Top
Santa Fe

Eating Out in Santa Fe

Explore the Everyday

I consider trying out a city or town’s local foods to be one of the many pleasures and adventures of traveling. That goes especially for Santa Fe, one of the best destinations in New Mexico to sample this state’s particular take on Southwest cuisine. The question is just where to eat!

There are innumerable eating spots in Santa Fe, concentrated in the downtown area near the Plaza, but also spread throughout the town. I could not try or mention them all, but here are a few that caught my attention:

Coffee Shops

I am one to always try a few coffee shops in the area. Both Iconik Coffee Roasters and 35 North offered a tasty latte. Iconik also offers breakfast tacos, among other things, a perfect bite to eat before heading out for a hike. I’d say it is worth more than one visit. There is a downtown location on Guadeloupe Street and another, more hidden location on Lena Street as well.

Restaurants

Tomasita’s is well known as both a local and tourist hotspot. They do have the best hot sopaipillas served with honey butter 😋. They also have a margarita “swirl”, which is a mix of margarita and sangria, and looks quite fancy. And they offer a wide variety of other tasty Southwest food. They also often have a long line to get a table. If you are early or lucky, you may be able to just grab a seat at the bar instead of waiting, like I did. Very lively place, worth a visit.
The Plaza Café Downtown is located right on Santa Fe Plaza, and they have an outside eating area where you can look out at the Plaza as you dine. They have stuffed sopaipillas and blue corn enchiladas here, as well as other various delicious-looking dishes (even Greek salad!), and some interesting surprises like Prickly Pear lemonade. It’s good food, and an excellent place to take in the Plaza ambience, but if you are going toward the evening and sitting outside, remember to bring your cardigan or jacket so you stay comfortable!

A good restaurant is like a vacation; it transports you, and it becomes a lot more than just about the food.

Philip Rosenthal

The absolute best food I had (which is saying a lot, it was all good) was at Los Potrillos, which is really more of a straight Mexican restaurant rather than a “Southwest” one. I was all set to start out with guacamole and chips after a long day hiking. But just below that on the menu I saw “Nopalitos José”, or cactus salad with avocado and more. I decided to try it and it was…..omg so good. I followed up with the Gorditas Zacatecas and a Mexican Hot Chocolate for dessert. Completely yum. 😋

Late Night

I did find that the restaurants closed down everywhere about 9pm. One night we needed something a little later, so we went to Del Charro, which is open til midnight most days, and til 10 on Sundays. There are burgers, Frito pie, and such sold here, along with bar libations. But what stuck out most to me was the Hatch Chile Queso which was the best queso I’ve ever had. So do make some time to stop by and try that!

Related post: Santa Fe

Mexican Hot Chocolate from Los Potrillos on arrival

Santa Fe Mexican Hot Chocolate

mid-way through

Try it all!

A few more mentions: Tia Sophia’s for the breakfast burritos, The Pantry, Santa Fe Bite, and for a bit of a more elegant atmosphere, La Plazuela at La Fonda.Essentially, any place you try out will give you some of that good Santa Fe flavor. Be sure to try both the red and green chile sauces on your food, or order it “Christmas” (both red and green). And whatever you haven’t seen before, try it! For me, the most “Santa Fe” things to eat are sopaipillas and hatch chiles.Anybody have more recommendations on where to eat in Santa Fe?
0

post a comment