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
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. 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
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
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.
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.
Yum!!! The food in Santa Fe looks delicious. I might have to go give it a try.
Everything looks delicious. I’m actually planning a trip to Santa Fe so this was very helpful!
The one thing you MUST check out (non food related) while there is Meow Wolf. Totally different art experience!
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
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
Ahhh, lucky you. I am sure Albuquerque has its share of excellent New Mexican cuisine also.
Everything looks so good! Discovering the food is one of my favorite things about traveling. #FlyAwayFriday
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?)
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!
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
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!
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