THANK YOU to the manager, staff, and entertainers at Vanessie for making this the best New Year's Eve celebration ever (Happy 2017!!) The manger was extremely accommodating to the needs of our small group in selecting our requested seating. The waiter and staff went out of their way to make sure that we never had to want for anything. The chef did a remarkable job on my sea bass and the rest of my party agreed that the entrees were delicious! As always, the entertainment was the icing on this very tasty cake :) Thank you, Doug Montgomery, for sharing your extraordinary, world class piano with us throughout the years...and on this evening, in particular. Doug was joined by the incredibly talented and delightful Elizabeth Young on the violin. Additionally, the duo of Brandon and James contributed their amazing artistry on the cello and piano.. I have attended many New Year's celebrations hosted by restaurants, but none comes close to the intimacy, service, and class of New Year's at Vanessie read more

Excellent evening! Fun and entertaining. Caters to the senior crowd in the piano bar with older songs but was a place I would recommend. Food was wonderful. Waiter attentive. Atmosphere was very classy. We will go again when in Santa Fe. You should go. read more

The food is quite yummy; love the hamburgers & fries and the fried zuccini. Doug Montgomer is abosolutely one of the most talented local singers/songwriters. I love sitting in front of his grand piano and singing along! read more

The review must be taken in context. So that it can be understood in context. My partner and I (yes we are a gay couple), visited this establishment less then an hour ago. We both have Mohawks, and beards, these are nicely trimmed and or gelled. We are not professional in the traditional sense but are well cultured, intelligent, well spoken, and courteous. While visiting we felt completely out of place. Service was a bit slow but they may have been understaffed. With the live music and open bar a slow service, wouldn't usually bother me. However, there was also only very limited and superficial interest in my partner and myself, this I don't believe applied to the other tables. While visiting and eating there seemed little concern in keeping my water glass well filled, by the time we ordered desert I got my first refill. Further there was no inquiry if I would be interested in another drink after completing the first one. Our table was also poorly designed for communication. It was too big to talk across quietly and we had to effectively sit on opposing sides given the layout. When we were ready to pay, I mentioned I left a coupon that came with our hotel reservation (the same establishment) in our room and was made aware I had to present it to get the benefit. This bugs me a bit, given that I'm paying close to $100 for dinner, and am sleeping in their hotel... I would have expected this to be just fine. But no... It had to be retrieved from my room... It's acceptable but I don't think typical given that it's a simply business card and nothing fancy requiring scanning or such. After already feeling unwelcome and as though we were the topic of conversation amongst hushed voices this just didn't help. Aside from this the food was good, perhaps a little overpriced given what it was but it tasted good, thumbs up to the kitchen staff. So, if you are young, have kids, or are an openly gay couple, maybe don't have a traditional hair cut or stand out for other reasons... I don't think you will enjoy the environment. If you are over 40, fit in with the crowd, and are looking for a stress free dinner, this may be your place. read more

This restaurant is located near the plaza in Santa Fe. It's an expensive ($20-45 per plate) restaurant with a full bar and live entertainment. The menu is mainly steaks, other grilled meats, and seafood. There are a few vegetarian dishes, but the menu is fairly limited overall. There is also a bed and breakfast located on the property. We had dinner at Vanessie this past weekend. We were very disappointed. Our party ordered a variety of entrees. The steaks were good, but not great. You can get a steak that is just as good at a national chain. They were fairly large cuts, but not thick and not aged. The steaks come with a veg and garlic mashed potatoes, not a choice of potato. The seafood dishes were lousy. They were over-salted and covered in overpowering sauces and accompanied by weird side dishes. Whoever thought that delicate scallops covered in hot red chile powder served with cheese grits was a good idea should be sent back to cooking school. The Chilean sea bass "special" was equally strange and cost $36. The "egg free" Caesar salad was an $8 crime against humanity. The service was also terrible. Our waiter, a small, grey haired man who has apparently worked there "forever" was less than friendly. He responded to questions about the menu curtly and in a somewhat condescending manner. Despite the fact that the dining room was half empty (at 7:30 on a Sat. night), he was frequently missing in action. He never asked if we wanted our drinks refilled. I got the distinct impression that our table of 7 was a serious bother to him. As you will read in other reviews, there is a piano bar (earlier in the evening) and live bands (later). The piano player/singer was OK, not great. However, they let some show-off local opera singers take the mic for a while and no one could hear themselves think. Terrible choice. The band took over at about 8:30 and they were also just OK, playing a weird mix of styles. The crowd in the bar was almost exclusively older (50-60s) wealthy out of towners/retirees who were clearly enamored of the lame entertainment. Overall, Vanessie ruined what should have been a nice weekend in Santa Fe. There are a bunch of great fine dining restaurants in Santa Fe (La Boca, The Shed, El Farol, etc). This is not one of them. Go elsewhere. You have been warned. P.S. Their menu online is not up to date. Some of the dishes and prices have changed. read more

