Buckhorn Tavern - San Antonio, NM

Posted By Michael Stern on October 4, 2010 9:37 PM

The Buckhorn can be maddeningly crowded, but if you are on a mission to eat New Mexico's top-ranked green chile cheeseburgers, it should not be missed. The meat itself is a wide, rugged patty about 1/2-inch thick, cooked medium so it is moist but not dripping juice, redolent of beefy flavor. While several burger variations are available, including a barbecue burger, a taco burger (on corn tortillas instead of a bun), and an Atkins plate (hold the bun), it is the green chile cheeseburger, here titled the Buckhorn Burger, that has put this ramshackle tavern on the map.

It is symphonic, a swirling combination of beef, melty cheese, hot green chile, lettuce, tomato, and pickle chips on a broad, tender bun. There are more elegant GCCBs in New Mexico; there are some that are beefier or oozier; this one earns kudos for perfect harmony.

Buckhorn's Frito pie is a very good one, another example of multiple-ingredient poise. When you order it, you must choose between green chile, red chile or the combination of both known as Christmas. Chile cheese fries are a good idea, but the ones we ate were limp and not cooked through. Maybe it was just a bad deep-fryer day, or perhaps our extremely early arrival meant the cooking oil wasn't yet hot enough.

Still, arriving early is a good strategy. Knowing how popular this place has become since being featured on TV and named America's 7th best burger, we made a point of arriving (along with some 30 Roadfood adventurers!) at 10:40am. When the door opened at 11, we were seated right away. By the time we left, just before noon, a crowd of eager eaters was outside waiting to get in.

Overall Rating

Buckhorn Burger

Frito Pie

Chile Cheese Fries

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Posted By Jim on January 30, 2012 1:34 PM

This place's food is great, and naturally the green chile cheeseburger is top notch! I have been dinning here for years and yes, you'll have to wait, but if all you're after is a fast food burger and your in such a big hurry then head on over to the Owl, that's exactly what you'll get, a fast food burger which doesn't even remotely come close to the burgers at The Buckhorn! At the Buckhorn, you'll get a REAL New Mexican Green Chile Cheese Burger, made with love and some awesome authentic Mexican food if that's on your pallet! I have always had great service here, and Bobby is a super guy and his waitresses are charming! They will even top off your drink for you for the road! Highly recommended !!

Overall Rating

Green Chile Cheese Burger

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Posted By Carol Bayer on April 22, 2011 10:31 PM

"This is what a burger should taste like!" says my husband, who generally disdains burgers in general, as he scraped up the last bits of his meal. Arriving mid-afternoon meant that we were able to sit down immediately, and we enjoyed fast service.

The burgers appear to be made from freshly ground meat, without any trace of excess fat. They hang over the sides of the bun and have just the right amount of everything on them. They come sliced in half for easier handling and are way more than enough food for the ridiculously low price.

Our only complaint: the noise level. Judge Judy playing loudly in the bar and the music from speakers all over the restaurant make for an unpleasantly loud and distracting environment.

Overall Rating

Buckhorn Burger

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Posted By Donald Skipwith on August 23, 2010 10:52 AM

I pass through San Antonio regularly on my drive from my home in Albuquerque to my house in the Sacramento Mountains. I used to alternate between The Buckhorn and The Owl for my green chile cheeseburger fix. Both places have good representations of New Mexico's signature burger, each different from the other.

However, when it comes to service, the Owl is MUCH FASTER and more attentive and therefore I only stop at the Owl now. The Buckhorn's service should be described as, at best, consistently indifferent. By the time you've waited to be seated and placed your order at the Buckhorn, you will already have been served your food at the Owl, where you seat yourself, and you'll be diving into a delectable representation of the green chile cheeseburger. By the time you are served your burger at The Buckhorn, you'd already be back on the road if you had stopped at the Owl. If you think that a dysfunctional dining experience is part of the local color, then by all means go to The Buckhorn. If you want to skip the BS, then go to the Owl.

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Posted By Cliff Strutz on October 3, 2009 5:30 PM

The 700 or so citizens of San Antonio, New Mexico just might be the luckiest people in the entire Southwest. They have not one, but two, excellent sources for green chile cheeseburgers in town. The Owl Bar is already famous for their green chile cheeseburgers and they are undeniably delicious. But the Buckhorn Tavern, across the street and a quarter mile closer to I-25, doesn't need to take a backseat to its more celebrated neighbor.

The Buckhorn Burger (what they call their green chile cheeseburger) is above average in size and delivered from the kitchen cut in half for easier handling. To us, the chile used here is milder in heat from the version at Owl Bar, but has a stronger, sharper chile flavor. The meat is lean, but still has the necessary big, beefy taste. A small amount of American cheese and onions mix well with the chile on top of the burger, while layers of tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and mustard separate the meat from the bottom bun. Messy, yes, and it all combines into a memorable burger.

The rest of the menu is filled with the usual bar food or Mexican choices and they even offer homemade pie. Unfortunately, the burger filled us up and those will have to wait until our next visit.

Bob Olguin runs the Buckhorn Tavern, built in 1943 by his father Manny. Bob is a big, friendly bear of a man, who happily spent a half hour discussing green chile cheeseburgers with a couple of strangers. Eating here was an all-around great Roadfood experience!

Overall Rating

Buckhorn Burger

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