Pit stop on road trip to Bosque del Apache. Would recommend! I ordered the famous green chile cheeseburger with onion rings. Loved both, though the cheese was forgotten. Beers are bottle only; no drafts. Husband ordered the fried chicken sandwich with fries. The cutlet had super crispy edges, but I did not like the fries. They were kinda soggy, and I prefer crunchy. Fun part of the dine-in experience (apart from all of the owl decor) is reading the $1 bills pinned to the walls. The owner encourages $1 donations from diners, all of which are gifted to charitable organizations (more than $44k to date)! Such a great idea, and seeing the distances that some visitors have traveled makes for enjoyable table banter. read more

The Original Owl Bar & Cafe - Beer is bottle only; no drafts - American Near Me - San Antonio, New Mexico

Always love going here! Love the atmosphere, food & service. Don't forgot your dollar for fundraising that they always take a part of and leave a comment on the wall. Such a great place, stop by and see for yourself. I recommend the patty melt with fried onions. read more

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Dark, moody, unassuming. Just like the nuclear scientists who would eat and drink here while they were working on a top secret nuclear bomb! The history alone is worth visiting this cozy yet secretive local joint. But the green chiles smash burger is exceptional and had us craving more! The prices are affordable and fair for the quality, and the service is prompt and polite. The seating is very intimate with small tables and dark lighting. Perfect for a bite while sharing national secrets! read more

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It was barely ok. Tons of people. Servers doing their very best. Food just ok. Barely any green chile on double burger. Onion rings were like five. And they were cold and brought out 20 minutes before burgers. Not worth the wait by any means. Bar Tender rude when I tried to ask to fill my water bottle. Really??? I am certain during the week it may be a better experience. The alternative place closes at 3pm. That is ridiculous for weekends. It was PACKED!!! read more

Whenever we have the opportunity to stop by the Owl, we do. For years, they've consistently been friendly with delicious food. There's nowhere with more character and genuine hospitality. Our favorites are the green chile cheeseburger, green chile cheese fries, and my husband loves the onion rings. The pies are great dessert if you have space! Prices are still reasonable and fair, unlike many competitors. And the bar- gorgeous and historic. We love Owl!! read more

Was on the way to Ruidoso and stopped for lunch. I had heard great things about the place. It met all the hype. The burgers are full of flavor and the onion rings are crispy and cooked thru. It is not a fancy place but it has a cool atmosphere. read more

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If you are into atmosphere this is the place. Dark wood low ceilings and Naugahyde seats. The Owl is historic. Service was good and all the staff friendly. The food was good and the onion rings were excellent. If you are in NM near here it's worth the stop. read more

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Very cool historic place along I-25. Exit 139 toward San Antonio and you will find the best green chili cheese burger. The Original Owl Bar is steeped in history as this was the locale many a Manhattan Project worker came to during the 1940s. The burger recipe is still the same as it was back then and it is so delicious. Owl Bar is dog friendly as they have a fenced in patio area- which now has a cover over it. It's a great place to stop! You know I love a good historic place! read more

I wasn't that impressed with Owl café. I met an old friend there and drove about 70 miles because I had wanted to eat at the Owl café for a long time. The bar was interesting; however, the rest of the place was pretty blah. We ordered two green chili cheeseburgers and one order of french fries. They brought the paper carton of fries and set them down from us at least 10 or 15 minutes before we got the burgers. That was a turn off right there. Plus that, they were over-browned in my opinion. The burgers were good but we had asked for mustard instead of mayonnaise. There was no mayonnaise or mustard on the burgers that either one of us could detect. The waitress never came back until it was time to give us the check. I think the Buckhorn across the street is better. read more

Loving the new, covered patio and fence out back. Perfect place to rest and enjoy an amazing green chile cheeseburger. read more

The Original Owl Bar & Cafe - Covered patio out back - American Near Me - San Antonio, New Mexico

Thanks to a recommendation by a worker earlier that day elsewhere, we stopped here to eat and loved it. Great food with a no-frills atmosphere. All around, everyone enjoyed their food and no one left hungry. read more

