Back Street Bistro

BackStreet is the perfect place for lunch. Tons of delightful sandwiches $ 10 and under, coming in whole or half orders. Let’s not forget their soup! The Hungarian Mushroom is to die for! Personally I can’t walk out without having a bowl there and taking some home Togo. By far one of the best soups they have and seems to be popular among other guests. Bread is served with every soup so you can get every last drop. On top of all the wonderful food they always have beautiful local art all over the walls. If you’re thinking about dining here, don’t, just DO IT! Oh and don’t forget, it’s a cash only establishment!

I came because I’m an obsessed Diners Drive ins and Dives visitor. This was a must visit on my quest to hit every joint in the cities and towns I visit. To call this place a bistro is a stretch but it’s a decent New Mexico Deli. It seems like I missed the boat on the specialty which are the soups. I had a Ruben which was decent but couldn’t hold a candle to some of the other places I’ve visited in my travels. Nothing here made in house which takes the «special» out of the DDD joints on my favorites list.
That all said the place has charm. No atmosphere to clutter up the fact that it’s a huge, busy place with ample sized fair prices sandwiches and great service.
It is a tiny bit hard to find for the weary GPS food finder but you’ll find it of you persevere. The owner is a really nice fellow and is legitimately happy which reflects in his business and his employees. Nice touch having classic Rock playing in the background.
Cool Joint!!!

The hungarian mushroom soup was to die for! Fantastic lunch place.

This place just made me really happy. I had the Italian sub (which gets soggy as take out if it sits too long, but is still completely delicious) and macaroni salad. The macaroni salad is the closest to my old favorite recipe that Whole Foods used to make that I’ve found.
The place was really crowded at lunchtime on a Wednesday. We were waited on quickly and received our takeout in just a few minutes. The owner is the one who took care of us, and he was friendly and quick and, best of all, talked to and was super nice to my 7-​year-​old. (Who was also happy with his tuna sandwich.)

Great lunch place. Great soups as noted and very well made sandwiches and salads. But lunch is usually not the meal you want to spend hours eating. So I’ve added a star for the fabulous service. We were in and out in 35 minutes without feeling rushed.

Having the almond and avocado sandwich and SW chicken soup and they are delicious. Price is just right and I will be back.

I’ve been coming to Backstreet Bistro for years. The Hungarian mushroom soup is always on the menu and is perfection. It is perfectly seasoned and deliciously creamy. I’ve tried to make something similar at home with no luck. But I’m happy to get my fix at the restaurant. All of the other soups are fantastic as well, but I’m always disappointed when I don’t get the Hungarian mushroom.
The only reason why I’m not giving this place 5 stars is because they don’t take credit cards. It’s only cash or check. Seems outdated for 2015 to me.

Whenever I return to New Mexico, I am excited to reacquaint myself with southwestern cuisine. After a few days, however, I’ve had enough of filled, cheese-​burdened tortillas and search for an alternative. Back Street Bistro specializes in two of my food obsessions: soup and pie. That eight soups are listed on the menu boards and that the selection changes often are signs that the restaurant takes its soup seriously.
For my lunch I choose the Hungarian Mushroom soup, a play on Hungarian Goulash. The broth was tinged with tomato paste, enriched with sour cream, and enlivened with dill. There were plenty of mushrooms along with some onion. The soup was hearty, flavorful, and well balanced. All soups are served with three slices from a baguette and butter. The dish would have been more of a meal with the addition of chunks of beef, but I was satisfied and retained an appetite for pie.
There were three pie selections the day of my visit: Key Lime, Coconut Cream, and Strawberry Rhubarb. I peered into the pie case to help decide which I would order. The small wedges of Key Lime pie were a sickly artificial-​looking green and thinner than any pie should be. The Coconut Cream was much taller and looked more appetizing. The Strawberry Rhubarb pie had not been sliced into wedges, so I couldn’t get a sense of the filling. I’m a sucker for rhubarb, so I opted for the Strawberry Rhubarb pie. The crust of the pie was dry and crumbly rather than tender and flaky. It’s the kind of crust you sometimes get when you buy a frozen pie at the supermarket. The too-​thick crust destroyed the balance between pastry and filling. When I order a fruit pie, I want lusciousness. The filling should be moist without being runny and have the abundant flavor and texture of fresh fruit. The filling of Back Street Bistro’s Strawberry Rhubarb pie was congealed and dry. There was a hint of the tart flavor of rhubarb, but I couldn’t detect any strawberry. How could the soup be so good and the pie so pitiful? The restaurant also offers cookies, so they may be the better choice if you want dessert.
I would rate the soup at four stars and the pie one and a half, so I average out my restaurant rating at about three stars. I still recommend the place for its soup.