I'm not quite sure why this place has good reviews. The wait staff was very friendly and that is why I'm being generous with 2 stars. I don't like to give poor reviews when the staff is friendly. However, I didn't go to this restaurant for the people but rather for the food. I ordered a dish the waitress said is her favorite. The ravioli was tough and the mushroom sauce was bland. My husband ordered the chicken parmigiana and he was underwhelmed at the lack of flavor and the skimpy piece of chicken. I ordered a fancy drink with rose water and I almost choked on the alcohol. The waitress was kind enough to replace it with a Moscato, which was the worse Moscato I've ever had. How can Moscato be bad?! I though my glass was dirty and maybe it tasted bad because of something in the glass. I transferred it to another glass and nope, it was the smelly moscato. (Heavy sad sigh..) We were very disappointed since it was one of our staycation nights in Santa Fe. There are so many good places to eat for the same cost ($$$). Huge disappointment in the restaurant the reviews. Yelp reviews are usually accurate so maybe we just went to late or on a bad night. read more

I ve been going to Vanessie for 25 years and have always had a good time and enjoyed it. I recently moved to Santa Fe and have been 2 times in the past 6 weeks. The manager and the hostess are unbelievably rude and non-caring about their customers. Both most recent visits I have been treated very rudely as if they don't care about their customers or don't want to be there. The owner should really look into finding new staff to replace them. I would love to return but will not do so until the staff is replaced and they learn how to treat their clientele. read more

We are staying at this hotel for a couple of days and went into the restaurant tonight for dinner.. after 45 minutes of waiting with no one ever coming to take our order we left. Terrible service and the waiter was awful . He acted like he didn't care that we were leaving at all. I guess he thought a party of 2 was not as important as the bigger groups he waited on that came in long after we did. Horrible customer service. We will not be back.. we went down the street to Dinner for two and it was amazing. Fantastic customer service and awsome food read more

I like the food, drink, music and atmosphere. I have gone off and on for years. The last two times I went on a weekday at about 7:30 pm they closed within 15 minutes of my arrival. We had to hurry and leave. Not sure I will keep going. read more

Best (only?) piano bar in town! They always know my favorite songs, and the food is pretty darn good too.

How unfortunately that Vanessi's manager decided to try a different 'act' the night (a Thursday) we took my out of town mother and sister....It was amateur night, totally opposite to what their website said....a lackluster piano player, accompanied by 2 OFF OFF broadway wanna-be girls. A local off pitch glee club would have done better. On top of it all their 'acts' where rants against the government, social status, banks..++++. You go to a restaurant/club to HAVE a good time...not to be reminded what you are WASTING your $$$$ while eating, seeing and hearing such a horrible act. Food was like the pianist lackluster. Stick to known acts on weekends, and just get drinks. read more

Doug Montgomery is a fabulous singer and pianist. He studied at Julliard. The entertainment is great and the food very reasonably priced.

Warning!!! Beware of the old rich Santa Fe people!!! This place is fun just don't go before 9:00pm and you will be fine. This is a spacious and romantic bar with a grand piano and strong cocktails tucked into an unassuming neighborhood in downtown Santa Fe. You can sing along with the piano man and have a good time with your friends. If you go for dinner it is expensive but if you go just for drinks it's just right. read more

What a hidden gem this place is! We booked it online through a travel app - could NOT have been more pleasantly surprised and pleased by the Vanessie. I was personally escorted to our room and shown everything in it etc. Clean and tasteful rooms; comfy bed and furnishings. It's a short 5 minute walk from all the plaza attractions which is another plus!! We'll definitely be back!! read more

WOW is all we have to say, the Jazz Funk mix and Tony B rocked the house...one of the highlights of our trip over Memorial Day weekend in Santa Fe...they played the best funky jazz I have ever heard...the musicians were top notch and we totally did not expect anything like this going in to the bar...we danced and had a few cocktails...if Tony B and crew are playing, you must stop in and check it out.... read more

