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    Home » Life » Reviews » Review: Tomasita's Santa Fe

    Review: Tomasita's Santa Fe

    Published: Jul 13, 2019 Modified: Jul 13, 2019 by Suzanne Nuyen This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

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    The bae and I had our second dinner in Santa Fe at Tomasita's at the recommendation of one of the vendors on Santa Fe's plaza. Her name is Claudia Chavez, and her family has lived in New Mexico for ages! I bought a beadwork necklace and a set of earrings from her for the wedding I was attending in the city. If you're in the area, ask her for her favorite places for New Mexican cuisine.

    Thank you Claudia for the beautiful jewelry! It matched my dress perfectly.

    The restaurant

    Tomasita's doesn't take reservations, so when the bae and I arrived around 6:30, there was already an hour-long wait for seats. We grabbed a buzzer and went back into our car to wait. Most couples would probably make out in the car while they waited. We had just gone to Meowolf, an interactive and immersive art exhibit in the city, so we sat in the car and read an article about the exhibit to each other for an hour. Don't worry, my little sister has already made fun of me for this.

    Tomasita's hot chile warning

    The restaurant is inside of a 100-year-old railroad station. Railroads connected people during the period between 1870 and 1880 when the Wild West was being explored. The line that ran from Antonito to Santa Fe was called the Chile line. It makes sense that the station now holds a restaurant known for how spicy its chile is!

    The food

    After seeing the above disclaimer, the bae and I were excited to try some spicy food. I was a little scared though, so we asked for a sample, just in case.

    Red and green chile

    Tomasita's red and green chile

    New Mexican cuisine is known for its red and green chile. Seriously, they eat it with everything! Both chiles are traditionally made with hatch chiles. The red is made with dried chiles and the green with fresh, roasted chiles. Our water told us the red was spicy and the green milder, but we felt like both didn't have too much heat. I think New Mexicans should try Korean food...

    If someone asks you if you want red or green chile, I've been told the correct answer is "Christmas," or both. New Mexican locals may have a point. I couldn't decide which chile I liked better! The green is chunky and fresh, with a smoky taste and a pleasant texture. But the red is deeply smokey and the heat creeps in on you. Christmas is definitely the correct way to order New Mexican cuisine.

    Chile rellenos

    Tomasita's New Mexican cuisine: Chile rellenos

    Instead of an appetizer, the bae and I ordered the chile rellenos to share. The stuffed peppers came with red and green chile. They were delicious, but very heavy! Between the cheese and the refried beans and the breading, just one pepper would have been enough for a full meal. It's really hard to mess up something that's stuffed with cheese, breaded, deep fried and covered in more cheese and beans though. The bae and I fully enjoyed these.

    Tamale plate

    I ordered the tamale plate for my entree. It came with two pork tamales with red and green chile, a cheese enchilada with red chile, spanish rice and refried beans. The flavors were good, but I thought the tamales were a little dry, and the spanish rice was a little overcooked. It wasn't anything that ruined the meal for me, but the textures were just a little off.

    Carnitas Antonio

    Every night, Tomasita's has a different special. The bae ordered Saturday's: Carnitas Antonio. It had strips of beef marinated with green chile served with spanish rice and pinto beans with chicos. Chicos is a special type of New Mexican dried corn. I really liked it with the pinto beans! I prefer whole pinto beans to the refried beans, and the corn gave it a nice smokey flavor and firmer texture.

    Sopaipillas

    The REAL star of the show were the sopaipillas. They're a pillowy fried bread, served with honey butter and local New Mexican honey. There was a sign outside that said they would be served at the end of dinner instead of with our entrees so that they will stay hot, but they came with our entrees anyway. The bae was pretty peeved, because he really wanted to eat them after dinner as a dessert. I, obviously, stuffed my face with them and couldn't finish my entree.

    The sopapilla looks big, but it's mostly full of air. It's crispy on the outside and slightly fluffy on the inside, but it's actually really thin. The honey butter melts into the dough for a beautifully sweet, salty and rich experience. Do you know where I can get sopaipillas in DC? Please help. I need them.

    Tomasita's: Final review

    The food at Tomasita's was delicious. The chile was not as spicy as I thought it would be (I definitely didn't need a spice warning for it), and while the flavors were all there, some things were overcooked.

    Overall it was a great meal, but I'll tell you about favorite restaurant that serves New Mexican Cuisine later this week!

    Price point: $$ ($11-$30)

    Dress code: Casual. Bonus points if you have a bolo tie, boots or a cowboy hat!

    Food: ????????????????/5 Minus one burrito (There's no tamale emoji) for the overcooked tamale, but seriously the sopaipillas are TO DIE FOR.

    Service: ❤️❤️❤️❤️/5 The bae was pretty steamed his sopaipillas were coming out with our meal. I think he was just upset I was eating them all before he could.

    Noise level: ????????????????????/5 This place is CROWDED. It's loud purely because of how many people there are.

    Tomasita's is located at 500 S Guadalupe St
    Santa Fe, NM 87501. They also have a location in Albuquerque.

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


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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bree

      July 19, 2019 at 7:40 am

      That food looks really tasty! I am a huge fan of food like this so I would definitely eat there if I was in the area!

