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    Home » Life » Reviews » El Farol, Santa Fe's oldest restaurant

    El Farol, Santa Fe's oldest restaurant

    Published: Jul 11, 2019 Modified: Aug 26, 2019 by Suzanne Nuyen This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

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    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.

    El Farol outdoor dining

    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.

    EL Farol Roasted Pear Salad

    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.

    El Farol Sausage and Bean Stew FABADA ASTURIANA

    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.

    El Farol BOQUERONES marinated anchovies

    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.

    El Farol roasted shishito peppers

    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.

    EL Farol Calamari Frito

    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.

    El Farol Albondigas lamb meatballs

    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.

    El Farol Croquettes

    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.

    El Farol ZARZUELA de PESCADO, Catalan Seafood Stew

    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.

    Looking for other restaurant recommendations? Then check out my D.C food map!


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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. blair villanueva

      July 18, 2019 at 6:25 am

      I guess when we visit this restaurant, we make sure that we don't do dieting! Their foods looks delicious!

      Reply
    2. Jeannette

      July 16, 2019 at 9:19 pm

      The oldest restaurant in Santa Fe!? How cool!. The roasted shishito peppers look amazing!

      Reply
    3. Arun

      July 16, 2019 at 7:38 am

      I am a foodie. I would love to go to this restaurant. Their food seems delicious. And the location and setting is so lovely.

      Reply
    4. Alexandra Cook

      July 16, 2019 at 7:22 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 16, 2019 at 8:06 am

        I hope you enjoy your trip! I'll have a post up soon on everything to do in Santa Fe, keep your eye out!

        Reply
    5. David Elliott

      July 16, 2019 at 3:17 am

      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.

      Reply
    6. Samar

      July 16, 2019 at 12:53 am

      OMG the food is really look awesome.

      The location also seems great.

      Reply
    7. Khushboo Motihar

      July 15, 2019 at 10:08 pm

      This place has such a lovely ambience. Calamari Frito and the peppers look delicious 🙂

      Reply
    8. Lavern Moore

      July 15, 2019 at 9:32 pm

      Of all you mentioned, I would like to try Zarzuela de pescado – Catalan Seafood Stew! Looks so delicious!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 16, 2019 at 6:16 am

        The broth was unlike anything I've tried before! It was very flavorful 🙂

        Reply
    9. LaTese

      July 15, 2019 at 9:28 pm

      Looks amazing! I will be trying El Farol if I visit NM.

      Reply
    10. Bree

      July 15, 2019 at 9:23 pm

      Yum! That bean and sausage stew looks so tasty! I love a good meal so I definitely need to try this place!

      Reply
    11. Laura

      July 15, 2019 at 3:29 pm

      This restaurant looks so nice and also the food. Would love to try it x

      Laura
      https://pinkfrenzymissl.blogspot.com/

      Reply
    12. Krysten Quiles

      July 15, 2019 at 11:57 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 15, 2019 at 12:01 pm

        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!

        Reply
    13. Tiffany

      July 15, 2019 at 11:26 am

      Looks like such a cute place!

      Reply
    14. Lyosha

      July 15, 2019 at 10:33 am

      the food looks absolutely delicious! i would love to visit this restaurant too! The place looks very nice too.

      Reply
    15. Agnes Vazhure

      July 15, 2019 at 10:32 am

      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.

      Reply
    16. Paula Stewart

      July 15, 2019 at 9:48 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 15, 2019 at 9:57 am

        Yes, there were a few bumps in the service, but overall I had a great date night. I'd still recommend the restaurant!

        Reply
    17. Annita Nikole

      July 15, 2019 at 8:33 am

      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.

      Reply
    18. Kriti

      July 15, 2019 at 5:43 am

      Droll worthy post <3 especially "Chorizo croquettes" . concept of a location at the roadside is quite interesting !!

      Reply
    19. Sondra Barker

      July 15, 2019 at 1:27 am

      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

      Reply
    20. Jenn ~ onehoppymomma

      July 14, 2019 at 8:24 pm

      Definitely adding to our itinerary for our road trip to NM

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 14, 2019 at 9:22 pm

        Yess! Check out my other reviews too!

        Reply
    21. Qarrey

      July 14, 2019 at 6:17 pm

      wow!The food.?
      looks yummy and I know they are as you put it.

      Reply
    22. Stephanie Stebbins

      July 14, 2019 at 4:46 pm

      Sounds like a great experience overall. I'll have to check it out the next time I'm there!

      Reply
    23. Ashli Ferguson

      July 14, 2019 at 2:30 pm

      this looks like a really cool place and the food looks wonderful too!

      Reply
    24. Joanna

      July 14, 2019 at 10:33 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 14, 2019 at 1:09 pm

        Anchovies are some of my favorite fish, they are so underrated! I'm glad I ordered that dish!

        Reply
    25. Danielle

      July 14, 2019 at 8:16 am

      This restaurant looks so good and I absolutely love checking out new places! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    26. Michael

      July 14, 2019 at 3:31 am

      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.

      Reply
    27. haroonejaz

      July 13, 2019 at 11:22 pm

      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!

      Reply
    28. Lili Mila

      July 13, 2019 at 6:49 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 14, 2019 at 9:45 am

        There are definitely vegan friendly options on the menu!

        Reply
    29. CARMEN | Wellington World Travels

      July 13, 2019 at 2:41 pm

      All the foods look yummy! and the atmosphere looks cozy! Nice one.

      Reply
    30. Glam2Greatness

      July 13, 2019 at 2:40 pm

      Awesome! Everything looks appetizing. Appreciate the honest review!

      Reply
    31. vivirewellness.com

      July 13, 2019 at 1:46 pm

      We love Spanish tapas, and the zarzuela de Pescado is one of my favorite dishes, delicious!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 13, 2019 at 2:49 pm

        It was my first time trying the dish! I was so full but it was so appetizing I had to eat it.

        Reply
    32. Brandy

      July 13, 2019 at 12:14 pm

      I love trying new foods and new places so this will definitely go on my bucket list of places to try. Thanks for sharing

      Reply
    33. Nursery rhymes girl

      July 13, 2019 at 11:07 am

      OMG Suzanne,
      these foods look yummy!!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing stuff with us as well 🙂

      Reply
    34. Neil Alvin

      July 12, 2019 at 9:28 pm

      Yummy. Would love to eat there someday. Hahahaha.

      Reply
    35. Hackytips

      July 12, 2019 at 5:11 pm

      Location and the food both are looking amazing! 🙂

      Reply

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    Hi! I'm Suzanne, your Bun Bo Bae. I'm a journalist, professional amateur baker, noodle enthusiast and food photographer living in Washington, DC. My immigrant parents taught me everything I know about Vietnamese home cooking, and now I want to share it with you!

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