Owl Bar & Cafe

I am not a burger lover. For me, eating a burger is largely a matter of convenience. It's fast, cheap, local and filling. A burger is not real food. It is something to eat when you have no time for a real meal . . . I've never raved about the taste of a burger. . . Until now. On the way back from visiting White Sands, my travel buddy suggested that we stop in San Antonio, New Mexico, (about 83 miles from Albuquerque on I-25) because he heard from a "friend of a friend" of a little place named Owl Bar Cafe that makes the best Green Chili Cheese Burgers. I agreed to stop as it was convenient and cheap.

The town of San Antonio is so small you can hold your breath and pass through the entire downtown without exhaling. Frankly, it looks like a ghost town. However, as I was about to discover, it held the secret to changing my view of burgers forever.

So we enter this place and order burgers and sodas. My friend complains about it being too dark to see the food. "Is it worth seeing," I thought to myself. "We're just here for a quick burger."

The waitress returns with our order in less than 5 minutes. Too soon, I thought for the meal to be of any great merit. As I observed the burgers being placed on our table, I got my first clue that this was something special. The burger was flat and wide and spilled over the sides of the bun. However, it was not a frozen patty, nor was it truly a patty at all. This was freshly ground beef that had never seen the inner walls of a freezer!

After the first bite, I knew that I had arrived at a burger milestone in my life. This was a culinary melange of truly flavorful beef, perfectly balanced with cheese, green chili and other seasoning that took me to burger heights I never knew existed. Yes,it was that good. I ordered a second burger which only confirmed what I found with the first.

I began contemplating ordering another burger "to go" to munch on later. But I was brought to my senses. "You can always come back," said my friend." Yes I can. Yes I will. This is the sort of burger I will not hesitate to drive 83 miles for. Of course, when I do drive to get a burger, I'll do others things like visit the Bosque del Apache, or White Sands while I'm there . . .

Owl Bar & Cafe. From Socorro, take I-25 south about ten miles to the San Antonio exit. Proceed east to the flashing yellow light at the intersection with State Route 1; the Owl is on your left. For those of you who do not care for bar crowds, please rest assured that this is primarily an eating, not drinking place. It is very popular with families. Combine dining at Owl Bar & Cafe with a trip to the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Reserve. The Owl Bar and Cafe is located near the entrance to the bosque.