Disclaimer: I have been going to Santa Fe since I was Two, so I am somewhat biased. Anyways, Santa Fe is an awesome family run restaurant, with authentic Mexican food. I am a sucker for their complimentary chips and unique salsas, also try the home-made guacamole! I usually get the chicken tacos or a chimichanga (mmm... Deep Fried Burrito...) Last, they make a mean Margarita. read more

Hadn't been here in a few years. Happy to see the quality is still there if not better! Our margaritas were some of the greatest we've ever had. Mine was tamarind on the rocks. Bf had frozen mango. Mole enchiladas are out of this world! I have a very picky bf who loved everything! He ordered the combo fajitas and said they were also the best he's ever had. This place is a true gem, definitely worth trying. read more

We have been bored with our standard restaurant jaunts and decided to venture out, since we weren't too hungry. I picked the town, and then we googled some eateries. The website states that they use "TVP" instead of meat on menu items marked with an asterix (for vegetarians) however, no-one there got the memo. The food was ok - not very tasty in my mind - bland really. The guacamole appetizer was a rip off for the price you get a small scoop of guac and more of the chips that were already on the table. The salsas were both passable, but nothing special - for the money and flavor I would sadly go to Las Palmas over this place again. read more

I went there on a Tuesday night with a date. We ordered a picher of margaritas and began chatting. Our waitress was very kind and let us talk for almost an hour before beginning to bug us for our order. Service is such an important part of a night out that I always take notice of the servers, hosts, and bussers. The drinks were strong, but not overpowering, and the food portions were large and tasty. It was nothing mind-blowing, but very enjoyable. I would go back for the food, drinks, and service. read more

If you're looking for a Mexican restaurant with excellent service, stop looking, this is the place for you. I've never felt so welcomed, nor have I been waited on so quickly, followed by fast service. The food was hot and delicious. The portions were decent sized and the prices were fair. This place is much bigger than it looks as it has a long bar that is followed by multiple dining rooms. Ole! read more

Went here a few years ago on a Saturday afternoon. For some reason, I ordered the BBQ chicken. Who the hell does that at a Mexican restaurant? I went with two coworkers, and they each had veggie tacos. Nothing was overwhelming. The service wasn't that great, either. Not a surprise, because all GLen Ellyn restaurants have service issues. Decent food, though. Will I be back? Probably not. I think the owners own El Puente in St. Chaz, and El Zarape in Wheaton. El Puente is definitely better, and I've yet to try El Zarape, which is located in my hometown. read more

My absolute favorite Mexican restaurant in the area. This has been a family staple for many years, and they have the best margaritas you can find just about anywhere. The service is almost always excellent, and after well over a dozen visits there myself, I have never had anything close to a bad experience. The menu is pretty consistent, but they do offer really great specials, which are often what I have ended up getting whenever I go. read more

Love Santa Fe! Awesome place to go after work with co-workers and have some good food, service and margaritas! Take my advise and order the nachos (they dress up each chip individually!) then the flautas and wash it down with their killer margaritas! Careful they tend to sneak up on you! Worth the trip! Service has been wonderful everytime I go! read more

Nothing special. Food is OK at best, and service is very detached. A small group of 6 of us came in for a weekday lunch. I ordered the Steak Chimichanga dinner. The food itself was OK. Moderate flavor and fairly fresh. The salsa's they had were meager tomato puree for mild, and a decent mole for spicy. That's it - just the two choices. If you don't like spicy, you get a gourmet tomato soup. Service was not very attentive. Having visited twice, this seems consistent though for our last visit it felt like we were incidental to our servers other tasks. Two tries to get extra salsa for the chimichanga. Two tries to get a drink refill. Two tries to get the bill. My coworkers love this place, so I'll likely be back. I'm hoping to see some polish as time goes on, and try some other items which may provide more flavor. read more

Im a huge fan of Mexican, growing up in Az/Ca I know good Mexican food. Unfortunately I have a hard time finding it here in Illinois. I only eat white meat chicken which is suprisingly hard to find out here. My friend recommended this place and compared to what ive had at other places I love their food. They are super fast and friendly. Has a great bar area, which is super loud when busy. Only complaint is that the food is bland and they need better sales, otherwise I love the place and go often. read more

