Jambo Cafe

Wow what a wonderful surprise. I have never experienced African cuisine… and I may may never experience it again like this! We had the most amazing jerk chicken salad that was to die for! We also had black bean soup and pumpkin soup, I could have had a gallon of this.
I am not from Santa Fe but was visiting a friend… we heard about this place and it is definitely worth it! I can’t wait to come back.
I do suggest reservations as the restaurant is packed.
Oh also try the beer from Kenya… it’s a great compliment to the cuisine

This restaurant was well worth the visit. We were initially worried about the strip mall location but thankfully took the advice of other reviewers to «get over it». Food and service were excellent. The plantain appetizer was wonderful. The sauce that came with it complemented the sweetness of the plantains perfectly. I had the combination plate. Personally I like my food a little more intensely flavored, but really no complaints. The goat stew was the meatiest I have had. My colleagues had the beef kabobs and the jerk chicken. Both were voted as excellent. For dessert the mango cobbler was very tasty, although the brownie sundae was a little run-​of-​the-​mill.

Jambo Café is so much fun. We always enjoy the food and the staff there.

We were doing a road trip of West Texas, Colorado and New Mexico and had to try this place because the food looked so good on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.
We started off with the hummus plate and the hummus was outstanding! The pita had a great flavor too.
My husband got the jerk chicken sandwich, which I didn’t care for because I don’t like jerk seasoning, but my husband loved it. He also got the black bean, sweet potato curry and oh my goodness. I could eat bowl after bowl of that amazingness.
I got the chicken coconut curry. It was extremely mild and lacked the flavor I was hoping for but was still good.
Definitely a cool place to check out!

I spent the summer in east Africa, this restaurant really brought me back. I love all the curries. I got the combination plate because I never tried goat when I was there, and this place seemed much more trust worthy. I love it, the curry chicken was delicious and the roti was perfect! Plus it’s the only place I’ve found Tusker in the states!

If you’re a foodie, Santa Fe is the place to be and Jambo Café fits right in! It’s both unique and offers some amazing and tasty dishes. Also, the prices are super reasonable and potions plentiful. The three of us all ordered something different: Goat stew, combination plate, Moroccan chicken kabobs, and the jerk chicken wings as an appetizer. All were delicious! The service was also great. Check it out if you’re in town!

I spent an extra day in Santa Fe to hit a couple DDD places. With so many under my belt I learned that Guy and I have similar pallets. I had the jerk wings and man oh man if you don’t get them you are missing a really unique treat. The wings are so delicious I wish that’s all I order.
It’s a small mom and pop joint and the service reflect it with a family feeling when you come in and are taken care of by the staff.
Food is the reason this place is so popular. There are tons of southwestern joints and only one African café so get to Jambo and do miss out on the taste treat of New Mexico.
FoodDude

Ordered Combo plate, Lamu pilli pilli shrimp, and jerk chicken between the three of us and we are full! Flavorful dishes. Must order extra Roti because it is just too good! Well spiced and perfectly cooked goat stew! Service is prompt. Will return next time we’re in town!

Mega deli!!! Nos encanto! Super sazon! Comimos pollo con salsa curry, en verdad delicioso. Vale mucho la pena!!! Las bebidas muy buenas! Claro que voy a regresar!

Was in Sante Fe visiting and found this little gem on Unilocal!Don’t let it being in a strip mall fool you!!!
We shared the Jerk Chicken Wings and the Combo Plate. Everything was flavorful and enough for two to share. The only thing was the goat stew had more bones in it than anything… My favorite was the lentils! Yum! Definitely stop by if you’re ever in Santa Fe.

Out of all the places I’ve ever eaten at and also frequent, Jambo Café has to be my favorite restaurant in allllllll of Nuevo Mexico. My cousin from CA and I stumbled across this place in 2012 and were blown away by how delicious their food is. Like seriously… drool worthy. While I sit here salivating at even just the thought of the restaurant name, I also wish that more out of town relatives/​friends visited me more often so I could showcase how delicious, beautiful and magical this place it. Shout out to the jerk chicken and red beans and rice for always tasting amazing. However, my loyalty now lies with the coconut curried lentil stew with a side of roti! One day, I plan to venture outside of this yummy dish but as for now, lentil stew is my #1 boo!

Get a reservation and go here.
If you have any issues with it being in a strip mall, get over it, it is awesome food.
I had a combo plate that had goat stew, chicken curry, and a lentil dish that was super tasty. Their roti was very savory as well.

*****MAKE RESERVATIONS!!!***** I’m serious, this place is amazing and ALWAYS busy, if you don’t want to wait for a half hour or longer (which, trust me, totally worth waiting for– we did it with a cranky 5 month old — ) do yourself a favor a make a reservation ahead of time.
Ok– for the food:
Apps: fried cinnamon dusted plantains — so good, and the dipping Sauce was amazing too, I’d put it on the rest of my food there!
Stuffed lamb olive feta phillo– also equally amazing.
Entrees: lamb stew with couscous is phenomenal, ask for a side of the roti to dip in the stew!
Everything is delicious here. The owner and his brother are the chefs, everything is authentic and locally sourced. So good. Come hungry and try it all!

Loved it!
We were staying down the road at one of the areas many hotels, and were looking for a place that did carry out. We ordered the cinnamon plantains, coconut shrimp, the hummus, and the stuffed phyllo (yes, all appetizers, but they all sounded so good and we couldn’t decide).
We had plenty for two adults and a child, with tons of leftovers. The portions were big, and well worth the price. Everything tasted fantastic.

