La Plazuela earns its reputation with wonderful ambiance, tasty & imaginative food, and impeccable service. The architecture alone is enough to justify a meal here. When I dropped in for lunch, I opted for their buffalo meat green chile meatloaf and a Spanish Gin & Tonic, since it used a flavor of Fever Tree tonic water I'd not yet tried. The G&T was one of the smoothest I've had in a good long while. It was also delightfully complex on the tongue. Simply a delightful pour. Many kudos to the barkeep for crafting such a pleasant drink. At $9 it was actually cheaper than plenty of drinks I've had in Albuquerque or Santa Fe in much less awe inspiring surroundings. The buffalo meatloaf came bacon wrapped and stuffed with piñon nuts, golden raisins, and its namesake green chile. The ground meat itself was firm & substantial. The flavor carried a good punch & remained intense to the last bite. The portion proved plenty sufficient to make as meal. If you're light eaters, this could conceivably be an entree to split. I found it punched well above its $16 pricetag for the meal. The piped garlic mashed potatoes carried good flavor. Texture was a touch drier than I'd have preferred, but not enough to call it egregious. The broccolini wrapped with a thin ribbon of carrot made for beautiful presentation on the plate. The broccolini was steamed to just al dente and made a fitting accompaniment to the firmness of the meatloaf. It came well buttered from the kitchen, so had a luscious mouth feel & sumptuous taste. Jorge, my waiter, proved to be a very warm, welcoming, and cordial host. He was quite conscientious in checking back with me, even as he handled other tables and assisted other staff members around the exquisite skylighted dining room. So I find La Plazuela to be a nicely elegant drop in spot for lunch that is actually not all that much more costly than other eateries around the Santa Fe Plaza, particularly considering the impressive architecture, high quality of food, and excellent service. read more

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This is our first trip to Santa Fe and so far, everything is delicious. We had decided what to order but watched as the people next to us received Chicken Tortilla Soup. They advised us that it's delicious, so we ordered it. And we're so glad we did. Really yummy and not a heavy soup! Our waiter, Jorge, was so pleasant and helpful. It's a delightful restaurant in the La Fonda Hotel. read more

La Plazuela - Chicken Tortilla Soup - New American Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

We first have to acknowledge the staffing shortages many Santa Fe hospitality and retail establishments face today. Nevertheless, some competitors are handling the situation better than Plazuela, which I sincerely hopes finds their way back to the fine experience it once was. Now, the menu has contracted quite a bit, but without becoming more diverse, and the atmosphere in this, objectively one of the nicest dining spaces in town, has changed. For example, guacamole is no longer made tableside--and no longer tastes fresher than anyone else's. It seems like it comes out of a fridge. Favorites like the lamb are no longer offered. But more than that, the attention once paid to dinner plates seems gone, especially the New Mexican ones, which by rights ought to be just great. A filet with enchiladas arrived doused in black peppercorns and somewhat overcooked, negating the meat's flavor and texture. The accompanying beans and posole were *very* average, lacking spark, spice or personality. An 1855 strip carried a 'bone in' disclaimer, but that bone amounted to about 33% of the cut. Also overcooked, the steak was certainly not worth the $65 charged; even the solid square of au gratin was larger than it, yet also lacked distinctive flavor. Our chicken breast was juicy and tender, and the corn with it worked well, but there was nothing especially memorable about either. Dessert, bafflingly, still omits a chocolate-heavy option of any kind. In a land rich with Mayan and other Native spiced cacao options, this remains a weird omission. We wish La Plazuela the best. Tomorrow, and the next day, we'll certainly rely on the other Santa Fe standbys for our special occasions. read more

We really liked this restaurant Service was great- our server was attentive and paced our meal out well. The house Bloody Mary was delicious. We loved the table side guacamole and the house soup. The steak frites was also good We weren't rushed and our server brought us a glass of champagne at the end of our meal read more

You can't beat the setting: the center courtyard of the old La Fonda Hotel in the middle of old Santa Fe. The food was a mixed bag. The stuffed Poblano peppers were the best I've had. The buffalo short rib tacos were good but somewhat bland. Desert flan was outstanding. Service was just OK. Best margueritas we found in town ! read more

Edgar was the best waiter we have ever had! We will definitely go back to this restaurant and ask for him.

