Breaking Bad has become one of the biggest shows around the globe and when you visit New Mexico, you can visit a lot of the places that were actually in the show as well as places that have added a Breaking Bad spin to their establishment. Whenever anyone finds out that I grew up in New Mexico and lived in Albuquerque for four years, I am asked if I’ve ever been to any of the Breaking Bad locations. I’ve been to quite a few of them and I haven’t even seen the show – I know, I know that should be some sort of crime, right?
Ironically, I’ve never watched the show but I know so much about it because of how much it’s talked about and all of the locations you can stop by whenever you visit New Mexico. Apparently, there’s even a 3-hour RV Tour you can take. I even gave Bob Odenkirk, who plays Saul Goodman in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, my table at a restaurant once. You can also stop and see locations on your own makeshift tour, and make a day out of it. If you love Breaking Bad and you happen to find yourself visiting New Mexico, then I suggest you stop by these five places so you can feel what it was like to be Walter White and his squad for a day.
Located in the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque is the infamous White house. Not far from the A-1 Car Wash, this is the Breaking Bad location that every fan has to stop by when they visit New Mexico. It looks just like it does in the show and will have you remembering everything that went down in the house. It is a private residence though, and a couple does live there, so no matter how tempting it is to toss a pizza on the roof, please don’t. If you do, the owners of the house won’t be too pleased. Instead, just go eat the pizza, seeing that the shop it came from is still around. The house is a Breaking Bad icon and it needs to be on your list of stops if you are a fan.
The Crossroads Motel looks and may feel just as sketchy as it did on the show. The motel is located off of Central Avenue near the University of New Mexico, but you won’t catch any of the school’s students there. Known for being a drug den throughout the show, this funky Route 66 motel can provide you with a cheap night’s sleep if you really want to spend the night. Personally, I’d just snap my photo real quick then dip. It’s an iconic spot to stop at if you visit New Mexico, but not the most ideal for an actual stay. Still cool to say that you’ve been if you decide to go.
The flashing neon sign of this drive-in restaurant located in Old Town became a staple during the show’s time on the air. Remembered for being the spot where Jesse gave all his money to a homeless man during the final season, Dog House is one of the oldest drive-in restaurants in Albuquerque. You have to try a foot-long chili dog if you stop by, they’re actually really good and they’re super cheap. Not the swanky meal you’d expect to get at Savoy, but still an iconic stop on your Breaking Bad run during your visit to New Mexico.
Stop by the Zen Nail Spa when you visit New Mexico and you might just get your nails done by the same pedicurist that worked on Saul Goodman. The filming that took place inside the strip mall nail salon was pretty authentic seeing as the actual staff were extras in the scene in season 3 where Saul suggests to Jesse that he buy the salon so he can launder money from it. So if you stop in while you visit New Mexico and Albuquerque, then there’s a good chance you might get the chance to speak with an employee that was actually an extra on the show. Plus, their manicures and pedicures last for weeks so it’s a win, win.
While these two spots weren’t filming locations for the show, they are still places you should stop at on your Breaking Bad tour when you visit New Mexico. Marble Brewery is one of Albuquerque’s most popular microbreweries and it became a hangout for Brian Cranston and the rest of the cast and crew during filming. The cast and crew visited so much that the brewery produced two Breaking Bad-themed beers. Try Walter White’s Lie, which is a white IPA, and Heisenberg’s Dark, a black IPA. These beers were created in celebration of the show’s final season and if you like IPAs they’re the drink for you.
The Candy Lady is the candy store where you can buy the infamous “blue meth” from the show. The blue rock candy is meth all on its own seeing as it is just a bag full of blue sugar. This candy was actually used as the prop meth in the show and it sells quite frequently. The candy store was approached to create the prop because they wanted something that didn’t look like typical street meth and they start producing it to sell out of the store when it became popular after Brian Cranston gifting a bag to David Letterman during an interview on The David Letterman Show. It’s cotton candy-flavored and if rock candy is your jam, you need to grab some when you visit New Mexico.
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