Jambo Cafe brings the cooking Chef Ahmed Obo learned in his mother's kitchen on Lamu Island, off the coast of Kenya, to Santa Fe. The food fuses Swahili, Indian, Arabic, and European influences, built on halal beef, chicken, goat, and lamb alongside organic field greens and produce.
The menu runs from starters like Fried Cornmeal Plantain Crab Cakes and Jerk Chicken Wings to salads such as Chermoula-Rubbed Salmon and Jamaican Jerk Organic Chicken, with Curried Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup and the Banana Leaf Wrapped Island Spiced Mahi Mahi among the specialty platters. The kitchen also bottles its own spice blends — Berbere, Harissa, Pili Pili, and Ras el Hanout — for sale alongside chef's proprietary mixes.
A Jambo Bazaar market operates inside the restaurant, selling African art, textiles, jewelry, and spices, and the kitchen extends into a food truck, Jambo Hapa, that travels to festivals and events around Northern New Mexico during the summer and fall.
Michelin awarded Jambo Cafe a Bib Gourmand in 2026, and Chef Ahmed Obo was named a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best Chef in 2022. The Santa Fe Reporter has named it among the city's best and favorite restaurants, and Edible New Mexico has included it among its citywide best.
The menu runs from starters like Fried Cornmeal Plantain Crab Cakes and Jerk Chicken Wings to salads such as Chermoula-Rubbed Salmon and Jamaican Jerk Organic Chicken, with Curried Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup and the Banana Leaf Wrapped Island Spiced Mahi Mahi among the specialty platters. The kitchen also bottles its own spice blends — Berbere, Harissa, Pili Pili, and Ras el Hanout — for sale alongside chef's proprietary mixes.
A Jambo Bazaar market operates inside the restaurant, selling African art, textiles, jewelry, and spices, and the kitchen extends into a food truck, Jambo Hapa, that travels to festivals and events around Northern New Mexico during the summer and fall.
Michelin awarded Jambo Cafe a Bib Gourmand in 2026, and Chef Ahmed Obo was named a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best Chef in 2022. The Santa Fe Reporter has named it among the city's best and favorite restaurants, and Edible New Mexico has included it among its citywide best.