Santa Fe Cafe

Santa Fe Café has been a Calabasas staple for years. I’ve been eating it with my family all my life and it’s always so yummy and super authentic. The Tao’s Tacos (vegetarian with black beans) is bomb. Their BBQ Chicken Quesadilla is also delicious. Everyone there is very sweet and their food really speaks for itself. If you’re there during the morning they have a breakfast menu as well as a whole café with all the lattes and mocha frappacinos with all the different kinds of milks you can dream of!

While I do agree, this place can get pretty expensive depending on what you order, it is 100% worth it. The Taos tacos with chicken are absolutely to die for. I get three of those, coupled with the complementary chips and am full beyond belief. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid and absolutely love it. The staff and the service is excellent. Also, if you feel like having your mouth catch on fire, try the hot salsa… It’s amazing

Santa Fe Café is a no frills but delicious place. I’m the type that loves hole-​in-​the-​wall type places and i find Santa Fe Café to be just that.
The Taos Tacos are amazing. Hard shelled tacos with parmesan cheese on the outside… i have never seen such a beautiful, tasty thing anywhere else! My boyfriend loves loves loves the BBQ Chicken quesadilla, so i’ll rave about that for him. I’ve also heard the breakfast burritos here are good too.
A bit expensive for a no frills Mexican place, especially because you can find cheap, good Mexican food almost anywhere in LA but I have never found those parmesan crusted tacos anywhere else so I remain a fan of Santa Fe Café.

Decent food but way over priced!
Chips are mediocre. Chicken tacos are good but everything is just too expensive.

Last time I tried coming here they were out of rice which was weird since it’s a staple for this type of food. I was upset but decided to give it another shot and it was the worst decision of my life. I paid $ 11 for one cheese enchilada and a small taco, both of which had a funky taste. I only ate half even though I disliked the taste because I had paid so much for it. An hour or two later I was extremely sick with food poisoning from my food (I knew something was off). NEVER AGAIN.

After a long day of sport rock climbing at Malibu Creek, it was time to grub. Me and my friends decided to come here based off their excellent reviews.
Service was super-​friendly and comfortable. The cashier convinced me to order their soft tacos (which I typically don’t get; I prefer hard-​shelled tacos). She was absolutely right when she said that their soft tacos are the perfect amount of crispy and not too soft when it comes to their tortillas. The fish was also fresh and the salsa was yum.
Their $ 13 chicken nachos were good too. Five stars for the excellent service and recommendation.

Been coming here for 25+ years and this place has gotten worse and worse as the years go by. I order very seldom now and after today’s experience I won’t return ever.
I called and ordered a quesadilla that has always come with sour cream and when I got there they tried to charge me $ 1 for a tablespoon of it. The other quesadillas come with guacamole but for some stupid reason this quesadilla isn’t allowed a FOC dipping sauce.
Bye Santa Fe! Hope that $ 1 was worth loosing an original customer.

I really want to like this place more since it is in such a convenient location, on las virgenes road. That being said, I’m unimpressed. Giving it two stars, read more to find out why.
First visit: ordered vegetarian tacos, horchata, and had some complimentary chips and salsa. The cashier was friendly and the food came out pretty quickly. The tacos were good, not amazing, and the chips seemed fresh and most likely homemade. I was not impressed with any of the options in the salsa bar. The horchata was super sweet and just not what I expected. My friends raved about their breakfast burritos, but I can’t comment on the quality myself. Highlights were the chips and eating out front on the patio. Based on this
Second visit: decided to give Santa Fe café another try. Came in to order breakfast for take out on our way out of town. Pancakes were good, and the eggs were just OK. The food took quite a while, if doing takeout I suggest calling ahead.
Third visit: It was a Sunday morning after Halloween and we just didn’t feel like cooking. I was really craving a breakfast quesadilla. My fiancé placed a phone order for pick up: pancakes with one scrambled egg and a breakfast quesadilla with no bacon add bell peppers. We also ordered home fries. I was so excited for this quesadilla since I had read other reviews about how great it was. Picked up the order, got back to our place, and the whole order was wrong. Quesadilla had no peppers in it, and a whole bunch of bacon (meanwhile i am a vegetarian and I heard my fiancé confirm with the girl over the phone no meat). The pancakes were nowhere to be found. The home fries were so far undercooked, they were almost wet. To top it off, when we called back to let them know the order was wrong, the waitress seemed so confused. First she tried telling us that we ordered tamales, then when she realized which order we were taking about she says «well are you sure there are no pancakes». Ugh. In the end I guess they did the right thing? They gave us credit for the quesadilla and pancakes. This will probably my last visit for a while, I am just fed up at this point. I’m wondering how frustrating it will be to use this credit once we decide to go back.
Overall I wouldn’t recommend Santa Fe café, hope they can get their act together. We could really use a good Tex mex takeout joint nearby.

