santa fe or Albuquerque breakfast spots
 

Can any one recommend their favorite spots for breakfast in Santa Fe and Albuquerque - and why is it your favorite. We will be in the area for week, and while I am sure there are plenty of places to enjoy good old fashioned bacon and eggs, I am looking for some more interesting options, with a little more regional flair. It doesn't need to be fancy -just good!!!

Cafe Pasqual's in Santa Fe. Arrive early or stand in line. Great southwestern take on breakfast.--See menu http://www.pasquals.com/breakfast.html

Santacafe. We had a great New Mexico twist on breakfast there. If we'd been in Santa Fe for more than a long weekend, we'd have eaten there again.
There was a line, but it went fast.

To me THE best place for breakfast is the Tesuque Market. I've go there every time we hit Santa Fe, and we've been hitting Santa Fe since the late 1980s. It's northwest of downtown Santa Fe, a little past the Bishop's Lodge. Great local hangout. I have never, ever got a bad breakfast there. Yummy!

A breakfast burrito at the farmers market. Mmmm.

My favories are :

Tesuque Market and Tia Sophia's for the authentic neighborhood-style restaurant with both with excellent green chile sauce.

Cafe Pasqual's - you have to do it once. Its a long wait (unless they know you) and huge portions of sw breakfast items.

Cafe San Estephan -- nice Sunday breakfast with a charming small patio. Excellent red chile sauce.

Tesuque Market and Tia Sophia are my top choices. Will be there in less than 2 weeks! Need my chile fix! Skip the regular bacon and eggs as you can have that anytime. You're in chile land -- go for it!

Sheila

I agree with ALL of the above. It's making me hungry just thinking about some of those places!

I'll add:

The Range Cafe in Albuquerque and Bernalillo. Love their breakfast burritos and huevos ranchero's

The Flying Star at various locations in Albq. Love their machacado (sp?), burritos and green chile scones.

The Frontier Restaurant on Central in Albq. All day breakfast, cheapish, lots of students (it's near the university). Semi famous for their monster cinnamon rolls. I thiink it's open 24/7.

I like the Route 66 Diner in Albuquerq.

I'll give the nod to Teseque Mkt [stop in at Shidoni Brass Factory to see how statues are made...it's free and you can go all through the plant. they do lost was casting and it is amazing! Don't go from noon - 1 as workers are on lunch and you can't see the foundry in full swing then]

In ABQ -- Garcia's on Mountain and 4th [its the best, though there are locations]; Weck's [in Rio Rancho and a few other locations]; Casa de Beniviedas on 4th in North Valley; in Corrales in one of the little cafes; and second Frontier, Range Cafe, Flying Star but I'd pass Route 66 Diner.

Hope this helps...
Debi

We like 66 Diner, but I don't think it is open for breakfast - maybe on weekends, but not during the week.

Lee Ann

Here in Santa Fe, I like (in no partiuclar order):

Flying Tortilla, Horseman's Haven, The Pantry, Tecolote Cafe, Guadalupe Cafe.

Well, actually my favorite would be the Guadalupe Cafe: Blocks from the plaza, a few yards from The Capitol...and awesome omelettes.

I like the above-mentioned restaurants becaus I'm an "omelette guy" and they all have EXCELLENT omelettes.

One word of caution: The Green Chile here is pretty darn hot! I'm a California transplant who grew up eating a green chile based on Tomatillos or mild anaheim chiles.

Not here in NM, dude. The sauces are based on "Hatch" chiles which have a pretty good "kick."

Having said that, I will NEVER go back to that mild stuff again!!

yum!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! My husband loves the hot stuff, so I have a feeling he will be in his glory!

A suggestion...we have 2 types of chile: red and green. They are quite different and can vary in heat from restaurant to restaurant. It would be best to order the chile "on the side" because if not ordered this way...most places POUR it all over everything and if it's too hot, you've ruined your food. And you can ask for some of both, to see which you like best. {AKA "christmas"}

Hope this helps...
Debi

That is a great suggestion - I like mine a bit milder, so having my food doused with it would not be a good idea.

In addition to the restaurants mentioned above for breakfast in Santa Fe, I have also seen recommendations on the Internet for the Pantry, Bagelmania, and Jane's Cafe.
How do they rate compared to Tia Sophia's, Cafe Pasqual's, and Tecolote Cafe.

I don't know any of them personally but Bagelmania sounds like a small bagel type place {think Einstein bagels or the like}. The other 2 are most likely little local spots, you will have to use judgement when you see them I think as I have never heard anyone mention them.

Hope this helps...
Debi

Having returned a week ago from both cities, I will say
1.Tesuque Village if you don't mind driving several miles outside of the Santa Fe Plaza,
2.Cafe Pasquals if you need to be right in the Plaza area,
3.Bagelmania is a wonderful local bagel shop with cooked breakfast foods as well that tend towards local tastes (awesome green chile bagel- brought them back East) and
4.Cloud Cliff Bakery for local organic breads and granolas.
The latter two are within 3-5 minute drive of the Plaza area.

Did not go out to breakfast in Albuquerque.

Bagelmania is a funky little bagel spot - their mochas are big, caffeinated heavily & excellent. I love their potato pancakes with green chile and applesauce dumped all over them. It might sound nasty, but you really ought to try it! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. They have a pretty diverse menu too. I've never had a bad meal, and I really like the atmosphere.

It's funny because I go there every time I go to SF, which is usually once a year, and the same guy has waited on me for the last 5-6 years. He & I laugh about it now. What are the odds?

Tia Sophia's & Cloud Cliff are good too.

And I am probably the only one in the world who does not like Cafe Pasqual's. I have tried eating breakfast there twice and once for lunch. Was not impressed at all - there are so many other really good restaurants to choose from to waste my time there again.

Another vote for Range Cafe in Bernalillo - huevos rancheros were yummy. Don't forget to look at the wall of plates - famous folks who visited there signed their plate and they hung it on the wall. Presumably they washed it first. ar ar ar

Just back!! Tecolote Cafe was GREAT!! Very busy, small place with a friendly staff willing to help up decide what to order. I got the breakfast burrito with green chile while my husband got the eggs with diced pork cooked in red chile. The serving sizes were quite large - we were not even hungry til mid afternoon!!!!