Santa Fe Bite

Review by: Michael Stern

What to eat at Santa Fe Bite

The Bobcat Bite green chile cheeseburger remains the headliner.

This just might be the best cheeseburger of any kind, anywhere: 10 ounces of freshly-ground chuck and sirloin cooked to your specs and smothered with vibrant green chilies and melted cheese, all in a fine artisan bun. There could be no improvement.

Santa Fe Bite’s rib-eye steak, cut from prime beef, is spectacularly juicy and flavorful. For those with really big appetites, a full one-pound burger is available; and the menu also includes beef steaks, ham steaks, and such borderland standards as flautas, enchiladas, and tacos. To drink, there are milk shakes and malts, soda pop, and even latte and espresso.

*Under new ownership

What To Eat

Green Chile Cheeseburger

DISH
Rib-Eye Steak

DISH
Skillet Baked Beans

DISH
Cole Slaw

DISH
Chocolate Milk Shake

DISH
Sweet Potato Fries

DISH
Apple Pie

DISH
Signature Bite

DISH

Santa Fe Bite Recipes

Discuss

What do you think of Santa Fe Bite?

8 Responses to “Santa Fe Bite”

Charlene Mason

April 17th, 2023

    Branden

    April 18th, 2023

    Thank you! We have updated it.

    Reply

David Stovall

March 30th, 2016

We went quite a bit out of our way and passed through Santa Fe on Saturday before Easter in our camper van RV. We had no trouble finding surface parking two blocks away for RVs. I never had the chance to see and visit the old Bobcat Bite and admit the ambience of Santa Fe Bite looks too clean, new and upscale. However, its location downtown makes it a better destination stop for me than on a road outside of town to get more bang for the visit.

My express purpose was to try the Green Chili Cheeseburger. It met all expectations and could deservedly be considered the best in America. It comes in both 10 ounce and 6 ounce size. My wife was very happy for the 6 ounce considering she rarely finishes an 8 ounce burger.

As for the service, it was very good, friendly, and initially fast. We got in with no wait at 5 PM despite downtown crawling with people. They were slow to bring the bill and return the credit card, but by that time the place was filling up fast and the staff was scrambling.

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Skip Becker

September 22nd, 2010

I believe when I heard the Roadfood group was going to Santa Fe and had all the places selected in town that I said you must visit one of my top burger places in the US. And I told anyone/everyone to try the green chile cheeseburger.

I am thrilled that you all got to go and that they opened early to accomodate you all. My only negative comment in my rating of great burgers is a -5 for the bun.

I have worked with 100s of restaurants and if you order a burger less than medium (like medium rare) if you cut the bun down the middle you will be doing a disservice to the entire sandwich. Looking at the photo and the beautiful medium rare meat you can see that the top half of the bun makes up 80% and the bottom half is now ‘shrunk’/depressed to about 15% to 20%. The reason is the juices ‘melt’ the bun.

To get a perfect shape the restaurant owners must cut the bun about 1/3 for the top and 2/3 for the bottom. then when the meat juices soak down the bottom will still hold the burger and the top won’t be all bread. A perfect shape between bun and meat.

I still believe it is in my top 10 of the US. but a -5 for bun quality.

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Sue Huot

July 31st, 2009

The person who said they waited an hour and the staff didn’t care AND they lived there six months out of the year… they aren’t really Santa Feans. Anyone that lives in Santa Fe knows to do carryout or wait. It’s worth any wait.

I have a friend who missed his flight because of a Bobcat Bite burger. If the people from Food Network and other food groups say it’s the best burger in the US then it must be worth the wait. Sure it’s small and there’s no atmosphere, but the food makes up for that. Too many people visiting Santa Fe are five-star white tablecloth kinda folks, but that’s not the REAL Santa Fe. Bobcat Bite is, and it’s worth every minute you wait. We moved from Santa Fe about a year ago and can’t wait to get back for a visit.

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Peter Small

March 13th, 2008

The Bobcat Bite looks pretty nondescript. In fact, I must have driven past it 12 times before I realized it was a restaurant. When I finally went there to eat, I was not disappointed and I have never been disappointed.

They grind the meat daily for their delicious burgers and they sell home fries, not deep-fried french fries. The burgers are some of the best I have ever tasted. It’s the meat that makes them, by far.

The atmosphere is crowded, yet homey. It could have been my grandmother’s kitchen. An old-style road restaurant. It is well worth the wait. So pull in, put your name on the board (don’t forget to do this, or you will wait longer), enjoy the loneliness of the location and prepare for a VERY satisfying burger.

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Craig Bowman

January 4th, 2008

Took a while to find Bobcat Bite, but it was definitely worth it. Our map just wasn’t real clear about how or where Old Pecos Trail turns into Old Las Vegas Highway, but it does.

Best green chile cheeseburger ever. It is very moist and cooked correctly. They use sirloin and chuck and form the burgers by hand. They come on a paper plate with chips or, for an extra fee, home fries are available. I did not see anyone eating anything else, although there are other choices on the menu.

Very nice folks. The restaurant has been there since the road out front was called Route 66, which is to say a very long time. Expect to wait at dinner; we stood outside for 20 minutes and met some nice people. Also bought a great t-shirt in pink (it wasn’t for me). We’ll definitely go back when we are next in Santa Fe.

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Jim Arnold

September 28th, 2007

We had an extremely poor experience at Bobcat Bite recently on a Friday at noon. We live half the year in Santa Fe and this was our first time at this restaurant, having heard good things about the food. When you arrive you put your name on a board and wait to be seated in turn. There was one name ahead of ours and that party was called. A waitress then skipped us (three adults and a three-year-old) and seated a man whose party had not yet arrived. When we said something the waitress tried to get the man to leave the table but he would not, even though the people he was waiting for were not yet there. The waitress did not seem to care. We waited another 10 minutes for a table (the place is very small) and then one hour for the food to arrive. This has to be the very worst service in Santa Fe.

The burgers were very good but certainly not worth almost an hour and a half wait. The wait would have been bad even if we did not have our three year old grandson with us. You are much better off going to Harry’s Roadhouse which is two miles away and closer to town. The food and atmosphere is better and the place is friendlier. We will never go back to Bobcat Bite.

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