We always enjoy ourselves when we spend time in and around Santa Fe, New Mexico. Not surprisingly, since we’re avowed foodies, there’s plenty to keep our tummies happy, which also makes us delighted to share some of our finds and recs with you.
Our campgrounds for our month-long stay included the KOA east of town along with Santa Fe Skies just southwest of town, both each for two weeks. The latter was just 5 minutes down the road from the always-happy-to-drink-there Santa Fe Brewing, and sported large numbers of really interesting sculptures made by the owner. And while indeed you can see those incredible Santa Fe sunsets, its otherwise relatively barren campground makes us think we’ll head back to the more tree-laden campsites at the KOA when we return to town.
Despite the fact that Ellie comes with an office, it’s sometimes nice to just get out of the rig for a bit, so we often visit local coffee shops to get some work done. (OTH Traveling Tip™: We also love sitting at a restaurant bar when it’s just the two of us, too. Both are great ways to get to know the locals, too, who are always happy to share some of their favorite places with you). One of our favorite joints in Santa Fe is Iconik Coffee Roasters, preferably their Lena Street Lofts location for its spaciousness and light. Seating can be a challenge (clearly we weren’t the first to find this spot), but we always found some seating pretty quickly. Their outside patio is great, too if you want to get some of that warm spring Santa Fe sun. If you go, get the pomegranate lemon iced tea. If appearing for b’fast, our faves included the breakfast burrito and, maybe with a spot of salt added, their lox bagel.
You know we love a well-made cocktail and a chilled glass of champagne (not always in that order), and conveniently the Gruet downtown tasting room is a good place to start. You can make a reservation if you’d like to be inside, but they have nice outside seating too when the weather’s good on their private patio, complete with a toasty glass fireplace for those chilly desert nights. And, right next door—literally in the same building—is Secreto Lounge, attached to Hotel Santa Fe. A friend steered us toward the smoked sage margarita, and it’s as delicious as it sounds. Bill tried it with both tequila and mezcal as a base, and both times he left happy. Unfortunately, they were debuting a new “bites” menu the following week so we didn’t get to sample their food this trip.
(OTH Traveling Tip™ #2: A lot of restaurants in tourist destinations offer some great HH specials with not only cheaper drinks, but smaller portions from their full-price food menu, as well. We’ve easily made full meals out of HH and since you’re eating early, you’ll have plenty of room for dessert later that evening! You’re welcome.) ☺️
If you’re new to Santa Fe, you’ll of course want to get table-side guacamole and margaritas at La Plazauela in La Fonda on the Plaza, but we didn’t quite make it there this time. One evening over Happy Hour we each really enjoyed the show-stopping Love Bubble margarita at a place called (what, really?!?) Dinner for Two. Despite the restaurants hokey name, it was more than just show though, and was an easy drink to enjoy. In fact, it was so nice (& cheap) we got it twice! (PS-for you bartenders and mixologists out there, any idea how they make those bubbles??)
Frankly, I’m not sure what kind of tea King of Duck Shit was, and am a little afraid to find out.
A lot of people swear by Tomasita’s, and it’s generally a good deal despite the frequently long wait (keep an eye on the small bar for accelerated seating), but we’ve found it inconsistent lately and won’t prioritize returning.
For breakfast, hit Counter Culture Santa Fe. We ate there twice and loved our cinnamon roll French toast (yes, you read that right), and hand-held burritos. Outside of downtown, where you’ll want to peruse some of the Canyon Road galleries, sits Santa Fe Teahouse & Bistro. The myriad teas complement a nice bite or lunch, like a panini and a salad. (Trend alert: Santa Fe has some of the best outdoor seating outside of California. No wonder we love the city so much) The maple latte’s delicious, as was their ice tea with lemon, although we found the spicy chocolate chai and lavender fog both underwhelming on one visit.
Also, while we didn’t hit it this time, last year for Anne’s birthday, we had prix fixe dinner at the incomparable Nosa, 45m north of Santa Fe. It’s a bit of a drive, but it’s well worth it. And they also have a small inn on the property. Probably a Top 10 meal for us, or damn close to it. Its location is much more convenient if you happen to be staying at Ojo Caliente, also recommended.
And likely surprising none of you, Bill arose early to capture a little of the Santa Fe architecture on a quiet weekend morning.
If you like hot springs and especially if you appreciate Japanese architecture and culture, you can’t miss Ten Thousand Waves. They have a full spa and a restaurant, along with community hot spring pools, but if you book in advance (2-3 weeks ahead in-season is necessary), the best deal for two is one of the private hot tubs. We really loved the Shin Kubota (for its combo cold plunge pool, hot tub, and sauna), although it would easily work well for a party of 6-8 friends. (You know Anne loved that cold plunge!)
On our first visit a few years prior, we weren’t as impressed as it seemed really quite crowded, loud and the staff a bit overwhelmed. However, they took the forced downtime from the pandemic to revamp their offerings and capacity, and really returned to their roots and this trip for Anne’s birthday, they really shined. We’ll be returning when we can partake in a therapeutic massage and their well regarded Japanese restaurant, Izanami.
The Turquoise Trail
A short drive south of Santa Fe along NM-14 takes on the famed Turquoise Trail to the tiny town of Madrid, a no-stoplight-not-even-a-stop-sign town. It’s an artists’ haven and very much worth a visit. We didn’t photograph much there because so much was sculpture and would be copyrighted, but really enjoyed our time. Many of the artists are in their studios and happy to chat about their art and the towns history. Grab a bite before the day’s excursions at Refinery 14 with a Monte Cristo sandwich or maybe breakfast tacos. They had a blueberry goat cheese French toast as a special when we were there, which was absolutely delicious. The bottom two photos below were technically from Los Cerrillos, just up the road back toward Santa Fe, also worth a stop, but it seems that town really comes alive in the Summer as many places were closed when we drove through.
If you continue south along the Turquoise Trail you’ll hit a near-ghost town called Golden. Keep your eyes peeled for a really cool little spot called the Bottle House. Tom will likely be home and will come out to greet you (the short dirt road to it is actually his driveway). While Tom didn’t create Bottle House, he serves as its unofficial caretaker. His dog, whose name we sadly forgot, is a barker and sounds like an excellent guard dog as you drive up. Alas, she will endlessly fetch her ball as many times as you wish to throw it. Anne got tired of throwing the ball sooner than she did chasing it. Across the street, you’ll see more eclectic and—if we’re being honest, a little weird—art installations, which is also, confusingly called the Bottle House. The owner, Leroy is apparently quite the character, according to the Google map reviews, but he didn’t appear to be home during our visit.
You can see why we enjoy returning to this part of New Mexico. Anne wants to photograph more of the unique, colorful and often quite beautiful haciendas gates on our next trip. It’s eclectic, artsy, and full of interesting characters. When we return this next winter, we’re hoping to spend more time in the northwest corner with some of the more interesting landscapes, along with a return visit to City of Rocks and surrounding areas, but we’re hopeful a short visit to Santa Fe will be in the cards. Until next time…
