On the Trail of the Best Green Chile Cheeseburger

For those of you who don't live in New Mexico, I just want you to know that Beez and I are doing our best to explore the new Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail interactive map. We'll report back to you from time to time about our findings.

A couple of weeks ago we drove up to Hatch, home of some of the best and hottest green chiles anywhere. We were headed for Sparky's, which is the only restaurant in Hatch to make it onto the trail. What we found was disappointing--Sparky's was closed, and on a Wednesday. The best I could do for you was to snap these low quality photos of the place with my phone.

On the way out of town, still hungry, we stopped at a place that looked like absolutely nothing from the outside, located as it was in an old gas station building. The only thing it had to recommend it was a steady stream of what looked like local cars pulling into the parking lot. We took a chance, went in, and are so glad we did. It's called Sugar Bears Bistro. You'll want to remember that name, although I can't provide any sort of explanation for it.

We had the best fresh tortillas chips ever, served with a choice of salsa or queso. We took the queso, and it was delicious. The green chile cheeseburgers were fantastic, as were the home-baked buns, the fries, and the onion rings. The waitress and the other customers were so friendly that we could barely hold back from hugging everyone good bye when we left.

The menu features New Mexican, Italian, and American food, sometimes in intriguing combinations. Believe it or not, we are going to try the green chile manicotti next time we drive up to Hatch.

Which is Best--The Owl or the Buckhorn?

New Mexicans love their chile, and they love their green chile cheeseburgers. Ask a couple of New Mexicans where to get the best one, and you’ll get at least two (maybe more) answers. I once asked the people at the City-Data New Mexico forum where to find the best green chile cheeseburger in eastern New Mexico and was treated to a wonderful list of possibilities, encompassing the whole state.

One of the side discussions that came up in the Forum discussion was which San Antonio restaurant has the best burger—The Owl Café or Manny’s Buckhorn Bar. We had always thought of the Owl’s burger as the best in the world, so this time we checked out the Buckhorn.

We loved the Buckhorn burgers, we loved the green chile cheese fries, the service was great, and the atmosphere was very relaxed. That translated to a lot of time standing in line waiting to get in but it was a busy day, after all, as visitors were streaming into San Antonio from the twice-yearly open house at Trinity Site, 20-some miles away. Once we were seated all was well and the line had petered out so we didn’t feel guilty kicking back and taking our time. There are some really nice folks running the place there. There were a few signed dollars hanging up but the best sign was one proclaiming the Buckhorn GCCB to be “the 7th best burger in America” from a GQ article. The Owl has more seating, so you spend less time in line. On the other hand, the service is so quick that it seems you’ve been served and are on your way out the door almost before having time to savor the experience. The burgers are smaller than at the Buckhorn, but the meat has the best flavor I’ve ever tasted in a burger. The atmosphere is pure cowboy bar, as is the Buckhorn—you know you’re in the Wild West, and they aren’t putting on a show. The Owl has those great autographed-by-everybody-from-all-over dollars hanging all over the walls and the ceiling. For a lot of historical information about the Owl Café and some mouthwatering food photos, see Gil’s Thrilling Web Site, a wonderful place to roam around in search of New Mexico’s best food: http://www.nmgastronome.com/nm/burgers/owl.htm

Once you’ve read that page, and before you go wandering off, please see Gil’s page on the Buckhorn at http://www.nmgastronome.com/nm/burgers/buckhorn.htm

The Best Green Chile Cheeseburger

If you've never lived in New Mexico, you've probably never even heard of a green chile cheeseburger, and you may never have eaten one. Just take my word for it, once you've had hot green chile on your burger, you'll never want any other kind. We became addicted to the burgers at the Owl Cafe in San Antonio, New Mexico back in the 1990s when we lived in Las Cruces--the beef was the most flavorful I had ever tasted and the New Mexican chile (never chili, that's something different) just couldn't be beat. The Owl is an old cowboy bar where the patrons sign dollar bills and stick them up all over the walls. Every once in a while the dollars are all taken down and donated to the charity voted for by the regulars. From Las Cruces, it was a two hour drive that we gladly made for a special Saturday lunch.

Now that we've moved to Clovis, the Owl is over 300 miles away. I was sure that there had to be a decent green chile cheeseburger somewhere closer, so I asked the regulars on the New Mexico forum of the City-Data.com at http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-mexico/. They are a great bunch of people, always willing to share their knowledge of this part of the country. I originally asked for "the best green chile cheeseburger in eastern New Mexico," or even west Texas, just so it was within reasonable driving distance of Clovis. There were plenty of opinions and a lively discussion and, before I knew it, we were talking about the best in all of New Mexico. I have summarized our findings, and here they are.

Statewide: Blake’s Lotaburger (great onion rings, too). 76 locations—see them at Lotaburger: Welcome

Alamogordo: Hi-D-Ho Drive In

Cerrillos: Mine Shaft Tavern

Clovis: Bill’s Jumbo Burger; Kelley’s Bar and Grill

Los Lunas: Benny’s (also in Bosque Farms)

San Antonio: The Owl; Manny’s Buckhorn Tavern

Santa Fe: Blue Corn Cafe; Bobcat Bite Restaurant

Texico: Town and Country Food Store

Timberon: High Country Lounge and Grill

Great article about the best burgers: Six Sinful Burgers: ¡Sabroso! Southwest Dining & Entertainment - Las Cruces, New Mexico - Culinary Traveler. The article was about hamburgers in general—but those with a star were praised for their green chile cheeseburgers. Here are the places mentioned.

Carrizozo: The Outpost*
Las Cruces: Dick’s Café*; Day’s Hamburgers
El Paso: The Charcoaler
San Antonio: The Owl Café*; Manny’s Buckhorn Tavern*

For more about chiles, if you just can't get enough: NMSU Chile Pepper Institute: http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/. You can become a member, receive a newsletter, or just read the web site, which is full of information about chiles and growing them. Check out their online catalog to order seeds, books, posters, or t-shirts.