Non-fussy but excellent service in the piano bar of this restaurant. My pastaless pasta dish of squash, onion, red bell pepper was tasty with a mild pesto sauce. I could have eaten a little bigger portion than what they served. Fun entertainment with pianist singer Doug and his guests, some of which were unexpected by him. Great atmosphere! read more

I had made reservations for my anniversary at another place with a pianist so I could sing to my wife. 3 days prior I was confirming my reservation and they told me that section was closed. Frustrated because I spent months planning this. A coworker suggested this place and I figured I'd give it a shot. I went to the pianist and asked how possible it was. He was awesome about everything. Our server (Brisa) I think was her name, was phenomenal! The music, food, ambiance, and drinks were amazing. And to just impromptu play a song for me to sing to my wife was perfect... I will be back and I will tell everyone to check it out. Perfectly cooked steak too! read more

It was dead on Sunday evening with one person waiting tables, hostess, and cashier. Food was average but overpriced. read more

Doug Montgomery is a treasure in Santa Fe. Have been going for 10 years and never disappointed. The new management is trying to make the service, food and prices so bad we won't go again. New management obviously impressed by their culinary skills and don't care about the customer. Do what you want in the dining room, but leave the piano bar alone. Totally new piano bar menu. My wife and I don't want to eat a duck dinner in the piano bar. Use to have great pasta and cheese sauce $9 appetizer. Now it is a $22 pasta dish with no salad or bread and not as good. They also lost our reservation last week. We will be loyal to Doug, but only eat there if absolutely necessary. Our favorite waiter even left because he was disgusted with the new management. Go to hear Doug, but don't eat. read more

The flank steak was cook perfectly, med rare and full of flavor. Paired it with sautéed spinach and mushrooms. Would recommend. Brandon James was on the piano the night I went and he is nothing short of being amazing. Love his voice, completed the lovely ambiance they have going on. read more

My mom and I came Sunday night for dinner, and we had a wonderful dinner with exemplary service. Our server Elizabeth was so nice and professional. It wasn't busy in the dining room, but the front bar area was packed watching the pianist who was terrific. I had the half-rack of New Zealand lamb, which was great, though I could have easily eaten more. It came with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach, and the always perfect Firestone Cabernet from Santa Ynez Valley, which is always a rare treat. I really enjoyed her service and she was very attentive. I will definitely return here on my next trip. read more

As Santa Fe residents, we go to Vanessie regularly -- weekly, as a matter of fact. Love the atmosphere, but mostly we thoroughly enjoy being entertained by Doug Montgomery at the piano. I'd love to give this venue 4, or even 5 stars, but recent changes have not (in our humble opinion) been improvements. We no longer enjoy or appreciate the menu changes that were implemented a couple months ago. A note to Vanessie management: Bring back some bar food offerings like you used to have! read more

I went here with my husband b/c we heard it was a good lounge/bar scene- um yeah, if you want to hang out with the 60-70 yr old crowd. We were by far the youngest people in here.I can't comment on the food b/c we didn't eat. read more

Best meal we had in Santa Fe. We split yummy pork taco appetizer. I had tender braised rib with garlic and horse radish mashed potatoes. Delicious! Asparagus was fresh. My partner had chicken risotto which he thoroughly enjoyed. Sourdough bread was nice as well. Service which was accommodating had a genuine friendliness delivered in a professional manner. Warm decor with live "lounguey" type piano singer heard in the background (he plays in bar area) topped it all off for a wonderful evening. For what They offer I found it to be reasonably priced, if not inexpensive. Loved it! read more

This place used to be our favorite. The music and staff are still incredible, but the new management is incompetent and rude. I can't believe it! We've spent so many Christmas Eves here as a family, but this year they decided to surprise everyone and only serve a $100 prix fixe dinner menu. This wasn't advertised anywhere! Not the local paper, or even the restaurants website. We won't be eating here ever again. Only drinks and music for us! read more

This is best place to bd when brandon and james are in town...first rate entertainment...Doug Montgomery is a talented entertainer but his hurdy gurdy style is a bit boring ...blue gaired ladies everywhere they love him.. read more

What a great piano bar to come to for a drink and a live performance. They always seem to have a great line up of performers playing different types of music. They also have a decent wine list and make good cocktails. read more

Vanessie - Bars Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

We came for the piano music and vocals, but were also pleased with the food and drinks. What a wonderful place to spend our last evening in Santa Fe. Good food, good drinks, good friends, and wonderful piano music! read more

So disappointing that they let Charles go, one of the great piano player/entertainers in Santa Fe. Vanessie's will no longer be known as a piano bar now that they are having bands during the week like everyone else. So sad!!! read more

A rack of lamb on New Year's Eve, with wonderful live entertainment? What can you say? I'll be going back there again some future NYE.