We wanted to go to El Zarape in Wheaton, but they are closed on Sunday, so we Yelped the area and this place came up. I wish we would have just waiting until today to go to El Zarape. We got seated pretty quickly, but had to wait about 15 minutes before placing an order. They were beyond understaffed for a lunchtime service. I ordered a longy taco and a chorizo chalupa. It's not that they were inedible, they just really weren't good. The one word that I kept thinking as I ate was bland. I also really can't stand it when restaurants nickel and dime you on everything. A soda here was $2.85 (we spent 9 dollars on 3 Diet cokes). The menu states that you only get 2 free refills on soda. I only drank one glass and some water so this didn't effect me, but if you're going to charge almost 3 dollars for a fountain drink (which probably costs less than 5-10 cents per cup), you could not be so stingy. If I were you, I'd travel the ten minutes to downtown Wheaton and go to El Zarape... it's a lot smaller than this place but the food, salsa, and experience is better. Or go to Geneva to the awesome mexican restaurants there. read more

I had heard mixed reviews, so I was hesitant to try this place. Today I did, and the Mexican style (vs American style) carne asada/steak tacos were delicious. The waiter said they're his favorite thing on the menu. So if you go, get them, and you won't be disappointed! Update: I got the tacos tonight and they were nowhere nearly as good as last time. They just didn't have a lot of flavor. I tried to put salsa on them, but the salsa doesn't have a lot of flavor either. read more

I like the food here a lot. The service is good. The prices about the same as other Mexican restaurants. The only downside is their skimpy little bowls of chips and salsa. They put down three tiny bowls of chips (which contained not more then a handful of chips in each bowl) and tiny shallow bowls of salsa with maybe a tablespoon or two of salsa in it. This was for a table of twelve. Needless to say they were gone in seconds and we kept having to ask for more. read more

Went here on a Saturday night, after having made reservations several days prior, with our group of five adults. This was meant to be a special holiday outing in a neighborhood we had moved far from years before, and come back to a restaurant we once loved. It had moved locations, but was close by to where they once were. We were seated in a back room where two very long tables held large families with many, many small children. The volume was VERY high, and we immediately asked if there was somewhere else we could sit so we could chat. Nope. That should have been a sign to just find elsewhere to dine, because the cacophony only got worse when a table of two elderly women with three small children was seated up right behind us. This group screamed, yelled, and ran wildly throughout the restaurant. We have had children; we get it! But these parents and grandparents made no effort to quiet the children who were all seated close together. The adults sat at the other end and let them run the place. We had young adults with us who were equally frustrated and startled by the CONSTANT screaming of the children. It was UNREAL. The rest of the restaurant was charming and quiet, but this room was horrible. On top of it, one of these rude families had the audacity to turn off THE LIGHTS while we were eating there to sing 'Happy Birthday" !!! Unacceptable. The service was good and fast, so no issue there. We paid our nearly $200 (!) for our dinner, Before leaving, we did speak to the longtime manager/owner who apologized (nothing more) for the rudeness of the other guests. People-- this is not a playground. No one wants to hear kids screaming (and yes, it was screaming) while in a restaurant. Just know that the back room with its vaulted ceiling is NOT the place for people without children with them. It ruined our night, sadly. read more

This food is disgusting! So bland no taste what so ever.. I ordered a fajita thinking it was going to come sizzling hot.. instead They gave me cold fajitas in a plate with no tortillas.. will not be going here ever! read more

Santa Fe is the best. The margaritas are the best we've ever had -- I recommend the Fresca, or one with Don Julio. They have many different kinds and their drink and dinner specials are always changing. We can easily go through a couple baskets of chips and salsa because they're so fresh and flavorful. The food is good no matter what you get. It's fresh, and they're great with any changes you request. The service all around is top-notch. They're quick, but don't make you feel rushed. The staff are friendly and feel like family. read more

Another good restaurant located in downtown Glen Ellyn! It's right next to Shannon's Irish Pub. Good fresh mexican food and yes, Ellen is correct, excellent margaritas. I've ALWAYS had to wait here - to be seated, to have my order taken, to get my drinks and food - not good. Sometimes the place has been dead and I'm still waiting. Luckily I don't have a complex about it. read more

