Had a lovely evening here last weekend with my parents and aunt who were in town to check out Santa Fe. We had always wanted to see the Flamenco dancers so this was the perfect opportunity, and we were not disappointed!! Prix fix menu, 6:30 seating time with an 8pm show - we had 8 people and the bill was $168/person, including everything. I had pinon salad, vegetable paella, key lime pie, coffee, and a glass of wine- our service was really great and our table was located in a corner with a perfect view of the show. We could not have asked for a better experience, I'd highly recommend this to locals and tourists. The Paella was really fantastic! parking is a nightmare, expect to walk numerous blocks at 6:30 on a weekend night- the upside is that the neighborhood is lovely and safe to walk through in the evening as you return to your car! read more

I just like the atmosphere and food their house margarita is great and well priced Always a nice crowd Nice to walk up and down the street after diner Good tapas read more

It is difficult to begin a completely positive review. I will try to do so by being very broad and adding specifics later. Food was very tasty. Service was friendly and experienced. Location was very fun. I highly recommend anybody passing by or staying in Santa Fe to have a feast of tapas here after walking through all the art galleries. Now, if you're still on the fence or want to hear more; The finesse of the kitchen was glaring in every aspect of the dishes we received. I'm picky and even I couldn't find anything that was off. Seasoning was great. Food was served hot. Flavors and textures were all on point. The menu is fairly classic tapas. Nothing out of the ordinary but everything was done super well. I won't bore anyone with a play by play of every dish we got because by then end we had eaten about 8 plates of tapas plus dessert but I will share with you our two best bites. The first one was the chicharrones. I don't think I have ever had a piece of pork belly melt in mouth AND be completely crispy and perfectly glazed. It had everything it needed. The second was the Catalana. It was my first time trying this dessert and I was honestly expecting a flan. It was so much better. It was on of the creamiest custards I have ever had. Perfectly balanced by the tart citrus and vanilla, it was a perfect end to a delicious meal. I would absolutely come back to Santa Fe just to eat here again. The passion of the kitchen is absolutely on full display in the food. read more

FANTASTIC FOOD, SERVICE AND VIBES! For all my vegetarians, you must try their veggie paella! It was served in a big metal cauldron and was so friggin good i had to go back and order it again two days later. I've never tasted saffron but i think that was the flavor in the dish that made me fall in love with it. It's a bit pricey, at $30, but the portion is huge! Both times i ordered the vegan paella i had it again for breakfast the next day. The interior is sumptuous and historic. I loved the vibe here. read more

My wife and I dined at the restaurant on 7/8/22, we had a reservation. The tapas menu was very limited but they offered a hamburger and fries on the dinner menu. If I wanted a burger I would not have gone to a Spanish restaurant, awkward. When I questioned the waiter about the menu he was disinterested in explaining the menu. When I asked for his recommendation he said everything was good on the menu, a typical answer. The waiter looked tired, and overworked (which I understand in today's environment). I ordered the El Farol Pallea. When I received it, it was burnt to the bottom of the pan. When I mentioned it to the waiter he said it was the chef's preference on how to prepare the dish. I showed him the rice was burnt, the muscles were burnt as well as the prawns. The paella wasn't good. If you want Paella in Santa Fe you have other options. My wife ordered the filet and her meal was good. We both ordered the pear salad and we enjoyed it. For the price we paid for drinks and dinner, I wish I would have dined elsewhere. Three stars are generous in my opinion. read more

El Farol Restaurant - El Farol Paella - Spanish Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

We try to hit up one new place on the Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown Finalist list each year and on our way up to Taos, this is what we went with. I'm a fan of Spanish food--ok, I adore it. The menu looked like it had some great items, but alas, GCC it was. We sat outside on a gorgeous day watching cars drive by and people walking down Canyon. Our server was really nice and we had our beers in no time. Orders placed for burgers x2. It was a really comfortable vibe and the food was delicious. A very generous cheeseburger on a chile cheese bun with all the trimmings. Green Chile had nice heat and the avocado could not have been better ripened. Smoky and crisp bacon--sigh. I like my fries crispy, but they were on the soggy side...so that was my only disappointment. Even my dining partner in crime was impressed. A big meal for $15 a burger but not greasy or overbearing. Well done, El Farol. Props to the chef and good luck in the contest! read more

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Friendly waiters. Not too many choices of tapas. Love the crispness of the pork belly. But the rice of the paella didn't feel like fully cooked. read more

