El Farol was at the top of my list of places to try during my trip to Santa Fe. It's been open since 1835, making it the oldest restaurant in the city! The bae and I went for dinner on our first night in the city. We should have gone for New Mexican food, but I was feeling very excited for traditional Spanish tapas.
It was a beautiful night out, so we chose to sit outside. The restaurant is located on a nice quiet road, and the ristras hanging along the ceiling were a nice touch. Santa Fe is so different from DC, and I couldn't get over the scenery!
Live music was playing inside that night. I'm glad we chose to sit outside, because it was quite loud with the band.
The food
The bae and I tried a variety of hot and cold tapas. We usually order a LOT of food, and requested that it be brought out as it was made, so that we wouldn't be overwhelmed. The waiter ended up bringing everything out at once anyway. It wasn't a big deal, but some dishes did get cold while we were eating, and it would have been easier to savor each dish if the dishes were served in a more intentional manner.
Ensalada El Farol
The house salad had roasted pears, manchego, field greens and a pinon sherry vinaigrette. The roasted pears were tangy and sweet, almost as if they were poached in balsamic. It's definitely one of my new favorite salad toppings.
Fabada Asturiana - Bean and Sausage Stew
This soup was classic comfort food. The beans weren't too mushy, and it was rich and savory. I thought it lacked salt.
Boquerones - Marinated anchovies
I really liked this dish! The anchovies were salty, the tomato was tangy and the avocado was rich and creamy. Everything played well off of each other. Anchovies are one of my favorite fishes. If it's on the menu, I'll order it.
Roasted shishito peppers
It's hard to go wrong with roasted peppers! These were addicting and I couldn't stop popping them in my mouth. A splash of lime added a pop of freshness to the dish.
Calamari Frito
I liked how savory and crunchy the breading was for El Farol's calamari, but I felt like the breading was a little thick. Calamari is one of those dishes that the bae will order any time he sees it, so I've eaten a lot of it since we met. While I liked the kick from the peppers, I would have liked a thinner batter, like I had recently at Via Carota. The Romesco Verde was slightly sweet from the almonds and went well with the heat of the peppers.
Albondigas - Lamb meatballs
These meatballs were delicious! They were so soft and tender, with a nice gamey taste from the lamb. The sauce was tart, and went well with the meat.
Chorizo croquettes
Ordering smallplates with the bae is always fun because if you know us well, you'll know exactly who ordered what. Deep fried mashed potato balls? That has my name written all over it. It's one of my favorite tapas. In fact, all of my favorite tapas involve potato in some way. These chorizo croquettes were perfectly soft and melty. They had black beans and corn. It was like taking a bite out of the Southwest.
Zarzuela de pescado - Catalan Seafood Stew
We were still hungry after our small plates, so the bae ordered a seafood stew. It took FOREVER to come out, and our waiter kept ensuring us it was almost ready. We almost cancelled the order. The stew had sea bass, mussels, squid and shrimp. The broth was fragrant with saffron and paprika. The bae was NOT into the almonds included in the soup (and the almond dip that came with our calamari). He wanted to make sure I included that in my review. I once again found this dish lacking in salt, but the seafood was all tender and fresh.
Final review
I loved the ambiance at El Farol. Most of the dishes were hits, but a few were misses. Both soup dishes were a little bland, and our waiter was very frazzled. Overall, we still had a positive and romantic night out
Price point: $$ ($11-$30)
Dress code: Dressy casual. Come in your jeans or dress up a bit for a special date!
Food: ????️????️????️????️/5
Service: ❤️❤️❤️/5 Our dishes came out either too fast or too slow, and our waiter was frazzled and largely absent during the meal.
Noise level: ????????????/5 We were sitting outside, so it was relatively quiet until someone opened the door to the restaurant. If you're inside while they're playing loud music, it would be hard to hear the person you're sharing a meal with.
El Farol is located at 808 Canyon Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87501.
user-631205 says
awesome
blair villanueva says
I guess when we visit this restaurant, we make sure that we don't do dieting! Their foods looks delicious!
Jeannette says
The oldest restaurant in Santa Fe!? How cool!. The roasted shishito peppers look amazing!
Arun says
I am a foodie. I would love to go to this restaurant. Their food seems delicious. And the location and setting is so lovely.
Alexandra Cook says
Looks like you found a great spot to enjoy eat in Santa Fe! Perfect since we have a trip there nextweek, I would def try their food.
Suzanne Nuyen says
I hope you enjoy your trip! I'll have a post up soon on everything to do in Santa Fe, keep your eye out!