My fiance's family LOVES Santa Fe and have been regulars for years. The place is growing on me, although their menu is very small. The Good: Excellent Margaritas Tasy Guacomole The Bad: Small Menu Salsa and Chips are only so - so No Atmosphere The Ugly: Last time we were there was had a VERY long wait for our food. The food was not that great after waiting that long. Although the Margaritas were tasty. read more

I toyed with the notion of giving Santa Fe four stars but decided to stick with three for now. Could the excellent experience I had have been a fluke? Better to proceed cautiously. Bear in mind that I'm one of those people who doesn't care how authentic Mexican food is, and because I'm incredibly pregnant, I did not have any of those highly-recommended margaritas. But I really did dig the chalupa platter. Something about it seemed fresher and more flavorful than I've come to expect from suburban Mexican restaurants. Maybe it was the hunks of bright green avocado and juicy red tomato on top. I'm not ashamed to say I left rubbing my (sizable) belly! read more

The service was great. The waitstaff is friendly and attentive making this a real great experience. The menu is at best Mexican-ish but, let's face it: it's downtown Glen Ellyn, not Oaxaca. The waiter was nice enough to bring out "secret salsa" from the back which was fantastic. It had a real kick to it! The flautas had a little enchilada sauce and appeared hum-drum. The mole con pollo was pleasingly unique. Again, the waiter was helpful in guiding me there. The beans and rice was standard issue. The food gets a 2/5 on a standard of real Mexican food. The service was a 5/5. read more

My wife and I have been to Santa Fe several times. The food is good, nothing special. I'm always full after eating there and usually take the leftovers home. As others have said, the service is a little on the slow side. But the staff we've encountered have always been friendly. read more

Good drinks. Great service. I was surprised this place wasn't packed at 6pm on a Saturday. Our bartender was awesome. She was funny, engaging, and genuine. I would like to come back to try the food next time. read more

Pretty nice - but I'm not a super-fan for Mexican food. Upsides: Great chips & salsa Great variety of food Good drinks Downsides: Long wait Little kid crying non-stop, and the waiters only brought him a high-chair Food slightly dry read more

Literally my favorite restaurant that I have been going to for over 30 years. Amazing food, suburb service, great prices. The margaritas are the best, get definitely get one or three read more

My wife and I were very disappointed. Once this was a nice place for great Mexican food. Now forget this place. First they were playing very loud disco music. It gave me a headache. Service was bad at best. I ordered a burrito and I still don't know what they served me. I do know it was not a burrito. They did not want or offer to make me a burrito. We will never go to this place again. read more

Great place. The food is great, the prices are good & their margaritas are seriously tasty. This is also a great place for events, they work well with you and are affordable. read more

2018 Dr Cavazos DC Christmas party at the Santa Fe restaurant in downtown Glen Ellyn. The restaurant was decorated very beautiful, with a visit from Santa Claus himself for the people and the kids. We ordered margaritas and the chips and salsa all went together very good, we had to have there been more Margaritas it was too good. My chicken enchiladas we're the best I ever had, I thought I was back home in McAllen Texas. I highly recommend very clean, great environment and wonderful host. Best wishes Dr David Cavazos d c read more

We arrived to no-one at the bar and no hostess on Sunday at 2pm. We waved at what appeared to be a manager sitting at a table in the back with our soon to be waiter. He sat us at the one clean table because the others had not been cleaned from the previous visitors. After taking our drink requests (water) he didn't return to take our meal orders until I waved him down again and once again he got up from his comfy seat at a table in the back where he was indulging in his own drink and conversation. After getting our meals our waiter was nowhere to be found. We skipped desert and went to the local creamery instead. Needless to say we were ready to spend twice as much, but the service was terrible. (they never cleaned the dirty tables around us). read more

Favorite restaurant in a wide radios. Every birthday It is necessary to have the Carne Asada. I hope this place never changes! It's a shame they aren't everywhere cause it's preventing me from moving to far away! read more

We came with a group of 10 and they didn't split our checks, when we got the bill and asked to split it our server refused. Asked to talk to a manager 6 times and she never came and the server told us she was coming but I believe she never even told her we wanted to speak to her. Then we got very angry and refused to speak to her anymore until she got a manager and then she finally came- But It took 15 minutes of fighting with our waitress just to speak to a manager! Then we ended up sitting there with a piece of paper and writing everything we ate ourselves and did their job for them. Never coming back. Do not eat here. Salsa tastes like tomato soup and food was mediocre at best. read more