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Attended the Flamenco show with fix price dinner. The diner was very good. The entree was a bit heavy due to the amount of cheese however, we took it home. I am sharing the menu and a couple pictures of the 3 Flamenco dancers. The singer was amazing. read more

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We got in here as a 3rd option for a last minute dinner.I think we got extremely lucky. My husband got the steak and it was tender and incredibly flavorful. The accompanying mushrooms were maybe better than the steak. I shared the mussels with a friend and we almost licked the bowl. The hazelnuts in the tomato broth were an unexpected delight. The anchovy tapa was bright and tangy. Staff was friendly but relaxed. We were the last reservation of the night but we didn't feel rushed. Best meal I've had in a while. read more

This is a five star restaurant. Plain and simple. Wow!! Best food so far in town, I ordered the pollo and patatas, and oh my word the food was precious! Our waiter was my favorite ever, if my memory serves me right. Wow I forget his name but he had a beard and wore a great smile and he even brought us dessert that he said was no charge! Definitely will want to come back here if no where else. Phenomenal job, the owner was there and was pleasantly kind. read more

El Farol Restaurant - Spanish Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

Delicious epicurean delight~ the Paella was exquisite, the artichoke grilled with a balsamic reduction, croquettes, shrimp Adobo, and the desserts- to die for. The service was friendly and timely. The price-point fits the experience. read more

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We went here for a Christmas Eve dinner, and while I completely understand that places are understaffed and our reservation was on a holiday, the experience was awful. Our reservation was for 6:00pm, and we showed up at 5:40pm. There was a huge line of dozens of people (it was more like a mob of people since the "line" had no organization). The people that attempted to venture inside the restaurant were told to get back in line since everyone in the line had the same reservation. There was no explanation of how long it would take, or why we were waiting because there were many open tables. I'm pregnant, and I started getting flustered, overwhelmed, and dehydrated because we had not anticipated standing in a line for over 30 minutes. We debated leaving, but there was an $80 non refundable deposit if we left. The restaurant was waiting until everyone from the 4:00pm dinner left before herding in all of the 6:00pm - super inefficient! When we were finally seated, it took a while for us to get our drinks. The menu was very sparse. I ordered medium-well steak because I'm pregnant and worried about eating undercooked meat. The waiter gave me a weird look when I ordered the steak medium-well. When we finally got our food, my streak was rare, so I couldn't eat it all. Additionally, the food was cold when we got it. The dinner was way too expensive for the experience we endured. read more

While different than my first, second and third visits over the last 20 years, El Farol is definitely one of those classic sites one must experience. The low ceilings, friendly service and cold beer make it a great place to stops on a Canyon Road Art walk. Didn't taste the food this time - just needed to wet my whistle! Enjoy! read more

Yeah, not so much anymore. We came here with our friends on Thursday night, and things weren't as rosy as last time. The renovations are still jarring and our server was absent 80% of the time. There weren't enough plates on the table and three of the dishes came out within, like, ten seconds (?!). Also, the menu has NM cuisine *and* Italian cuisine, which is basically like an Asian restaurant that "specializes" in sushi, Chinese food, and Korean BBQ. Listen, the sangria is still great and thank god they haven't changed the aguacate recipe (still a perennial favorite). The cauliflower was delicious and cooked well, but the salad was overdressed and the pizza was a bit too crispy. Vegetarian paella actually wasn't bad and the bite one of us had from a friend's beef stew was pretty good. Stick to what you know, El Farol! This is a tapas place and has been for decades, so if you spread yourself too thin and lose sight of the original mission, it just won't be as good or as special. The key lime pie for dessert was OK, but their chocolate decadence cake was dry and anything but decadent. Our friends seemed to enjoy their food and we had a nice time there, but it's going to be a loooooong time until we go back again. read more

Very happy with my dinner here! Staff was very attentive. We sat outside on the patio, ordered a bunch of small plates to share and everything was extremely flavorful and delicious. Started with gazpacho and flash fried avocado, also ordered the potatoes, steak skewers and beets. YUM! Can't wait to go back. Also loved that there were GF options. read more

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This was hands down the best restaurant we visited while in the area. We had the prefixe menu + flamenco performance. The menu was affordable and delicious. Wait staff was excellent!! Flamenco performance was incredible - from the gorgeous costumes, to the performers dancing/singing, guitar playing. If you're in SantaFe, you MUST dine here!!!!! read more

