Where to eat in Santa Fe and Sedona
August 10, 2013 9:15 PM

Summer vacation in Santa Fe and Sedona. Where should we eat?

Looking for a couple of nice places but mostly midrange. Prefer not tourist spots. Options in Albuquerque and Phoenix/Flagstaff also requested.
posted by elizeh to Travel & Transportation (15 answers total) 13 users marked this as a favorite
Oak Creek Brewery in Sedona, for sure.
posted by kcm at 9:17 PM on August 10, 2013


The Shed in Santa Fe!
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 9:44 PM on August 10, 2013


Beaver Creek brewery and Bigfoot BBQ in flagstaff are awesome. Both are downtown and Bigfoot is actually in the basement of the commercial building on the square. Flagstaff has an awesome used bookstore as well called bookmans.

In albuquerque go to Sadies and Rudies BBQ. Sadies is the best mexican food in the world. It is really, really hot in the new mexican style and approach with caution (this is not a joke, really, Hot is just different in New Mexico and rudies isn't really for the faint of heart either). The best fast food is blakes lotaburger and their is one on every corner.
posted by bartonlong at 9:54 PM on August 10, 2013


Coppa Cafe's Sunday brunch is the food thing I miss most from Flagstaff. It's owned a by a great husband-and-wife pair who used to be the head sous chef and pastry chef (respectively) at Eleven Madison Park in New York. (If you can't make it for brunch, lunch and dinner are awesome too, but their croissant sandwich at brunch is unbelievable.)

The close second to Coppa is Pizzicletta, a wonderful-but-tiny neopolitan-style pizza place downtown, which still has the best and most flavorful crust of any pizza I've ever had. You can read about the chef's journey from backyard pizza cook to opening and running his own restaurant through a series of posts he did for Slice.

In Sedona, I've had a couple of tasty meals at Elote Cafe and would go definitely back. (Their website says they'll be closed Sunday August 25 thru Tuesday September 10 so fair warning!)
posted by joshuaconner at 10:20 PM on August 10, 2013


The Pantry in Santa Fe is awesome. Not touristy at all and very reasonably priced. Breakfast burrito with green and beans and potatoes is my favorite order (doesn't matter the time of day).

Also Santa Fe Baking Company is a good coffee shop with some great food.

Tesuque Market is a bit of a drive from Santa Fe but it has good food and sometimes fun celebrity watching.

And one more, Tia Sofia's which is downtown. I think it might only be open through lunch.

Wait! One more! Clafoutis French bakery has the yum all over it although it doesn't serve New Mexican food at all.
posted by dawkins_7 at 11:20 PM on August 10, 2013


Bobcat Bite has the ne plus ultra of green chile cheeseburgers.
posted by brujita at 11:39 PM on August 10, 2013


For Flagstaff, Criollo is pretty great- I had brunch there today and it was excellent. They also have some pretty amazing cocktails.

Seconding the recommendations for Coppa Cafe and Pizzicletta as well. I also love Macy's, of course. I've grown pretty fond of Diablo Burger this summer, which is weird because I'm a vegetarian but they have the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever.

I wouldn't recommend Beaver Street Brewery if you're looking to avoid touristy places- the majority of their customers come from out of town. However, they do have a sister restaurant called The Lumberyard that my friends and I enjoy.

My roommate recommends Pato Thai, which I love too.
posted by mollywas at 12:32 AM on August 11, 2013


I liked the Coffee Pot in Sedona. Nothing fancy, basically just diner food, but in a town of tourist places, it was a place where I saw actual locals.

Also go for Oak Creek Brewing Company off Coffee Pot - not the similarly-named pub in Tlaquepaque village, which is overpriced. The brewery location has Simon's Hot Dogs (a one-man shop inside the brewery) that serves a wide variety of interestingly-topped hot dogs, both meat and vegetarian. Also a locals place in a town of tourists.
posted by OHSnap at 5:02 AM on August 11, 2013


I second The Shed in Santa Fe -- it's just off the plaza. It's a go-to every time we're in Santa Fe -- pintos, posole, red sauce, green sauce, and a side of garlic bread with every entree!

The Zia Diner is also a reliable spot for just just about any kind of food you could imagine.
posted by tmharris65 at 5:20 AM on August 11, 2013


I like Maria's and Chocolate Maven in Santa Fe. In ABQ I like Slate St. Cafe and La Quiche. For Saturday breakfast, think about wandering around the growers markets. Usually there are great pasteries and breakfast burritos to be had.
posted by answergrape at 7:45 AM on August 11, 2013


Best "greasy spoon" burger I've ever had, hands down is at Red Planet diner in Sedona. Better than any of the many I've tried in NYC, or any of the chains (New York burger, Five Guys, etc.)
posted by Debaser626 at 8:56 AM on August 11, 2013


Yes, The Shed has awesome New Mexican food, but it can be hard to get a seat, because it's on the Plaza, and very popular with tourists. Instead try La Choza in the Santa Fe Railyard. Same owners, same menu, cheaper prices -- it's where the locals eat.

Also, FYI, Bobcat Bite has closed after a dispute with their landlords. They're currently in the process of relocating to Garrett's Desert Inn on Old Santa Fe Trail, as (I think) Santa Fe Bite. Don't know if they're open there yet.

Flying Star has great local food. There's one in the Railyard, and many throughout Abq.

I like Counter Culture on Baca Street, but they're cash only.

There is no shortage of good restaurants in Santa Fe. You don't specify a particular type of cuisine, so maybe check out the Santa Fe Reporter's yearly restaurant guide. Here's the 2012-2013 guide.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 10:52 AM on August 11, 2013


My favorite breakfast in Santa Fe is at Pasqual's, and my favorite dinner is at The Shed.
posted by antonymous at 11:22 AM on August 11, 2013


+ for the Shed. I also loved Rio Chama
posted by burlsube at 7:00 AM on August 12, 2013


Elote Cafe in Sedona!! This is a MUST. Best Mexican food I've ever had. If they are closed as joshuaconner warns, reschedule your trip!

Prepare to wait, but they do a good job of managing the wait. Get a drink from the pickup window at the end of the bar, get your free popcorn, and grab a table outside. They'll come get you. It's not a bad experience and I hate waiting for tables.

And the food is amazing.

Didn't go there while we were in Sedona, but the guy who recommended Elote also recommended the Heartline Cafe and damn was he right about Elote, so you might want to check it out.

Oh, you're also interested in Flagstaff! The guy doing the recommending was one of the owners of the Inn at 410 in Flagstaff, which is a great place to stay. All kinds of good restaurants in walking distance. He knows all of them and will recommend the good ones.

Since I also have a fondness for greasy spoon diners, I also recommend the Galaxy Diner on Rt. 66 for lunch.
posted by Naberius at 7:21 AM on August 12, 2013


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