We went just before sundown without a reservation after exploring Old Town. The restaurant is about 3 blocks outside the center. We sat in the tapas only side on a table and our waiter Kevin was a true professional. Our experience here was nothing short of perfection, except there was no live mariachi band due to covid. That would have made it stellar but nonetheless it was legit Spanish style. My husband even ordered 2 bowls of gazpacho it was so good. I wish we could see them carve the Serrano ham straight off the leg like I saw in Europe. But perhaps it was packaged? Didn't taste like it though. Paper thin and good. It was our best memorable meal on the whole road trip. Love finding these legit places. Wish we stayed in Santa Fe 2 days vs 1 as it was much nicer than Albuquerque by far. We went in mid October and froze our butts off, it was low 30° when the sun went down. Parking is super easy anywhere in Santa Fe and free meters after 6pm.
Frank N.
Good food, great atmosphere. I'm generally not a huge fan of Tapas, as I've always found them to be expensive for what you get. El Meson is no different in this regard, but everything we had was delicious. We're going back to try one of their Paella's. We saw several coming out of the kitchen and they looked fantastic.
Gerry W.
Our group of 7 had 7 PM reservations and we were seated immediately upon arrival. The restaurant has a nicely decorated dining room and comfortable seating. They also have outdoor seating curb side in a tent. Our server Kevin was friendly and helpful. Especially helping with the wine menu which has European wines and we had difficulty in making a selection. Some American wines would have been appreciated. The dining room was not conversation friendly due to several loud customers nearby. Everyone in our group ordered from the tapas menu. The following were ordered: Lamb, Shrimp, Garlic Yukon Gold Potatoes, Ham & Melon, Chicken, Black Mussels and Padron Peppers. The tapas were a combination of hot and cold. The hot items were perfectly cooked. Pricing seems a little high for the portion size.
Maria Walley
I thought the food was just ok. The service was excellent. I’ve had much better tapas.
Vettguy T.
We ate here recently after several locals recommended this place. We ordered the sparkling wine and it was pretty bad. My SO even called it "vinegar" We looked at the tapa menu and both thought the selection was the smallest selection we had ever seen at a tapas place, so we ordered a seafood paella instead... Boy we're we not impressed, the rice was soggy, no socarret "which is critical" to making the best paella dish.
Brandt Peterson
Awesome tapas from local ingredients!
Erik Diehl
Great food and world class service. Get the lamb. Stellar wine list too.
Michael Reed
We have been eating here for years, it’s a must go whenever we are in town. The food is nothing short of amazing and recommended by the Consulate of Spain as a premium venue for fine Spanish dining. From start to finish every aspect of the dining experience is great. The best Spanish wine list i’ve ever seen, and the servers know how to match their wines with what you order.
Vanessa Zuber
The food was incredibly delicious. I wanted to take the smoked paprika Chimayo chili sauce home in a vat! The Tupelo honey cheesecake was truly a spiritual experience - very good. Superb wine list - I had a glass of Crianza and a Granache, both really good. The service was on point and everyone was super nice - not at all pretentious.
Sean R.
This is our go to place for dinner in Santa Fe. The food is outstanding, the service is always top notch, ask for Andrea to be your server. The best Spanish wine selection, and not overly priced. This is a place to dine, not have a quick meal, fresh local ingredients that are prepared when you order. So do as we do and make an evening out of dinner, go slow and enjoy THE wonderful atmosphere while eating the best food in SF
Started with a poor-rude greeting from the hostess. The service at the table was very good. Kevin & Kelly were marvelous. Food was ok, don’t order the sangria. Overall the experience was disappointing
B A.
Incredibly bad. Receptionist very, very rude. Alcohol drinks watered down. Sangria tasted like watered down wine with no taste. This restaurant may have been decent in the past but nothing special now. Avoid.
JCOhio31
This is not our first time attending a conference in Santa Fe and dining at El Meson, and again it did not disappoint. We felt welcome, and safe as the restaurant staff took Covid precautions very seriously. The staff had great personalities - from the greeter to the bartender to the wait staff. The food came at a great pace. We had about ten different tapas, and every dish was excellent. Highly recommended.
Cindy E.
Sat outside in the patio. We ordered Paella and the Seafood was excellent and portions satisfying. Pear and cheese salad needed a bit more in those ingredients for the price. Desserts - flan and churros - were terrific . Coffee very good. Service was very engaged and engaging.
NormanSantaFe
We go here for special occasions. Tonights, as it turns out, was that last night my wife announced she was sick of cooking and we were going out to dinner. Who am I to object? We had an excellent tapas dinner. Cold = we shared a wild arugula salad with poached shrimp, watermelon radish, avocado and a nice dressing and a cheese platter; hot = Spanish tortilla; roasted chicken in a garlic sauce; small pieces of beautifully prepared lamb on a skewer with, again, an excellent sauce. We each had two drinks. The ambiance is superb. The service, while a little slow, very good. If you think about it, being forced to relax for a while in such a nice setting isn't really a bad thing. In particular, Sandra, our server, deserves a 10+. Among other things I wanted a glass of cabernet - which they don't have - and, instead of guessing at what might suffice, she returned with tasters of 3 choices suggested by her colleagues. You can't beat that for sensitivity to the customer. I'd suggested a heavily bodied substitute - and, as it turned out, of the 3 choices, chose the lightest, which she delightfully pointed out! She made the evening really very, very nice. Plus, for an elegant meal, the price was right. $125 before tip. Unbeatable in Santa Fe. Definitely a do-over destination the next time my wife gets tired of cooking!