Very tasty food and a nice coffee bar inside the place. Good little local establishment.

Love the tacos! Love the staff! Santos and Alex make you feel like family! When I DO get to see the owner, she’s always a bright spot! She has been through a lot and yet always is so warm and welcoming! She always takes the time to smile and greet people, and is so ready to serve! As you can see, people get attached to the staff and the staff really cares about the clients. There are a lot of us regulars, and we know why we are there, Taos Tacos! Taos Tacos are DELICIOUS, rico, sabroso, yummy! In ANY language the beef is amazing, the chicken so flavorful, and the parmesan dusting on the outside of the shell is brilliant!
Today, a five (5) star score goes to the 2 guys here, Alex and Santos, for handling a really busy lunch hour! Lots of regulars pop in for to-​go orders, the great all day breakfast menu (OMG!), and breakfast burrito. And did I mention Taos Tacos, haha? I know, just a little obsessed!
Alfredo manages the restaurant really well and is an excellent chef, although today it was his son, Alex, at the register! In the hour I was there, Alex NEVER stopped moving, taking orders, bussing tables, keeping the salsa bar sparkling and filled. Santos had the grill sizzling non-​stop. They’re a great team!
There is a wonderful hidden gem coffee bar at the front of the restaurant, called Café Olé. The owner, Jennifer, is one of those super friendly people you like instantly. Her drinks are magical, and it’s so convenient to stop off and grab a coffee to go with your fantastic breakfast burrito!
All in all, this is a homey hideaway, deserving of your attention! Hope you’ll try it soon!

A hidden gem. Everyone we take here loved it and raves about it. Great food with great people. The tacos are the must and the breakfast tacos are terrific. My kids love the genuine horchata.

Good food at decent prices. Location makes cell reception awful. The staff acts like its a chore to serve you! I would’ve liked friendlier service!

Great little neighborhood eatery. It’s true to its casual neighborhood feel, with the exception of excellent food and vibe.

Best BREAKFAST BURRITO in town! If you haven’t tried it you are sooooo missing out!!!
Great family owned business support them by stopping by and givin them a try… You won’t regret it!!!
Gotta love local business.

I have only ever had the breakfast burrito here so my review is based solely on the fact that this remains the best breakfast burrito I’ve ever had!

I’ve been coming to Santa Fe Café for years. I like to think of it as a hidden gem. While my review is for the restaurant as a whole, and I’ve had a number of things ont he menu… there is really only 1 reason I keep coming back… the Taos Tacos.
Yes this place is not the spot if you are seeking authentic south of the border fare, nor is it a total greasy spoon as others have suggested. It is THE place for these kind of tacos. So what’s so special about them you ask??? Well, the chicken and steak are seasoned well and the tomato, lettuce and cheese are fresh… but the tortillas are what makes them special. A bit of butter and a nice dusting of parmesan cheese is coated on them and then they hit the flat top to add a perfect touch of crispness. If your initial thought is «why the heck would anyone put parmesan cheese on a taco???» you’re not alone. I was bit skeptical myself. But after devouring my 1^st one, I was hooked. Everyone I’ve taken there over the years has really enjoyed their experience as well. So, by telling others to check it out, serves as the ultimate compliment.
The only reason for 4 stars is price. I would have to agree with others that they are much pricier than what most would expect to pay for a taco… me included. Yes, you can get an authentic street taco that is crazy good for half the price, but last time I checked, there were no authentic street taco vendors in Calabasas.
I will continue to patronize this fine establishment.

For people who have knocked a few back and are experiencing a severe case of the munchies, this cheesy-​grease-​fest is for you.
However, if you’re like us and don’t prefer walking away from a meal bloated and 30 pounds heavier, this might be a place to steer clear from.
We just moved to Calabasas and stumbled across this place while driving around after a long work week, with high hopes of finding a local gem. It’s located right off the 101 in a mini strip mall, surrounded by residential buildings. Parking was easy and convenient in the back. When we walked inside, it was dead. Not one person was to be seen, except for the server who was sitting at one of the tables listening to his headphones (which is fine, because it was dead). He immediately got up and went behind the counter to take our orders. We wouldn’t necessarily say the customer service was bad – more like nonexistent. There wasn’t much talking or interaction, not much smiling, not much eye contact – we were all just kind of there. The ambiance wasn’t too great either, and we definitely didn’t get the feel that we were dining at a Mexican food restaurant. It would be nice if they had music playing (not just in the back in the kitchen), and also better lighting. However, the place was decently clean and overall, okay.
The food was brought out within 5 minutes, which many people would probably appreciate but for us it was just causing concern and anxiety about what we were about to start eating. The presentation was fine, served on paper plates and plastic utensils. We don’t mind plastic utensils at all, except these were small and flimsy and turned our meal into more of a challenge. We spent more time trying to get food on our forks than actually eating. The food itself was very cheesy and greasy, which is great for some people. Except for few special occasions, we prefer not to feel too disgusting after a meal so we made a conscious decision not to even come close to finishing it.
The prices are too high for what they serve, in our opinion. However, we can see why they might have to charge higher prices to keep a small place like that afloat in this location.
Overall, the experience was okay. The best part of this place is the food, over anything else, by a long shot. We are glad we got to try a new restaurant, but I don’t think this would be a place we will be going back to anytime soon.