Hands down the best restaurant in Santa Fe. I’ve been through this city 3 times and have tried several restaurants. But this place was recommended to me 3 years ago on my first pass-​through by a local. I’ve been coming back ever since! Everything is delicious and consistent and the environment is fun and eclectic. I love the pistachio-​curry encrusted goat cheese salad, the lentils, the mahi-​mahi, the tilapia, the curry, the roti… it’s all wonderful. Clean space and friendly staff. Go here!

Simply amazing. Honestly one of the best meals I have ever eaten.
This was my family’s first real experience with African cuisine… I had seen East African food on TV several times and wanted to try it badly. I was delighted when I found this place on Unilocal while planning restaurants for our vacation to New Mexico. Thank you, Unilocal,for helping us find this place, because it is the best place we have gone on the trip so far and will likely stay that way.
The ambiance of the place was very calming and it was very pretty inside. Everything was on theme and the place was very busy for a Tuesday night. The service was also good.
The food was STRIKING. Every time I tried a new bite of something, I would exclaim «oh wow, that’s good!» I ordered the tilapia with pomegranate sauce, spinach, and coconut basmati rice. Every bite was amazing. The sauce on the fish was indescribable. After finishing the dish, I concluded it was the best fish I have ever had, anywhere or of any type of food. My mom ordered the Kenyan kabobs, which were also excellent and had a completely different pomegranate sauce. My dad tried the combination plate, and every item on it was delicious. The roti was also good, even if a little greasy.
If I lived in Santa Fe, I would be back. I would be back as much as possible. It was a bit pricy, but for food of this quality, it was completely worth it. If you are visiting Santa Fe, you absolutely MUST GO HERE!!!

The last few times we were in town we tried to come for dinner and couldn’t brave the lines so this time we made lunch reservations. Good call. They had a table waiting when we arrived. Our waiter Abdul was kind enough to bring my dad a sample of the curry so he could determine if it was too spicy for him (it wasn’t), which was super nice.
The food was excellent. I had a jonesing to try one of their soups this time and the watermelon mint gazpacho sounded good so I went with the curried chicken salad wrap with a sub of the soup. We all shared an appetizer of the cinnamon dusted plantains which were a hit.
I don’t normally order sandwiches and wraps but this one was amazing. It was served on roti rather than pita which was delicious and the chicken salad was perfection. The wrap was about twice as much as I could eat. I liked the gazpacho too, it was unique. I wouldn’t say it was a «must order» but I’m glad I tried it. My grumpy pre-​teen who didn’t even want to be there admitted he really enjoyed his spice rubbed lamb wrap and by the end of the meal was dipping my dad’s extra roti in my elder son’s curry.
I can’t wait to try the rest of the menu.

It’s not too often that I get to have African cuisine like this, so of course I took advantage.
I am often intrigued by this type of cooking because of the types of spices and flavors that are paired that I would never be creative enough to think of in my own cooking ventures. Enter African cuisine.
We started off with the jerk chicken wings, which were amazing and fall-​off-​the-​bone-​tender! I have never had wings so incredibly tender. And the jerk seasoning? Out of this world. A little sweet, a little spicy, and yes very savory. We also got a bowl of soup: shrimp chowder. Home run again! Lots of warm spices, perfectly cooked shrimp, and sweet corn. MMM yes.
My love got the lamb burger, which probably doesn’t sound too exciting but it was absolutely delightful. Served on a ciabatta roll with feta and a tomato chutney, it was heaven on a bun and so flavorful. Reminiscent of a greek burger, but had the taste of those awesome spices again. Forgive me, my palette is not yet developed for differentiating all those spices– yet!
My entrée was the mahi mahi over black wild rice. Sadly, this was the least flavorful of all the dishes and my fish was a bit overcooked. I’m not sure if it’s because the rest of our meal was so bold in flavor? Oh well, 3 out of 4 is good for me.
I’d definitely return if I’m back in Santa Fe.

I like the starter cumin french fries. The combination plate was a lot, with wonderful lamb stew, curry chicken and beans. The decoration in restaurant was cool.
Apr. 25^th

Just came back from the most delicious dinner at Jambo Café!
I ordered the special. It was mahimahi with a peanut crust in a mango coconut sauce. The sauce was really wonderful, and the creaminess of the coconut really matched well with the peanuts. Just the right amount of spice, too! I really can’t say enough good things about this dish!
Also, I had Ras al-​Hanout soup to start. The artichoke and chicken came out so wonderfully together. I wish I had another bowl of this!
This is really a gem in Santa Fe and I’m really glad that I checked Unilocal for something African.

I was visiting Santa Fe and looking for a good local restaurant. I wanted something other than Mexican food, so I came to Jambo because it was nearby and highly recommended on Unilocal.
We shared the following items: the combination plate, jerk chicken wings, and sauteed spinach with garlic.
— Combination plate (chicken curry, goat stew and coconut lentils with rice and roti): nothing stood out in particular, but it’s a good way to try different flavors
— Jerk chicken wings: great seasoning. The side sauce reminded me of a honey mustard cream sauce.
— Sauteed spinach with garlic: Perfectly done. Ironically, when I asked the waiter about other vegetable options, he said «we don’t do vegetables here.» Haha.
The service is friendly and personal. All the waitresses were very helpful. We asked one for travel recommendations in Santa Fe, and she wrote them down for us. The place is decorated with a bright and fun character. This place is packed and crowded, and it’s easy to see why.