Santa Fe Culinary Experiences

Santa Fe is truly a sensory experience from the endless art and history to the dining experiences. I don’t know that you could go wrong in choosing a restaurant but here are a few Santa Fe culinary experiences that we enjoyed.

Tia Sophia’s

Tia Sophia's is a favorite Santa Fe local breakfast spot.
Tia Sophia’s burrito with eggs on top.

Our first morning in Santa Fe we enjoyed breakfast at Tia Sophia’s. This restaurant was founded in 1975 and is now run by the family’s second generation, Nicholas Maryol who continues his parents’ vision of serving comidas nativa, native cuisine to Northern New Mexico. It is a popular breakfast spot and boasts very traditional New Mexican cuisine. We thoroughly enjoyed a breakfast burrito with the eggs on top and huevos rancheros Christmas style (with both red & green chile). There is a bookshelf of children’s classic books to help keep the kids entertained. No lattes here, just good food and conversation.

Cafe Pasquals

Cafe Pasquals is my mother’s favorite restaurant, serving health authentic New Mexican cuisine.

Cafe Pasquals is my mother’s favorite restaurant. She actually managed to eat here twice during our short visit. It has always served authentic New Mexican wholesome food with excellent vegetarian options. It is located on the plaza in historic Santa Fe, does not take reservations and has a line out the door. Interestingly, on Google Maps it is also listed as an art gallery. Most Santa Fe restaurants do boast an amazing art collection, of which many pieces are for sale. The décor here is almost as interesting as the food.

The Shed

We make lunch or dinner at the Shed a regular stop every time we are in Santa Fe.

The Shed has been a local lunch favorite since 1953. We have eaten at the Shed every visit to Santa Fe. It is located downtown on the plaza, very near the cathedral and has an outdoor patio area and the hottest red chile sauce. The margaritas looked amazing on a warm day but I held out for chocolate at Kakawa instead.

Food Trucks

If you are in Santa Fe you must explore Meow Wolf. It is best to get there early so by the time you are tuckered out from exploring you will be ready for lunch. Fortunately a couple of great food trucks hang out in the Meow Wolf parking lot. Taqueria Gracias Madre offers authentic recipes from Zacatecas, Mexico. We enjoyed their tacos and quesadillas. In the mood for something different, Trinity Kitchen is a food truck run by Meow Wolf offering cajun cuisine. You can sit down and enjoy your lunch in the Meow Wolf lobby.

Second Street Brewery

Second Street Brewery is known for its alien burger.

The Second Street Brewery is a casual restaurant located in the Railyard. It has a nice patio and excellent children’s menu. It is perhaps best know for its Alien Burger which is a burger topped with an organic blue corn dusted relleno, chile-jack cheese, smoked bacon, stout queso, Hatch green chile, crispy fried onions, guacamole, chipotle mayo. Bring your appetite should you chose to order it. We visited on Friday evening and our grade school daughter really enjoyed the live music, a band from Nashville playing their own original music. Our preschooler son really enjoyed watching the commuter trains go by.

The commuter train going by Second Street Brewery in the Railyard.

Sazón

Sazón is a special experience best enjoyed for a special date night without the children. Our most decadent dining experience was at Sazón where Chef Olea delighted our palates with freshly crafted moles, light squash blossoms and avocado ice cream, all with very complex flavors. His moles were extraordinary but not necessary as the flavor of the food stood on its own.

Kakawa Chocolate House

Kakawa is a specialty chocolate company known for their authentic and historic drinking chocolates elixirs. Kakawa Chocolate House drinking chocolate elixirs are representative of traditional Pre-Columbian, Mesoamerican, Mayan and Aztec drinking chocolate elixirs spanning the time period 1000 BC to the mid-1900s AD. Visitors can try samples of elixers before deciding on one. All have complex flavors, with many including local chile flavor. While it was another amazing sensory experience all around, our favorite was actually their brownies. A test of whether my husband reads my blog posts to the end will be whether he discovers there are just a couple of small bites of their brownies hidden in the back of our refrigerator.

 

Santa Fe is truly a sensory experience from the endless art and history to the dining experiences. I don’t know that you could go wrong in choosing a restaurant but here are a few Santa Fe culinary experiences that we enjoyed.

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Santa Fe Culinary Experiences

Liana Moore

Liana Moore is a third-culture kid with a hangover from those days that is a severe case of wanderlust. She is more comfortable driving the cliffs of Amalfi, Italy or the dirt roads of Costa Rica or attempting to decipher the street signs of Osaka, Japan than navigating the theme parks of Disney World. But she loves it all. She doesn't believe a vacation is complete without an adventure. Her husband and kids know well that "adventure" often is code for mishap or challenge and it usually results in a good story. They seek outdoor experiences whether in the mountains, on a beach or in the jungle of a tropical country. Her favorite vacation is... all the ones she hasn't yet taken, as well as those she plans on taking again. And, that list is so, so long. But she continues to extensively explore her home state of Colorado, spends lots of time wandering Texas, California, New Mexico, Costa Rica, Mexico, Norway and has even explored Kazakhstan.

12 thoughts on “Santa Fe Culinary Experiences

  • June 23, 2017 at 10:19 pm
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    Yum!!! The food in Santa Fe looks delicious. I might have to go give it a try.

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    • July 12, 2017 at 3:09 am
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      The one thing you MUST check out (non food related) while there is Meow Wolf. Totally different art experience!

      Reply
  • July 1, 2017 at 2:06 am
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    Wow, my mouth is watering right now! Ufff, all this food looks delicious. We love to visit places full of delicious food and I believe Santa Fe has those because of its long history and mix of cultures. Looking forward to try New Mexican food. #FlyAwayFriday

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  • July 1, 2017 at 3:09 am
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    So happy you enjoyed the delights of Santa Fe. I’m from Albuquerque so I’m an hour away from all that goodness. My mouth is watering reading this!
    #FlyAwayFriday

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    • July 12, 2017 at 3:11 am
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      Ahhh, lucky you. I am sure Albuquerque has its share of excellent New Mexican cuisine also.

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  • July 1, 2017 at 11:26 am
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    Everything looks so good! Discovering the food is one of my favorite things about traveling. #FlyAwayFriday

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  • July 12, 2017 at 2:41 am
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    Every place looks delicious, but I’m especially interested in the Kakawa Chocolate House. I’ve always wondered what those ancient elixers taste like. (Did your husband find the brownies?)

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    • July 12, 2017 at 3:04 am
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      Ha, ha. I wondered if anyone would ask. He did NOT find the brownies. I got to enjoy them all to myself. Kakawa was a cool experience. Definitely recommend. Thanks for stopping by!

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  • July 13, 2017 at 4:04 pm
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    I’ve been dying to go to Santa Fe thanks to some of my favorite musicals and it looks like they have fabulous eating options! Can’t wait to try these out someday! Thanks for joining #FlyAwayFriday – hope to see you again tomorrow! xo

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  • July 13, 2017 at 7:51 pm
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    These all look fabulous! I really want to explore New Mexico more and your posts always intrigue me to go. hope to see you tomorrow at the new #flyawayfriday!

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  • August 14, 2017 at 8:05 am
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    This all looks amazing! In Australia, it’s gradually getting better, but Mexican food in general is not very authentic. This all looks very drool-worthy #flyawayfriday

    Reply

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