I lucked into finding Santa Fe Cafe. I was waiting for some work to be done on my car, so I stopped by for a snack I was greeted by a very friendly gal. I had already had lunch, but I was a beef sopa on the chalk board, so I ordered one. I noticed the picture of the fire behind the restaurant (dated 2005). I lived in Simi Valley at the time and I remember the fire moving from east to west, then toward Thousand Oaks and to Calabasas. She told me that she grew up in the area and remembered the fire. I sat down and started reading my mail. After a few minutes, she brought my sopa by. She gave me two cups of some very good hot sauce, which I used on my sopa. Great flavor! I love good Mexican Food and this is a very good sopa! I did notice other people coming in to order food. The gal was very nice and friendly with everyone who came in. And here's a kicker, she also cleaned up tables and did a great job wiping things down. I know that my table was nice and clean when I first sat down! This was a very pleasant surprise, because as I've found, post-pandemic service is lousy at times and tables are sticky and not clean far too often. I finished my meal and soon my car was ready. I enjoyed eating here and I look forward to returning. I highly recommend eating here. It reminds me of how small mom and pop places were prior to the pandemic! Five stars! read more

V good. Super good extra good majorly good nice Tacos. Filllllllllllllll Carne Asada Soft Taco read more

Santa Fe Cafe - Tex-Mex Near Me - Calabasas, California

We got the chicken Parmesan tacos and something was off. It was exciting that the Parmesan encrusted the shell, but something did not taste fresh. It was either the cheese or the oil I think. 6/10 overall. The chips were good and I might re review if I try something from here again. They should have used a finer chopped lettuce and a fresher cheese. read more

Santa Fe Cafe - Tex-Mex Near Me - Calabasas, California

A nice, local spot for great Mexican food and breakfast. I'm a big fan of their breakfast burritos and their salsa verde is to die for!

First time I have felt compelled to leave a review of a restaurant. Decided to come here on Friday, 12/15/23 to get lunch with a co worker. I ordered a Grande Burrito and my coworker ordered 3 tacos. At first our food was brought out to us and there was one taco missing and the burrito was incorrect. I felt I was being polite in asking for the correct order. I waited another 10 minutes or so to receive the correct burrito and the third taco for my coworker, after taking one bite into the burrito I felt an extremely hard crunch and spit out the food. To my surprise inside of the burrito was a PEBBLE slightly smaller than a dime, a literal ROCK inside of the food. I did receive a full refund for the meal but this situation could have ended much worse with a potential cracked or chipped tooth. I would be very weary of eating here. read more

Previously I would've give them a 5 star review, but their quality has really gone down within the last year. I ordered the Santa Fe plate which comes with 2 tacos, beans, rice and a small salad. I have loved their tacos because the tortillas are Parmesan-breaded. But today (and the last couple times I've ordered from them), there was maybe 2 bites of shredded beef in each taco and the rest was fillers (cheese, lettuce, tomato). A $15 taco plate should not get 2oz of meat. Especially when there are competitors like Sharky's and Baja Fresh nearby that are much more generous with their portions. I hope things change for Santa Fe and they start providing better portions of meat like they used to. read more

Santa Fe Cafe - Shredded beef taco with barely any meat - Tex-Mex Near Me - Calabasas, California

I was driving from LA to Santa Ynez and needed something quick. I ordered a breakfast burrito which was described as having hash browns, onions, bell pepper, cheese and sour cream. I received a burrito with no seasoning, no bell pepper and no onion. There were no hash browns, just huge chunks of mushy potatoes also without seasoning. I ordered it without cheese but I was still expecting the bell pepper and onion as described on the menu. $14.14 after tip for potatoes and eggs in a tortilla. I also ordered a drip coffee that was cold. Such a waste of $20. So disappointed. read more

Beef chicken tacos are our favorite. They are extremely quick. Just call ahead and they'll be ready in 10 mins. Friendly service. Their taco's a priced on the high end so we can't eat there as much as we'd like too, but then it is Calabasas I guess. Regardless, definitely good tacos. read more

I love this place! The coffee is amazing and the woman who runs the coffee bar is super nice. They make the best breakfast burritos. It's a great neighborhood gem. read more

Great breakfast spot! Definitely recommend their breakfast taco with sausage. These kinds of restaurants are getting more and more rare. Perfect place to come after a hike on the victory trailhead. read more

Santa Fe Cafe - Erica's breakfast taco with sausage. Get it with the green salsa! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Calabasas, California

Great food and friendly service. Love the parm taco shells! Would come more often if I lived closer.

