About Santa Fe

We’ve always loved food – good food, that is.

About Us
Both of us grew up near New York City where we took great food for granted – cheesecakes, delicious deli meats served on fresh rye, superb Chinese and Italian food from every region. This was the food of every man – it wasn’t fancy and it didn’t cost a lot, but it was top quality and tasted incredible. We also used to love the old style automat/cafeterias where you could walk in and eat a full meal or just get a little “nosh”, anything from a dish of rice pudding to a cream filled cupcake. This is the kind of food we like to serve at Flying Star Cafes – not fancy, but really delicious and plentiful.

Out here in the West, we kept dreaming of opening a restaurant which served all these foods. Absolutely no tablecloths, no reservations and no waiters, a place where anyone could come in at anytime during the day or night and a get just what they want to eat – breakfast, a sandwich, dessert or just a great cup of coffee. We wanted magazines, newspapers and movable seating for groups or single people. We wanted a place where someone could come in a large group or alone and be comfortable. So, in November of 1987, we opened our first location on old Route 66 in Albuquerque’s Nob Hill District.

Over two decades and nine locations later, in response to customer demand, we have expanded our food from mostly sandwiches, soups and salads to include pastas, rice dishes, a wide variety of blue plates and regional specialties. Our core menu always remains the same, but our chefs offer weekly food and bakery specials which are fresh, interesting and seasonal.

Flying Star Cafes are usually found in neighborhoods and attract an eclectic crowd – young, old, rich, not so rich, starving students, artists, cheerleading squads, their parents and grandparents, business people on lunch break, doctors, nurses and just about everyone in between. Our mission is to fly below the radar of the larger chains and to cook where no one has cooked before!