{"id":1362,"date":"2025-06-13T00:02:52","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T06:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=1362"},"modified":"2026-04-05T12:12:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T18:12:38","slug":"vics-daily-cafe-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=1362","title":{"rendered":"Vic’s Daily Cafe – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vic’s Daily Cafe on Osuna<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh<\/em>,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself<\/em>?”
\n“What’s for breakfast<\/em>?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet<\/em>?”
\n“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today<\/em>?” said Piglet.
\nPooh nodded thoughtfully.
\n“It’s the same thing<\/em>,” he said.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike the great philosopher Winnie the Pooh, many Americans, it seems, don’t equate breakfast with excitement. Studies show that far too many of us fuel our bodies with a “gobble and go” mentality that typifies our frenetic lifestyles. In 2007, one food service industry research firm concluded that most Americans spend no more than three minutes shopping for breakfast (at such paragons of nutritional virtue as McDonald’s and Starbucks). \u00a0Too many of us it seems would just as soon wait for lunch, our hunger being reason enough to overindulge.<\/p>\n

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Baker’s Rack With Bric-a-Brac<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A food and health survey of Americans showed that 92 percent of respondents consider breakfast the most important meal of the day, yet fewer than half (46 percent) of them actually ate breakfast seven days a week. The most frequently cited reasons for not eating breakfast every day include “not being hungry after waking up<\/em>” (59 percent) and “not enough time<\/em>” (54 percent). \u00a0If you see yourself in either one of those responses, you’re obviously not alone.<\/p>\n

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One of the Most Homey Dining Rooms In Albuquerque<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yet another survey, this one commissioned by a bread manufacturer, revealed that breakfast is such an integral part of our daily routine that three-quarters of us say we would opt for a good breakfast over fifteen minutes of extra sleep. The operative word which jumps out from that finding is “good<\/em>.” Perhaps the reason many of us don’t share Winnie the Pooh’s excitement over breakfast is that we don’t often have a “good” breakfast.\u00a0 I’m not talking “good” as in meeting the recommended daily allowance of whatever nutritional standards are in vogue, but “good” as in delicious, good as in worth getting up for…good as in Vic’s Daily Cafe, a long-time Duke City favorite first thing in the morning and during the lunch hour.<\/p>\n

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Pulchritudinous Pastry Case<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although it seems Vic’s Daily Cafe has been around forever, founder Victor Pandazis didn’t launch his eponymous restaurant until 1998. The likely reason it inspires familiarity and nostalgia for many of us long-time residents is because for years previous we frequented Andy’s, a bustling breakfast restaurant owned by Vic’s father until closing in 1997. Andy (86 as of this writing in March, 2022) is no longer a ubiquitous presence at Vic’s where he once greeted guests, escorted them to their tables and sometimes ran the cash register.<\/p>\n

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Long-Time New Mexicans Will Recognize the Inimitable Work of Weatherman Howard Morgan, an Albuquerque Legend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Andy’s legendary customer orientation isn’t lost on his son Victor. \u00a0When we noticed that the restaurant was fully staffed just scant months after “it was safe to get back into the restaurant<\/em>,” the cashier raved about Victor’s loyalty to his employees. \u00a0Even during all the months in which the Daily Cafe operated in a reduced capacity, Victor took care of all his employees–wait staff, busers, dishwashers. \u00a0Is it any wonder his employees are so loyal. \u00a0So are frequent diners who have long made the Daily Cafe a dining destination unlike any other.<\/p>\n