This place is absolutely beautiful. My friends and I were visiting Santa Fe and decided to check this place out. We went three times during our visit. We went for brunch and later that day went for happy hour. The day before we left we had dinner. I had the filet which was cooked to perfection. Highly recommend this beautiful place and the service is amazing. Everyone there was very friendly. read more

Outstanding Breakfast!! As this restaurant is next to the Plaza I imagined it would be touristy and probably not so great but I was very impressed! I had the Oaxacas eggs they incredible, perfect portion, amazing flavors and the right amount of spice. I would go over and over to have this for breakfast. The ambiance is very nice and the service is very professional. read more

Had lunch here the other day. I ordered the enchilada del Norte plate with chicken enchiladas in red sauce, black beans and a caeser salad. Outstanding meal. The red sauce had a nice kick but nothing extreme and tasted very good. The black beans were also very good and the waitress allowed me to substitute a Caesar salad instead of Pasole at no extra charge. Overall, I would recommend this restaurant and in particular this dish. read more

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I like to go here once a year for a nice dinner or carnitas and table-side guacamole. The historic hotel has an incredibly cozy feel and is relaxing to sit in the many nooks or simply walk around. The large, in-door patio is festive and tasteful. The food is super tasty and the waitstaff have always been some of the best that I have experienced. read more

Food and service was fantastic!! We sat on the outdoor patio. The weather and ambiance was wonderful. Highly recommended!

So excited to be dining in the La Plazuela Restaurant at the wonderful Lafonda hotel! I miss the atmosphere in the wonderful food... Tonight special was away good steak with purple potatoes green chili jam and grilled asparagus everything cooked to perfection! And of course excellent service !!! read more

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I took a few clients to lunch last week at La Fonda. I'm not a huge fan of hotel restaurants but this is where they wanted to go so... All three of us are local and know what great Santa Fe food is as we have a hundred choices. The wait person had to have been high or in a coma. Every time we had a question or said anything, we got a word (maybe) and a blank stare. I got the French dip which was great. One of my lunch partners got the gazpacho which was awful. We asked the waitperson if she could take it away and just bring an empty plate so that she could have half of my lunch, she either didn't understand or ...? The manager came over and started to argue with my lunch guest and after saying a handful of times that they were going to take it off the bill but there was nothing wrong with it, they left it on the bill. And we still had to hear about "how great the soup is and how EVERYONE loves it!" I've worked in restaurants for a few decades, as a manager for 10 of those years, and I understand how hard the job is these days. That being said, I left my typical 25% and won't be returning ever. read more

Very upscale restaurant but slow service. Waiter took longer than we expected after eating two bowls of salsa and chips. The waiter took next group of guests order which we came before them and we only got couple of appetizers. The group of their food and we waiter an hour and half later for our food and was told the food was burned. Excuses I thought we were about to leave and pay for our drinks that our food came. The food looked simple and wonder how can you burn shrimp taquitos and empanadas. read more

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Definitely nice ambiance, I have a lot of questions about the tree... The server was not very personable my husband was trying to tell her something and she just refilled our water walked away without acknowledging us. The food had great presentation but was overall sort of devoid of taste. The tamale had very little flavor. The tuna appetizer also had very little flavor. So grateful they had salt at the table. Their military sign at the front is weird and doesn't make sense but it is nice they have a military discount. read more

My dad and I were driving through Santa Fe on a road trip and stopped to stroll by the plaza and have a nice dinner. So glad we chose this spot!! The decor and ambiance of the restaurant was beautiful. Yazz, our server, really made us feel welcome and provided excellent recommendations. My dad is vegetarian, so we ordered many of their vegetarian dishes to try. Each one, and I mean, each one was amazinggg. We ordered the artisanal bread board, asparagus soup, roasted root vegetables, and huitlacoche tamal. For dessert, we had the pineapple cake and it was delicious. 10/10 experience read more

Our waitress was kind, but the service was super slow. Very disappointed in our food. My husband and I both got the steak frites with vegetables. The veggies were flavorless and appeared to just be boiled and served. The flavor of the glaze on the steak was not great. Overall, the flavors were not cohesive at all and left a lot to be desired. The table-side guac was over $20 and the chips seemed like they were out of bag. Our drinks were pretty good and the restaurant environment was cool, but overall, we were mad we paid the price of a really nice meal and the food and service were subpar. There's plenty of better places to spend your money in Santa Fe. read more

