The bae and I went to The Shed on our last morning in Santa Fe. We had reservations at a spa, and an hour-long drive to Albuquerque to get to the airport, but I wasn’t going to leave the city without eating New Mexican cuisine one last time.
We had gone to a wedding the the night before and talked to a couple who had been living in Santa Fe for a little while now (One of my good friends from middle school got married and is moving to Santa Fe, which is why the bae and I ended up there on vacation)! When I told them that we had just been to Tomasita’s, they admitted that they thought it was an overrated restaurant. They told me that I needed to go to The Shed if I wanted good chile, which is how the bae and I ended up there with a little under and hour for lunch before we needed to get back on the road.
History of The Shed
The Shed has been serving New Mexican cuisine since 1953, and its currently run by the third generation of the Carswell family. It used to be housed in Burro Alley, but moved to its current location on Palace Avenue due to high demand.
The current restaurant is located at a hacienda called Prince Patio. The building dates back to 1962, when the prince of Spain gave the property to Captain Diego Arias de Quiros for his role in the reconquest of New Mexico. In 1879, Governor Bradford Prince bought the property and renamed it Prince Patio. The building has 18 rooms with three patios, and has been the home of The Shed since 1960.
Because of all of the individual rooms, The Shed feels like a maze sometimes. We walked through several rooms filled with diners before getting to our table. The entrances have low doors, so watch your head unless you’re only 5’2” like me.
The food
Vegetarian Posole
The bae ordered the day’s special for an appetizer. Posole is a stew usually made with hominy and pork, but this one was vegetarian. Hominy is a type of corn that’s been treated so that the shell of the kernel becomes soft. The shell is then washed off and you’re left with a puffy, fluffy kernel. The bae thought that the stew was pretty refreshing! The hominy was tender and the green chile gave it a bit of a kick.
I didn’t take a photo of the posole because my started came out at the same time and I was WAY too excited to eat it.
Chicken tamale with green chile
Our first foray into New Mexican cuisine in Santa Fe was at Tomasita’s, where I ordered a tamale platter. It was delicious, albeit a tad dry.
This chicken tamale was SO fluffy and tender. The masa was soft and the chicken was juicy. The green chile was a lot spicier than the green chile at Tomasita’s. I inhaled this tamale, and even the bae, who doesn’t like tamales, admitted this one was pretty tasty.
Chile con carne
The bae ordered a bowl of chili con carne for his entree. It came out piping hot. The soup was really savory and flavorful, and the red chile had a deep smokiness to is. It was really satisfying to eat with the garlic bread that came with our meals. Can you tell I was more excited about the garlic bread than the chili from that photo?
Taco and enchilada plate
I ordered a ground beef taco and cheese and onion enchilada platter. They were smothered in red chile and served with pinto beans and posole.
I did closed my eyes and did a little dance when I put this in my mouth. This plate made me decide that these reviews should all include whether or not I do my food dance when I eat the food. Seriously, I was like Winnie the Pooh presented with a pot full of honey.
This platter was SO GOOD. The red chile was so flavorful, and it was actually spicy. The cheese was wonderfully melty, and the beef was tender. I loved the pinto beans served with the meal, as I prefer the whole beans to refried beans. Seriously, the bae had to tell me to pace myself because he was scared I’d get a stomach ache. I don’t think he expected me to finish my plate but I almost cleaned it.
The Shed Santa Fe: Final Review
The Shed was hands down my favorite meal in Santa Fe. I hesitated to go because we were short on time to get to the airport, but two full weeks after my return to DC, I’m STILL thinking about that tamale. The venue is quirky and bright, and our waitress was accommodating of our time restraints. I’m so glad we ended our trip on this extremely high note.
PSA: The Shed sells canned versions of their red and green chile, and they ship! If you can’t make it to Santa Fe, just take the leap and order two jars. You won’t regret it. This isn’t an ad, I’m not being sponsored, I just really love their chile.
Price point: $$ ($11-$30)
Dress code: Casual. Bonus points if you have a bolo tie, boots or a cowboy hat!
Food: ????????????????????/5. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about that chicken tamale. I’m serious. The best New Mexican cuisine ever!
Service: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️/5 Our waitress brought out the food quickly and was so accommodating of our tight timeline for lunch. This was the first meal we ate where every single dish was served as ordered too! The bae was joking that every meal we ate in Santa Fe had one little thing wrong with it. Not enough to send food back or even complain about, but enough to bother us.
Noise Level: ????????????/5 Our room was small and intimate, so it wasn’t too loud. The restaurant does get very crowded though so you might have a different experience depending on where you’re sitting.
The Shed is located at 113 1/2 E Palace Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Pretty! This was an extremely wonderful post. Many thanks for supplying this info.
Suzanne-
Awesome to meet you two! so stoked you enjoyed the shed. If you’re ever back we have some other cool places you’ll like as well. I’ll be reading your blog for your recs around the world 😉
Great meeting you two as well! We loved Santa Fe, so hopefully there are more visits in our future!