The marquee at Vic’s also inspires nostalgia for anyone who grew up reading Superman comics. \u00a0That marquee features a banner emblazoned with the name “Daily Cafe” encircling the planet Earth, very similarly to the Daily Planet’s logo. \u00a0The Daily Planet, as fans of the Man of Steel know, was the newspaper for which Superman’s bespectacled alter-ego Clark Kent worked. \u00a0Coincidentally but not at all surprisingly, the Daily Cafe is frequented by employees of the nearby Albuquerque Journal<\/em><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Greek Salad<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Similar to other popular breakfast destinations in town (Lindy’s<\/a><\/strong> and the Western View Diner<\/a><\/strong> come to mind), Vic’s embraces its Greek heritage. \u00a0Commemorative plates and framed posters from Greece as well as from New Mexico adorn the restaurant’s stark walls while the menu is festooned with Greek favorites. \u00a0 One of the restaurant’s masterpieces is a colorful drawing on a slate board by legendary Albuquerque (KOAT TV) weatherman Howard Morgan<\/strong><\/a>, one of the most beloved media members to ever grace New Mexico’s airwaves. \u00a0Weatherman Morgan passed away in 2021. \u00a0It’s comforting to see his art hanging on the wall. \u00a0Good or bad, no one delivered the weather with such a broad smile and happy countenance.<\/p>\n

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The Athenian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

14 March 2022<\/strong>: If you show up for lunch craving something Greek, choices abound. Envious eyes will trail the wait staff as they deliver a\u00a0Greek salad<\/em><\/strong> to your table. \u00a0Nestled on a bed of crispy leaf lettuce are stuffed grape leaves, hunks of feta cheese, lip-puckering pepperonici, plump and juicy Kalamata olives, fresh cucumbers, thinly sliced tomatoes and shaved gyros meat (an amalgam of lamb and beef), all drizzled with olive oil. \u00a0Wedges of warm pita bread on a plate complete this luscious salad. \u00a0My Kim constructs small gyros with the pita bread, gyros meat and feta cheese.<\/p>\n

The Kalamata olives are among the best we’ve had in Albuquerque. \u00a0That makes sense because Andy Pandazis came from a village near Kalamai, Greece where the potent olives are grown. \u00a0Over the years he’s cultivated a network of suppliers who provide high quality products like these olives and the wonderful stuffed grape leaves (dolmas) infused with a pleasant citrus influence. \u00a0The dolmas are served cold–not to my Kim’s liking so they’re destined for my plate.<\/p>\n

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Carne Adovada with Two Eggs Over Easy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1 November 2018<\/strong>: More breakfast-like is the Athenian<\/em><\/strong>, an omelet engorged with feta cheese, spinach, gyros meat, tomatoes and onions. \u00a0This is one of the most flavorful omelets in town with each forkful delighting your taste buds. \u00a0Vic’s doesn’t scrimp on ingredients. \u00a0You’ll be surprised at just how much gyros meat each forkful will reward you with.\u00a0 Wash it down with Farmer<\/strong>Brothers Coffee<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> a mellow breakfast blend replenished faithfully by the attentive wait staff.<\/p>\n

17 October 2023<\/strong>: My Kim craved carne adovada so much one bleary morning that she forgot to ask whether or not Vic’s carne adovada is prepared with cumin. \u00a0She found out afterwards that carne adovada<\/strong><\/em> is indeed seasoned with cumin, a spice she loathes. \u00a0(By the way, neither the green or red chile is made with cumin if that matters to you). \u00a0There couldn’t have been that<\/em> much cumin on the carne adovada because she didn’t notice it at all. \u00a0Even more telling, she proclaimed the carne adovada “absolutely delicious<\/em>.” \u00a0Thick chunks of pork marinated in a luscious red chile are served with two eggs prepared the way you like them. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Chicken<\/a>
Chicken Tenders with housemade mashed potatoes and gravy and vegetable medley<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vic’s does a booming business for both breakfast and lunch, but Sunday is when getting a seat is most challenging, especially after the nearby mega church concludes its services.\u00a0 Get there at about 1:15PM (45 minutes before closing time) and you shouldn’t have to wait…long.\u00a0 Rather than perusing the menu while you wait, train your eyes upon the dishes destined for other diners.\u00a0 It’s almost a guarantee that you’ll order something you see headed to someone else’s table.<\/p>\n