I think these tacos are delicious. I've also gone for breakfast burritos and they were amazing. Got the veggie breakfast burrito and it was big with perfect ratios. Can't go wrong at Santa Fe cafe! read more

This review is based solely off of my first time here and off of a breakfast burrito. I was briefly in Calabasas and wanted to go to a mom n pop for a breakfast bite and some coffee. Turns out Santa Fe Cafe and Cafe Ole are connected so this was perfect. I called ahead to order a breakfast burrito with bacon. The staff was friendly and timely! They said about 10 min over the phone and when I arrived a bit early, there it was ready to go for me. The bacon is super crispy and it's a good sized burrito loaded with eggs and cheese, and no skimping on the bacon. The only reason I dropped to 3 stars was because their website menu and Yelp pictures all say the breakfast burrito is filled with eggs, cheese, hash browns, onion, tomato and sour cream but my burrito had (no exaggeration) 2 slivers of onion and 1 diced piece of tomato. There may have been some charred hash brown mixed with the bacon but no sign of sour cream either. It still was a delicious burrito and the tortilla got nicely steamed and chewy in the foil wrapping, but I was expecting what the menu listed. They also give you a little bag of tortilla chips with super crispy fresh chips inside. I didn't see (or really look for) a salsa bar or any salsa. I didn't know to ask for any either because that would have made a nice addition to my burrito and chips. I think with a little quality control this place would be great! They had other menu items that look amazing and they've won awards for best taco locally. But I happened to be around for breakfast. Shout out to the friendly staff and clean space though! read more

See all

I grew up going here decades ago and it is still my all time favorite place for Mexican food! I moved to Portland OR 7 years ago and EVERY time I come home to visit I make sure that I stop in here to eat. Their fajita burrito is my go to... I miss it being so far away now and I've never had anything like it anywhere else. Something about how they marinate the veggies, combined with the steak (which is always a good quality) and the black beans and cheese... it's a party for my taste buds. Their chunky red salsa is also delicious (not the pico, but the red salsa) and goes great on the burrito. You guys are the best! I'm leaving again on Tuesday for Oregon and I will miss that burrito! read more

A hidden gem with authentic Mexican food and generous portions. Convenient for after school/work to-go orders and reasonably priced.

Really good Mexican food. Super friendly staff and great prices! It may not look like much, but it's worth the stop!

Over $10 for 2 eggs hash browns and sausage served on a paper plate with plastic utencils, food was horrible and bland. A community salt and pepper shaker is all you get. Restroom is literally an outhouse in the parking lot behind the building. read more

Santa Fe Cafe - Horrible just Horrible - Tex-Mex Near Me - Calabasas, California

For ten years (1988-1998) I worked in Agoura Hills and discovered Santa Fe Cafe when they first opened (1989), which was a tiny little hole in the wall secret. A hidden off the beaten path gem with fantastic healthier style Mexican fast food. I got to know Pam (owner) because I became a regular and always brought my corporate co-workers for lunch. This was long before the days of Internet or social media, but even back than, it didn't take long for the good word to spread by mouth about this cool little hidden place. Not many realize that when Pam started Santa Fe Cafe, it was an original idea long before other healthier style Mexican fast food chains existed yet. Corporate Mexican fast food restaurants have since copied her ideas. Santa Fe Cafe has always been a great place since the beginning. When first opened in 1989, Pam's idea of healthy style Mexican fast food was long before places like Baja Fresh, Rubio's, La Salsa etc. existed yet. There weren't many Mexican fast food restaurants corporate or independent at that time (late 80's/early 90's). That type of food was a new concept that Pam started with Santa Fe Cafe. Healthier style Tex-Mex fast food! The food quality has always been excellent. The parmesan cheese dusted on the corn tortillas for the tacos was such a clever idea. They had black beans long before other Mexican restaurants offered them. Santa Fe Cafe was one of the first to have a self serve salsa bar. To this day, I have not found another place like this that makes Mexican fast food even close to Santa Fe Cafe. Corporate Mexican fast food chains are now common and all over the place these days but they are not as good as the original Santa Fe Cafe food that Pam has served since '89. I remember when Pam expanded the seating area into the room next door and also remember when T.O. Blvd, wasn't there yet (Las Virgenes was a dead end street next to where Santa Fe Cafe is). I've seen a lot of changes in this area over the years. Santa Fe Cafe is not off the beaten path anymore and sadly the entire area is much more developed now. A second location in Burbank was opened several years ago but it didn't last very long. It's gone now but that's fine because there is nothing like the original Santa Fe Cafe in Calabasas. Unfortunately, I live 50+ miles away now so I don't get to eat here very often anymore but I will always eat here when passing through on the 101 and sometimes adjust my plans just so that I can. If you have never been here before, come experience an original and remember to always support independent restaurants like Santa Fe Cafe as much as possible! read more

Subpar food with a less than friendly staff to boot. Their salsa's great though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I got food poisoning here last week from their black bean tacos and was really sick for days.

