Le Rendez-vous Café — Restaurant in Las Cruces

I’ve lived in Las Cruces for over seven years, without ever hearing of the Rendezvous Cafe. Seven years! My friend invited me so I put it into my GPS because my nick name is "Wrong Way." When I reach the location, I’m looking for signs. I expect something, maybe a charming cottage I can see from the street with a très chic sign and a little puff pastry dangling in the breeze. Nothing. I went right past it. But then I realized it’s in a strip mall... like they’re hiding from the world.

Finally, I walk in, and it’s like I’ve been transported to a French-themed diner with fresh pastries! And I’m not talking about the usual supermarket stuff you find at Albertsons. I’m talking real pastries made fresh that day. Before I can lunge for a table (cos I know I'm eating here) the waitress tells me to write my name down on a ledger. What is this, jury duty? But that is a triviality because the food! The food! It’s well-seasoned like they really care how it tastes.

Now, here’s the kicker: it gets packed at noon. Packed! Where are all these people coming from? Was I the last person in Las Cruces to hear about this place? Apparently. And my friend—who's much smarter than me, tells me, “Order the pastries first. I mean, BEFORE you eat. Because they disappear like the snow here in winter."

So, to sum it up: Rendezvous Café is a hidden gem--at least to me. And when I say hidden, it’s also hard to find, but once you do, it’s like stumbling into a little French haven in the middle of the desert. Just make sure you write your name down… and for the love of all things buttery and flaky, order...

My husband and I are breakfast people and love to eat out. We've been to just about every breakfast place in town, and Le Rendez-Vous Café is by far our favorite. I'm shocked I haven't left a review yet! I remember the first time we walked in years ago and saw the most gorgeous assortment of pastries; my jaw dropped and my mouth watered. We were hooked. We have since become regulars, enjoying our little French hidden gem at least once a week.

Truly, nowhere else in town can compare to the well-roundedness that this restaurant offers. Their quiche never fails to impress, the daily specials are always delicious, the soups are mouthwatering (the French onion puts all other restaurants to shame), the breakfasts are remarkable (whether you are craving savory or sweet), you can't go wrong with any of the lunch dishes (chicken caprese or salmon sandwich are my favorite lunches), the espressos and mimosas are perfect, and the pastries are simply to die for. I dug in before I remembered to take a picture! The pastry chef is from France, so you can get the authenticity of French delicacies without the plane ticket.

We have had the pleasure of getting to know the owners over the last few years, and they are the kindest, most hardworking people you'll ever meet. They have perfected the marriage between French roots with Louisiana flare, and brought it right to our backyard in Southern New Mexico. If you haven't eaten here yet, you are depriving yourself! It can get pretty packed, but that is just representative of how incredible this little hole in the wall...

Loved it!! 10 stars out of 5. 😅

Traveling in NM to remember my Dad. Le Rendez-vous was one of his favorites.

I know why.

I must admit, the location and actual restaurant are a little puzzling to me. It sits in the end of a washed up strip mall and is on the small side. The inside is not new or fancy and by my families description of how great it is, I was a little surprised.

But-no matter. The French trained chef makes up for this with an incredible selection of pastries and the food makes your mouth water.

I was told, "Get there early, if you don't they run out of things. And...just order the special ". Well, the special that day was mussels so mmmm yeah, that's a no from me. Not really a mussels fan even when I'm being adventurous. I will go outside the box when someone suggests I should but not for mussels, that's an acquired taste as they say.

I had the Ham & Brie and can I just say, magnificent! I've ordered this from many places and have yet to have it made with actual slices of brie. What usually happens is someone had a melted down version of brie. It was served with a homemade honey mustard ...oh geez, so good.

We bought 5 pastries and wow!! There is some serious magic happening with the pastries from there.

If you are ever near Le Rendez-vous you should...