21 April 2013<\/strong>: That approach is how we wound up ordering chicken tenders<\/em><\/strong>. My sixty-something friend and former Intel colleague Mike Muller considers chicken tenders a last great act of defiance against growing old. They’re one of his favorite dishes.\u00a0\u00a0 My Kim and I, on the other hand, tend to equate them with McNuggets<\/a>,<\/strong> a nasty amalgam of sheer, shameful yuck.\u00a0 When we saw large pieces of boneless chicken headed to an adjacent table, we knew these were not of the Golden Arches ilk.\u00a0 Vic’s slices chicken breasts into strips and coats them with a very flavorful batter that renders the exterior crisp while leaving the chicken moist, tender and absolutely delicious.\u00a0 They’re better than the fried chicken at most restaurants.\u00a0 The chicken tenders are served with real mashed potatoes and gravy.<\/p>\n

\"Vic07\"<\/a>
Gyros with a Greek pasta salad<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

21 April 2013<\/strong>: While the nearby mega church may warn against coveting anything that is your neighbors, at Vic’s Daily Cafe it’s a daily occurrence.\u00a0 Whether you call it covetousness or sheer lust, watching a plate of gyros<\/strong><\/em> make their way to your neighbor’s table will probably mean you’ll order gyros yourself.\u00a0 It’s a good choice.\u00a0 A large pita is the canvas for a thinly sliced beef and lamb amalgam, chopped tomatoes, red onions, lettuce and tzadziki sauce.\u00a0 It’s a very good gyro with high-quality ingredients.\u00a0 The gyros are served with your choice of one side.\u00a0 Ask for the Greek pasta salad which is made with feta cheese, olive oil, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and pepperoncini.\u00a0 It’s a winner.<\/p>\n

26 June 2018<\/strong>: \u00a0The lunch menu is broken down into several categories: New Mexican Favorites, Daily Blue Plates, The Daily’s Burgers, Salads and The Daily’s Sandwiches. \u00a0There are nine burgers listed on The Daily Burgers including red-headed step cousin, the patty melt. All burgers and sandwiches are served with your choice of French-fried potatoes, Greek pasta salad, potato salad, garden salad, or cup of soup of the day. \u00a0All burgers are constructed from certified Angus beef. \u00a0The smallest burger (and it’s still a behemoth) is called “Just a Burger, Yea Right!.” Sarcastic..maybe. Delicious…yea!<\/p>\n

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Santorini Burger<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My favorite among the Daily Cafe’s burgers is the Santorini<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0which is named after a Robert Duvall movie. Oops, no, wait, that\u2019s The Great Santini<\/em>. Santorini is named after a Greek island where there\u2019s no shortage of white paint and the teal Aegean Sea beckons. \u00a0The Santini…er, Santorini is constructed from a freshly-ground beef patty, cooked to order with garlic, Greek spices and a squeeze of fresh lemon, topped with feta cheese.\u00a0 It’s a good burger, but not quite as good as another burger constructed with a more fetid fromage.\u00a0 That would be the blue cheese burger.\u00a0 Fortunately there’s a blue cheese burger on the menu, too.\u00a0 Somewhat dry, the burger would also benefit greatly from a splash or six of tzatziki sauce.<\/p>\n

26 June 2018<\/strong>: The New Mexican Favorites menu lists eleven items all served with beans, rice, lettuce and tomatoes.\u00a0 Favorites is an apropos term.\u00a0 That menu includes burritos, enchiladas, chili (SIC) rellenos, tacos, a tortilla burger and something called the S.O.B (South of the Border).\u00a0 My favorite is the blue corn shredded beef enchiladas<\/strong><\/em>(with red or green chili sauce melted cheese, and egg of your choice) with an over easy egg.\u00a0 Though the chile registers at “mild” by my personal Scoville scale, it did bring a “how can you eat that<\/em>” reaction from my Kim who thinks I’m a masochist.\u00a0 The shredded beef is roast beef quality and (not my imagination) includes gyros meat, a delicious surprise.\u00a0 For rolled enchiladas, these are pretty good.<\/p>\n