Okay. They have great chips here. They're nice and thick with a good crunch. The dark red salsa is definitely on the hotter side. I feel like if you have a breakfast burrito, you just price it by default WITH bacon/sausage, rather than without. It feels like you're being nickle and dimed. The breakfast burrito is okay, but I wish it had beans. I'd actually prefer beans over tomatoes in my burrito any day. Coke products are sold here. But also you can get Arizona tea? I'm not sure how much it costs. Speaking of costs, one sign mentioned adding guacamole was 1.50 and another said "market value". So which is it? read more

I am on a mission to thank any place that has a good staff and consistent deliciousness. Three cheers for the cooks at Santa Fe Cafe and the sweet lady taking orders. This is one of my husband's happy places for decades now and we are extremely grateful!!! Many many thanks. read more

One of the best breakfasts in San Diego County. I usually get the huevos Rancheros. Delicious! Service is airways good as well

This place is the best going here since a kid the tacos are so good and so is the breakfast.

Omg the chicken flautas!!!!! We are in Calabasas for a few days and will definitely go back for the chicken flautas before we leave. So good!!!!!!! read more

I try to support small mom & pop businesses and I really like the food here but I'm starting to change my mind with this place. You say you open at 8am then you should open & be ready for business at 8am! I can't tell you how many times I've sat & waited in the parking lot for them to open only to find out staff was late so I couldn't order. They expect customers to wait an additional 10-15 minutes? Come on Santa Fe, you can do better! Not a great way to run your business. Have your employees show up on time for crying out loud. I could see if this happened once but this has happened to me personally at least 3 times already. I've had it. read more

So happy to have ran into this place when I had to run to the laundromat because ours was having issues. Had the flautas and wife had a burrito and it was so authentic. Based on other reviews, look forward to coming back for breakfast burros read more

This is a local favorite that's been around for decades tucked away on Las Virgenes (Malibu Cyn Rd exit off 101) on the inland side of the freeway. It's a small place with a bunch of tables and one or two outside. The atmosphere is nothing to brag about but the food is worth the visit in spite of the lack of atmosphere or ambience. It's also clean inside and the staff thankly wears their masks. And their very friendly too. Plenty of parking in the small lot or on the street. I just had the their Santa Fe chicken burrito with a Pacifica beer and it was delicious. The ingredients are obviously very fresh and there's a generous amount of chicken in the burrito. Their cheese is really tasty and they have a choice of salsas. I like the medium red but also added some spicy green. Unlike some other Mexican places where half the burrito is just the tortilla, this is a really big, stuffed burrito with lots of inside stuff, including the chicken. I had plenty of left-overs for another meal. It's a great take-out place but also I think it's good for casual inside lunch or dinner. You actually have a nice view of the mountains from the indoor tables. Oh yeah, they have a decent selection of beers and drinks. read more

If you haven't been to Santa Fe cafe you are missing out, it's a hide gem. Tacos are a must!

Been coming here for years, the food is great and the people are always nice. But today we had a problem which was really unacceptable. We went for breakfast and asked if we can switch the hashbrowns for potatoes and the girl behind the counter said yes, no problem. What you did not say is that because we squished we will lose the tortilla and the beans to come with the breakfast. I had to go up and have a long discussion and then she did us a favor. I give us a couple tortillas, no beans. Then my wife ordered a burrito and paid three dollars extra for chorizo, open the tortilla up and found one little speck of chorizo. We went up and showed her and right away she gave it to the lady cook to put more chorizo in there because it was so obvious that it was missing. Again, they did it with an attitude. I hope the owner reads this and has a talk with the two people working. The male cook is awesome, this female cook. Need some lesson in dealing with the public and making food. read more