We had a large party so our tip was set. We were given a nice table in the corner. It was almost like we were forgotten there. We ordered and got our food. When the staff was at our table they were very friendly. I got Christmas sauce. I enjoyed the green more but both were good. The food was colorful and tasty. I have to say my lunch in town was just as tasty and half the price. We wanted to go to roof top bar afterwards but it closed at 8pm. read more

La Plazuela - Chile pepper - New American Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

This is located inside the La Fonda Hotel. The hotel lobby is lovely when you walk in with Spanish style decor. You have to make reservations here as it's popular but I found the food to be standard Mexican cuisine. It was OK. My favorite was the tortilla soup topped with shredded tortilla chips. I could've had 2 bowls. My 2 enchiladas were OK. One chicken, one beef with Christmas sauce 1/2 red on one end, 1/2 green other half. Over all, the dish didn't wow me and arrived warm to the table. I have had better back home at a local Mexican family owned restaurant. Our server was good but nothing extraordinary. Hubby ordered fajitas and it was way too much food for him such that he couldn't finish. We had to skip dessert since the portions were too large. They have these big heavy wooden chairs and the staff don't really help you get seated. Getting out of the high chair to leave was like trying to push a log in the forest. I watched the next table get their guacamole $16 prepared at the table by the staff. The guests told me it was good but too spicy. It was like watching cherries jubilee, Caesar salad or bananas flambé prepared at table side without the flare. No fire. Just a dude mixing one avocado and spices and putting it into a 1 cup bowl with plate of tortilla chips. I think I'll make my own guacamole. read more

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We usually love this place. The ambiance cannot be beat. We stopped by for lunch this trip. They have everyone spread out way more than 6 feet so it was a bit extreme however the wait staff still could barely manage to keep up. You have to leave your name and phone number at their hostess stand. The gal told me the phone number was for contact tracing. The bison short rib tacos were just okay. Salt would have helped some. Not much flavor. They were a little greasy and very messy. Might try again next time to see if that was just an off day. The chicken fried sandwich was very good as were their sweet potato fries. Their bloody Mary's are great and so are their mimosas. Our waitress was very friendly albeit a bit too scarce. We sat a good 15 minutes waiting for our bill. read more

This wasn't a well thought out or researched stop but one I'm glad we did. We hit up La Plazuela after walking around the plaza on our first day without a definite plan for dinner. What first attracted me to this restaurant was how bright and open it was. The menu is more traditional New Mexican but some of the chef's specialties looked great as well. We opted for the more traditional and had the camarones rellenos and shared the enchiladas del norte. The shrimp were crazy looking and unexpected (check out the picture). The enchiladas were good but I personally think hubby made a mistake ordering eggs on them. The mere sight of a runny egg makes me want to throw up. Pardon the visual. Great service. Reasonable prices. Nice ambiance. Would recommend. read more

La Plazuela - Camarones rellenos, complete with a full on face. - New American Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

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Great dinner in Santa Fe! We had the Relleno and Filet. Both were good as well as the service. Also, the corn margarita is a must. The boys enjoyed complementary sopapillas with honey. read more

La Plazuela - Relleno - New American Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

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After getting a peek at the interior of La Plazuela within La Fonda Hotel in downtown Santa Fe, one of my traveling companions wanted to dine there. Inside were tall trees throughout the dining room, white string lights, a high ceiling, fountain in the middle of the room, and the walls were covered in small, individually painted panes of glass. The restaurant was beautiful. We were a bit hesitant, though, because typically restaurants within a top hotel are (1) expensive, (2) snooty, and (3) not worth the cost of the meal. La Plazuela was the exception, though. After scanning the dinner menu, the prices seemed very reasonable, especially the "New Mexican Specialties." Soup and salad starters were a bit on the high end of the price scale, so we all just ate the complimentary bread rolls and waited for our entrees. My partner and I ordered the "Fajitas for Two" for $26. At $13 each, it was a great deal. A large sizzling platter of chicken, peppers, and onions was put between us. After using up the three (three?) small tortillas that were brought to us, we asked for more and were promptly brought four more. The fajitas were delicious and plentiful, as were the sopapillas that accompanied our dish as a dessert. I'd definitely recommend La Plazuela for anyone visiting Santa Fe. Not only do you get fantastic food in a beautiful setting at a reasonable price, but you get to walk through an historic hotel to get there. Parking is at a minimum in downtown Santa Fe, so instead of driving around for a spot, save yourself some time, energy, and frustration and park in the hotel's parking garage for only $2 an hour. read more