The spicy lentil soup is delicious and the coconut cream pie is out of this world! The service is fabulous, fast, and friendly. Can’t wait to return and try a sandwich.

Outstanding food and service in a bright, open room. I had the Hungarian mushroom soup, which was probably the best soup I’ve ever had. Also had a hot corned beef on dark rye with mustard, excellent. Dining partner had a hot Italian sub, which she really liked. Highly recommended.

Nice sandwiches, but the soups are the star attractions. Excellent service too! Save room for the coconut cream piet~

Fantastic selection of homemade soups. I tried the Green Chili corn chowder and gave it an A++. The corned beef sandwich was fantastic and the matzo ball soup was amazing. The bistro is a bit hard to find but worth it!!! There’s real pride of ownership and commitment to quality. You won’t be disappointed.

Good food, average prices, good service. But I now give businesses which don’t take credit cards one star, regardless. Frankly, it was unusual that I had cash during my visit, so I was able to try the place. But I won’t be back because I rarely carry cash. ($ 20 lasts me a month or more.)
Restaurants usually see a 5−10% increase in business when they start taking debit/​credit cards. Meanwhile, Amazon Local Register charges 1.75% through 2015. You’d think any business owner could do the math, but not this one or the owner of Counter Culture. A shame.

They somehow erased my review. Last time I ate there, found hair in my soup which manager made strange comment about hair nets. No apology. But I was grossed out having been the second time there that this happened. Having not eaten there in a while I went again only to find someone else’s purple cabbage in the mustard jar. Im through with getting grossed out.

I’ve been a frequent guest at this restaurant for years. The soup is great. The salads and bread are fresh and the sandwiches are very good. It’s a great place for lunch. They don’t take credit cards but that’s only a minor irritation.

Soup
Soup
Soup! Love the ‘soup nazi’ (from
Seinfeld) he knows how to make soup! All of them are great! He has about 6 to choose from daily along with sandwich sand great ice tea! I’m a southern girl and tea is important!

We went here back to back days, amazed by the soup. I tried the Green Chile Corn Chowder my first round in and savored every drop. The complex layers of flavor and texture warmed my soul.
The Turkey Wild Rice soup was the same experience minus the spice. Anyone looking for a cup or bowl of happiness has come to the right place. I also had half a reuben here and was very happy with it.
Back Street’s Prices are nice on the travel budget too. I will definitely be back for more!

Best authentic Reuben sandwich in Santa Fe! The fresh fruit option is great as a side because the fruit is actually fresh and tasty.
Fast efficient service too and the prices are great — lunch for two with tip was $ 20…I can see why it’s a favorite of locals.
Jeff Nailen
Santa Fe Way

hungarian mushroom soup!!!
Truly for real NY deli food. And the soup — my God, the soup!
(oh, be aware, they do not take credit cards. get some cash.)

My mom and I went to Back Street based on a recommendation of an employee at Trader Joe’s. We were looking for something nearby and yummy. Back Street is kind of hidden. Handicapped parking was available for my mom, so that was a plus. As we walked in, I noticed a «cash only» sign. I worried a bit as I only had $ 30 in my pocket and mom had forgotten her purse at home, but it turns out we had exactly enough to pay for lunch and 20% tip.
This place is great! Simple — soup and sandwiches — and they do it well. They had a board of daily soups listed near the door… amazing options like a green chile corn chowder and a mushroom type of soup and some with lentils, etc. Our server was super friendly and gave us several samples before we made our decisions.
My mom and I each ordered a cup of soup (I, of course had the green chile corn chowder! YUM!) and shared a rueben. We couldn’t decide on the type of meat and our server, so helpful, gave us the option of a bit of both! ;) We were happy campers.
The soups were divine. Honestly, we didn’t need the sandwich. The cup was plenty and very rich and was served with a bit of bread. The sandwich was piled high delicious!
I definitely recommend coming here again — esp for simple comfort food. Just remember to bring cash! ;)