Santa Fe’s vibrant restaurant scene is speckled with more than 300 options. How can any one ever know them all when coming through town for a few days? You can’t, which is why I do the heavy lifting for you by sharing what I feel are some of the city’s best dining choices. As we encounter additional restaurants that meet or exceed our expectations, I will proudly add them to the list so you, too, can enjoy some of Santa Fe’s best culinary delights.
I have categorized the top recommendations into Our Standards and represent places we have been returning to for years, while the New Favorite Finds are the restaurants we have fallen for since living here. These top picks are featured on this page, while other pages include On the Town, Healthier Bites, Just Java and Tea, Algo Dulce (Something Sweet), Only in Santa Fe and Worth the Drive.
Our Standards
Vinaigrette
When you are craving some light, tasty and totally good + good for you, head straight to Vinaigrette, just off of Cerrillos and Paseo de Peralta. It’s where we have been happily landing since it opened in 2008. Vinaigrette has and always will be at the top of our go-to list. David and I both have a constant desire for their impeccable (and vegan) mushroom stew and any one of their many specialty salads always satisfies.
Whether it’s the middle of winter or a warm summer day, Vinaigrette always puts a smile on our faces and makes us feel healthy and wholesome. It’s open all day, so we can slide in at 3 pm for lunch and never worry about it being crowded and “Vinny’s” (as it is known by the locals) inherent casual vibe makes it easy to stumble in at the last moment when we are verging on hangry.
We have loved Vinaigrette for this long, and longer. And we used to drive to the location in Austin.
Cafe Pasqual’s
The moment you step into Cafe Pasqual’s, you know immediately you are entering into a Santa Fe institution–and one we still happily return to even after dozens of visits throughout the years. Generally, you will have to wait in a long line, so we recommend you go off hours to avoid the crowds. Pasqual’s serves breakfast all day and the seasonal, locally-sourced menu is stocked with sensational dishes that make you smile and feel good about eating, while the authentic and simple decor is in step with this restaurant’s approach to food. Authentic, simple and absolutely delicious.
We start with their unique blends of fresh juices which make you feel so fresh and virtuous. And with so many great restaurants in town, we will happily accept all of the virtue we can get. Whenever we can get it.
If you fall in love with Pasqual’s, you have our permission to purchase a pair of the branded coffee mugs, and bowls or choose their festive calendar and/or one of their two Cafe Pasqual’s cookbooks to take home with you. Over the years, we bought the whole package–cookbook, calendar, mugs and bowls–to enjoy at home. These mementos of Santa Fe always gave us a reason to contemplate the next vacation. To Santa Fe, of course. And now that we live here, we still enjoy the mugs and bowls.
El Farol
If you are into history and longevity, add El Farol to your hit list as it has recently experienced an overhaul with new ownership, a new interior and a new menu, which is a good thing considering this is the most historic bar and restaurant in Santa Fe and hails back to 1835. This was one of the first spots we visited when we arrived for a New Year’s wedding in 1996 and one of the first places we met new friends after we relocated here.
Whether you care to eat, enjoy dinner during a Saturday night traditional flamenco music and dance session or grab a cocktail and catch your breath after perusing the shops and galleries along Canyon Road, El Farol an iconic corner of Santa Fe that everyone should experience if only for a drink.
New Favorite Finds
The Pantry
When we first moved here and started cruising Cerrillos, the city’s longest vein that runs from downtown to the big box stores on the southside, we would pass The Pantry and David would say,”That place looks good.” I would laugh and say, “Make a new friend and convince them to go with you.” One cold winter day, I decided David needed to go to The Pantry and I offered to go with him for breakfast. He was bewildered and elated at the same time and a smile immediately changed the somber look on his face. And as soon as I walked into The Pantry, I knew he was right. This place is special. The staff is incredible, friendly and capable, while the kitchen team is definitely bringing their A-game. Every. Single. Day.
Maybe it was the chile relleno omelet that won my heart or the equally spectacular chile relleno plate I had on our second visit? Or the special guapo waiter, Ruben, who lights up the room with his smile or the most hospitable manager, Tupper? Or the fact that I can proudly speak Spanish here? Or maybe it’s that the service is quick and the homemade food is exquisite. Or is it that they make “extra crispy potatoes” that are extra delicious to accompany my breakfast dish? All of these are the reasons that keep us going back, again and again.
Now when we drive by, I say, “When are we going to The Pantry, honey?”