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Now this place fills you up for a decent price. I was in town for a meeting and wanted to try out this place. I didn't have reservations, but it wasn't busy yet and I was seated no problem. The ambiance is very relaxed and open. Warm chips and salsa to start, and I had the La Plazuela Combination for under $20. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/la-plazuela-dining-room-santa-fe?select=i7LvVafj0mwfb-8U3IelfA#i7LvVafj0mwfb-8U3IelfA When the dish came out, I thought it was a monster. So much food on a huge plate (plus sides) - I stood no chance at finishing it all, so I had a bit of everything before packing it up. My favorite part of the dish was the chile relleno - so good, so juicy, so perfect. The batter was just the right amount, and all the flavors were balanced so well. They asked if I wanted dessert but....I can only eat so much! read more

La Plazuela - La Plazuela Combination - New American Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

My heart hurts so bad. The blue corn pancakes here were overcooked and just plain awful. It's a shame because it's my absolute favorite treat when I'm in town. The server was outstanding and did everything he could to make things better. And he was super friendly and accommodating. Everyone else at the table loved their omelets and blueberry pancakes and eggs benedict. The setting here is gorgeous. Don't let me stop you from eating here as long as you order something else besides the blue corn pancakes. wamp wamp. read more

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Truly a Santa Fe classic. Prefer breakfast and lunch over dinner yet all is tasty. Love the atmosphere and the energy

We stopped in for an impromptu lunch while exploring the area. There was a short wait for a table but we enjoyed relaxing in the lobby and soaking in the atmosphere and history. We had the tortilla soup, corn chowder and queso. All were tasty. I really liked the prickly pear mocktail. I forgot the name of it but it has ginger, citrus and pink peppercorn. Really tasty and complex. Service was friendly but very slow. Overall we enjoyed our visit. read more

We came here for dinner and had chicken enchiladas with the pozole and beans. It was fantastic!!! Our server, Yazz, was also great. Very friendly and attentive. Will definitely be back. read more

Very delicious and traditional New Mexico dinner. The semi-outdoor setting is beautiful and the food was extremely tasty. Table side guacamole was a nice touch to create a very nice experience here on a vacation. read more

La Plazuela - Tequila cocktail - New American Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

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Very good spot in the heart of Santa Fe - not much to gripe about here other than the reduced menu and the dining atmosphere. Both of these were affected by COVID though so you can't be too mad. The tortilla soup was slightly lukewarm when served but packed with flavor. The green Chile burger was delicious and the fries were great - an awesome meal to break up the constant, spicy enchiladas that overflow every inch of the city. Look forward to trying this when life gets back to normal. Also the hotel itself is beautiful and worth a visit too. read more

La Plazuela - Green chile burger - New American Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

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Traditional New Mexican in a nice atmosphere with great service. I'm definitely a fan and I will be back. Great spot to bring out-of-towners. read more

La Plazuela - New American Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

For a very pleasant Santa Fe "New Mexican" dining experience that won't break the bank, it's hard to believe that there's a much better choice than La Plazuela. Actually, let me amend that: La Plazuela, which is housed in the La Plaza hotel, actually has a bifurcated entree menu, with one list featuring more expensive New American entrees (with mildly New Mexican touches) pushing $35 and $40 and the other including generally less expensive "Northern New Mexican Specialties." I can't vouch for the former list, because I didn't order off it. Most folks at our table ordered off the latter list, and that one mostly features massive plates of satisfying, well-executed New Mexican standards that clocked in at $20 or under. It's a beautiful room: "La Plazuela" means "little square," and it's evidently meant to evoke the Santa Fe Plaza that's catty-corner from the hotel. Extremely high ceilings with skylights and old wood beams, plus plenty of greenery, suggest the benefits of al fresco dining, but without the various annoyances that sometimes entails. Those high ceilings seem to keep the noise levels down, too. Those New Mexican plates come with pinto or black beans, pork posole, pico, guacamole, and sour cream. Chiles rellenos were were very good, with light breading and not too greasy. Only complaint there was that neither the chiles themselves nor the red or green chile brought much heat. A few years back, I had the New Mexican-style posole in a restaurant in Colorado and was disappointed that it was not a stew but just a drab mound of hominy and cheese. This was the same style of posole, but about 10 times better: cooked with tender pork in a hearty sauce. Even the beans were flavorful enough to be a plus. No filler on this plate. Everybody at the table who had margaritas--there are several different kinds--seemed to like them. I'm not really a margarita fan, but, for me, a flight of four Herradura tequilas seemed reasonable for $19. Our lead server was pretty great: He kept things moving along, was very pleasant, and was happy to answer questions about New Mexican cuisine, tequilia, and even mezcal, etc. read more

