25 Perfect Romantic Santa Fe Restaurants

© The Compound Restaurant

A true farm-to-fork restaurant, The Compound Restaurant is headed up by owner/chef Mark Kiffin, who has developed an enticing Contemporary American Menu, influenced by New World trends and infused with Mediterranean flavors. The restaurant is located in an elegant historic building which perfectly sets the scene for a romantic lunch or dinner. There is both indoor and outdoor seating and the large patio is perfect for alfresco dining in summer. The menus change 4 times a year so that fresh, seasonal produce can take center stage. Lunch and Dinner menus always feature a choice of fresh salads and soups, succulent fish and seafood and some of the best meat dishes available. All expertly prepared and plated to tantalize your senses.

The Compound Restaurant , 653 Canyon Rd, Sante Fe, NM 87501, 505 982 4353

© The Shed Restaurant

Occupying nine quiet rooms behind Prince Patio on Palace Avenue, The Shed has been a dining institution for over 50 years. The family-owned and operated restaurant serves traditional Northern New Mexican cuisine with Pueblo, Spanish, and Mexican influences in a warm, welcoming, and convivial atmosphere.

World-renowned for its red chile enchiladas, the menu also features soups and salads, blue corn specialties such as tacos and enchiladas, and burritos, while an extensive drinks menu presents diners with an array of tequilas, margaritas, and wines. Look for the brightly colored sign to lead you into this hidden gem. Check out our Romantic Santa Fe Hotels & Inns guide to find the perfect place to stay.

113 1/2 East Palace Avenue, 505-982-9030

© Cyril Lutsenko/stock.adobe.com

Luminaria Restaurant is located at the Inn and Spa at Loretto, where it provides the perfect elegant and intimate setting for a romantic lunch or dinner. In addition to indoor seating there is a beautiful outdoor patio where you can enjoy alfresco dining against a backdrop of trailing creepers, luxury fabrics and hanging lanterns. Luminaria is widely known for providing a fresh and innovative take on global dining trends. The dinner menu features tantalizing appetizers like Warm Calamari Panzanella and Green Chili Arancini while the entrees include Wild Boar Tenderloin, Coffee-rubbed Manhattan Strip Fillet and Double, bone-in Duroc Pork Chop, to name but a few of the delights.

Luminaria Restaurant, 211 ld Sante Fe Trail, Sante Fe, NM 87501, 866 582 1646

© Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette is a stylish bistro and salad bar that serves fresh, organic entrée salads made from locally farmed produce; the restaurant’s homegrown organic ingredients are sourced from a local farm just a few hours away. Vinaigrette has a salad-centric menu, but it also serves delicious soups and sides, hearty homemade sandwiches, and mouthwatering desserts, along with several dinner specialties and seasonal fare.

The restaurant has a casual and inviting atmosphere with an enclosed back patio for intimate dining in the shade of an old apricot tree. Take-out and catering are available, as well as the services of the eatery’s famous Chartreuse food truck, Mini Vinny.

709 Don Cubero Alley, 505-820-9205

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© izanami

Located at the Ten Thousand Waves Resort & Spa in Santa Fe, izanami serves exquisite Japanese fare in an elegant farmhouse setting inspired by the Japanese ‘izakaya’ – a small and intimate place for friends to share food.

The menu features kozara-small plate dishes of grilled meat and seafood, garden fresh salads, rice and noodles, and an award-winning selection of sake. Diners can also enjoy an omakase tasting menu accompanied by over 40 varieties of sake. A private patio allows for spectacular outdoor dining throughout the warmer months.

© Plaza Cafe

Santa Fe’s oldest restaurant, Plaza Café is a historic restaurant that has been serving delicious home-cooked meals since 1905. The inviting American diner-style eatery serves a diverse, multi-cultural menu of fresh ingredients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week, from breakfast burritos and tortilla soup to green chile meatloaf, roast turkey, and fried chicken steak. The menu also has a variety of New Mexican favorites and even Greek specialties such as moussaka and gyros.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, that they also have a tempting selection of sweet treats and desserts.

54 Lincoln Avenue, 505-982-1664

© Plaza Cafe Southside

The Plaza Café Southside is a well-known Santa Fe eatery that serves an extensive and innovative menu of New Mexican and Greek home-style cuisine. An offspring of the legendary Plaza Café, a Santa Fe institution since 1947 owned by the Razatos family, the Plaza Café Southside serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has an in-house bakery known for its fresh bread and an array of baked and sweet treats.

