Restaurant Review: Diego's Café, Santa Fe, NM

Santa Fe, New Mexico is one of my favorite places on earth. I love almost everything about it, from the desert to the mountains to the food. Especially the food! Northern New Mexican cuisine is spicy, savory and simply delicious. I lived in Santa Fe for two summers and made a point of trying out as many of the local restaurants as possible. I didn't give Diego's Café a second glance, however, given its mall location. Mall food is always terrible, right? Well, not in this case - Diego's Café serves up some of the best (and cheapest) New Mexican food in Santa Fe - and in a city with so many great restaurants, that is high praise indeed.

Diego's Café is located in the DeVargas Center Mall, which is the main shopping center near downtown Santa Fe. The mall itself is a bit rundown and doesn't offer much in the way of high-end shopping, so Diego's is actually one of its main attractions. The restaurant is pretty generic looking, with dark wood tables, leatherette booths and plenty of Southwestern décor. However, the food is anything but generic!

Diego's Café offers a variety of New Mexican specialties, including stuffed sopaipillas, tamales, posole, burritos, carne adovada, enchiladas and chalupas (not the Taco Bell kind). Their chile, which is the backbone of Northern New Mexican cuisine, is made from scratch, with authentic Hatch chiles. They also have a few traditional American options, like burgers and BLT sandwiches, but their New Mexican food is not to be missed.

There's really nothing on the menu at Diego's Café that I can't recommend. I've never tasted anything hotter than their carne adovada. Diego's posole, which is a light stew of pork, green chiles and dried hominy is one of my favorite foods in the world, and I usually hate hominy. If they're offering it as a special, get the awesome Frito Pie - a huge bowl of Fritos topped with meat, cheese, lettuce, beans and red or green chile (or both, a combination known as "Christmas"). Even Diego's take on simple huevos rancheros is delectable. Every meal must be ended with their feather light sopaipillas and rich New Mexican honey - the perfect ending to all that spice. The bar at Diego's Café serves up delicious margaritas, a terrific accompaniment to everything on the menu.

Another great thing about Diego's Café is the price - it's downright cheap! Most of their entrees are well under $10, and you'll leave stuffed no matter what you order. Locals and tourists alike flock to Diego's Café, despite the dingy mall location - one taste of the food and you'll understand why!

Address: 193 Paseo De Peralta, De Vargas Shopping Center
Phone: 505-983-5101
Hours: Lunch and Dinner, 7 Days
Price Range: appetizers $4-7, entrées $6-12