Eating in Santa Fe (New Mexico): Other

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Santa Fe has plenty of standard chain restaurants (Olive Garden, Outback, Red Lobster, etc.), but why bother? There are enough excellent "local" ones that you can save your trips to these more ubiquitous eateries for cities less well-endowed from a culinary point of view. All restaurants below are uniquely Santa Fean in their character and cuisine.

• Bobcat Bite, 420 Old Las Vegas Highway, +1 505 983-5319. An utterly unpretentious burger joint on the way into town from the east, far from the downtown area. Nothing fancy here, just huge and tasty burgers, etc., in a setting that evokes a 1950s small-town diner. No credit cards accepted, unless they've changed policy recently. Lunch and dinner, Wednesday through Saturday.
• Chopstixs, 238 N Guadalupe St, +1 505 820-2126 , a fast-food, take-out or dine-in Chinese restaurant. Built into an old gas station, it looks like the kind of place that you should stay a mile away from, and that's what makes it so good. Be careful during the school year at lunch time, as this is a popular high-school lunch spot.
• The Pantry Restaurant, 1820 Cerrillos Rd (Corner of Cerrillos & 5th), ☎ 505 986 0022. 6:30 AM-2:30 PM. Delicious food served in a diner-type setting. The waitstaff are super friendly, and serve humongous portions with bright smiles. The customers fill the small front quickly in the mornings, but seats are often available at the bar (which serves delicious milkshakes, even before noon.) $5-$10.
• Pyramid Cafe, 505 W. Cordova Rd., +1 505 989-1378, www.pyramidcafesantafe.com. In a strip mall on Cordova Road south of downtown; 11AM - 9PM 7 days according to current information, but hours seem to vary. Good Greek/Mediterranean lunches. Nothing fancy, just good, casual food. Don't bother with reservations, but call to check on hours. Lunches from $5 or so; occasional belly-dancing entertainment. Now also open in Los Alamos if your travels take you in that direction.
• Santa Fe Baking Company, 504 W. Cordova Rd., +1 505 988-4292, is across Cordova Road from Pyramid and offers tolerable sandwiches, soups, etc., for lunch, but don't go just for the lunch (or breakfast); grab a dessert while you're there, these being what it's known for. Can be very busy at lunchtime on weekdays, with chaos on all quarters. Call-in orders welcome.
• Santa Fe Steamer, 3242 Cerrillos Rd., +1 505 438-3862. M-Sa 11AM-9PM. Seafood, breezy and informal yet with attentive service. The fare is quite good considering that the nearest ocean is about 500 miles away; some creativity. Portions are not large, but in a weight-conscious age, they're large enough.
• "Torinos'@Home", 227 Don Gaspar Avenue. Daily 8:30AM-4PM. An Italian Bistro in downtown. Fresh pasta made every morning in front of you, soups, organic salads; all meat-hormone free and all natural.
• Tune-Up Cafe, 1115 Hickox. Formerly "Dave's Not Here." Local hangout featuring burgers with a New Mexican flavor. Open for breakfast and lunch, with plans for dinner pending liquor license approval. The location, near the main St. Francis Drive artery, is more convenient for the through traveler than to downtown.
• Upper Crust Pizza, 329 Old Santa Fe Trail, +1 505 982-0000 (seriously), is widely considered to serve the best (American-style) pizza in town. Free delivery, but if practical, consider dining in instead; Old Santa Fe Trail is one of the main tourist drags, and you get a chance to combine pizza munching with people watching.
• Whole Hog Cafe, 3006 Cerrillos Road, +1 505 474-3375, www.wholehogcafe.com. 11AM - 9PM 7 days. A barbecue chain centered in Arkansas and Louisiana, but with two New Mexico outlets (the other is in Albuquerque); fast-food-meets-steakhouse format, but the BBQ is high-quality by any standards. Try the "Volcano" BBQ sauce (you'll have to ask for it at the counter) and see if it's hotter than the New Mexican cuisine elsewhere in town. If it blows you away, sauce #3 also has some kick and is tasty. Lunches (handy as it's in the pandemonious Cerrillos Road shopping area) from $5.05.

• India Palace, 227 Don Gaspar Ave., +1 505 986-5859, and India House, 2501 Cerrillos Road, +1 505 471-2304. Surprisingly excellent Indian cuisine, both operated by the same family, with essentially identical menus. India Palace is more "atmospheric," India House more convenient (better parking), and the sag paneer at both is to die for. India House may have entertainment for some dinners. Hours at both sites: 11:30AM-2:30PM and 5PM-10PM, open 7 days. Figure $15-20 a head, and worth every penny.
• Mariscos La Playa Restaurant, in two locations: 537 W. Cordova Rd., +1 505 982-2790, and 2875 Cerrillos Road, +1 505 473-4594. An example of the difference between "Mexican" and "New Mexican" cuisine; these restaurants definitely are the former, with an emphasis on seafood prepared as in Old Mexico. (You definitely won't find the Pulpo -- octopus -- dishes on the menu at their New Mexican counterparts!) Nothing special as regards ambience/presentation, but good, authentic food. Lunch and dinner, W-M (closed Tuesdays).
• Mu Du Noodles, 1494 Cerrillos Road, +1 505 983-1411, features noodle/pasta dishes from around the world, but most of the dishes are from China or Southeast Asia. Parking can be a challenge. Ambitious cuisine for New Mexico, although perhaps equally ambitiously priced
• Pasqual's, 121 Don Gaspar, +1 505 983-9340, www.pasquals.com. An old standby in the downtown area. As with many Santa Fe restaurants, the menu blends New Mexican cuisine with more traditional American fare. Open 7 days for all three meals (reservations recommended for dinner, which approaches "Splurge" territory), and recommended particularly for breakfast, when it's far better value for dollar than the restaurants at the several nearby hotels.
• Pink Adobe, 406 Old Santa Fe Trail, +1 505 983-7712, www.thepinkadobe.com. A long-time Santa Fe standard, near the downtown area. A mix of continental and New Mexican cuisine that borders on "Splurge" territory. Dinner 7 nights, lunch M-F.
• Pranzo Italian Grill, 540 Montezuma Ave., +1 505 984-2645, may be the best Italian restaurant in town. In the Sanbusco Center just southwest of downtown. Lunch and dinner 7 days; reservations advisable. Expect it to be loud.
• Chinese food is a weakness (at least relatively speaking) in Santa Fe, but the unpretentious Wok, 2860 Cerrillos Road, +1 505 424-8126, has some supporters. M-Th 11AM-9PM, F-Sa 11AM-9:30PM, closed Sundays.