I truly do want to like you, my neighbor Santa Fe Café, but the last 15 years together have been a disappointment. I try you every year or so, fueled by the wonder of why you’re still in business.
Maybe I’m hoping that my past visits were just on an ‘off’ day, or just a bad plate choice on my part, or my tastebuds were ill, or, like at this moment, perhaps the deep fryer broke and that’s why these chips taste like they’re 2 weeks old?
Seriously. If a Mexican place can’t fry a decent chip there’s very little hope.
I suspect that this is someone’s money pit. There’s not even enough business to be a front for money laundering. So here’s some advice:
1. Learn to fry a good chip.
2. Turn the AC or heat to 70. A 50 degree wind storm is not pleasant.
3. The hollow sound of the restaurant and the distant static-​filled music coming from the kitchen is also unpleasant. Consider some decent quality, not too loud, but discernible Mexican or even Top 40 music.
4. Replace the fluorescent lights with regular bulbs. Beer goggles are needed to make anyone look decent. It’s giving me a headache too.
5. Make the place more inviting. It is severely dated and depressing (it is not the ‘good’ kind of old or authentic). Invest in some advice from an interior designer and find budgeted alternatives (same look but cheaper). I bet you could make a huge change with $ 2−5K.
6. Periodic «new owner» and «new management» signs are like crying wolf at this point.
7. The prices are not appropriate for the service, quality, or ambiance. Lower the prices.
8. Specialize in Mexican food. Cook great Mexican food. Dump the gourmet coffee shtick.
9. Shorten the menu. Look at Tito’s. They do a few things really well. In fact, they do it so well and at such a good price that they can ignore ambiance.
10. Maybe ask for some help from Gordon Ramsay?
I realize, too, that you are in a difficult location. Only a couple hundred neighbors drive by, and it’s a destination location for the rest. You just have to work that much harder.
I would love to have a decent restaurant closer than WH or TO. (Calabasas and Agoura have nothing worth my time or money.) I wish you all the best and maybe I’ll see some changes on my visit next year.

This place isn’t trying to impress with it’s looks; however, if you walk to the back of the restaurant, you’ll find all great types of authentic Mexican breakfast foods.
At first I was turned off that my breakfast burrito didn’t come with bacon and for an up-​sell of $ 1.50 more yo u can add it, making my once $ 7.25 burrito, now $ 9.53…I guess that includes tax.
Anyhow, this burrito was off the charts good!!!
Alfredo, the cook made my burrito and he is super friendly! Also, there is an assortment of salsas to choose from.
Come get your grub on at this sweet little hole in the wall… before you get your surf on!

Well well well… it never fails… each time I come to Santa Fe Café they seem to have an increase in price where it is now $ 4 for 1 taco… I understand that business might be slow, but consider why… it’s because of the owners poor choice to spend money on opening a pointless café in the back and the constant increase one a particular item, the steak taco… Because they opened up a café in the back they have extended their opening hours… so that’s probably why they keep raising the price of their steak taco because that’s their #1 seller.
I know beef is expensive, but I also know that they are not loading up this taco with that much beef to justify a price raise every time. It’s happening so frequently that there is literally a little piece of white masking tape with sharpie that says .50 cents more… that’s a fabulous way to drive loyal customers away, it’s puzzling how they think they can get away with it. The surrounding community is very, dare I say, well off, but come on give them a break, give the students at Pepperdine a break.
It’s a shame because I really enjoy the staff and the food, but please quit the price increase thing you greedy bastards. I used to come here twice a week, I used to crave it, but there’s something so off putting about this that boils my blood and turns me off beyond belief. As good as their food is sometimes, it’s just not worth $ 10 for a taco, I’m sure by the time you’re reading this a taco from the greedy Santa Fe Café is $ 20.
No wonder why Green Basil, the delicious thai restaurant next door, is packed during lunch. Not only is their food incredible, their prices reasonable, friendly staff, amazing cook… but you get more bang for your buck and they don’t increase the prices ever.