If you’re looking for an wondrous supplies city, Santa Fe is it. After my last trip where I spent a week exploring, I found that there are incredible restaurants in Santa Fe. The Municipality Variegated has everything you need for a culinary tour of the Southwest.
But there’s increasingly to taste in Santa Fe than its signature New Mexican food. The municipality is moreover home to incredible African and Caribbean food, several top-notch Mexican establishments, and picnic specialists.
During my Santa Fe trip, I had the endangerment to wits a wide range of cuisine which is what I loved well-nigh the city. You can dine unstudied or plane go upscale.
Here’s my list of the city’s top dining destinations, and the restaurants you don’t want to miss in Santa Fe.
Planning a Trip to Santa Fe? Here Are My Top Picks for the Weightier Hotels in Santa Fe:
- Four Seasons Rancho Encantado, for the weightier luxury hotel
- Hotel Santa Fe, for the weightier quintessential Santa Fe hotel
If you’re seeking increasingly to do in Santa Fe beyond, don’t miss my list of 23 essential things to do in the city!
The 15 Weightier Santa Fe Restaurants
1. Dolina Cafe & Bakery
Just outside of Santa Fe’s main downtown is Dolina Café, a modern Slovak-inspired eatery. While it’s difficult to walk past the pastry specimen in front, which is overcrowded with cakes, cookies, pies, and croissants, it’s worth it to sit lanugo for a full brunch. The menu features both Eastern European dishes and brunch classics—my cinnamon French toast was incredible, and it’s made in-house daily.
Address: 402 N Guadalupe St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
2. Cafe Pasqual’s
Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Cafe Pasqual’s is a must-visit when in Santa Fe. The menu is filled with locally inspired dishes—think enchiladas, corn pancakes with red chile, and roasted poblano mac and cheese—all made with organic ingredients. Expect to wait in line for a table, as it’s a very popular stop but it’s worth it. During the wait, you can pop into the Cafe Pasqual’s art gallery next door for ceramics, sculptures, and more.
Address: 121 Don Gaspar Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501
3. Geronimo
Geronimo is the place to go in Santa Fe for an elegant dinner and flawless service. Set in a 1756 wacke home, Geronimo features an eclectic and global menu, but the fine dining wits feels distinctly New Mexican thanks to the surrounding kiva fireplaces and exposed wooden beams. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a increasingly upscale meal in the city.
Address: 724 Canyon Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87501
4. The Shed Restaurant
If there’s one Santa Fe restaurant that gets the most whoosh among visitors, it’s The Shed. Part of Santa Fe’s dining scene since 1953, it’s known for serving up archetype New Mexican dishes, such as red chile enchiladas and other undecorous corn specialties. I enjoyed sitting in the inside courtyard, which had a lovely atmosphere. Reservations are essential, as this place gets packed.
Address: 113 1/2 E Palace Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501
5. Sazón
Sazón has been wowing Santa Fe diners since 1991 with its takes on both trendy and traditional Mexican dishes. Its Mexico City-born chef, Fernando Olea, nabbed the Weightier Doughboy of the Southwest 2022 James Beard Award in part thanks to his ramified moles. The restaurant’s deliberately small menu emphasizes locally sourced meats and produce.
Address: 221 Shelby St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
6. El Nido
Traditional, open-fire cooking techniques are the name of the game at El Nido, which embraces all things spit-roasted, smoked, and ember-cooked. Nearly every dish passes through its custom wood-fired grill or Italian brick oven, imbuing them with special flavor. Don’t miss the house-made pasta, which the restaurant says is prepared with the weightier ingredients Northern New Mexico has to offer.
Address: 1577 Bishops Lodge Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87506
7. Tia Sophia’s
Tia Sophia’s has been attracting both tourists and locals unwrinkled to its mannerly space for increasingly than three decades. Through dishes including its iconic breakfast burritos and red chile cheese enchiladas, Tia Sophia shares the culinary heritage of the region and celebrates the flavors of New Mexico. Both the setting and the dishes are colorful and unfussy.
