Touring the City Different is a great way to work up your appetite. While most city centers are home to expensive food at high prices, there is a collection of Santa Fe Plaza restaurants that deliver high-quality dishes at reasonable prices! So, you can go from museum to table in minutes before heading back out to explore more history and art. After all, tasting is believing.
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The Best Santa Fe Plaza Restaurants
1. Famous Plaza Cafe
The Plaza Cafe is famous for being Santa Fe’s oldest restaurant. The historic diner serves up casual diner cuisine in a classic Art Deco setting. Take a break from touring in the heart of town to enjoy lunch or dinner at this Santa Fe Plaza restaurant. Popular menu items include tortilla soup, tostada salad, green chile meatloaf, spicy fish n’ chips, and New Mexico cream pasta. Their Frito pie and street tacos are unique and tasty New Mexican options.
2. The Shed
The Shed combines a fantastic atmosphere with a delicious menu and an excellent location. Red chile is the highlight here, but you’ll also find an array of class New Mexican dishes with a spin. Savor their famous Shedburger, which features fresh raw green chile, jalapeno, tomato, and onion pico. Blue corn burritos and huevos rancheros are just a few of the other delectable eats at one of the top restaurants near Santa Fe Plaza.
3. La Boca
La Boca offers Spanish-influenced small plates paired with curated Meditteranean and South American wines. The atmosphere is reminiscent of a lively European wine bar, where visitors and locals come together over a selection of tapas and happy hour delights. You can enjoy anything from a flat iron steak with smoked sea salt caramel to bruschetta with mushrooms, cream, fried egg, and truffle oil in the evening. Seasonal plates include yogurt fried chicken pincho with Moroccan peanut sauce and roasted eggplant puree with black sesame crackers.
4. Tia Sophia’s
If you’re looking for local cuisine in a no-frills atmosphere, then you need to stop by Tia Sophia’s. You’ll discover delicious lunch specials for reasonable prices like chalupas, tamales, and enchiladas. They also serve up a tasty breakfast for those with an early tour in Santa Fe Plaza.
5. Il Piatto
Il Piatto is a farmhouse-style Italian establishment one block north of Santa Fe Plaza. Indulge in a late-night happy hour between 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., and pair their signature drinks with a half-price appetizer like the crabmeat stuffed mushrooms. Some favorite dinner menu items include pumpkin ravioli, prosciutto-wrapped trout, and organic roast chicken.
6. Cafe Pasqual’s
Cafe Pasqual’s serves up tasty organic eats in the heart of the City Different. This is one of the pricier restaurants in Santa Fe Plaza, but the quality ingredients and selection of breakfast and lunch specials are well worth it. They offer a stellar quinoa burger, and their Blue Lady enchiladas are to die for. You also need to grab a world-class margarita while you’re in town, and Cafe Pasqual’s is a fantastic place to do just that.
7. La Plazuela
The garden setting of La Plazuela features the best setting of any of the Santa Fe Plaza restaurants. Expansive skylights let in plenty of New Mexico sun rays, providing a fantastic dining room experience. The food isn’t too shabby, either. Indulge in a selection of Northern New Mexico specialties for breakfast and lunch. The Huevos Rancheros and Enchiladas Del Norte are just a couple of the tasty eats you’ll find here.
Plan Your Santa Fe Culinary Journey
It’s easy to revel in your culinary adventure through Santa Fe when you stay at El Farolito Inn. Our beautiful bed and breakfast is less than 15-minutes from Santa Fe Plaza on foot. Each of our eight guest rooms features Southwestern accents and locally-made furnishings to give you the most authentic experience possible.
Start planning your Northern New Mexico adventure by booking one of our rooms today! We look forward to welcoming you to our Inn!
