Perhaps if you are a local and a friend of the rude owner, this place is for you. If you're anyone else, skip it. I drove down from Albuquerque last weekend, the intention being to eat at the place across the street, which actually has delicious burgers. But the Buckhorn was closed, so we decided to settle for the Owl. I had heard that the Owl has quick service and that the burgers are decent. Eating here was the biggest mistake of the weekend.
We walked in to a filthy restaurant/bar and sat ourselves at a booth. The unfriendly, scowling owner came to our table as we were still sitting down and rudely wiped the table -- obviously, we were in her way -- and I guess she figured that my lap would look better with some shredded lettuce and French fries on it. After a few humorless remarks to us, she stomped back to her perch at the register.
Trying to put the encounter behind us, we waited about five minutes for a waitress. She took our order and decided it would be best if we waited 15 minutes for our drinks, which sat on a counter while she socialized in another area of the restaurant.
Shortly after we got our drinks, a very large and surly waiter (or maybe a bus boy?) silently placed our baskets of fries in front of us, staring creepily at the wall next to us, and then quickly walked away. The fries were undercooked and lukewarm. We finally got our burgers, which each came with about seven or eight flecks of mild and freezer-burned green chile. The buns were soggy and the meat was absolutely tasteless.
The waitress came back once more, as we were about a quarter of the way through our burgers, to drop off our check. How this place ended up in any sort of travel book is beyond me. The food is on par with the worst fast-food chains in the area. And, as we wrote on a napkin in lieu of a tip: "If customers = inconvenience, then you = fail." This place fails. I will never go back.
"The quality of chile makes all the difference in a green chile cheeseburger. The Owl uses full-flavored, hot green chile atop a hand-formed patty of crusty-fried beef. The chile's heat is complemented by the beef and balanced by the layer of creamy cheese on top. This one is fully dressed with all available condiments -- the only way to go."
Michael Stern
"The Owl's green chile turns ordinary french fries into a memorable side dish."
Cliff Strutz
"The view from my counter seat gives a small hint of the, shall we say, eclectic decor at this extremely colorful roadhouse."
Michael Stern
"Just a couple of minutes off I-25 south of Socorro, the Owl Bar is a must-stop location for any traveler in search of unique regional specialties."
Michael Stern