Enjoy a drink during Happy Hour at the Plaza Café Southside Bar, where you can choose from a selection of signature cocktails, handcrafted margaritas, beers, and wines.

3466 Zafarano Drive, 505-424-0755

© Fire and Hops Gastropub

Fire and Hops Gastropub is the latest offering from restaurateur and chef duo Josh Johns and Joel Coleman, known for their work at Santa Fe's Koi Restaurant and Second Street Brewery. The upscale gastropub, which was opened to the public in 2019, strives to offer high-quality fare at neighborhood eatery prices, named for its commitment to offering excellent fired dishes and highly drinkable brews. Lunch and dinner service throughout the week highlights entrees such as grass-fed steaks, miso ramen with roasted pork, Cubano sandwiches, and house-ground burgers, served up alongside seasonal market risotto and fresh fish catch specials. Small plates and bar bites range from housemade pork rinds and red chile mushroom gravy poutine to grilled Thai pork sausage and roasted pork tacos with green cabbage slaw and housemade chili sauce. Regional draft beers and ciders are available on tap or by the bottle, including gluten-free and gluten-reduced variants.

222 N Guadalupe St, Santa Fe, NM 87501, Phone: 505-954-1635

© Sazon

Sazon is a contemporary Mexican restaurant in Santa Fe, helmed by executive chef Fernando Olea, a staple on the city's culinary scene since the early 1990s. The restaurant, which was opened to the public in 2015, is best known for its delicious New Mexican mole dish, a recipe originally crafted in celebration of the City of Santa Fe's 400th anniversary in 2009. Dinner service is offered Mondays through Saturdays, showcasing high-quality entrees such as stuffed peppers or berenjena eggplant, shrimp enchiladas, and black pepper-encrusted Angus beef tenderloins prepared with snow peas and red cabbage. Specialty small plates include Mexican specialties such as corn truffle huitlacoche, yellowfin crudite, and miniature corn, beet, and spinach cakes prepared with mandarin habañero foam and chili poblano sauce. Diners can also enjoy a nine-course chef's selection Degustación tasting menu twice nightly, with mezcal, tequila, and wine pairings available for an additional fee.

221 Shelby St, Santa Fe, NM 87501, Phone: 505- 983-8604

© The Ranch House

The Ranch House is an inviting, family-friendly bar and grill with a range of healthy New Mexican and all-American fare served in a warm and cozy atmosphere. Owned by Josh Baum and his wife, the Ranch House lunch and dinner menus reflect Josh’s passion for smoked meats and barbecue, for which the restaurant is famous.

However, it also offers a selection of other dishes such as soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, burritos, and quesadillas. Bar bites can be ordered during Happy Hour, where a range of signature cocktails, wines, and beers can be enjoyed in a vibrant ambiance.

2571 Cristo's Road, Santa Fe, NM 87507, 505- 424-8900

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© Secreto Lounge

Located at the Hotel St. Francis, Secreto Lounge is a stylish craft cocktail bar specializing in award-winning “Garden-To-Glass” and vintage cocktails, hand-selected wines, and a variety of local and imported craft brews. The recipes for their signature cocktails have been perfected over time, and use local fruits, vegetables, and herbs mixed with local spirits and bitters.

Wine aficionados will delight in the curated wine list that traces the ancient history of winemaking and outlines the introduction of wines to New Mexico by Franciscan monks. Enjoy drinks at the rustic indoor bar or on the seasonal outdoor patio and loggia, the perfect place for conversation and people watching. Dine on delectable cuisine from Tabla de Los Santos, which serves a menu of contemporary New Mexican fare.

210 Don Gaspar Avenue, Suite A, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501, 505-983-5700

© Fire and Hops

Fire and Hops is an upscale gastropub that serves high-quality food and beverages at neighborhood eatery prices. Owned by Joel Coleman and Josh Johns, this stylish bar is guided by the four principles of ‘local,’ ‘sustainable,’ ‘quality,’ and ‘friendly,’ which is clearly evident from their creative farm-to-table menu and consistently packed tables.

The restaurant serves dinner seven nights a week and a special farmer's market lunch every Saturday and Sunday. All meals with local ingredients, and the menu has a variety of small plates, appetizers, entrées, and desserts to enjoy.

222 N. Guadalupe, 505-954-1635

© Restaurant Martin

Owned by Chef Martin Rios, and his wife Jennifer, Restaurant Martin is a contemporary restaurant that features award-winning progressive American cuisine in a casual yet sophisticated environment. The eatery is an embodiment of a dream to create the perfect balance between refined and comfortable for diners of Santa Fe, and the family-owned restaurant succeeds in doing just that.