As far as I'm concerned, this is the second best restaurant in Santa Fe, after Coyote Cafe. Gorgeous room, excellent food, great professional service. And of course a wonderful location. Highest recommendation. Do not understand folks who are unhappy; are they unreasonably demanding maybe? Why is the listing of the restaurant hours and days above wrong? They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, not just lunch. We only were there for dinner. So you can be 100% assured dinner is served. read more

Seriously the best food I've had in a long time. I had the cheese enchiladas and they came with a side of fry bread and hot honey. Omg I'm telling you...you've got yo try this! Friendly wait staff too. Thanks for a great lunch read more

The setting is 80% of the experience. Get the guacamole prepared table side and enjoy the show while getting your choice of mix ins. My prime rib was tasty but tougher than most. read more

La Plazuela My husband and I had a delightful lunch here. The ambiance is lovely. This restaurant is like a beautiful huge two story greenhouse plonked inside the iconic La Fonda hotel. The glass panes of the walls are all individually painted with unique colorful designs, mostly of flowers. Above are skylights and chandeliers. The food and service were excellent. The restaurant is conveniently located right off the Santa Fe Plaza. The La Fonda hotel allows restaurant guests to park in the parking garage for a sufficient number of hours. read more

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Good meal, fair price and fun had by all. Open Table reservations for 8 over New Years. We were seated at a great table in middle of room, in the round so we can all chat without yelling. Margaritas and wine flowed as looked over a menu with a variety of SW flavor. Starting with the recommended Pork Belly but then Chili relleno or the Enchaladas? The lovely and very helpful Alexis offered, "we can do both" informing me the red is spicier than the green. Well then, the combo with reg chili and there you go. The chili relleno was much better. The tortilla soup was very popular with the table as was the Green Chile Meatloaf. The wine list was a little lacking but pour me up another margarita and I won't care. Live music in the hotel bar flowed into the open dining room. Not a romantic experience but great for groups. I'll be back read more

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First visit so I say judge for yourself. I'd like to eat here 5 times then review but it's not going to happen. Jorge was the BEST server... Attentive, knowledgeable about menu, sommelier (probably not but he plays one on TV). Well mannered and professional. You would think he owned this place (perhaps he does). Food: EV-ER-E-THING WAS EXCELLENT. Even the pickles on the burger plate were good. Trout was symphony on a dish, burger fabulous, sweet potato fries, roasted potatoes, Mac and cheese to write home about and... Well... Come and order dessert. read more

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Went here for lunch - I'm giving 3 stars only for the ambience since it's a tourist trap The service could use some improvement (slow, not excited to be there) and everything we ordered was subpar. We started with snapper ceviche ($15 for a very very small portion) and the gazpacho ($10 dollars, very small) and both had no flavor or salt - For an entree we ordered the vegetable plate and it was ruined by the fact that they drenched it in balsamic vinegar but had not added any other spice/salt/garlic - completely flavorless and tasted like boiled vegetables. Also for service it was an issue asking for salt, the server bringing out salt packets 3 at a time was questioning me asking for more salt. If I'm spending over 100 dollars to eat and drink at your restaurant I really hope that you are more concerned about your chefs cooking and that I am so unsatisfied and wanting every condiment instead of being rude about being asked for salt. Very disappointed in the food. Oh and cocktails also not impressive, we had margaritas - overpriced. read more

La Plazuela - Vegetable plate no flavor only balsamic vinegar - New American Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

The food was so delicious. The sunny atrium was pleasant. Not cheap. But so good! Staff was VERY nice. Good came out a little too fast but that was because we ordered everything. read more