Now that I had tried the burger joint across the street, we had to stop here. We made it just during the lunch rush (everyone was pretty much gone by the time we left). Service was friendly and food came out quickly. The decor was a little quirky with dollar bills and notes on the walls and pictures of famous people who had eaten there. Prices were reasonable ($21 for 2 burgers and an iced tea) and the green chile cheeseburger was good, but maybe not one of the top GCC's that I've had in the state. 2024 #38 read more

The Original Owl Bar & Cafe - Green chile cheeseburger - American Near Me - San Antonio, New Mexico

A dive bar with decent food the green chile burger was good. The waitress said that's what they are famous for so I tried one . I would recommend getting that if you go read more

The Original Owl Bar & Cafe - Green chile burger - American Near Me - San Antonio, New Mexico

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It's a seat yourself place so walk in and find a table. Service was good. Server was quick to get our drink orders and took orders all at one time. We didn't have to wait very long at all for our food. It seemed like it was out in about ten minutes or so. I had the green chile cheese burger and order of the green chile fries. Both were excellent! It is a bar and grill so you are greeted with the bar as soon as you walk in, but there are booths and tables in the same room and another room has more tables and chairs. The vibe is that it's a very causal place and kiddos are welcome! I'd definitely go back again! read more

The Original Owl Bar & Cafe - Green chile cheese fries. - American Near Me - San Antonio, New Mexico

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Owl by Myself New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge part 2 of 4 First opened in 1945 after the war by veteran Frank Chavez, the Owl Bar & Café has been a staple on this side of New Mexico serving up the locals, as well as passing travelers good food and plenty of libations. Their Green Chile Cheeseburger has been on the menu since '48, and is purported to be the same recipe as back then. The Owl Bar was definitely a must-do in my Green Chile Cheeseburger challenge and seemed like a worthy contender. Green Chile Burger: The Bun: It's probably the worst out of the four buns I tried, as it didn't seem more than a grocery store hamburger bun, and not even a good one at that. 2/5 Green Chiles: Check! There's nothing to complain about here! 5/5 Cheese: The NM standard for cheese is a slice--or three--of American cheese, and they got that right here. 5/5 Ancillary topping: It does come with my standard Burger accouterments of lettuce and tomatoes, but in this case, I feel like they should've left them off as their flavors kinda water down the chiles. I do give them bonus points for using shredded lettuce, which is always a classy move. 3/5 Burger: Possibly the best pure burger out of the four as it's served smashburger-style with a nice hearty crust so that one can taste the years pit into that grill in every sense. 5/5 Fries: Their housemade fries and rings are superlative. And whatever you do, don't be shy and get the green chile cheese fries--mind blowing stuff! 5/5 Conclusion: Overall, at 25 out of 30 points, turns out a very not bad Green Chile Cheeseburger, but unfortunately, they took third out of fourth place in this hotly fought battle royale (w/ Cheese). Other observations: *Huge bar but none of the beers are on-tap *Service was Jekly-or-Hyde of one minute she loved us, and the next, she hated us. *Fairly large menu that includes breakfast *Very inexpensive (by Cali standards anyhow) *Small dirt lot parking Conclusion: Despite having what might be the best Burger in the competition, Owl Bar misses out on a few key details to put them over the top. However, they're still a fine dining option if you're in the area. **I know calling something "the best" is really lame and very arbitrary, but I need to do things like this to entertain myself. read more

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Excellent green chile cheeseburger. Range-fed beef so extra tasty. Also ordered a cup of green chile, cause hey, green chile! read more

Food : 5 -delicious burgers Service: 5 - timely, friendly, accurate Ambiance: 5 - it's unique, old school and cool Price- reasonable It ranks as one of the best burgers I've ever had. The place has been in business for over 80 years. read more

What fun! A road trip for a few days to Bosque del Apache and decided to go to original Owl Cafe. Have been to the one in Albuquerque which has amazing burgers. Same here. Photo is what's left over which is a lot as I don't eat much. We didn't realize was so close to the Trinity site as shown in the movie Oppenheimer. They could see the blast from here. Super interesting as is truly a piece of history. Another reason to see all this beautiful state has to offer! read more

The Original Owl Bar & Cafe - History of the bar cafe - American Near Me - San Antonio, New Mexico

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For having such a lauded green chile burger, I expected more flavor. I did think the dollar bills for charity on the walls was a fun tradition! read more

Best Green Chili Burger I've had!! A must stop if your traveling through NM. Yum....yum...yum!!!