Great piano bar!!! Good music and great ambiance!!

Food was average at best. Drinks were subpar. Music was good. Nice piano bar. Suggest drinks and apps in bar.

Great time! Food was excellent. Service nice. Music enjoyable. Beautiful inside. Hard to find.

Excellent food. Meat perfectly cooked to order and flavorful. A little pricey but worth it. Elizabeth was a terrific server. Ambiance was lovely. Would have been a perfect dinner except for the horrible lounge singer playing in the bar in the next room. People were there listening to this guy, but honestly, it was hard to enjoy my delicious meal. He couldn't sing, and on top of that, sang in a key too high for his voice so half the songs were screeched. He did an annoying medley of every single song in his set, so very few songs ever finished. And his choice of music was easy listening from the Beatles and other bands up through the 70's. Now I'm a 70's girl and I also love the Beatles, but this guy sang so sloppily and poorly that I didn't even enjoy the songs I normally like! If I closed my eyes, I could have been listening to Nick, the Lounge Singer, Bill Murray's character from Saturday Night Live. It was very painful and not as funny. I couldn't bear to give the restaurant less than 5 stars because the food and service was so fantastic, but I may reconsider if this dude is still working here the next time I visit Santa Fe. read more

The food is amazing, the drinks are strong and the Music is phenomenal . Branden James from Americas Got Talent is here until May of 2016. He performs with his talented sidekick James. The piano, vocal, cello combination makes for an enjoyable night of music. They will play a wide variety of well known songs and you can make requests as well. They play every week Wednesday through Sunday. Every once in a while they will have a concert violinist named Elizabeth join them. Folks, this is the best free, live music you will ever have the privilege of listening to! read more

Vanessie hosted a non profit fundraising event, starring Doug Montgomery and Elizabeth Young. Vanessie outdid themselves, presenting a wine and cheese tasting in an intimate atmosphere. Doug and Elizabeth were their usual outstanding performers, blowing the audience away with music from Movies past and current. The food, the service, the gracious management, and the phenomenal entertainment left the audience grateful and impressed. read more

Yes sir, this is a steakhouse lover's steakhouse. While visiting Santa Fe, there is obviously the desire for good local New Mexican cuisine, but after getting that out of the way, while here on business our client suggested treating us to Vanessie. And boy am I glad about that. Vanessie is HUGE, it feels like a large upscale wooden lodge you'd find at a swanky ski resort. There's an impressive bar, with a piano room stationed next to it. Apparently they are one of the only (if not THE only) places in Santa Fe that has live music every night of the week We were a large party of 13, standard for excessive client dinners. For starters we passed around the usual greasy suspects: fried calamari and Vanessie's famous onion loaf (I haven't had onion loaf since I was kid going to Tony Roma's with my grandfather, I forgot how good onion loafs are!). We also ordered a slightly more innovative greasy addition: portabella mushroom fries- large slices of panko breaded portabella with chipotle aioli. For the main course, I had to go with something unusual, and elk most certainly does not pop up on a ton of menus at home in NYC. So I opted for the elk tenderloin with lingonberry reduction, mashed potatoes and spinach. And I mean man oh man was that a perfectly cured piece of meat. I also had the luxury of tasting my neighbor's New York strip. Hands DOWN, that is the best New York Strip I have ever tasted, and I was a bit envious because I didn't order it. The waiter did mention something about the rub preparation that Vanessie is proud to offer on all of their steaks, and I certainly tasted the difference. I would love to go back to Vanessie next time we're in town. read more

We just went to the bar. The pianist was fantastic and the deserts were exceptional. Unfortunately the service was lacking. Otherwise, I would have given it a five. read more

I've been coming here for Doug's music for 25 years and I've never been disappointed. I've mostly enjoyed the drinks, ambiance, and of course Rhapsody in Blue. It's just the right place to finish a day of Santa Fe'ing. read more

Very Santa Fe. Great hosts. Nice rooms. Delicious breakfast. Walking distance to all of the plaza