Dolina Cafe & Bakery
We love breakfast. We eat it for breakfast, lunch or brunch and we adore it for dinner. Anytime is a good time for breakfast foods in our world. After introducing a neighbor and his daughter to the farmers market one Saturday morning, he suggested we stop into one of his favorite places on the way home, Dolina Cafe & Bakery. He wanted to pick up a few sweet treats for our spouses–both of whom stayed home. I loved that he was so thoughtful and David enthusiastically devoured the freshly baked sweet bread (that was still warm) when I returned.
So David and I were excited to visit this new found hot spot and try it out for brunch one weekend morning. It was busy when we arrived. The space was buzzing with tables of multi-generational families, couples, men gathered in twos and fours and groups of happy women. The smell of home-cooked foods and case overflowing with freshly baked breads, pastries and cookies exasperated our state of hunger as we briefly waited to be seated at the only available two top table.
The staff happily obliged my request for a special omelet and they have gluten-free bread options which made me extremely happy and ensured I will return. Bonus is that this casual dining spot is so close to the house which is enticing when a good breakfast is in order, but when we don’t want to cook.
And every time we return to Dolina’s, we leave saying we love it even more. We slid in for lunch the other day and were welcomed with smiling faces and a packed house. Every seat was occupied in this intimate gathering spot that attracts a wide variety of people who come for the thoughtful menu that speaks to all palates. The customers return for the hospitality, quality and well-priced menu and the supreme case of baked goods that greet you on arrival.
This tuna poached sandwich surpassed my expectations. Light on the bread (which is the way I wanted it) but heavy on flavor (which is the way I wanted it), the freshly poached tuna paired beautifully with the briny capers, while the pesto provided a serious layer of flavor and the tomato gave it just enough moisture. The lightly dressed salad accompanying the sandwich offered enough greens to make me feel wholesome.
Pizza Centro
David turned me on to real pizza when we first met. Since he was born in Manhattan, it was New York pizza, of course. Not a pizza with a thick crust or the crispy, cracker-like variety. And never a pizza with a ton of ingredients on it. That’s what he calls a garbage pie.
Real pizza has a thin crust with a nice amount of red sauce and not too much cheese. The crust should be bubbly with gorgeous black spots and if you get any toppings, we recommend a garlic pizza with half pepper and onion.
When we moved here, pizza was one of the first cravings we had and, after a bit of research, this was where David chose. And, once again, he nailed it. The pizza at Pizza Centro is spot on great.
If you lean towards gluten-free pies, theirs is really, really good. The salads are big enough for two (or more) people to share. Now we have learned that it’s best to share the house salad, a simple salad with lettuce and cucumbers that makes you feel like you are getting a few nutrients with this pizza splurge.
While there are many other pizza places in Santa Fe, we ended our search for the city’s best pizza because, for us, it doesn’t get any better than Pizza Centro. And with three locations, there’s a pizza fix in your future no matter where you are staying.
Plaza Cafe
We have walked by it a hundred times but never stopped because it looked, too, well, touristy. But the Plaza Cafe is anything but touristy. This slender strip of a restaurant is nestled just off the bustling plaza and awaits you when you need a refreshing drink, a delectable meal and/or a genuine dose of hospitality. The friendly wait staff are crisp and attentive and the place is generally filled with characters.
The diverse menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner feed the need for New Mexican cuisine as well as traditional hearty breakfasts, authentic Mexican cuisine (like real chilaquiles) and even global flavors including a righteous Greek salad, spaghetti and meatballs as well as fish and chips. Several breakfast options are served all day for the all-day breakfast lovers.
As always, I went for the chile relleno omelette and David chose the huevos divorciados, which features a to-die-for chipotle sauce on one egg and a flavorful green sauce on the other. We tried their chai latte and have decided they have one of the best in town.
Harry’s Roadhouse
If you are tired of people asking “red or green or Christmas” when you order, head straight to Harry’s Roadhouse where locals have been dining since 1992 for good global food at a good price with good drinks and ample conviviality. Located at El Gancho Road and Old Pecos Highway, it’s easy to get to and the parking lot is huge. Open seven days a week, Harry, Peyton and their well-oiled machine of servers and kitchen gurus offer three quality meals a day–and never close–which is one of the reasons it’s such a gathering spot. In addition, the menu offers a wide variety of vegetarian and gluten-free options, which always wins me over.
From breakfast to burgers and a vegetarian burger, buddha bowl to pizza, cobb salad to soup and sandwich, Moroccan stew to mushroom stew over polenta, chicken fricassee to meatloaf, Harry’s will feed and nourish you when you are in town.
The French fries really are homemade and are hard to say no to, so don’t. But save room for the desserts as there are several gluten-free choices like the tahini brownie. Whether you seek breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack or dessert, stop by and dine like a local in an eclectic restaurant adored by generations of Santa Feans.
