Guava Tree Cafe – Albuquerque, New Mexico

A few years ago, my friend Bill Hanson, a gastronome of the first order, was hosting several of his Costa Rican employees at Intel’s Ocotillo (Arizona) plant. Like me, Bill delights in introducing his friends to new culinary adventures. Unfortunately, not all our colleagues were similarly inclined (despite one of Intel’s corporate values being “risk-taking”). One of them convinced the “Ticos” that the restaurant they should not miss for a “true American dining experience” was Claim Jumper, a regional chain (and slight upgrade from Chili’s).

Ever the gracious host, Bill acquiesced to the Ticos’ request. I’ll let him describe the rest (from his gastronomic blog The Tao of Chow): “As each dish was produced and delivered to the table I sank further into my chair as the American decadence of over indulging was displayed in glorious Sysco provided plates heaping with food. Each dish could have easily have served three people as I sat and wondered how much food was actually consumed versus how much went into the dumpsters out back.”

If the Ticos were disappointed in any way with the cavalcade of calorie-laden comestibles brought to the table, you’d never know it. To break bread (or arepas) with a Tico is to experience Pura Vida, the vibrant joie de vivre that is not only the national phrase of Costa Rica, it’s the national attitude. Pura Vida translates literally to “pure life,” but the actual meaning is more akin to “life is good!” Ticos live life the way they eat–to the fullest.

Pura vida is the attitude Diego and Mari Barbosa have infused into the Guava Tree Cafe, a Latin American restaurant on Richmond Drive just south of Central Avenue in the Nob Hill district. Though neither are from Costa Rica (Diego is from Colombia and Mari is from El Salvador), they met in and lived in the scintillating Central American tropical paradise for eight years. Their philosophy is that “food is art and food is life.” Their vision is for the Cafe to be a neighborhood gathering space in which their guests can enjoy each others’ company in the spirit of pura vida while enjoying slow-cooked home-style food, the best kind. They invite guests to make this space their own and promise to have something good to eat whenever you visit.

The Guava Tree Cafe opened in November, 2010 in a converted old home on Yale Boulevard before moving five years later to its current location in a more heavily-trafficked area within walking distance to the University of New Mexico. Though situated in a larger two-story edifice, the Cafe seems even more crowded. You may find yourself paraphrasing the old western cliche “this hallway’s not big enough for the two of us” as you make your way to the counter at which you place your order. It’s not uncommon for the queue to start just outside the restaurant and end at that counter.

The dining area consists of only a few tables in personal space proximity to one another. Lively Latin music plays in the background, not too loud for conversation and not loud enough for dancing should the spirit of pura vida overcome you. Once you place your order, expect a bit of a wait. The Guava Tree prepares food to order. You won’t find food sitting under a heat lamp here! All these factors were considered in MSN’s decision to name The Guava Tree one of the 50 best restaurants in America list. In naming Guava Tree as the 31st best restaurant in the fruited plain, MSN indicated “this little restaurant has great Caribbean and Latin American-inspired food. With many Cuban type sandwiches and avocados in most of their food, this place definitely has the delicious lunch thing down.”

In January, 2015, the Movoto Blog, a blog celebrating the lighter side of real estate, did a seriously great job of naming “15 New Mexico Restaurants Which Will Blow Your Taste Buds Out Of Your Mouth.” According to Movoto “You’ll never find a better balance of Caribbean spices in New Mexico then you will at Guava Tree Café. With cuisine heavily influenced by Latin America and island life, menu items like the stuffed arepas and the Cuban sandwich will leave you craving more. Just make sure you don’t leave without trying the yucca fries.”

In its October, 2014 issue, Women’s Day magazine named Albuquerque as home to one of the country’s up-and-coming food scenes. Taking input from Yelp, the magazine evaluated cities with a large proportion and variety of highly rated new restaurants, delis, grocery stores and other purveyors of comestibles. The article didn’t cite the usual suspects in the pantheon of outstanding New Mexican restaurants. Instead, Women’s Day touted a “handful of new Peruvian, Costa Rican and Cuban spots” which have “reenergized local palates.” Three Duke City restaurants were singled out: Pollito Con Papas, Guava Tree Cafe and Pasion Latin Fusion.

1 May 2016: While you wait, you’ll want to luxuriate in a cafe con leche (Spanish for “coffee with milk”), a strong coffee mixed with scalded milk. Sometimes called Cuban coffee, it’s the type of coffee which will envelop you warmly as you contemplate how strong coffee can be so mellow. Usually sweetened to taste, it’s the type of coffee which goes well with Latin American cuisine and the pura vida attitude.