Get the green chile burger! A lot of history at this restaurant. Easy to find location.

Stopped in on our way thru town and grabbed a green chili cheeseburger and green chili cheese chicken sandwich. Both were delicious! Would definitely come back again. Great work. To another 80 years! read more

We had the green chili cheeseburger and fries. $18. The green chili cheeseburger was one of the best we have had to date. It was definitely worth the drive from Albuquerque since none of the green chili cheeseburgers we had there lately stack up. The fries were very good too. They were not as crispy as most but they were flavorful. This place really hit the spot and would have been 5 stars except for an unfortunate turn of events.. ..which was dinner at "The Ranchers" in Ruidoso which had a green chili cheeseburger that was easily twice as good. Therefore, this meal can't be rated as 5 stars knowing that we had a real 5 star meal later in the day. read more

The Original Owl Bar & Cafe - Green chili cheeseburger - American Near Me - San Antonio, New Mexico

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Had heard about it and a trip to NM triggered a stop. It met all expectations. I hope I pass near there again. The Green Chile Cheeseburger was filling and tasted great. The onion rings were very good too. The service could not have been better. This place has character, history, friendly people, and great food. read more

We grabbed some bloody Mary's and green chile cheese fries after we saw the cranes at the Bosque early this morning. Great atmosphere, really sweet waitress read more

The Original Owl Bar & Cafe - Green chile cheese fries - American Near Me - San Antonio, New Mexico

Been here many times. Always order a green chile burger and a side of homemade onion rings. Excellent food, service and ambience. A great dive. read more

Quirky Owl themed decor and variety of patches from first responders kept me entertained. Also great 70's music on sound system added to the ambiance of the small, perfectly lit bar-and-grill. Was the green chili burger the "Best in the World?"....not in my opinion. Meat was typical, as were toppings. Bun was small, smashed, and soaked through the lower bun, making handling problematic. Onion rings were store bought. But what choices are there? San Antonio, NM is far from a bakery, or any place else! It IS a foodie destination! So, I was happy with friendly conversations, for which I would return if passing through. Note to owners: need dog friendly, shaded, outdoor seating. read more

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A must stop for their green chile - fill in the blank! Whether it is green chile fries, onion rings, hamburger or cheese burger this is the place to go. read more

Every once in a while, maybe twice a year or so I like going to eat at the Owl bar in San Antonio. They have really good green chile cheeseburgers, one of the best anywhere. The service has always been friendly and great in my opinion. The restaurant is dimly lit and cozy. The food comes out really fast. I wish there were chips and salsa that would be great so instead I got a cup of beans and chile and that was delicious. My BDGCCB was great. Next time I'm going to get a triple! My daughter couldn't finish her Chile cheese fries so I helped her and I have to say I prefer shredded cheese over nacho cheese which these had but they were still good. I had an order of onion rings with my burger and this place has some of the best onion rings anywhere. Prices are average for these days. No complaints here. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because the Chile wasn't hot, but was tasty and I like when all the food comes out together and here they brought our sides a few minutes ahead of our burgers. No big deal but that's why. Two thumbs up from me! Can't wait to come back soon! read more

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It doesn't look like much when you drive by, but it's worth a stop. We went out of our way to come here specifically, as Stephen's friend from college told him about this place, and the "famous" chile cheeseburger. We drove the hour from AbQ (in the dark, as the sun went down early in November) and I almost drove right by if it weren't for the blinking red light as the corner of the place. They have a variety of beers on tap, local, domestic and import. They have a variety of canned sodas, just tell them what you want and they'll tell you if they have it. The burger was indeed worth the drive, and lived up to the hype. I was apprehensive that the green chile would be "hot". It was flavorful but didn't have as much heat as I thought. Mix it in with gooey american cheese and caramelized onions? Oh delicious! read more