Unfortunately I have to downgrade my review and stop givinng Santa Fe Cafe my business. Twice in a row now, I have ordered a Jose Burrito without meat and received a wrong order. First, I received a Jose burrito with steak. They replaced the order - fine, mistakes happen (though it really sucks to bite into steak when you're vegan). But this time was just ridiculous. Once again ordered a Jose burrito with no meat. The Jose burrito comes with beans, rice, and pico - nothing else. Yet for some reason, the person who made my burrito tonight decided that since it didn't have meat, it must need cheese. Despite cheese *not* being a part of the menu item and NOT being requested, and despite my partner ordering a Steak Jose burrito and not receiving any cheese in his order. And when we called to complain at exactly 8pm, the phone had been shut off and we could not reach the restaurant to inform them of their error. So now I am sitting here hungry because this restaurant was not available to correct their mistake the literal MINUTE that they closed. We were regulars and now we're done. Be more thoughtful in your preparation and don't assume that an order needs something that wasn't asked for. And maybe keep your phone on for 5 minutes after close? Do better by your vegan customers, or at least make it explicit that you don't want our business. read more

One of the better choices you have in the area. If you are looking for Tex mex style food look no further. I am definitely a fan of this place due to two main things. One is there tacos which are amazing and dusted with Parmesan cheese and the other being the service from the employees. The chefs and lady at the front are always extremely nice and provide delicious food. The place is pretty big to and has great seating. My only minor flaw with this place is the price as it is definitely higher than most places, but you are paying for quality. It's hard to say no to there tacos.. there's a reason why they are that good so they can have my money. Overall, the food is definitely delicious, but look to pay over $10 with drink for two taco plate read more

Delicious food and amazing service the staff is very friendly. The ambiance is very friendly as well .

The blackened shrimp tacos are fantastic. I love the parmesan crusted tortillas, which add a little something special to their tacos.

Been coming hear for 25 years best fish tacos fajitas and everything oh the egg burritos delicious. Breakfast all day Hidden at the end of las virgenes road a true gem . Love this family . Best Mexican. Thank you for All the great meals . Big fan read more

Update: they survived the fire! We have been eating here a decade & are never disappointed. We come for the Taos tacos at least once a week. The tacos have Parmesan on the outside of the shell. Speaking of the shell, It's the perfect blend of crispy & chewy! The taco includes nacho chips on the side to scoop up any spillages. Add one tiny container of salsa & you have the perfect trifecta. It's very filling! Original post: We have been eating here around 9 years & the nachos, in my opinion, are unparalleled. (He loves the Parmesan Taos Tacos.) The chips are nice & thick so they don't sog quickly & can hold a satisfying amount of content. I add lettuce & enjoy with their Arnold Palmer read more

Living down the street from this hole in the wall, it became my mandatory hangover cure for the blurry year of my life spent in the 'basas, hiding from the brutish realities of that foul year of Our Lord, 2009. Santa Fe Cafe is the kind of place that uses the periphery of the dining area to stack boxes of straws and other fast food paraphernalia. The kind of place you don't think twice when you see someone quietly sobbing while eating a sweaty enchilada in the corner. The kind of place that whose back alley ambience doesn't detract from the record speed with which you consume a glorious breakfast burrito. The kind of place that is somehow run successfully with no website and almost zero online presence. The kind of place where people feel comfortable enough to actually sneeze on the salsa bar sneeze guard. So in spite of my alarmingly low standards and raging alcoholism, I found Santa Fe Café to be an absolute delight. A greasy oasis in a sleepy city humping the north side of Malibu, where most businesses can't be bothered to stay open past 6pm. Leave your pretentions and diet plan at home when you make that drive over to Santa Fe Café. But for the love of God remember these two things: First, you are in Calabasas dipshit, everything is overpriced. Second, EAT THE PARMESAN ENCRUSTED TACOS. read more

I've been coming here for years and always a good meal. Love their breakfast burritos- they're huge! Love their one-of-a-kind tacos!!!! Parmesan on the tortillas! Heck yes! Their nachos are packed with deliciousness and goodies. Burritos are massive. Chicken flautas are one of my favs. Staff is friendly. read more

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 Cafe 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! read more

Santa Fe Cafe - Yummy Taos Taco! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Calabasas, California

This is one of my ALL TIME favorite spots. The perfect casual place to get some amazing tacos and damn good horchata and mingle with good friends. The crowd is very local and down to earth and the food seems to always come out perfect! Definitely try the chicken or steak ranch burrito TOASTED... you won't be disappointed! Looking for something a little healthier? POLLO PLATE!! ~~Chicken breast marinated in fruit juices and other goodness. mmm In conclusion~ if you get the chance, you must make a trip to this restaurant! We need to keep good places like this open! read more