David Elliott says
It all looks pretty good out there. I would love to try out the bean and sausage stew. But it really all does look pretty delicious to me.
Samar says
OMG the food is really look awesome.
The location also seems great.
Khushboo Motihar says
This place has such a lovely ambience. Calamari Frito and the peppers look delicious 🙂
Lavern Moore says
Of all you mentioned, I would like to try Zarzuela de pescado – Catalan Seafood Stew! Looks so delicious!
Suzanne Nuyen says
The broth was unlike anything I've tried before! It was very flavorful 🙂
LaTese says
Looks amazing! I will be trying El Farol if I visit NM.
Bree says
Yum! That bean and sausage stew looks so tasty! I love a good meal so I definitely need to try this place!
Laura says
This restaurant looks so nice and also the food. Would love to try it x
Laura
https://pinkfrenzymissl.blogspot.com/
Krysten Quiles says
Sounds really yummy! I think it would be hard to be a server who is asked to come back to a table several times with different food options, so I don't think I'd hold it against the server. The food looks delish!
Suzanne Nuyen says
It's actually quite normal to request that food comes out steadily. It's what you would expect if you ordered appetizers, an entree and dessert. So servers are definitely prepared to do that! But like I said, it did not affect our night too negatively!
Tiffany says
Looks like such a cute place!
Lyosha says
the food looks absolutely delicious! i would love to visit this restaurant too! The place looks very nice too.
Agnes Vazhure says
Omg! those foods look really delicious and flavorful. It makes me feel hungry now. I really need to visit that place to eat all delicious foods.
Paula Stewart says
As I enjoy trying authentic dishes whenever I can, I would have gone with traditional foods, too. Sounds like your experience was a mixed bag. It's great that you have such a positive attitude and was able to come away with an enjoyable experience.
Suzanne Nuyen says
Yes, there were a few bumps in the service, but overall I had a great date night. I'd still recommend the restaurant!
Annita Nikole says
I love places with history! I wish I had stopped at this place when I was in Santa Fe! The seafood stew looks good but too bad it was a little disappointing.
Kriti says
Droll worthy post <3 especially "Chorizo croquettes" . concept of a location at the roadside is quite interesting !!
Sondra Barker says
My mouth is watering just looking at all of these dishes! I would love to try every single one! Thanks for sharing -Sondra Barker @cuisineandtravel.com
Jenn ~ onehoppymomma says
Definitely adding to our itinerary for our road trip to NM
Suzanne Nuyen says
Yess! Check out my other reviews too!
Qarrey says
wow!The food.?
looks yummy and I know they are as you put it.
Stephanie Stebbins says
Sounds like a great experience overall. I'll have to check it out the next time I'm there!
Ashli Ferguson says
this looks like a really cool place and the food looks wonderful too!
Joanna says
I like in Spain so I recognised many of the dishes you have ordered. I always have boquerones as tapas, they are so good! The zarzuela looks delicious, with plenty of seafood in it.
Suzanne Nuyen says
Anchovies are some of my favorite fish, they are so underrated! I'm glad I ordered that dish!
Danielle says
This restaurant looks so good and I absolutely love checking out new places! Thank you for sharing!
Michael says
Well, they are still there for a reason and time actually tells something about its history too so if I am on the area, I will try it too for sure.
haroonejaz says
Oldest restaurant with modern food and amazing location, this place is a must visit in Santa Fe. Thanks you for sharing your experience with us! This is a best thing to suggest a place to others where you enjoyed yourself!
Lili Mila says
I love that they have a range of selections. Since I am vegan, this gives me a lot to play it. Love the atmosphere as well.
Suzanne Nuyen says
There are definitely vegan friendly options on the menu!
CARMEN | Wellington World Travels says
All the foods look yummy! and the atmosphere looks cozy! Nice one.
Glam2Greatness says
Awesome! Everything looks appetizing. Appreciate the honest review!
vivirewellness.com says
We love Spanish tapas, and the zarzuela de Pescado is one of my favorite dishes, delicious!
Suzanne Nuyen says
It was my first time trying the dish! I was so full but it was so appetizing I had to eat it.
Brandy says
I love trying new foods and new places so this will definitely go on my bucket list of places to try. Thanks for sharing
Nursery rhymes girl says
OMG Suzanne,
these foods look yummy!!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing stuff with us as well 🙂
Neil Alvin says
Yummy. Would love to eat there someday. Hahahaha.
Hackytips says
Location and the food both are looking amazing! 🙂