A Feast of Elevated Flavors

LOCAL FAVORITES IN SANTA FE COUNTY

From five-star resort dining and James Beard award-winning restaurants to Japanese small plates, farm-to-table fare and roadside comfort foods, Santa Fe County serves up a mouth-watering feast of flavors. Our delicious diversity of restaurants puts us on the map as a world-class dining destination. Sample some of our foodie hot spots and you’ll see why.

Insider Tip

With it’s sweet, earthy, sometimes spicy notes, New Mexico’s green chile is famous around the world. Roasted green chile has long been a staple in kitchens across the region as well as in our restaurants, whether they’re serving traditional New Mexican food or upscale contemporary fare. Locals add it to stews, sauces, cheeseburgers, even pizza and ice cream. It’s just that good.

Rancho de Chimayó

Taste our prized green chile in one of the most beloved traditional New Mexican restaurants, Rancho de Chimayó, winner of a coveted James Beard America’s Classics award. The century-old adobe home is an ideal setting for savoring green chile stew, carne asada, chile rellenos and other favorites made from family recipes.

Gabriel’s

Gabriel’s serves an authentic mix of modern and classic Mexican and Southwestern dishes and seasonal specials. Guacamole has never tasted better than when you’re on the Old World patio of Gabriel’s, enjoying a bowl of this zesty avocado-based dip after watching a master make it at your tableside.

With culinary creativity that blends regional traditions and global influences,

Terra Restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado

Terra Restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe is celebrated for innovative delectable dishes. With a new chef, the menu has changed. Think carne adovada-spiced filet mignon and seafood paella. The sleek contemporary interior is perfect for the inspired food, but poolside dining is pretty nice, too. No matter where you eat, every bite will be as memorable as the mountain views.

El Nido

The Tesuque mainstay for great food and fun, El Nido started out as a 1920s roadhouse then morphed into a spirited dance hall. Today this iconic restaurant is famous for house-made pasta, wood-fired pizza, seafood and steaks, and a warm atmosphere that takes you back to Old Santa Fe.

 

Izanami

Perched high in the mountains, Izanami serves small plates of sublime Japanese bar food. The izakaya-inspired restaurant is part of Ten Thousand Waves, a well-loved Japanese-style mountain spa. Wander over from your spa soak wrapped in a kimono and indulge in lobster tail tempura or wagyu beef ishiyaki, cooked on a hot stone at your table. The best seats are on the balcony, where you just might think you’re in paradise among rolling mountainsides.

SkyFire restaurant and bar at Bishop’s Lodge Auberge Resorts Collection

The handsome Santa Fe-style SkyFire restaurant and bar at Bishop’s Lodge Auberge Resorts Collection–Santa Fe offers an exciting dining experience featuring creative Southwestern cuisine made with local artisanal ingredients. A smoky mezcal cocktail will set the scene as you consult with SkyFire’s Chile Host about which chile oils to pair with your meal.

 

Blue Heron Restaurant at Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort

Blue Heron Restaurant at Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort spotlights local ingredients that honor the seasons. Each of the vibrant, flavorful dishes — pan-seared scallops with red chile parsnip cream; tahini stuffed roasted eggplant; and pork tenderloin with red chile honey glaze, for instance — is designed to be an elixir for body, mind and spirit, leaving you not only sated but wholly satisfied.

Cafe Fina

Fuel up on modern American comfort food at Cafe Fina, where green chile cheeseburgers and chipotle shrimp corncakes are just some of the hits. Take a seat at a patio table, overlooking the action on a bocci course, and dig into  Cloud Cakes, fluffy pancakes made with ricotta and topped with fresh berries. You’ll be in seventh heaven.

Jambo Bobcat Bite

A blend of Caribbean, Indian, East African, and North African flavors enhances the menu at Jambo Bobcat Bite, where James Beard nominated chef Ahmed Obo cooks up delightful dishes including a celebrated green chile cheeseburger.

Harry’s Roadhouse

Harry’s Roadhouse is legendary for its innovative fare as much as its colorful interior and rambling garden of towering hollyhock and juniper trees that shade the patio. The menu is a happy jumble of New Mexican staples like enchiladas, tacos, and burritos, along with classic diner fare such as burgers, ribs, and fried chicken. No matter what you order, the food is always fantastic. The desserts are out of this world so leave room for peach cobbler à la mode, blueberry pie and other sweets.

Beer Creek Brewing Company

Out on the Turquoise Trail, Beer Creek Brewing Company draws in a lively crowd with its acclaimed craft beer, made with it its own locally grown hops. People also love the primo pizza, green chile cheesecake and other filling fare that pairs well with suds. The patio is a prime spot to catch live music and take in amazing views.

Black Bird Saloon

You don’t have to have a horse and a ten-gallon Stetson, but you’ll want to when you saunter into the Black Bird Saloon. You’ll find it in the old Wild West village of Cerrillos, housed in a 19th-century former saloon with crooked floors and a swinging door. The Black Bird is known for its laid-back ambiance and mighty fine grub, like the Black Jack Ketchum burger spiked with gun-powder rub.

Mine Shaft Tavern

Down the road from Cerrillos, the old mining town of Madrid boasts a boisterous dining scene, thanks to the historic Mine Shaft Tavern, built in 1946. The excellent roadhouse cuisine includes the Mad Chile Burger, loaded with Hatch green chile that’s both battered and fried as well as roasted.

Insider Tip

New Mexico’s green chile is legendary. With its profound combination of sweet, smoky, earthy and often spicy flavors, this prized ingredient has long been a staple in kitchens and restaurants across the region.