Amigo Cafe - Restaurant Impossible Update

Photo - Robert Irvine Facebook

On this week's episode of Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Kayenta, Arizona to makeover Amigo Cafe. Amigo Cafe is on Arizona's Navaho Reservation and the owner Julene is struggling to earn a profit.  The stress of the struggling restaurant has taken a toll on Julene's health and she wants her daughter Heather to take over.  Robert will need to get Heather the skills and confidence to take over the restaurant to make it a success.

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Amigo Cafe to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant: Impossible):

Positive Reviews:

• "Worth the wait! Great food and friendly service. The shrimp fajitas was good. Salsa was spicy (go slow) but tasty. I will return when the area."
• "Out in the west - one of the best Mexican taste you can get! Navajo nation impressed us with food as well. That summarizes it pretty much. We ordered 3 entrees and each of them tasted out of the world....The food was fresh and tasty and felt like made with care. There was a bit wait as they were running low on staff but every minute was worth waiting for the delicious food."
• "This place is a gem! The atmosphere was great and the decor on point. The waitress was amazing! I have not had such great service in a long time. The food was excellent! We ordered the salsa and chips, the Navajo taco and the fry bread ala mode! Everything was excellent! We even ordered salad and chips to take home! The only down side if I really had to look for one is the parking lot was very bumpy but so worth it!"
• "Excellent in all ways! Decor beautiful, space was clean and well appointed! Service excellent, menu and food excellent, pricing excellent. On the way to Moab or to Flagstaff worth a stop. RV parking too. Prices were fair compared to Sedona; yikes!!"
• "We've been traveling through AZ, UT and Colorado for a week. Had some great food, but this was the most delicious food I've had in ages! The Three Sisters Burrito was epic. The pumpkin aioli was wonderful. I would drive back to Kayenta just to experience this again. My husband said his beef quesadilla was also quite tasty. Yea Amigo Cafe! "
• "Best food in the area. Well worth the half hour drive. Large portions, delicious & healthy. Creative menu, and the daily special provides a little variety. Ship the chips & save room for dessert."
• "Most of the dining experiences in and around Monument Valley are less than noteworthy. The one exception was the Amigo Cafe in Kayenta (about 30 miles from MV). The menu was diversified, and each item represented some aspect of the local Navajo culture and lifestyle. The Mutton tostadas were incredible and the pozole was absolutely delicious - and authentic. The blue corn fry bread was tasty and not greasy. This place deserves a Michelin rating for the wonderful food, and very friendly staff."
• "Oh man, we loved this one! (One of) the best restaurants we had during our USA trip. Delicious food and a cosy place. Strongly recommend!"
• "What a great surprise. We stumbled upon this delicious restaurant on our way to the Grand Canyon. It might not look like much from the outside but inside it is super cute and the food is great. I had the shrimp chalupa on fry bread and loved it! There was a bit of a wait at lunch time but definitely worth it."

Negative Reviews:

• "The "authentic Navajo" food is not anything close to a Native dish. I used to come here before it was renovated. I recently had my first visit last month and these are no longer authentic dishes, they are more white-washed accustomed and overpriced. The menu is cute and small. Very limited. To all the tourist, this is your place to eat."

Other News and Links:

• The Restaurant Impossible makeover for Amigo Cafe happened in May 2022.
• Here is the Amigo Cafe website and Facebook page.
• The restaurant is advertising their appearance on Restaurant Impossible and is having a watch party for the episode.
• The website and advertisements boast Amigo Cafe being "World Famous."
• The cast of Yellowstone recently visited Amigo Cafe while filming for the show. (Link)
• Here are the reviews for Amigo Cafe from Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google.
• The reviews for the restaurant were also very positive before the makeover and this restaurant has some of the best reviews for a restaurant that has appeared on Restaurant Impossible.

Conclusion:

The reviews for Amigo Cafe since the Restaurant Impossible makeover have been overwhelmingly positive with people loving the food and atmosphere.  The reviews for Amigo Cafe before the makeover were also very positive.  It seems like the restaurant attracts a lot of tourists and people who are willing to travel to the restaurant due to such great reviews.  With such great reviews and a boost from being on national television, it seems Amigo Cafe will be around for a while.


*Visit Our Restaurant Impossible Update Page to see all Restaurant: Impossible updates, and which restaurants are open, closed, or have been sold. Also Follow Us on Twitter