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We had a welcome dinner her for my daughters wedding.her. It was on the beautiful patio. It poured rain just as we were all settling in. The wonderful staff got us inside and kept the party and food coming as if nothing happened. It was beautiful and definitely memorable! The food is delicious. Thanks to the entire staff for making it special and not missing a beat! read more

Had the pleasure of dining here once thusfar - on a Sunday afternoon. Three of us made a reservation and dined outside on the back patio - which we had to ourselves. We arrived just before happy hour was over but our server was kind enough to allow us to order a few appetizers at the happy hour prices. Following those yummy bits, we ordered 2 flatbread pizzas which were to die for. I am hoping we can return again soon for more great tastes and wines. read more

Great service, nice atmosphere, and very good food. We had the churros for dessert but didn't get a photo... they were delicious read more

El Farol Restaurant - Pears and pecorino tapas on the left Gambas al ajillo on the right - Spanish Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

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Server Martin and Sandro are great ! Accommodating! Service is great and food & drinks!! Will definitely come back

El Farol is in the business of stealing people's money. $230 worth! We had a Christmas eve reservation. They cancelled our reservation and charged me $230 cancellation fee, even though we ate there and spent $322 for subpar food. I called about the cancellation charge and they claimed they would refund it. They did not. . We did, in fact, eat Christmas dinner there. We had an 8pm reservation. It took them an hour to seat us....we stood in below-freezing weather to be seated an hour late, for subpar food, that we got charged double for. . The wait staff did their best and were very kind and attentive. The restaurant, however, clearly has terrible management practices. . THEY OWE ME $230 of FAULTY CHARGES. read more

Comfortable patio offered a nice shaded respite from the 90 degree heat. Cold fluids brought our temps to normal. The food got our hearts racing....with enjoyment. The Hamburguesa Santa Fe was an almost perfectly cooked favour full hamburger with hatch green chili and cheddar cheese...with a green chili cheddar cheese bun....an elevated standard New Mexico fare. The Piñon Pasta Verde with Toasted Piñons, Manchego Cheese, Cream, Fresh Herbs was a most delicious home run. Each bite of al dente penne pasta lathered in creamy mouthwatering blissful sauce was scrumptious. Now this is Santa Fe cuisine at its best. Thanks for reading. Avram read more

Great food. Interesting, varied and delicious. Attentive service. Reasonably priced for outstanding quality. Best meal in Santa Fe!! read more

El Farol Restaurant - Beef medallions grilled cauliflower and asparagus with balsamic glaze - Spanish Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

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Excellent Paella and sangria on the front porch was lovely. Great people/dog watching! A Santa Fe cultural activity.

Just what we needed. A light and flavorful selection of tapas dishes. We had the anchovies, shrimp, omelette, and Chicharrónes. Such a beautiful blend of flavors. No live music tonight but we were fine with that. Only a few other diners there. Quiet ambience. I loved it here. Parking across the street in the gravel lot. read more

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Visited here way back in either 2007 or 2008; it's still one of the best "night out" experiences I've ever had. Great food and drink, a really fun crowd, and great live music. Hope that my travels bring me back there one day... read more

Everything was delicious 5 stars from us! We had the meatballs, arancini, cauliflower, paella, key lime pie & churros! read more

El Farol Restaurant - Arancini - Spanish Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

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This was a home run for us. We went during the tail end of Happy Hour, (we didn't even realize that), but we enjoyed a couple of amazing cocktails, at Happy Hour prices, and a bar app. We stayed for dinner at full price, and NO REGRETS. This is a Santa Fe gem. The food, service, drinks, ambiance are authentic, and beautiful. We'll be back! read more

The food was expensive and mediocre. I figured if anyone could nail paella it would be El Farol. But it was dry and hard to eat. The house salad was excellent, I wish I had ordered just that. Avoid the prix fixe--the food just wasn't that great. The flamenco performance featured 3 dancers on a small stage. Avoid sitting in the middle row: each dancer does a solo and dances in the middle of the stage, so, if you are in the middle row it is hard to see. read more