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Blue Corn Shredded Beef Enchiladas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

17 October 2023: \u00a0<\/strong>For decades my very favorite breakfast burrito has been a simple eggs burrito from the long defunct Milton’s Family Restaurant<\/strong><\/a> in downtown Albuquerque. I\u2019m in good company. Several years ago Jason Sheehan<\/a><\/strong>, a James Beard<\/a><\/strong> Award-winning author who once wrote for Albuquerque\u2019s Alibi<\/a><\/strong>, assembled a dream menu of the best foods he had ever eaten, a \u201cdesert-island top ten\u201d from which he\u2019d choose if ever asked the question, \u201cIf you could eat only one thing every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?<\/em>\u201d His top ten list included the phenomenal red chile breakfast burritos from Milton\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Milton’s eggs burriitos would have been on my list, too. \u00a0Vic’s offers a very good eggs burrito of its own. \u00a0Named for the original restaurant in which it was offered, the Andy’s Original Eggs Burrito<\/strong><\/em> (Scrambled eggs and hash browns rolled in a large flour tortilla, smothered with green or red chile sauce and melted cheese. \u00a0With the option for ham, chorizo, bacon, sausage, ground beef or carne adovada) has become one of my favorites, especially when it’s loaded with ham, chorizo, bacon and sausage. \u00a0Served Christmas style (red and green chile), it’s got plenty of piquancy and is crammed to capacity with deliciousness. \u00a0You probably won’t finish half of this wondrous burrito, but that just means you’ll have eggs burrito for lunch the following day.<\/p>\n

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Christmas Style Eggs Burrito with Ham, Sausage and Bacon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

13 June 2025:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>In her wonderful novel Aftertaste: A Novel in Five Courses<\/strong>,<\/a> author Meredith Mileti beautifully describes the enjoyment of a Reuben sandwich: \u201cI devour the sandwich, a mountain of corned beef between two greasy slabs of marble rye, leaking cheese and Russian dressing all down the front of my sweater. It’s delicious, and I don’t stop eating until I’ve finished the last thick fry, which I use to mop up the remains of the sandwich<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 She must have watched me eat the Reuben<\/strong><\/em> (shaved lean corned beef with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and special dressing on grilled rye bread) at Vic’s Daily Cafe.<\/p>\n

Vic’s Reuben is one of the very best in Albuquerque, distinguished especially by the tartness of its sauerkraut.\u00a0 In far too many Reubens across the Duke City, sandwich artistes seem to forget “sauer” means “sour” in German.\u00a0 I’ve had a number of Reubens in which the sauerkraut was as sweet as most coleslaw.\u00a0 Worse, the Thousand Island or Russian dressing seem to enhance the sweet notes of the (misnomer) sauerkraut.\u00a0 Sauerkraut need not purse your lips, but it does need to emphasize sour notes.\u00a0 Vic’s sauerkraut does so, playing two-part harmony with the special dressing.\u00a0 This is a superb sandwich!<\/p>\n

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Reuben with Fries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

13 June 2025:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>There are only a few dishes in every city that achieve the distinction of “legendary.”\u00a0 Some earn this distinction by virtue of just how delicious they are.\u00a0 Others because their intimidating size literally covers the plate.\u00a0 Among Albuquerque’s legendary dishes is Vic’s\u00a0 Vaquero<\/strong><\/em> (chicken fried steak with two eggs, cooked to your liking, hash browns or pinto beans, green or red chile sauce and melted cheese).\u00a0 The Vaquero is regarded as legendary because it’s both delicious and gargantuan.\u00a0 All eyes turn toward the server straining to heft the plate toward an eagerly waiting diner.\u00a0 This is easily a two- to three-meal entree.<\/p>\n