Pop in for a brunch of salmon eggs benedict or brioche French toast or enjoy salads, soups, and gourmet sandwiches for lunch. In the evenings, you can really dine in style and feast on tempura oysters, roasted duck, or brined pork tenderloin.

526 Galisteo Street, 505-820-0919

© Casa Chimayo

Casa Chimayo is one of Santa Fe's premiere Mexican restaurants, gaining national notoriety for its feature on the popular Food Network series Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. The restaurant, which was opened in 2011 by Don Timoteo, serves up traditional New Mexican cuisine, blending elements of Spanish and indigenous American cooking and traditions into a unique culinary experience found nowhere else in the world. Diners can enjoy scrumptious entrees at dinner, including favorites such as pollo en mole rojo, plato de truchas, el comanchero ribeye, and carne adovada. All dishes are prepared homestyle, served up alongside shareable plates such as plantain mole enchiladas and a selection of traditional Mexican desserts such as natillas and goat milk flan.

409 W Water St, Santa Fe, NM 87501, Phone: 505-428-0391

© Terra Cotta Wine Bistro

Located in a charming 19th century adobe building in Santa Fe’s historic quarter, Terra Cotta Wine Bistro is a great place to enjoy some great local and internationally-inspired food and an excellent selection of wines. The restaurant offers a relaxed fun ambiance which will immediately make you feel welcome. The restaurants’ extensive wine offerings have earned them a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 5 remarkable years in a row. The menu is seasonal and changes to showcase whatever local and regional produce it at its best. You can choose from reasonably priced sharing plates, fresh and innovative salads, entrees and desserts.

304 Johnson Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501, Phone: 505 989 1166

© Cafe Pasqual's

Café Pasqual’s blends culinary traditions from New Mexico, Old Mexico, the Mediterranean, and Asia using only the freshest ingredients that are also seasonal, organic, locally sourced, and naturally grown.

Treat your taste buds to phenomenal dishes such as the Grilled Green Chile Cheese Bison Burger or the house-made tamales! Founder and Chef Katharine Kagel honed her culinary skills and techniques in Japan and Hawaii before bringing her warm heart and passion for feeding people to Santa Fe and opening the café in 1978. Enjoy the hand-selected art (all from local artists) while you dine in Café Pasqual’s pueblo-style adobe, located in the heart of downtown Santa Fe on Don Gaspar.

121 Don Gaspar Ave, 505-983-9340

© Joe's Dining

Joe's Dining is a classic American restaurant in Santa Fe, opened in 2002 by married duo Sheila and Roland Richter. The restaurant is credited with sparking the region's trend of using locally-sourced, organic ingredients, including regionally-sourced grass-fed meats and farmer's market chiles, eggs, and produce. Unique open-fire grill entrees include New Zealand rack of lamb, herb grilled chicken, and famed house-smoked barbecue brisket plates cured with the restaurant's secret spice rub. Traditional Italian-style pasta dishes like eggplant parmesan and fettuccine trifolati are also served up, along with weekly specials like homestyle meatloaf, beer-battered cod and chips plates, and roast prime rib dinners. An annual Burger Week showcases decadent selections like Greek lamb burgers, pizza burgers, and bourbon chutney beer burgers.

2801 Rodeo Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87507, Phone: 505-471-3800

© Sassella

Named for a small village located in the Italian Alps, Sassella Restaurant embodies the spirit of the beautiful landscape of Northern Italy and the tradition of fine Italian food. The restaurant is headed up by Chef Christian Pontiggia, who was raised in the region and endeavors to bring the extraordinary food culture of his Italian home to Sante Fe. The dinner menu features a good choice of appetizers, some of which will be familiar while others have been designed to entice diners to try something new. These are followed by a choice of pasta and risotto dishes and the fabulous entrees and desserts. There is also a deli where you can stock up on quality imported Italian staples.

Sassella, 216 McKenzie Street, Sante Fe, NM 87501, 505 954 1568

© Atrisco Cafe & Bar

Atrisco Café & Bar offers a rich menu of Northern New Mexican cuisine made from fresh, locally-grown ingredients whenever possible. The chefs find innovative ways to incorporate green chilies into nearly everything on the menu, and you won’t soon forget the flavorful dishes they create. Your mouth will water if you just think about the Roast Leg of Lamb Burrito, the Central Café Meatloaf, or the Southwestern Chicken Salad.