The hubby and I took a weekend road trip to Santa Fe. We were excited about visiting a new city and check out the local vibe. If you're into Southwestern Art and jewelry, this is the place to go for sure! We needed a place for dinner for Saturday, so I opened my trusty YELP app and researched for Spanish tapas. Lo and behold, we found EL Farol. They also offer entertainment with Flamenco dancers show (extra $30.00 per person) That was quite an entertaining show! The food on the other hand was slightly disappointing.I love gazpacho soup so of course I had to order some of theirs. Well, has anyone ever heard of putting BROWN SUGAR in gazpacho soup? All I can say is YUCK! I've had numerous bowls of Gazpacho soup....even in Spain, and other Spanish restaurants. I have never ever had it taste so sweet and I certainly never heard of adding brown sugar to this cold vegetable soup! We also ordered the grilled Brussel Sprouts with a balsamic reduction. Well, they were BURNT TO A CRISP! They tasted like charcoal! That's the second item returned back! This is not starting off well at all.... We also ordered the Spanish omelette and the Beef kabobs and pork belly. These were all good, the beef kabobs were the standout. They were cooked perfectly and tasted delicious! Pork belly was tasty. They obviously cook meat choices much better. The service was good, I felt bad for our waiter, because I'm sure we sounded like just chronic complainers at the beginning of our dinner. We did compliment the other selections and we did enjoy them. Josè was a good waiter and handled the comments professionally. He did his best to turn our dining experience around, and he accomplished that. Would we go back? Hmmmn... possibly, maybe for a lunch when it's not so crazy busy and see if there are other menu items that would stand out. read more

Fabulous dinner show! We would highly recommend this for an evening in Santa Fe. The price fixe dinner was surprisingly delicious and the portion size was very large...too large, honestly. The vegetable paella was very good and we enjoyed the sangria as well. The show was really great and such a nice way to end the night. BE AWARE - there is literally no parking in this area or neighborhood. Suggest taking an Uber or parking on Alameda on the other side of the river as there is no parking in the vicinity of the restaurant. What a cute neighborhood! read more

Our Airbnb host recommended El Farol. Best reco he gave us all weekend! The food was delicious, my favorite was the beef skewers with chimichurri sauce. The flavor was undeniable. We also got the potatoes bravas and the grilled artichokes. Everything was great. The amount of food was goo for each dish. Everyone at the restaurant was really attentive to our table. I would go back and try some of the other dishes! We went on a Sunday night and made a reservation, don't think we needed it. But I would suggest if you are going on a different night. read more

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We celebrated a birthday here, it was fantastic! The service was great and the food was amazing. All 7 of us raved about our meals. I recommend the roasted beet salad! read more

A traditional Spanish restaurant with tapas and big plates. Everything was very good. The paella was loaded with chicken and seafood and actually was not enough rice. Really delicious. For tapas the shrimp and pork belly were really good. On Saturdays they have flamenco dancing. Will be back if in the area again. read more

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I had really high hopes for this place. It's supposed to be one of the nicer restaurants in Santa Fe. But honestly was just Soso. The menu is not too expensive, but that's not really a problem. Prices are OK but in the end we were disappointed with the pay period read more

El farol is new , refreshed and fabulous!! After 8 months of hard work on a sweet and tasteful remodeling of the interiors and exteriors , the New El Farol is under new ownership and great management.. Food is prepared by new Chef , and is delicious, The bar is totally new but true to the old canyon bar scene.. and well stocked with expert bar renders. There will be bands, dancing and s new flamingo room awaits the traditional El Farol flamingo dance troop on a new stage .. can't wait to see them! read more

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Worst margarita pizza I've ever had, it was more like a cracker. It had almost no toppings and was so flat, weird. Yuck.

Back to basics! We had a very good meal at this restaurant 2 years ago but now it seems like they are coasting. Menu now very limited. Rice for paella needs to be done fresh for each dish. I like Spanish chorizo but paella overly salty due to too much. Service intermittent: did not check to see if we wanted another glass of wine. Salad swimming in dressing. Place has a great history but flamenco is no excuse for subpar food. read more

El Farol is hands down one of our favorite restaurants in Santa Fe! We've never had anything but an amazing meal and drinks here. It's one of the few places we also always get dessert plus an after dinner drink. Whether you're getting rounds of tapas or the paella, you won't be disappointed! read more

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Booked show and dinner and it was fantastic, highly recommend! The menu for the show is not the full menu, which was fine with me. I got the paella, which was better than the paella I had in Spain. Slightly charred, amazing flavor, lots of seafood and a huge portion. The performers were very talented and I was happy that I booked it. read more