My friend Bruce “Sr Plata” Silver is one of those rare trenchermen who can polish off an entire Vaquero (and maybe an order of pancakes on the side).\u00a0 I had to wonder what my Kim was thinking when she ordered the Vaquero.\u00a0 Would she want me to help her finish it?\u00a0 Would she save three-quarters of it for future meals?\u00a0 Was she influenced by a server delivering a Vaquero to an adjacent table?\u00a0 “Yes” was the answer to all three questions.\u00a0 Alas, my Kim ordered the Vaquero sans chile or gravy.\u00a0 Aargh!\u00a0 It’s like a Mona Lisa without that enigmatic smile.\u00a0 Sure, it’s still a good chicken fried steak, but it’s incomplete…and not the legendary version Duke City diners have enjoyed for years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Vaquero<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

14 March 2022<\/strong>: “If we didn’t make them, we wouldn’t serve them<\/em>” is Andy’s response should you ask if the pulchritudinous pastries encased under glass and the sumptuous strudel lounging on the counter are homemade.\u00a0 Vic’s takes great pride in its dessert offerings, for good reason.\u00a0 The banana cream pie<\/em><\/strong> is a little wedge of heaven…or at least Gilligan’s Island.\u00a0 It’s thick, moist and absolutely delicious.\u00a0 A word of caution, however, if you’re also going to have the superb cherry strudel<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(second only to the fabulous strudel at Dagmar’s Delectables in Rio Rancho) make sure to eat it before you eat the banana cream pie.\u00a0 Otherwise the cherries will be lip-pursing tart.<\/p>\n

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Banana Cream Pie and Cherry Strudel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When many Duke City residents wake up, the first thing they say to themselves in the morning is “let’s go to Vic’s for breakfast<\/em>.” \u00a0Vic’s isn’t solely a breakfast destination. \u00a0The lunch menu is replete with comfort food favorites including several Greek entrees. \u00a0Whether for breakfast or lunch, Vic’s Daily Cafe can become a daily habit.<\/p>\n

Vic’s Daily Cafe<\/strong>
\n3600 Osuna Road, N.E. # 105
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico <\/strong>
\n(505) 341-9710
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 17 October 2023
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 1 November 2008
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>:7
\nRATING<\/strong>: Very Good<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Good to very good food; generally solid; delivers consistent quality, strong technique, and a comfortable, enjoyable dining experience
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Pecan Pancakes, The Vaquero, The Athenian, Greek Salad, Chicken Tenders, Santorini Burger, Huevos Rancheros with Carne Adovada, Blue Corn Enchiladas, Cinnamon Roll, Coconut Cream Pie, Cherry Strudel, Andy’s Original Eggs Burrito, Reuben<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?” “What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?” “I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.\u201d Unlike the great philosopher Winnie the Pooh, many Americans, it seems, don’t equate breakfast with excitement. Studies show that far too many of us fuel our bodies with a “gobble and go” mentality that typifies our frenetic lifestyles. In 2007, one food service industry research firm concluded that most Americans spend no more than three minutes shopping for breakfast (at such paragons of nutritional virtue as McDonald’s and Starbucks).…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70424,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440,21,540,25,703,454,5631],"tags":[1773,1771,2969,1210,1772,4982,856,1774,923,1211,854,1775,952,4981,1770,1769],"class_list":["post-1362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-american","category-breakfast","category-burgers","category-dog-friendly","category-greek","category-very-good","tag-american-food","tag-andy-pandazis","tag-blue-corn-enchiladas","tag-breakfast","tag-daily-cafe","tag-eggs-burritos","tag-enchiladas","tag-greek-food","tag-gyros","tag-lunch","tag-new-mexican-food","tag-pastries","tag-reuben","tag-the-vaquero","tag-victor-pandazis","tag-weatherman-howard-morgan"],"yoast_head":"\nVic's Daily Cafe - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=1362\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vic's Daily Cafe - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?” “What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?” “I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet. 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