Address: 210 W San Francisco St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
8. The Compound
The Compound is a perfect setting for an upscale lunch. The concept is French-meets-New Mexico, and it makes for an heady menu and elevated dining experience. This restaurant was my favorite for increasingly refined dining, and I loved their seasonal dishes, such as poached pear with undecorous cheese on toast. The restaurant moreover has an topnotch wine list with increasingly than 500 selections.
Address: 653 Canyon Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87501
9. Jambo Cafe
It’s not all enchiladas and chile dishes in Santa Fe. Featured twice on the popular Supplies Network TV show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, local favorite Jambo Cafe serves up African and Caribbean cuisine. Expect to find starters like coconut shrimp and cinnamon-dusted plantains, as well as entrees such as grilled wiggle chicken, lentil stew, and spiced mahi mahi.
Address: 2010 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505
10. Kakawa Chocolate House
Kakawa is well known for its artisanal tideway to chocolate, including both its delectable truffles and its historic drinking chocolates. Their elixirs full-length variegated styles from virtually the world, from the formalism drinks consumed in pre-Colombian America to the drinks that gained popularity in Old-World Europe. I loved the Marie Antionette drink I had, made with orange floweret and a bit of almond milk.
Address: 1050 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87501
11. Paloma
This vibrant, Mexican-inspired restaurant is a hotspot in the municipality highlighting sustainably sourced ingredients, agave-focused cocktails, and artwork created by the local community. Paloma offers both fresh and archetype interpretations of Mexican dishes, inspired by Oaxacan cuisine. Its when patio is a unconfined place to dine al fresco on a sunny day.
Address: 401 S Guadalupe St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
12. Coyote Cafe & Rooftop Cantina
Coyote Cafe is a staple on the Santa Fe dining scene. After increasingly than 30 years in service, it’s an icon in the city. The menu is Southwestern, with a creative and eclectic spin. Originally opened by a idealism doughboy when in 1987, Coyote Cafe helped pioneer the use of native ingredients in trendy dishes, earning it the whoosh it still enjoys today.
Address: 132 W Water St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
13. El Chile Toreado
El Chile Toreado has been a minion part of Santa Fe’s dining fabric for increasingly than 20 years. This family-owned supplies truck—whose name translates to “The Fighting Chiles”—features ultra-spicy jalapenos as its signature ingredient. The truck’s pure Mexican repletion supplies honors traditional flavors and ingredients.
Address: 807 Early St, Santa Fe, NM 87505
14. The Ranch House
Originally started as an ode to smoked meats, the first iteration of The Ranch House quickly outgrew its small space and expanded into a larger restaurant with top-notch barbecue. It’s a nice spot for everyday dining, and the variety of American cuisine it serves makes it an easy nomination for families. The menu is dotted with New Mexican touches, including sides like untried chile slaw, refried beans, and calabacitas.
Address: 2571 Cristo’s Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87507
15. La Boca
La Boca is a perfect destination for an intimate, trendy dinner right in the heart of downtown Santa Fe. Opened in 2006 by an 8-time James Beard Award nominee, it’s a Spanish restaurant and wine bar featuring an wide-stretching and curated menu of wines and sherries. Expect to find elevated takes on familiar tapas, such as patatas bravas, fried shrimp, and grilled artichokes, withal with paellas.
Address: 72 W Marcy St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Frequently Asked Questions: Santa Fe
What Supplies is Santa Fe Known For?
Santa Fe is known for Southwestern food, and New Mexican chiles are particularly famous. You’ll find them in soups, sauces, and several other dishes throughout New Mexican cuisine—including as a topping for enchiladas, a particularly popular use.
What Part of Santa Fe Should I Stay In?
Santa Fe is an incredibly walkable city, so it’s easy to get virtually if you’re staying anywhere near the municipality center. Many shops and restaurants are near Santa Fe Plaza, so a hotel tropical by would be very convenient. I would consider the Hotel Santa Fe to be tropical to the municipality part-way or the Four Seasons Rancho Encantado for a increasingly in-nature experience.