3 May 2020: At the opposite end of the spectrum are the tropical fruit blends called simply “fresh fruit juices” on the menu. Here’s how they’re described: “Real Tropical Blends in water or milk (20 oz) Choose from our favorite combinations: Mango-Vanilla (we love this in water); OJ + Mango (we love this in milk); Passion Fruit + Mango (we love this in milk).” The catalyst is the sweetened condensed milk which counterbalances to the perfect extent, the citrusy flavors of the mango and orange juices. Equally good is the mango juice sans milk.

3 May 2020: The menu is segmented into three sections: sandwiches, arepas, Latin Specialties and Apps and Sides. The menu describes the sandwiches as “Our 8.5” CARIBBEAN SANDWICHES are warm pressed on freshly baked bread, hot and crispy outside, warm and sooooo tasty inside.”   They’re crafted on fresh bread pressed panini-style and wrapped in thin butcher paper.  The specialty of the house is the Cuban Sandwich, Miami-style heaven. It’s crafted with home-roasted pork shoulder which has been marinated for several days until “it’s all happy” (which the chef can tell by it’s singing of the “Tico Tico” in the fridge). The pork is sliced thickly and combined with sweet or “bolo” ham, Swiss cheese and pickles on the flat, crunchy bread.

The Cuban Sandwich so enamored Larry McGoldrick that the professor with the perspicacious palate described it as “the absolute best that I have ever had anyplace in this universe or its parallels.” That’s high praise indeed from a well-traveled bon vivant who’s not often given to hyperbole. If anything, Larry may have undersold this Cuban Sandwich. It is one of the very best sandwiches of any kind in the Duke City.

The roast pork, in particular, is superb, more than several orders of magnitude better than the pre-sliced variety offered on many “pretend” Cuban sandwiches throughout the Duke City. The bolo ham is cured and sweet, a complete antithesis the overly-salted hams which seem to be in favor among sandwich purveyors. The crusty exterior and soft inside texture provide a delicious home for outstanding ingredients prepared exceptionally well. The Cuban Sandwich is truly a little piece of Miami heaven Duke City diners will love.

20 May 2011: Vegetarians who may feel left out by the dearth of sandwiches crafted with them in mind will love the Luciano, a plancha-pressed beauty on wheat bread. Layers of flavor is an apt description for this panini piece of art. A generous smear of chimichirri (a flavor-packed green sauce made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic and a host of other seasonings) starts the flavor parade which is ameliorated by grilled provolone cheese and house-roasted red peppers.

20 May 2011: I’ve often lamented the desiccation of dishes showcasing chicken. With few exceptions, show me a sandwich, pizza or pasta dish in which chicken is used and I’ll show you a dry and dull dish. It’s as if some chefs are out to prove chicken is not an aquatic fowl. Guava Tree’s El Guava Pollito sandwich proves chicken doesn’t have to be desert-dry. The shredded chicken breast is moist and succulent, obviously the product of the chef’s attentiveness and mastery over temperature and time. The chicken is absolutely bursting with flavor and would be good on its own, but its greatness shines when melded with Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, mushrooms, greens and tomatoes.

14 December 2013: It’s well acknowledged that a true Cubano is an ode to pernil (roast pork shoulder), and while the Cubano showcases the versatility of pernil, there are many ways to enjoy it. The Guava Tree offers the Pernil, a panini constructed with irresistible slow-roasted Carribean-rubbed pork, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions and homemade garlic sauce. The garlic sauce is the perfect foil for the sweet caramelized onions and both pay tribute to the magnificence of the pork. Then, of course, there’s the magical pan de agua, likely the best canvas for panini-style sandwiches in the Duke City. If you’re tired of panini that tears up the roof of your mouth, you’ll appreciate the loving tenderness of The Guava Tree’s cloud-like panini.

3 May 2020: There’s a tendency among Duke City restaurants to christen their turkey sandwiches “Albuquerque Turkey.” Any restaurant deigning to serve packaged turkey slices certainly deserves the ignominy of the derogatory use of the term “turkey.” Guava Tree’s Caribe Turkey Sandwich (house-roasted turkey breast, avocado, tomatoes, provolone cheese and chimichurri sauce) is head-and-shoulders (as well as beak and wattle) above most turkey sandwiches.  The roasted turkey is moist and plentiful.  It’s complemented beautifully by the chimichurri sauce which provides a lively, tangy flavor boost. 

3 May 2020:  For centuries, arepas were an important staple in the diet of impoverished Venezuelans and Colombians, but today they are eaten by rich and poor alike.  Arepas are part of the daily diet in place of bread for several Latin American nations who love their versatility.  They can be fried or baked, served plain or with a filling and at any time of the day as a snack, starter or appetizer.  Guava Tree’s gluten-free arepas are hand-shaped daily and grilled to order served with house made Colombian hogao in a green plantain “toston” cup.  There are three of them on the menu, including the curiously-named Arepa Del Perro (shredded beef, avocado, sweet plantains and cheese) which literally means “dog’s arepa.”  It’s a sandwich-sized meal.