Owner George Gundrey comes from a long line of restaurateurs and opened Atrisco in 2009, naming it after the Albuquerque neighborhood he grew up in. You’ll find this friendly neighborhood restaurant at Santa Fe’s DeVargas Center, at the main entrance to the mall.

DeVargas Center, 193 Paseo De Peralta, 505-983-7401

© Maria's New Mexican Kitchen

Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen began as a small take-out kitchen that served traditional, Northern New Mexican cuisine over 60 years ago. Since then, it has grown into one of Sante Fe’s favorite go-to places for delicious and authentic homemade fare.

Established by Maria and Gilbert Lopez, who wanted to introduce local diners to authentic, home-style New Mexican food, the famous restaurant has lunch and dinner menus that feature red and green chile, blue corn specialties such as fajitas, tacos, and burritos, and made-to-order margaritas, using only 100% agave tequila.

555 West Cordova Road, 505-983-7929

© Rooftop Pizzeria

Located on the top floor of the Santa Fe Arcade overlooking Water Street, Rooftop Pizzeria is a contemporary dining space akin to those found in San Francisco or New York. The stylish eatery serves creative gourmet pizzas with a variety of innovative toppings, a delicious selection of antipasti and fresh salads, and handmade lasagna and pasta dishes just the way ‘Mama’ made them.

The authentic Italian fare is accompanied by a wine list that features over 20 wines served by the glass, as well as some of New Mexico’s best microbrews and beers by the bottle. A lovely outdoor patio offers picturesque views of the town below and is the perfect place to catch the spectacular Santa Fe sunset over cocktails or a glass of wine.

60 East San Francisco Street, Suite 301, Santa Fe, NM, 87501, 505-984-0008

© Arroyo Vino

Arroyo Vino is a restaurant and wine shop in the heart of one of Santa Fe’s most popular neighborhoods. It has a seasonal menu of contemporary American fare and features an impressive wine program of over 800 bottles. The restaurant’s spacious dining room is casual and comfortable and sits adjacent to the wine shop, where rows of bottles create a cozy ambiance.

The menu is small and simple, with starters such as country pate and duck larb, followed by entrées of pork tenderloin, rack of lamb and duo of pheasant. Dishes are paired with excellent selections from the wine shop stock, which include familiar labels as well as rare, hard-to-find vintages.

218 Camino La Tierra,505-983-2100

© Joseph's of Santa Fe

Joseph's of Santa Fe is a stylish gastropub that serves a contemporary New Mexican-inspired dinner menu and an excellent wine list. Award-winning Chef Joseph Wrede sends diners on a culinary journey with his unique take on both traditional and modern cuisine; he considers the restaurant as a ‘theater’ where guests can enjoy and appreciate his art.

The interiors of the restaurant reflect this concept, with custom painted walls and eclectic collections of antique copper, frescos, and sculptures. Perfectly set tables serve as blank canvases for dishes such as local lamb tartare, seabass ceviche, and steak au poivre. The impressive wine list and cocktail menu provide guests with the perfect accompaniment for the sublime menu.

428 Agua Fria Street, 505-982-1272

© Amaya

Amaya is located at Hotel Sante Fe, where it has become a popular meeting place for both locals and visitors. There is an emphasis on showcasing Northern New Mexico culinary traditions, using the freshest, locally sourced produce available. The restaurant has a welcoming ambiance and plenty of New Mexico charm, making this an ideal choice for a romantic dinner. However, to take your romantic dining to the next level, you can book a private Teepee dining experience (seasonal). The menu kicks off with a good selection of Mexican favorites including salads, nachos and quesadillas, followed by American staples like burgers, crab cakes, grilled steak and more. There are plenty of tasty options for vegetarians.

Amaya, 1501 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87501, 855 825 9876

© Osteria D'Assisi

Osteria D'Assisi is an award-winning Italian restaurant that brings a slice of Italy to Santa Fe. Owned by Lino Pertusini, this elegant eatery is known for its inspiring lunch and dinner menu, which showcases the best of Italy in a variety of dishes, as well as handcrafted cocktails and a superb wine list.

Dishes are created using time-honored traditions and seasonal ingredients from local farms and producers, while the full-service bar and cocktail lounge draws crowds during Happy Hour for signature cocktails, rare Italian vintages, and an array of craft beers and brews. Osteria D'Assisi is one of the best restaurants in Santa Fe.

58 S. Federal Place, 505-986-5858