Bobcat Bite is a

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

that is located in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

, off of the Old Las Vegas Highway. The location itself has hosted two businesses, both of which have gone by the name "''Bobcat Bite''". The original Bobcat Bite specialized in the preparation of

steak A steak is a thick cut of meat generally sliced across the muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally grilled or fried. Steak can be diced, cooked in sauce, such as in steak and kidney pie, or minced and formed into patties, ...

chop Chop, CHOP, Chops, or CHOPS may refer to: Art *Embouchure, in music, a synonym for chops (and later, more broadly, musical skill or ability) *CHOPS, an Asian-American hip hop producer, rapper and member of rap group Mountain Brothers * ''Chops'' ...

s, and

hamburger A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically Ground beef, beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles ...

Origins

The historic building that housed Bobcat Bite was originally a trading post. It later became a gun shop, until Rene Clayton and her daughter, Mitzi Clayton/Panzer, converted it into a restaurant. The Bobcat Bite has been variously featured in newspapers, television, and other such media, and has been referred to by said media as "...the place to go for a green chili cheeseburger." The name of the establishment is in reference to alleged accounts that tell of

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

s descending from the surrounding hills. The purpose is to visit "bobcat-friendly"

diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

s, which would, reportedly, serve the animals fresh scraps of food.Bobcat Bite. (2004, August 13). ''A Little History''. Retrieved August 7, 2007, from https://bobcatbite.com/History.html

Reception

During its time under the Eckre family's management, Bobcat Bite has been named in several articles, including those contained within the ''

Albuquerque Journal The ''Albuquerque Journal'' is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of New Mexico. History The ''Golden Gate'' newspaper was founded in June 1880. In the fall of 1880, the owner of the ''Golden Gate'' died and Journal Publishing Company was c ...

'', the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''.Roberts, K. (2005, July 24). And, at No. 12, The Bobcat Bite At City Different. ''Albuquerque Journal'', pp. B1, B4.Kogan, R. (2004, April 11). A Cultural Icon, With Cheese. ''Chicago Tribune Magazine'', pp. 16, 24-26.Heffernan, V. (2005, July 4). A Journey in Burger Nation Finds Variations of a Theme. ''The New York Times'', p. E13. Bobcat Bite also appeared in the 2004 documentary '' Hamburger America.''Internet Movie Database. (Unknown Last Update). Hamburger America 2004. Retrieved August 7, 2007, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0488835/ The restaurant in 2007 was mentioned in the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...

's program ''Top American Restaurants:

Bon Appétit ''Bon Appétit'' is a monthly American food and entertaining magazine, that typically contains recipes, entertaining ideas, restaurant recommendations, and wine reviews. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered at the One World Trade Center i ...

Picks the Best'', hosted by

Alton Brown Alton Crawford Brown Jr. (born July 30, 1962) is an American television personality, food show presenter, chef, author, voice actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show ''Good Eats'' that ran for ...

.Food Network. (Unknown Last Update). Top American Restaurants: Bon Appetit Picks the Best, Episode BASP03. Retrieved December 9, 2009 from http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-specials/top-american-restaurants-bon-appetit-picks-the-best/index.html Bobcat Bite was featured in the 2012 episode "

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

" on

Bizarre Foods America ''Bizarre Foods America'' is an American television series, and a spin-off of'' Bizarre Foods'', this time focusing on the United States rather than international travel. Andrew Zimmern travels to various cities throughout the country (as well as ...

. Host

Andrew Zimmern Andrew Scott Zimmern (born July 4, 1961) is an American chef, restaurateur, television and radio personality, director, producer, businessman, food critic, and author. Zimmern is the co-creator, host, and consulting producer of the Travel Channe ...

ranks it in his top 3 hamburgers.

Awards

Bobcat Bite's burgers, specifically the

green chili Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combina ...

cheeseburger A cheeseburger is a hamburger topped with cheese. Traditionally, the slice of cheese is placed on top of the meat patty. The cheese is usually added to the cooking hamburger patty shortly before serving, which allows the cheese to melt. Cheese ...

, have won awards including: *'' GQ'' magazine listed Bobcat Bite at #12 on its list of "The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before you Die". *The ''

Santa Fe Reporter The ''Santa Fe Reporter'' (''SFR'') is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Santa Fe, New Mexico. First published in 1974, the ''Santa Fe Reporter'' features reports on local news, politics, art and culture, and is published once a week o ...

'' awarded Bobcat Bite with "Best Burger" in 2002, 2003, and 2004.BR. (2003)
Best Burger, You Crazy Meatpuppets
. ''Santa Fe Reporter''.KW. (2002)
Best Burger
. ''Santa Fe Reporter''. nknown Author (2004)
Best Burger, Even Without the Bun
. ''Santa Fe Reporter''.

Status

As of June 9, 2013, the original Bobcat Bite is closed. Former owners Bonnie & John Eckre opened a new

known as Santa Fe Bite in August 2013. It closed in October 2018, but re-opened in a new location in Santa Fe in late 2019, in combination with an additional location in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

References

External links