Everything looks amazing, I would love to try it.
What a special little restaurant!
That chicken tamale looks amazing. I love places like this.
All of those look quite delicious! I would love to try that Chile con carne and I think everybody loves garlic bread so I relate to you on that.
Wow. That Enchilada looks really yummy. I know that Santa Fe has really cool cafes and eateries but this one looks simply vintage and worth spending some time.
Everything looks so good Suzanne. Nothing like some good Southwestern fare to fill you up, right?
Ryan
Such delicious looking food, my mouth is watering just looking at your pictures.
We will have to try it out if we are ever in the area.
The food looks delicious! You must have really loved it to keep thinking about it. 😀
Awesome recommendation! The foods look really delicious and the place and the service were also excellent, based on your review. It gave me the idea where to eat if I ever found myself lost in Santa Fe soon. 🙂
Your pictures look amazing. What a great find!
Were planning a road trip to NM and totally adding this gem to our plans
This food seems right up my alley! My family always loved to make Tamales growing up ????????????
Ahhh…I missed this gem when I was in Santa Fe last year
The restaurant looks cosy and warm with some lovely selection of food on offer. You surely had a great time there.
Wow! That’s so delish. How I wish I could try that out. Your article Made me hungry.
Looks like you found a great spot to enjoy! I haven’t been there but interesting restaurant like this are definitely on our list!
The food looks delicious. I have a few friends visiting Santa Fe, so will share this with them
I am always in awe with different cultures and yummy cuisines! These look so amazing!
I loved the pleasant atmosphere in Shed. I would visit it whenever get a chance.
It looks like you truly enjoyed yourself and I’m a foodie so I always love to see pictures of delicious food! If I’m ever in New Mexico, I’m definitely going to eat at the Shed Santa Fe.
This place looks great to have food.a The meals look generous and delicious x
Laura
https://pinkfrenzymissl.blogspot.com/
The place looks awesome and their food looks yummy I would love to visit this place someday 🙂 Awesome photos!
I will definitely visit The Shed whenever I get the chance, the foods looks great, especially the Chili Con Carne. Yum!
Looks amazing! I’ll have to stop there when I’m in Santa Fe next! I love New Mexican food!
The Taco and enchilada plate looks really yummy! I like restaurants with a chill vibe and friendly staff – I find myself coming back to those even if they’re not the ‘popular’ once. I’m glad you had a great experience at this resto. I’ll be sure to check this out when I go there. Thanks for sharing!
I love restaurants like that too 🙂
This looks fantastic and that tamale too!! I need to go here if I’m ever in Santa fe!
It looks like you had such an incredible time in Albuquerque! I haven’t yet been myself, but I’d love to visit one day to see this all… especially the The Shed Santa Fe restaurant!
I was actually in Santa Fe, but yes it was INCREDIBLE!
I’ve been on the hunt for a good vegetarian posole! Looks like I need to go to New Mexico for it…
Oh wow, that chili con carne looks very inviting!
Who doesn’t love yummy food! This looks great. Can’t wait to visit Santa Fe!
I love this kind of food, Santa Fe is to far away from me but I have some ideas for my lunch today. 🙂
I will definitely add this to my go to restaurants, the food looks great..! I love chili’s so much.
Chili and chile are different things, but both are good!
seems like a great place and the food looks delicious. I am a chili fan so i would enjoy their chili.
New Mexican chile is quite different from chili, which is a soup that often includes ground meat, beans and other ingredients. New Mexican chile is made with chile peppers and is either red or green!
Thank you for this awesome review. Now I know a great place to eat in Santa Fe!
I bet vegetarian people will really find this place like a paradise. Cozy with healthy offerings! A reason to visit Santa Fe really.
This place was REALLY vegetarian friendly!
Wow this food looks bomb! I have never been to Santa Fe but when I do go adding this restaurant on my list !
When you said you did your food dance, it was clear that The Shed definitely exceeded your expectation. Good thing you tried it for yourself.
All looks delicious and it’s making me hungry reading your write-up. Next time I travel there, I will be sure to visit The Shed.
Great review! I have never been here but now I am curious to give it a try. I love food!
The food in your photos looks really, really good. I would be like Poo and his pot of honey if I tried good food like that.
the food looks delicious , will try it soon !
So delicious food, I would like to try out when I ever happen to go there!!
Looks tasty, and I liked the little background you wrote on The Shed. I really want some Chile now, haha. Oh, and food dances always mean something is so scrumptious. Thumbs up for food dances!! Lol
Food dances are my highest form of praise!
Its such a nice experience. Food seems to very good. Have never been to such a lovely place.
These dishes look fantastic! Unfortunately, the last time I was in New Mexico we were just passing through. We will definitely have to check out the food next time! Thanks for sharing!
You definitely cannot leave Santa Fe without trying The Shed!
Looks yummy! I’ll have to try it next time I’m in Santa Fe!