5 June 2020: June, 2020 saw the launch of a a community-oriented commercial plaza constructed entirely with repurposed shipping containers as modular, architectural building blocks.  Christened Tin Can Alley, the complex is one of the Land of Enchantment’s most unique and striking eating, drinking and shipping venues, an 11,000-square-foot behemoth housing ten local businesses all under one roof.  Among the ten tenants is the Guava Tree which my friend Ryan “Break the Chain” Scott and I visited four days after its launch.  We enjoyed the eatery pod’s newest arepa, a thing of beauty called the arepa del patron, or bosses arepa. 

The arepa del patron (Caribbean style roasted pork, garlic sauce, avocado slices, queso fresco, and chile de arbol hot sauce) is constructed from white cornmeal formed into hand-shaped, gluten-free Venezuelan pockets . Served with a toston, this arepa may be Guava Tree’s best one yet.  It’s overflowing with deliciousness, the star of which is a very moist and tender roasted pork.  So that you don’t obfuscate the rich subtlety of the roasted pork, you’ll want to go easy on the chile de arbol, the incendiary accompanying salsa.   In fact, I’d recommend eating the avocados separately so that the corn and the corn-blessed flavors of the arepa are the stars they should be.

Among the most ubiquitous of dishes served throughout Latin America are the tasty triumvirate of black beans, rice and sweet plantains, all three of which are prepared well at the Guava Tree. My Puerto Rican friends in the Air Force could subsist on this tasty trio, but American tastes which are more accustomed to heavily seasoned flavor profiles might not be as enamored. Perhaps that’s one reason the three are served as sides and not as main entrees.

14 December 2013: Ajiaco, a type of Colombian soup, may be the quintessential soul-warming soup, a true exemplar of the term “comfort food.” It’s nurturing and warm with a unique deliciousness. The ingredients on this traditional corn and potato chowder include shredded chicken, Guasca (a herbaceous plant often called the potato weed), avocado and corn-on-the-cob served with a side of cream and capers. This jumble of ingredients melds into an absolutely delicious concoction though New Mexicans might, like me, wonder what it would taste like with a little green chile. The corn-on-the-cob is a wonderful surprise as is the unctuous avocado.

14 December 2013: If you’re tired of salads in which ingredients are obfuscated by strong dressings, the Guava Tree Salad is your huckleberry. This is a salad which emphasizes its constituents with only a lightly drizzled housemade vinaigrette, not some overly sweet or tangy masking agent. The ingredients which are allowed to shine on their own are house-roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, black olives, queso fresco and a tangle of crisp, fresh greens. It’s a salad in which freshness stands out.

14 December 2013: Desserts are easily a worthy equal to the savory portion of your meal. You owe it to yourself to save room and splurge on the tres leches, prepared Costa Rican style. Can I have a “pura vida” here? At its essence, a tres leches cake is made from three milks: sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk (or regular milk) and heavy cream, making it one of the most rich, moist and decadent desserts you can have. The Guava Tree version is served in an aluminum foil muffin cup and is topped with a frothy whipped cream. Below the whipped cream is pure, calorie-laden deliciousness, a tres leches cake as good as any you’ll ever have.

14 December 2013: Another must-have dessert is the Pastelillo de Guayaba, a Cuba pastry very much resembling an empanada. Its light, flaky, multi-layered crust gives way to a wonderful mixture of guava and cream cheese. The interplay of flavors and textures–the rich and dense cream cheese, the savory, puffy crust and the sweet tartness of the guava–is a terrific combination. Purchase a half dozen to take home and it’s not likely they’ll make it there. This is an addictively delicious and memorable pastry.

The Guava Tree Cafe invites you to partake of a piece of la pura vida as well as some of the most delicious sandwiches and sumptuous surprises in the Duke City.

Guava Tree Cafe
118 Richmond, N.E.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 990-2599
Web Site | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 3 May 2020
1st VISIT: 20 May 2011
# OF VISITS: 5
RATING: 20
COST: $$
BEST BET: Latin Tamale, Plantains, Cuban Sandwich, El Guava Pollito, The Luciano, The Pernil, Ajiaco, Guava Tree Salad, Pastel Tres Leche, Pastelillo de Guayaba, Caribe Turkey Sandwich, Arepa Del Perro

Guava Tree Cafe
6110 Alameda Blvd., N.E., #7
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 317-7247
Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 5 June 2020
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: Arepa Del Patron