Jambo Cafe

Phenomenal place!! Definitely a popular spot in Santa Fe, there was a little bit of a wait. The place felt alive with energy, the chef was walking around and talking to the tables, which always solidifies the feeling of community and care. Crab cakes and fermented drink were amazing to start, tried the beef kebabs and the combo platter with the chicken, lamb and goat curries, and ended with the coconut cardamom flan. One of the best meals I've had!! If you're in town, make sure it's something you hit. Everything was full of flavor.

Excellent food! Wonderful vegan options. The berbère chickpeas were our favorite but the lentils were very good, too, as was the tofu. Great experience. They were very busy early 5:30 on a Monday evening so I assume they stay busy. Despite the volume of customers the service was good and we didn't have to wait more than a few minutes for a table. Vegetarian options: Excellent, flavorful vegan options. Parking: On site, close to door.

Loved my experience, I let the server pick my appetizer because I was torn between. She got me the crab cakes and they were amazing. Perfect amount of crisp. And the jerk chicken had me in such awe I was crying. Actually. I can’t get jerk chicken anywhere near home, and I’m leaving the table with literal tears down my face I feel so happy. The chicken was so moist it slid right off the bone. I ordered a side of bread with it too to eat with the rice. I also ordered a tamarind juice, hand made. Not pictured because I slurped it up before the food even came. It was so delicious I ordered a second to go for my drive back to Colorado, this was my one & only food stop here in Santa Fe! Oh and the fresh flowers on the tables were the most lovely touch. Thank you thank you for such a wholesome experience.

I decided to eat there twice during my visit in Santa Fe because they have the best Jerk Chicken. Great atmosphere, delicious food with all kinds of people from different backgrounds enjoying it. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Jambo Cafe offers halal options. It was the highlight of my trip and I 100% recommend giving it a try!

I really wanted the jerk tofu sandwich which is labeled VG vegan but the waiter kindly informed me they recently switched the pita bread when thank goodness i mentioned being vegan, and it now contains egg & butter. I was very disappointed but he recommended the vegan combo platter & it was pretty good. I have been told so many good things about this place for a long time, they need to get vegan Pita or some other vegan bread option back asap, I wouldn’t go back unless they did. Also with the platter I got there was so much rice, if I knew it came with three sides of rice I would have asked for one to be beans which I’ve also heard good things about

Thursday, December 8, 2022 11:55 am Jambo is a special and outstanding restaurant. Founded by Chef Ahmed Obo, the origin of the unique cuisine is Lamu, an island off the coast of East Africa. The dining room’s ambiance resides in cinnamon walls and big basket chandeliers. Now for the food, absolutely delicious. We both ordered Coconut Curry with Coconut Rice topped with Garlic Spinach. But one of the dishes featured tofu and julienne vegetables while the other was chicken. Our drinks were iced Hibiscus Tea and Mango Ginger Lemonade, perfect accompaniments to our curries. Conversation was easy in the dining room with very low level background sound 66 dB. There is even a Jumbo Bazaar gift shop with an array of hard to find spices, African jewelry and baskets. The price is at the higher end of the scale with $19 entrees and $5 drinks but we happily paid for this outstanding lunch on a weekday afternoon. Going to Jambo is like a little trip to a satisfyingly exotic place.

For all my fellow vegans out there beware- the pita is not vegan. There was a bit of confusion with my server as to what constituted vegan vs vegetarian. The pita is premade and has butter. I am very glad I didn’t order the hummus which is marked as vegan however clearly isn’t. So for that I deducted some stars. Its not cool to mark something specifically vegan if it isn’t. This place is very good otherwise. You can make the combo plate with the chickpeas, lentils, and jerk tofu. My personal favorite by far was the jerk tofu. Really nice flavor and the tofu had a nice dense texture. The other two curry’s were good but not the best I’ve had.

Santa Fe is known for delicious new Mexican food. But Jambo, Jambo is an incredible place to eat. Delicious stews and meats. We tried two different sample platters, so we tried all of it I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. Great service, great food, great atmosphere!! Do not miss the chance to try it.

My first time at Jambo Cafe. The food was delicious. We got the Kenyan Style beef, the sauce was life. Also had the Moroccan lamb stew and it was delicious. We got to meet the Chef and he is a really chill guy. Definitely going back to sample more things on the menu

I visited Santa Fe for a couple days and was looking for a unique food experience. Jambo Cafe certainly meets the bill. With African decor, the combination of different food influences from Africa, the Caribbean and Asia the food was in a word, excellent. I got the combination plate to try as much as I could. This included the peanut coconut stew with chicken, chickpea berbere stew and goat stew. Everything was light, delicious and flavorful. The included roti was great for mopping up the leftover sauce. I highly recommend to stop in and enjoy the food, you won't be disappointed.