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The best hamburger I've had in a very long time! The chili is made the way it should be made in NM. The is not for the faint of heart. Love this place. read more

Restaurant was almost full, lunch time diners. Snagged a table for 2, waited only a few minutes, smiling waitress ready to take our order. Took less than 10 minutes for our hatch chili deluxe cheese burgers to arrive. THE BEST hatch chili cheese burger ever. # 1 . Period. Excellent family owned service. Priced will not break anyone's wallet. Plenty of parking, well kept inside and out. read more

This quirky bar is definitely a must stop place. It has an old school diner feel and everyone is so friendly. The decor mimics the owl theme and it's really need to look around. Food is good. I shall return. read more

Green Chile Cheeseburger... oh YES! It was a blazing HOT summer day, lunchtime, when we parked our RV along the highway and followed the mirage that turned out to be The Owl Cafe! Best burger EVER! We split an order of fries. Oh so good and hot! Service was busy but very on top of it. Highly recommend!! read more

The Original Owl Bar & Cafe - Owl Bar & Cafe. Don't blink, you'll miss it! - American Near Me - San Antonio, New Mexico

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We stopped in the Owl on a Saturday afternoon, primarily because the Buckeye down the street closes at 3 (what's up with that?). Our first visit. Positives - Green Chile Cheeseburgers were excellent, living up to their reputations. A great combination of flavors and textures. Meh - Craft beers were okay, but draft would be better. Fries and onion rings were okay, but portion sizes were small. Negatives - Worst service that we have experienced anywhere in quite a while. Server comes for our orders, after never giving us menus. The order was wrong, skipping one order of onion rings, and getting one burger wrong (wasn't supposed to be green chile). We never got utensils or napkins, despite our server telling us they would be getting them. One of our party got up and found them on our own, near the conclusion of our meal. Conclusion - Go to the Buckeye down the street. read more

BEST chili cheese burger & chili cheese fries ever! The onion rings are awesome too! Add in the historic location & iconic decor and it's a winner all-around! Whoo loves the original Owl bar? I do! I do! read more

My friend and I embarked on a green chile cheeseburger tour this past week. Our mission was to find the best green chile cheeseburger in the great state of New Mexico. We went to 11 different places and here are the results. The Owl Bar and Cafe ranked #6 out of 11. I went to the Owl in Albuquerque, previously, and it was one of my favorite burgers I had that trip. I was really excited to get to try out the original one here in San Antonio. We went inside and placed our order at the bar. We took a seat out back and they brought out our burgers. Here is how they were............. Green Chile Cheeseburger- Very similar to what I had remembered. Really thin, crispy(ish) patty cooked on the flat top. It had a slice of cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion as well as the green chiles laid between a solid bun. The burger was pretty darn delicious. Simple and to the point. A little hotter patty to melt the cheese a bit more would have been preferred, but still a solid burger! I would definitely stop back again if I were in the area. Staff was friendly and it was cool to see the OG location! read more

The Original Owl Bar & Cafe - American Near Me - San Antonio, New Mexico

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We stopped there as it was the only restaurant in this area We did not regret It was a pleasure , really good food, friendly service and affordable Highly recommended read more

Good food. Cool atmosphere. Don't get up that way very often. Would recommend. Onion rings were awesome.

I had heard good things about this place from a friend several years ago and finally made it out to try this place while needing to visit Albuquerque. Ordered a green chili double cheese with a side of onion rings. Burger and onion rings were good. A good local spot but nothing to go out of the way for. I love the owl theme, however, the place was extremely warm in front at the bar area. It's much cooler to sit in the but the back dining room. What really brought this place down was the awful customer service. We walked in an sat ourselves, as the sign at the front says. The two young servers who were sitting at the bar watched us walk in and sit down. We sat for about 5 minutes and they didn't even bother to get up to take our drink order until another lady hustling around told them to. The menus were thrown on our table and one of the young girls who helped us was rude from the moment she took our drink order until we paid for our meal with her at the register. These young ladies are in desperate need of a lesson in manners and customer service. Good food doesn't trump crappy service for me. Sorry. read more