There’s no annual event I enjoy more than the Roadrunner Food Bank’s Souper Bowl which takes place one week before some ballyhooed football game. That game is the National Football League’s Super Bowl, a star-studded event in which the celebrity with the best name (Taylor Swift) doesn’t even play football. Celebrities abound at the Souper Bowl, too, but they’re real people, the type of which you would enjoy sharing a meal with. During my twelvth year of serving as a judge at the Souper Bowl, I had the privilege and pleasure of spending time with several of those local celebrities. I wouldn’t trade a minute with them for an hour with Kendrick Lamar (whoever he is) or Taylor Swift.
For years, two of those celebrities–Steph Duran of Magic 995 and the legendary TJ Trout of 96.3 KKOB–have made morning and afternoons much more enjoyable (particularly when driving the city’s mean streets) for denizens of the Duke City. Their astute observations and facial expressions (particularly Steph’s “Sally” face) as they sipped some thirty soups helped make the 2025 Souper Bowl thoroughly enjoyable. You probably wouldn’t call Glenn Walters a “celebrity” unless you’re intimate with state government where he’s revered among the state legislature. Glenn is my cohort (we’re both Air Force retirees) and compañero at the Souper Bowl. We tend to share our observations of the soups and have very similar tastes and opinions.
When Glenn and I aren’t solving the world’s problems or talking about our Air Force careers, we’re sharing culinary intelligence. He doesn’t, for example, have a very high opinion of Cincinnati, Ohio’s version of spaghetti with chili though he probably wouldn’t tell that to his son who lives in The Queen City. When Glenn shared a photo he took of the “Pantry Burger” (pictured below) and waxed poetic about how good it is, I knew my Kim and I would be visiting Santa Fe’s The Pantry Dos soon. If the restaurant’s name sounds familiar, that’s because The Pantry Dos is the second instantiation of one of the City Different’s most popular dining establishments. The original Pantry has occupied the same spot for seven decades plus.
Unlike the original Pantry which resides on heavily trafficked Cerrillos, The Pantry Dos is somewhat off-the-beaten-path. Unless you’ve attended Mass at Santa Maria De La Paz or you live in this burgeoning part of the city, you might not be familiar with this sage- and tumbleweed-laden 470-acre outpost called “Oshara Village.” The Singley family, who owns the original Pantry chose this location rather than any of the commercial corridors because of the college and numerous housing developments with little commercial activity in the area. Based on how busy the restaurant was when we visited at 2PM on a Friday afternoon, the location is a wise one.
Rather than creating something brand new and different, most of the menu remains the same beloved and familiar menu found at the original Pantry. That includes the same chile and breakfast burrito, a Santa Fe staple. Pantry Dos also has a large bakery featuring some of the most beautiful pastries your eyes can feast on. Adult beverages include draft beer while caffeine addicts like me can enjoy espresso and lattes. Much more expansive than the original Pantry, the eatery has a capacious outdoor patio that faces north so that diners don’t bake in summer’s sweltering sun.
While I knew beforehand what to order (thank you, Glenn), my Kim studied the menu. Unfortunately discounting all the chile limited her choices. Pantry Dos offers a traditional and griddle breakfast menu that includes the New Mexican favorites most of us love. Lunch and dinner choices–appetizers, soups and salads–are plentiful, but my eyes gravitated to the “house specialties” and “N.M. Classics” section of the menu. Another section lists “Sandwiches and Burgers.” It’s where the Pantry Burger is listed.
Though my Kim’s piquancy tolerance stops at ketchup, she selflessly insisted I have chips and salsa, the way many New Mexicans start their dining ventures. For those of us who scoop our salsa instead of dipping our chips, the overflowing basket of chips meant there will be plenty of chips to take home but not enough salsa. Aargh! That’s a problem at almost every restaurant where chips are gleefully replenished, but the salsa not so much. The chips at Pantry Dos are crispy, low in salt and formidable enough to scoop up Gil-sized quantities of salsa. The salsa is excellent, albeit a bit thin. It has a mild piquancy, but alas, not mild enough for my bride.
When Glenn discovered the Pantry burger (smothered with chile, cheese and grilled onions, served open-faced), he enjoyed it with red chile (pictured above). My choice was green chile, the chile that made green chile cheeseburgers maybe the favorite food of the Land of Enchantment. Just as Glenn described it, the Pantry burger is outstanding. Interestingly not only is it open-faced (you dare not pick it up with your hands), the two buns are at the bottom. Then you’ll find a thick beef patty prepared to your exacting specifications. Melted cheese and grilled onions are the crowning ingredients on one of the best non-conventional burgers you’ll have. Burgers and sandwiches are served with your choice of French fries, house potato chips, soup or a garden salad.
Comedian Mitch Hedberg once declared “I wish they made fajita cologne, because that stuff smells good. What’s that you’re wearing? That’s sizzlin’!” Much as I appreciate the aroma of sizzling fajitas headed in our direction, I wouldn’t want crowds trying to sniff me as I passed by. The Pantry’s steak fajitas (strips of grilled beef sauteed with onions and peppers; Served with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, beans, rice and flour tortillas) have that inimitable aroma that makes a server look like a pied piper while delivering them. Pantry Dos’ version of steak fajitas is excellent with fresh, crisp and beautiful to ogle red, green and yellow peppers and grilled onions contributing mightily to the aromafest. Both the accompanying rice and beans are delicious.
The Pantry Dos has already made a dining destination out of a vastly underserved area. As the legend of the Pantry burger grows, that area will become even more crowded.
The Pantry Dos
20 White Feather
Santa Fe, New Mexico
(505) 365-2859
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 7 February 2025
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: The Pantry Burger, Chips and Salsa, Fajitas
REVIEW #1451