We went just before sundown without a reservation after exploring Old Town. The restaurant is about 3 blocks outside the center. We sat in the tapas only side on a table and our waiter Kevin was a true professional. Our experience here was nothing short of perfection, except there was no live mariachi band due to covid. That would have made it stellar but nonetheless it was legit Spanish style. My husband even ordered 2 bowls of gazpacho it was so good. I wish we could see them carve the Serrano ham straight off the leg like I saw in Europe. But perhaps it was packaged? Didn't taste like it though. Paper thin and good. It was our best memorable meal on the whole road trip. Love finding these legit places. Wish we stayed in Santa Fe 2 days vs 1 as it was much nicer than Albuquerque by far. We went in mid October and froze our butts off, it was low 30° when the sun went down. Parking is super easy anywhere in Santa Fe and free meters after 6pm.
Good food, great atmosphere. I'm generally not a huge fan of Tapas, as I've always found them to be expensive for what you get. El Meson is no different in this regard, but everything we had was delicious. We're going back to try one of their Paella's. We saw several coming out of the kitchen and they looked fantastic.
Our group of 7 had 7 PM reservations and we were seated immediately upon arrival. The restaurant has a nicely decorated dining room and comfortable seating. They also have outdoor seating curb side in a tent. Our server Kevin was friendly and helpful. Especially helping with the wine menu which has European wines and we had difficulty in making a selection. Some American wines would have been appreciated. The dining room was not conversation friendly due to several loud customers nearby. Everyone in our group ordered from the tapas menu. The following were ordered: Lamb, Shrimp, Garlic Yukon Gold Potatoes, Ham & Melon, Chicken, Black Mussels and Padron Peppers. The tapas were a combination of hot and cold. The hot items were perfectly cooked. Pricing seems a little high for the portion size.
I thought the food was just ok. The service was excellent. I’ve had much better tapas.
We ate here recently after several locals recommended this place. We ordered the sparkling wine and it was pretty bad. My SO even called it "vinegar" We looked at the tapa menu and both thought the selection was the smallest selection we had ever seen at a tapas place, so we ordered a seafood paella instead... Boy we're we not impressed, the rice was soggy, no socarret "which is critical" to making the best paella dish.
Awesome tapas from local ingredients!
Great food and world class service. Get the lamb. Stellar wine list too.
We have been eating here for years, it’s a must go whenever we are in town. The food is nothing short of amazing and recommended by the Consulate of Spain as a premium venue for fine Spanish dining. From start to finish every aspect of the dining experience is great. The best Spanish wine list i’ve ever seen, and the servers know how to match their wines with what you order.
The food was incredibly delicious. I wanted to take the smoked paprika Chimayo chili sauce home in a vat! The Tupelo honey cheesecake was truly a spiritual experience - very good. Superb wine list - I had a glass of Crianza and a Granache, both really good. The service was on point and everyone was super nice - not at all pretentious.
This is our go to place for dinner in Santa Fe. The food is outstanding, the service is always top notch, ask for Andrea to be your server. The best Spanish wine selection, and not overly priced. This is a place to dine, not have a quick meal, fresh local ingredients that are prepared when you order. So do as we do and make an evening out of dinner, go slow and enjoy THE wonderful atmosphere while eating the best food in SF
Restaurantji Recommends
Started with a poor-rude greeting from the hostess. The service at the table was very good. Kevin & Kelly were marvelous. Food was ok, don’t order the sangria. Overall the experience was disappointing
Incredibly bad. Receptionist very, very rude. Alcohol drinks watered down. Sangria tasted like watered down wine with no taste. This restaurant may have been decent in the past but nothing special now. Avoid.
This is not our first time attending a conference in Santa Fe and dining at El Meson, and again it did not disappoint. We felt welcome, and safe as the restaurant staff took Covid precautions very seriously. The staff had great personalities - from the greeter to the bartender to the wait staff. The food came at a great pace. We had about ten different tapas, and every dish was excellent. Highly recommended.
Sat outside in the patio. We ordered Paella and the Seafood was excellent and portions satisfying. Pear and cheese salad needed a bit more in those ingredients for the price. Desserts - flan and churros - were terrific . Coffee very good. Service was very engaged and engaging.
We go here for special occasions. Tonights, as it turns out, was that last night my wife announced she was sick of cooking and we were going out to dinner. Who am I to object? We had an excellent tapas dinner. Cold = we shared a wild arugula salad with poached shrimp, watermelon radish, avocado and a nice dressing and a cheese platter; hot = Spanish tortilla; roasted chicken in a garlic sauce; small pieces of beautifully prepared lamb on a skewer with, again, an excellent sauce. We each had two drinks. The ambiance is superb. The service, while a little slow, very good. If you think about it, being forced to relax for a while in such a nice setting isn't really a bad thing. In particular, Sandra, our server, deserves a 10+. Among other things I wanted a glass of cabernet - which they don't have - and, instead of guessing at what might suffice, she returned with tasters of 3 choices suggested by her colleagues. You can't beat that for sensitivity to the customer. I'd suggested a heavily bodied substitute - and, as it turned out, of the 3 choices, chose the lightest, which she delightfully pointed out! She made the evening really very, very nice. Plus, for an elegant meal, the price was right. $125 before tip. Unbeatable in Santa Fe. Definitely a do-over destination the next time my wife gets tired of cooking!