My wife and I stopped in for lunch yesterday and had probably the worst experience since going to the Santa Fe. 1 other table occupied. Our server took our order and our drink order. Our server forgot our drinks until the brought out our meals. Actually didn't come back out until she brought the meals. We were given STALE chips so we asked for another basket of chips. They had taken our basket and put them in the microwave to hide the fact it was the same basket of chips. This time, food quality wasn't there. I ordered steak chimichanga, my wife had fish tacos. Neither one of the meals were up to the standards they've been known for in the past. Sadly when we come up to Glen Ellyn we won't be stopping in anytime soon. read more

Bug in my food. Waitress tried to tell me it was a shrimp tail. Poor service. Will not be coming back.

The food was average. Service was good. Waiter was great. Margaritas were 2nd best I've ever had. 1st being La Campana's Ultimate.

Real good authentic Mexican food. The tamales are really good and the staff is beyond great.

This is from my 8 year old son: we were just in Mexico and my son was attempting to replicate his meal from there here in the States. Thankfully the family at Santa Fe is so very accommodating to all wishes! The food is great! Especially the Bean Burrito. The rice is great too! The chips are good alone but with salt or salsa they are even better. The fries are good alone but with rice, beans, both together and ketchup. The rice actually sticks. I would love it if you would come here!!! read more

This is quite frankly, our place. My family and I frequent Santa Fe at a minimum every week. The food is always good. Always. Little things like on their specials, the vegetables are always cooked perfectly. Not mushy and gross, cooked perfectly. Their specials are always great. Jicama tacos, a summer favorite. Drinks are great, the service is good and always friendly. I've spent a lot of money here in the past 15 years, and I'll continue to do so. It's our place, and I think most people who like Mexican food would agree. I bring friends all the time, and our family is here a lot. If you want a great meal, a good time, and a fair price, Santa Fe! Also, the man solute best margaritas anywhere, literally anywhere. Also, ask for the salsa verde, it should be bottled and sold. read more

Food was great home made guacamole was the best, service are good!! Would recomend santa fe to my friend

Visited for dinner on a Sat night and the place was packed with people, It is not a quiet place and there were large groups including several families with children. You get the standard chips and 2 salsas when you sit down. One is more a verde and pretty spicy, the other more of mild smooth tomato. I recommend combining them as the combination is better then each individually and makes more of a medium spice level. Ordered a 1/2 pitcher of margaritas and some chorizo nachos. The 1/2 pitcher provided each of us with 2 full drinks and they were strong enough that anymore would have been a bad idea. I really liked nachos because each one was individually topped instead of mound of chips with topping dumped on top. For entrees we ordered seafood enchiladas and tacos dinner. Enchiladas had nice flavor with a bit of spice in the sauce and the tacos were standard. The service was efficient if not overly friendly. Overall decent old school Mexican with fresh ingredients and pretty decent margaritas. I don't get into the "authentic Mexican" debate because cuisines evolve, change and are regional. There is going to be cheese on top of your burrito here, if that isn't you thing go somewhere else. read more

I do love this place....but.....I witnessed something interesting today. A gentleman walked to the corn chip 'bin' , stuck his ungloved hands into it, put the chips in a bowl, wiped his nose with his hands, then added cheese to chips and served them.......mmmmmm? A new appetizer perhaps? He was wearing a 'pray for Nepal' shirt and I believe he was a manager at the other location.......he should know better. Please add food service gloves and remember people are always watching. read more

If you go to Santa Fe for anything other than to eat Longey Tacos, you are an utter moron. They're literally the best tacos in the Universe. The margaritas are also pretty good. When you go there and order your Longey tacos, don't get the dinner. Just get three Longey tacos. Why waste critical stomach space on beans and rice when you can enjoy yet another Longey? And don't go in there and get all full of yourself by ordering a steak or chicken Longey Taco. They suck. Stick with the beef. It's perfection. PERFECTION I say. Here's how to win at Santa Fe: Step 1. Acquire a table. Step 2. Order 3 beef Longey Tacos. Step 3 (optional). Order a Margarita pitcher. Step 4. While waiting for Longey Tacos, ask for the secret "green sauce" for your chips. Step 5. Eat everything they bring you. Step 6. Win. read more