43 Best Restaurants in Santa Fe, New Mexico

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.

Given New Mexico's deep ties to its easterly neighbor, the Lone Star State, it's hardly surprising that the region has some top-notch barbecue joints, including this spacious, contemporary adobe building with two large patios. It turns out superb, fall-off-the-bone barbecue brisket, baby-back ribs, pulled pork, and smoked half-chicken. Fish tacos, steaks, burgers, and traditional New Mexican dishes round out the extensive menu. The Ranch House is about a 15-minute drive from the Plaza and a great option for visitors staying in hotels along Cerrillos Road.

Tiny Rowley Farmhouse Ales has won several awards at the Great American Beer Festival, including three medals for its sour-style ales, so if you like beer (any kind of beer) a stop at Rowley is a must. In addition to offering its own brews, Rowley also has an extensive list of local and imported beers and ciders that it finds inspiring, along with comfort foods like shrimp po'boys, cast-iron skillet green chile mac 'n' cheese, and chicken and waffles. Tucked off Cerrillos on a side street in an industrial-meets-residential area, it's a comfortable neighborhood spot to enjoy a beer and meal.

In Lone Butte, about 20 miles south of Downtown Santa Fe along the northern end of the scenic Turquoise Trail, this funky spot is known for its creative fare and nontraditional setting: an actual feed store selling propane, hardware, tools, and farm animal feed, with roosters, turkeys, and peacocks running about outside. In one of the two bric-a-brac–filled dining rooms, sample rich cinnamon rolls and such delectables as burritos stuffed with roast beef and potatoes and topped with green chile. Expect a wait on weekend mornings.

This big red food truck is a constant along Old Santa Fe Trail, serving up quick and delicious BBQ sandwiches, coleslaw, beans, and all the fixins. It's the perfect break from typical New Mexican food while still experiencing some unique local flavor.

This descendant of the legendary Bobcat Bite burger joint is now an employee-owned spot where guests come for the juicy green-chile cheeseburgers and humongous 15-ounce "Big Bite" burgers—along with hefty steaks, enchiladas, and tacos—in a kitsch-filled strip mall space south of town. There's breakfast, too; morning highlights include huevos rancheros, gluten-free buttermilk waffles, and traditional steak-and-eggs. The food is great and the service is friendly.

In a historic building toward the end of gallery row at the intersection of Canyon Road and East Palace Avenue, you'll find the Teahouse, with several bright dining rooms throughout the converted adobe home, and a tranquil outdoor seating area. In addition to fine teas from all over the world, you can find delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, including baked polenta with poached eggs and romesco sauce, bagels and lox, and wild-mushroom panini. The service tends to be leisurely but friendly.

Located right on famed Canyon Road, this Thai spot is a refreshing change of pace when you've had all the red and green chile you can handle and don't want to drop a few hundred dollars for a meal at the fancy restaurants down the block. Traditional soups, decadent noodle dishes, and flavorful curries are available both for dine-in and take-out. There really aren't too many outstanding Asian restaurants in Santa Fe so this popular spot has expanded to a second location in El Dorado, about 20 minutes outside of town.

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.

A refreshing alternative to the many Santa Fe restaurants that favor filling (and often fattening) dishes, Vinaigrette is all about the greens. This isn't mere rabbit food, however—the hearty salads make a satisfying meal, especially when you add toppings like grilled flank steak, lemon-herb chicken breast, or griddled tofu. The apple-cheddar chop and classic French frisée salads are among the highlights. There are also fresh, house-made soups and sandwiches, and you can eat on the pleasant patio in the summer. For such a casual space, Vinaigrette is notably spendy, but devotees feel the high-quality ingredients are worth it. There are sister restaurants in Albuquerque and Austin, Texas, and the owners also run Modern General, an adjacent, hipster-approved lifestyle shop and café.

A rollicking, popular bar and grill with several rooms overflowing with Old West memorabilia, Cowgirl has reasonably priced Southwestern, Tex-Mex, barbecue, and Southern fare. Highlights include barbecue, buffalo burgers, chiles rellenos, and salmon tacos with tomatillo salsa. If you catch one of the nightly music acts—usually rock or blues—you're likely to leave smiling. When the weather is good, grab a seat on the spacious patio out front, order a delicious margarita and some green-chile cheese fries, and settle in for great people-watching. The attached pool hall has a loaded jukebox to keep toes tapping. Alas, service can be spotty.

Locals congregate in the courtyard or on the front portal of Downtown Subscription, a block east of Canyon Road. A great, friendly spot to people-watch, this café-newsstand sells coffees, snacks, and pastries, plus one of the largest assortments of newspapers and magazines in town. It has lovely outdoor spaces to sit and sip during warm weather.

This airy, contemporary café across from the Downtown public library has large plate-glass windows, and brushed-metal tables inside and out on the sidewalk under the portal. Try the delicious and creative gelato flavors (strawberry-habanero, brandied cherry, fig-and-walnut, chocolate-banana) or some of the espressos and coffees, pastries, and sandwiches (roast beef and blue cheese, tuna with dill, cucumber, and sprouts).