In 2013, we were driving from Tucson, AZ to Santa Fe, NM when we saw a large red chile on a sign. As we recall, the chile was approximately 30 feet tall. We didn’t have time to stop and investigate on that trip but we resolved to return one day.

That day arrived on Saturday, April 15, 2023 when we visited Hatch, NM which is known as the “Chile Capital of the World“. A ‘Hatch Chile’ refers to the specific varieties of chiles (New Mexico 6-4, Big Jim, Sandia, and Lumbre) cultivated in the Hatch Valley. We enjoy Hatch Chiles a lot, both red and green.

This small farming town has lots of character and pride regarding the chiles grown there. Chile ristras can be found adorning most shops.

You can find representations of chiles and reminders of Hatch’s chile supremacy everywhere.

It may surprise you that this rural town of 1,500 has a world-famous hamburger joint. Sparky’s Burgers and BBQ features an award winning green chile cheeseburger. We split one and agree that it was one of the best burgers we have ever eaten. It comes in a box with store-made fries. The photo doesn’t do it justice.

Sparky’s is also known for a large collection of retro signage and roadside statues located both outside and inside the restaurant. Here are a few examples in addition to the feature image at the top of this post of Sue and friend on a bench waiting for Sparky’s to open.

We highly recommend a visit to Hatch, especially during their annual Chile Festival that occurs each Labor Day weekend. If this made you interested in trying Hatch chiles you can order salsas and frozen chiles from Hatch Chile Express. (We have no financial interest or involvement.)

We will spend the next week in Albuquerque and Santa Fe visiting friends and exploring a retirement community. We’ll check in after we visit Mesa Verde National Park.

Thanks, as always, for following along with us. Please feel free to share this with anyone who may have an interest.