      Reply
    2. Alessia

      July 19, 2019 at 3:17 am

      Never been there but it looks like you enjoy a lot...I think i will have this trip in my books 😉 . thank you for sharing this i am always looking for a new interesting idea for the next trip

      Reply
    3. Alexandra Cook

      July 17, 2019 at 9:05 am

      OMG Can I just say, I can’t help but drool over the picture! Who would not love to taste this! I’ll definitely be adding this to my list of restaurant to try!

      Reply
    4. Sincerely Jackline

      July 17, 2019 at 4:32 am

      Her jewelries are so nice..! They will look great for many different types of outfits.. How I wish I could buy from her..!????

      Reply
      • Brandy

        July 17, 2019 at 7:02 pm

        Wow! Everything looks so appetising and delicious! I always want to get fried ice cream when I go out to eat.

        Reply
    5. Kathleen Cregg

      July 17, 2019 at 1:58 am

      Oh my goodness! I'm so hungry now, everything looks so good! I love Mexican food and wouldn't mind those chille rellenos!

      Reply
    6. Megan Kerry

      July 16, 2019 at 10:15 pm

      This looks so delicious! Would love to try it out!

      Reply
    7. Sudipa

      July 16, 2019 at 3:59 pm

      I love Mexican cuisine.The food looks yum and the place looks cozy

      Reply
    8. Laura

      July 16, 2019 at 3:18 pm

      Looks like a great place to visit and the food looks delicious. Yumm!

      Laura
      https://pinkfrenzymissl.blogspot.com/

      Reply
    9. Ktlexius

      July 16, 2019 at 2:43 pm

      I love restaurants built from and still passionate about their story. This seems like a great restaurant. Happy you included notes about the noise level too!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 16, 2019 at 9:04 pm

        Me too! The best part about experiencing food is experiencing the stories and the love behind each dish. It doesn't matter if a tamale is a tad on the dry side or if the waiter brings something out of order. The passion and history make the moment!

        Reply
    10. Ktlexius

      July 16, 2019 at 2:37 pm

      I love restaurants built from and still passionate about their story. This seems like a great restaurant. Happy you included notes about the noise level too!

      Reply
    11. Dalene Ekirapa

      July 16, 2019 at 10:33 am

      I love trying out new dishes so for sure, some Mexican cuisine would be welcome! The green and red chile looks hot, peppery and too fine with some crackers or chips. I would love such a combination if I dropped by Tomasitas Santa Fe.

      Reply
    12. Amy-Lynn Denham

      July 16, 2019 at 8:48 am

      Looks like this place probably has a lot of vegan options, too! I love that the sign tells you to ask for a sample first. I have made this mistake with hot sauce on falafel - some places are just hotter than others!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 16, 2019 at 1:56 pm

        Basically every place in New Mexico had this warning! It was really nice 🙂

        Reply
    13. Kuntala

      July 16, 2019 at 7:12 am

      Such a nice place. Hope I could visit some day.

      Reply
    14. Nandita

      July 16, 2019 at 4:08 am

      The tamale plate looks absolutely delicious. I like the simple yet full of charm decor of the restaurant.
      - Nandita

      Reply
    15. Michael

      July 16, 2019 at 4:01 am

      Man! I just ate but now I am hungry again! Those tacos are callling meeeeee! I bet they are really delicious!

      Reply
    16. Kuntala

      July 16, 2019 at 2:49 am

      Shows you had a lovely time with good food. I liked the way you concluded wih a short and sweet summary.

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 16, 2019 at 6:15 am

        Thanks Kuntala!

        Reply
    17. Adriana

      July 16, 2019 at 12:21 am

      Such a fun read. The food looks so delicious. I have to add Santa Fe to my bucket list

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 16, 2019 at 6:15 am

        It's definitely one of my new favorite places!

        Reply
    18. Genny Gall

      July 15, 2019 at 11:27 pm

      wow, this food looks very tasty and like you said to die for... I really enjoy eating good Mexican food

      Reply
    19. Shannah

      July 15, 2019 at 6:26 pm

      Oh this makes me hungry! I have only driven through New Mexico twice both times were moving cross country to and from California. If I get back that way I will have to try this out!

      Reply
    20. Megan Kerry

      July 15, 2019 at 4:29 pm

      wow! This place looks like it was worth the hour wait! You guys are too cute for reading the brochures in the car!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 15, 2019 at 6:35 pm

        It was delicious! We had a great time 🙂

        Reply
    21. Sami

      July 15, 2019 at 3:21 pm

      Great review! Makes me crave Mexican food

      Reply
    22. page

      July 15, 2019 at 11:04 am

      such a thorough and fun to read review! this makes me miss santa fe!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 15, 2019 at 11:28 am

        It was my first time visiting and I already want to go back!

        Reply
    23. Lauren Wyler

      July 15, 2019 at 8:33 am

      I'm going to New Mexico around Thanksgiving- will definitely have to try this place!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        July 15, 2019 at 8:36 am

        Have so much fun! I'll have a post up about everything to do in Santa Fe soon, be sure to check it out 🙂

        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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