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Eating out is a major pastime in Santa Fe and it's well worth coming here with a mind to join in on the fun. Restaurants with high-profile chefs stand beside low-key joints, many offering unique and intriguing variations on regional and international cuisine. You'll find restaurants full of locals and tourists alike all over the
Eating out is a major pastime in Santa Fe and it's well worth coming here with a mind to join in on the fun. Restaurants with high-profile chefs stand beside low-key joints, many offering unique and intriguing variations on regional and international cuisine. You'll fin
Eating out is a major pastime in Santa Fe and it's well worth coming here with a mind to join in on the fun. Restaurants
Eating out is a major pastime in Santa Fe and it's well worth coming here with a mind to join in on the fun. Restaurants with high-profile chefs stand beside low-key joints, many offering unique and intriguing variations on regional and international cuisine. You'll find restaurants full of locals and tourists alike all over the Downtown and surrounding areas. Although Santa Fe does have some high-end restaurants where dinner for two can exceed $200, the city also has plenty of reasonably priced dining options.
Waits for tables are very common during the busy summer season, so it's a good idea to call ahead even when reservations aren't accepted, if only to get a sense of the waiting time. Reservations for dinner at the better restaurants are a must in summer and on weekends the rest of the year.
So-called Santa Fe–style cuisine has so many influences that the term has become virtually meaningless, especially with many of the city’s top eateries embracing a more international approach to cuisine, albeit all the while sourcing more and more from local farms and ranches. At many top spots in town, you’ll detect Latin American, Mediterranean, and East Asian influences. Yet plenty of traditional, old-style Santa Fe restaurants still serve authentic New Mexican fare, which combines both Native American and Hispanic traditions and is quite different from Americanized as well as regional Mexican cooking.
Santa Fe's culinary reputation continues to grow not just in terms of restaurants but also in businesses that produce or sell specialty foods and beverages, from fine chocolates and local honeys and jams to increasingly acclaimed New Mexico wines, beers, and spirits. Don't miss Santa Fe Farmers' Market, one of the best in the Southwest.
This cheerful cubbyhole is owned by James Beard Award–winning chef and cookbook author Katharine Kagel, who champions organic, local ingredients, and whose expert kitchen staff produces mouthwatering breakfast and lunch specialties like huevos motuleños (eggs in a tangy tomatillo salsa with black beans and fried bananas) and mahi-mahi tostadas. Dinner offerings range from chicken enchiladas to warm Thai noodle salad. The café's shop offers souvenirs such as cookbooks, aprons, and baseball caps, and there's an art gallery next door selling bronzes, ceramics, glassware, and more. Don't be surprised by the lines out front—it is on every tourist list for a reason (reservations are available for dinner only and strongly recommended).
121 Don Gaspar Ave., Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87501, USA
Expect to wait in line at this downtown eatery that's been family operated since 1953, serving flavorful New Mexican food and popular margaritas. Even if you're a devoted green chile fan, definitely try the locally grown red chile the place is famous for; it is rich and earthy, with a bit of spice. Other specialties include red chile enchiladas, green chile stew with potatoes and pork, and charbroiled Shedburgers. The large selection of soups and salads will appeal to all visitors, and be sure to save room for their famous mocha cake. The rambling, low-doored, and atmospheric adobe dating from 1692 is decorated with folk art, and they have kept prices remarkably fair considering the iconic location.
113½ E. Palace Ave., Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87501, USA
This family-run downtown joint has been in operation since 1974, serving some of the area's best New Mexican breakfasts and lunches. Order anything and expect a true taste of local tradition, including perfectly flaky, light sopaipilla; Tia's delicious burritos stuffed with homemade chorizo disappear fast on Saturday so get there early. Mammoth chile-smothered breakfast burritos will hold you over for hours on the powdery ski slopes during winter. Be aware that the red and green chiles are spicy and you're expected to understand this elemental fact of local cuisine.
210 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87501, USA
Run by the family behind Tia Sophia's and Tomasita's, this casual New Mexican restaurant is where locals go to avoid the crowds at other Downtown eateries. Located inside DeVargas shopping center (just five minutes north of the Plaza), Atrisco offers authentic dishes the way Santa Feans like them—smothered in red or green chile (or both, referred to as "Christmas" style). The stuffed sopaipillas are highly recommended, and the meat loaf with jalapeño mashed potatoes will please the "meat-and-tater" crowd looking for hearty fare at slightly less than Plaza-adjacent prices.
193 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87501, USA
Sister to the Shed restaurant located downtown, La Choza (which means "the shed" in Spanish), serves tasty, traditional New Mexican fare. It's hard to go wrong here: chicken or pork carne adovada (marinated in red chile and slow-cooked until tender) burritos, white clam chowder spiced with green chiles, green chile stew, and the classic huevos rancheros are exceptional. The dining rooms are colorful, dark and cozy, with vigas across the ceiling and local art on the walls. The staff is friendly and competent, and the margaritas are potent and flavorful. Make a reservation (even during the week) or you will easily find yourself waiting over an hour for a table.
Run with homespun care by the Razatos family since 1947, this café has been a fixture on the Plaza since 1905. The food runs the gamut of New Mexican fare, including salads, sandwiches, burgers, and tacos (don't miss the delicious crispy avocado tacos). Prices have jumped significantly in recent years, but it is still a preferred stop for breakfast, lunch, or dinner by locals. A South Side branch ( 3466 Zafarano Drive 505/424–0755) is also run by members of the Razatos clan and is close to Cerrillos Road hotels.
This funky spot has colorful walls and wood details, booths, a few individual tables, and a community table. The shaded patio out front is a great summertime spot to enjoy the toothsome Southwest-inspired cooking, from breakfast through dinner. Start the day with savory breakfast rellenos, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, or the smoked-trout hash. The extensive lunch and dinner menus include juicy burgers (both meat and veggie) and some of the best vegetarian enchiladas around. Don't miss the Salvadoran pupusas. Homemade baked goods include a variety of pies and cakes. The staff is friendly and efficient and the care taken by owner/chef Jesus Rivera is evident.
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