. I continue looking in the Unilocal app for food options — I’m gravitating toward sushi at this point. I gave into my oldest sons request. Off to Mac’s.
We ordered the #1 and #2. Waited about 15 mins. Oh my gosh, the drinks were medium when ordered, but once you see it, it’s actually a x-​large drink compared to other places.
We start eating, I’m waiting to be dazzled. Nothing. I ask my son how his food was, and he looked a little puzzled. I told him I was waiting for my food to dazzle me after eating a couple of steak fingers, but nothing. It was tasteless and he agreed. He’s a usual visitor when he’s with his grandparents in town, so he knows about this place more so than I. He was disappointed and said the food usually has much more flavor e.g. black pepper and seasonings. Honestly, I wouldn’t know, but it did feel like we were eating tasteless blocks of «something» that wasn’t appealing.
I’m not dropping by again. I’ll stick to my usual fare while visiting Abq. But our server was awesome, I just wish the food matched.

I live pretty close to Mac’s and I’ve had a peripheral eye on the place since we rolled into town. At first I wasn’t sure if it was a strange looking steak house, or a Philly Cheese Steak type place or what. But when I read Jazmine V.‘s review, it started to make sense, so tonight was the time to give it a go.
In reality it’s just a burger joint with a «Signature» item that’s pretty unique. Breaded strips of steak, which are deep fried. I gotta tell ya though, they didn’t do much for me. The breading/​batter just throws it off a bit. Maybe if they had some signature dipping sauce or something, but by themselves they’re just kind of plain & boring.
I had the double cheeseburger and it was OK, but nothing special. I was a bit disappointed as the patties were thin little fast food type patties. It was moist & had a fresh «Good Greasy» taste to it, but still nothing to write home to Mom about.
My wife had the steak burger, which was just the steak fingers on a bun. Obviously we ordered a side of steak fingers & my daughter had a regular cheeseburger. Her shake was good though & my wife had a pineapple sundae, which was pretty hefty, so the place had it’s good points. However, other than the old school ordering process from your car in true drive-​in fashion, it wasn’t that memorable. Worth trying yes, but not worth many repeat visits in my book.

Let’s preface this by saying I don’t think I’ve ever had steak fingers. I really needed to go to Mac’s. It’s been on my bucket list for years. I finally took the plunge and went. I got the original rough dinner with green chile gravy instead of original, along with onion rings instead of fries… sans drink. The onion rings were really good. You can tell the batter is homemade. That being said… don’t go here expecting to get your meal as fast as sonic or one of the other, pre-​made fast food restaurants. You’ll probably wait 10 minutes or so while they make everything fresh! The coleslaw and roll were good, and I loved that they put a green onion in to top it off. I love green onions! I wasn’t a huge fan of the gravy. I found myself adding salt and pepper. Now onto the steak fingers… what a conundrum. I’ve learned that I’m not a fan of steak fingers. The steak was good… the batter was good… but together, meh. There’s just something about fried steak that is a bit off-​putting to me. I can’t believe I’m saying this… but some things are better left un-​fried. I think steak belongs on the grill. That being said, I’m not docking any stars for my distaste of steak fingers. The whole meal was well executed and fresh. Next time I go, I will be having the chicken tenders.

There used to be several locations in Albuquerque.
Stopped in last week (using car hop/​menu) for limeade and onion rings! By far the best in town! Went to Menaul location. Closer to the San Mateo drive in, but that’s a different place now.
Summer is not summer in ABQ unless you have a cold fresh squeezed lime aid or lemonade!!!
Hopefully, Mac’s will re-​open or open other locations.

I just ate at the new location on the Westside! It was so good! So glad Mac’s is expanding.

I can remember all the stories my dad talked about when he was a kid coming here he knew the owner way back when and got free food a lot glad this place is still around haven’t been here in years

A friend of mine recommended this place, so I decided to give it a try. The food was gross! I had the chicken tender platter and I was really disappointed. The rolls looked good from afar as they were nice and buttery on top, but we’re actually very stale. I will not be going back.

Hahaha, what can I say, I let my inner fat kid out at this joint! Fried, battered beef strips and onion rings, gravy and to top it off a full sprig of green onion scallion! Come prepared to hate yourself when you leave, each meal has to be at least 1,500 calories but it’s soooo damn good!

I love the steak fingers so much that I usually order a double rough. I don’t like eating by myself, but I will when it involves yummy food. Too bad we don’t have one in Santa Fe.

Oh how I miss this place since moving to Florida. The food is something I haven’t found anywhere else.

We have missed Macs and are so glad to be back in the ABQ — this was one of the first places we came. Same yummy steak fingers, we can eat in our car, friendly service and gigantic drinks! What more could I ask for?!

50s music sets the diner/​drive in atmosphere. Clean restaurant, friendly staff. The taquitas were a bit plain and the guacamole, while fresh, was a bit bland for my taste. But it’s cheap and good comfort food!

Traveling from AZ to OH and needed somewhere quick to stop for lunch. Tacos and bean, cheese, green chili burrito were very good. Grilled cheese was good but small portion. Very inexpensive. Great deal for the price. Service was fast and the restaurant is clean. Overall good fast food experience at Mac’s.

Awful service!!! Waited over 15 minutes in the drive thru and when we finally are our food it was awful! I would never eat here again!

Mac’s is just one of those local places you gotta hit from time to time. It would be like living here and never going to the Frontier, almost a man crime IMO. If I were to ask them what their signature item was they’d probably tell me everything was their signature item. It is my opinion no one beats their onion rings. I mean they are batter dipped and fried to order, I had the pleasure of a side this afternoon and all I can say is thank you! I sure wish they would have added credit card terminals kinda like Sonic has. If you’re in the area and feeling hungry do yourself a favor and stop in!

Me and my husband love this place! I usually order a rough dinner with a side of salsa to dip the steak fingers in. (You have the option to order salsa or white gravy) Their taquitas are also very good.
Wish they had other locations.

Why there are not more of these places around ABQ, I have no idea! My first time there I tried the steak finger combo, which comes with fries, coleslaw, a biscuit and a drink. I am not a steak fan because beef is just tough to me, but these steak fingers were a pleasantly tender surprise.
It was a little pricey for a drive in. The restaurant was packed (sign of good eats) but there was no one keeping the tables clean in the dining area. They took a long time to get my order out but everything was hot and fresh so timeliness is forgiven.
Overall, very good experience. Skip the dining room and hit the drive up or drive thru instead.

Best steak fingers Ive ever had, comes with fries, white gravy and a whole chive onion. price is good. been eating here a long time. I can remember when they had alot of these restaurants all over town but they all went out of business. This is the only one I know of. try it its good and different. Not real sure why they give you a whole green onion sprout?