• 315, 315 Old Santa Fe Trail, +1 505 986-9190, www.315santafe.com. A restaurant whose name is also its street number. Reservations advised. French/Continental cuisine in a sidewalk-bistro-like setting. Good wine list, and save room for the creme brulee dessert. You can easily drop $50 a person here and feel good about it. Dinner 7 nights; lunch schedule unclear.
• Angel Food Catering, +1 505 983-2433, www.angelfoodcatering.net. Not a restaurant, but rather a catering service that specializes in the very popular "tailgate dinners" for the Santa Fe Opera (see above). Phone in your order (reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance), then pick it up at the kiosk on the Santa Fe Opera grounds. Menu is American/Continental with Southwestern influence. Expect to pay about $35-40 per person; wine is not included.
• The Compound, 653 Canyon Rd., +1 505 982-4353, www.compoundrestaurant.com. Located on Canyon Road near the art galleries. Although the Compound once enforced a dress code of jacket and tie, new chef/owner Mark Kiffin eliminated any formal dress requirement. Southwestern cuisine. Lunches M-F, Noon-2; dinner nightly beginning at 6; entrees from $25-40; reservations strongly advised.
• Geronimo, 724 Canyon Road, +1 505 982-1500, www.geronimorestaurant.com. Another fine restaurant amid the galleries. The menu tends toward Continental but is entertainingly diverse and changes frequently. Brunch(?) and dinner 7 days. Dinner reservations are recommended and can be placed via the (unnecessarily ostentatious) web site. $40 per person will get you an excellent dinner.
• El Mesón, 213 Washington Ave., +1 505 983-6756, www.elmeson-santafe.com. Spanish cuisine, well prepared and attentively served; the paella is excellent. Diners used to sangria New Mexico-style may find this restaurant's version a bit dry. Tu-Sat 5PM - 11PM; live entertainment most evenings. Expect to pay $40 per person or more.
• Las Fuentes at Bishop's Lodge Resort, Bishop's Lodge Road, +1 505 819-4035 (reservations). At the pricey Bishop's Lodge Resort (see under "Sleep"/"Splurge"), north of downtown on the way to the village of Tesuque. One of the few "Splurge" restaurants that offers three meals a day, including a Sunday brunch. Eclectic cuisine, basically American.
• Osteria d`Assisi, 58 S. Federal Place (three blocks north of the Plaza), +1 505 986-5858, www.osteriadassisi.net. Lunch M-Sa 11:00AM - 3:00PM, dinner nightly from 5:00PM. If Pranzo (above) isn't the best Italian restaurant in town, this one may be. Prices range from about $10-12 for a simple Neapolitan-style pizza to $70 or more for a grand 5-course dinner with wine (come hungry and expect to leave full), or anything in between.
• Ristra, 548 Agua Fria St., +1 505 982-8608, www.ristrarestaurant.com. Dinner nightly from 5:30. Despite its name, the menu is primarily Continental with French tendencies, although there are New Mexican overtones. Service is attentive to the point of being almost intrusive, but not quite; on parle français, and probably other major languages as well, as it's popular with opera goers and the manager and waitstaff have international backgrounds. Expect to spend around $70 per person.
• Santacafe, 231 Washington Ave., +1 505 984-1788, www.santacafe.com. One of Santa Fe's big-name restaurants, and you probably pay a little extra for the celebrity, but the American/Continental fare is creative and well presented, with attentive service. Lunch and dinner seven days (hours vary); Sunday "brunch" 11AM-2:30PM during the summer. Expect to spend around $50 per person.
• The Old House Restaurant 309 W. San Francisco, +1 505 995-4530, www.www.oldhouserestaurant.com. AAA Four Diamond restaurant that Zagat honored as New Mexico’s best. Contemporary global cuisine featuring seasonal and regional ingredients, with Southwestern and Asian influences. The wine selection earned Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. Opens at 5:30PM nightly for dinner. Expect to spend around $50 per person.
• Tulips, 222 W. Guadalupe, +1 505 989-7340 (reservations), www.tulips-santafe.com. Santa Fe is full of unpretentious, little-advertised, yet good hole-in-the-wall restaurants that nobody has heard of, and this one is better than most. American-meets-Continental cuisine; the elk tenderloin is marvelous. Portions can be a bit small, but in an overweight age, that's not such a bad thing. Quieter than some of its competitors, which can be a relief. Expect to spend upward of $100 for dinner for two with wine and dessert. Dinner only, Tuesday through Sunday.