I was in Santa Fe for a ridiculously niche lawyers conference and wandered into El Matador on a…read morerandom Thursday night. Then I came back Friday. And Saturday. Not because of the drinks. Not because of the atmosphere. Not because of the location. Because of Katya. Katya is not my favorite bartender. She is my favorite human being. I've spent enough time in bars to know when someone is good at their job. Katya operates on an entirely different level. She can take what feels like sixteen orders at once, remember every single one, deliver them with absolute precision, keep the entire room moving, somehow do the math in her head, and still make every customer feel like they're the only person sitting at the bar. The basement bar itself is exactly what a great dive should be; a shithole. Heavy hobo stab vibes upon entry, including Katya. Smell: multiple buttholes farting at once. Climate control: sweaty patron dependent. Lighting: liability. TV: playing a rotation of trash 80s DVDs . If business schools were smart, they'd study her. If hospitality groups were smart, they'd clone her. If Santa Fe has any sense at all, they'll do whatever it takes to keep her exactly where she is. Cash only, so come prepared. And bring plenty of it, because she deserves every penny. Katya must be protected at all costs.

Kind of a grungy, punk, divey vibe. Not exactly my thing, but where that feels unique to me this is…read morethe kind of place to remind yourself it takes all kinds. A busy setting and top candidate for beginning or ending your Santa Fe drunk parade. That is to say, it is fun. It is not refined. But it clearly does not want to be. :)

The Dragon Room Bar was truly memorable. Although there's no reservation for an impromptu birthday…read moregathering of 8, we found a large round table not long after we arrived. We had been few years back for our anniversary and ever since then we had wanted to go back. The waiter did his best to gather extra chairs and we were able to all fit at the round table. To my amazement, we had found a spot for the night to celebrate my birthday. The waiter asked what we had wanted to start with besides water for everyone. We got a bottle of red wine started and some margaritas along with a manhattan. Then afterwards couple of fish tacos and some carne asada arrived. We had great drinks and tasty food. Everything is delicious and so much great fun vibes. A definite memorable birthday to remember at this small but fantastic bar. Here's to coming back to the Dragon Room bar sooner.

What a lovely hidden gem in Santa Fe! My boyfriend and I checked this place out on a quiet Sunday…read morenight & loved the ambience and decor. Every touch is well thought-out and beautiful! We were surprised to learn the bar has been closed a few months for renovations, and we are some of the first to wander in before their soft re-opening Tuesday (5/5). Our bartender was very kind & attentive, and the cocktails were wonderful! Will definitely be coming back next time we're in town!

The drinks here were solid. But the service started out terrible, so not sure I would return. I…read morewould more likely go to Tonic (reviewed separately) for cocktails. When I arrived, I originally wanted to visit the restaurant, which was closed for the week due to a family emergency. So I presented to the open seating bar. Was ignored a long time. Got up to go to the bar and someone else stole my table. Took a long time to be acknowledged by the bar tender and finally made an order. Took quite a while to get it. Things got better when a bar seat opened up and I moved to the bar. But keep in mind, a different bar tender pretty much took over and kept my drinks flowing. That first bar tender could not hang, demonstrating poor time management skills and appeared to be moving slowly. The second bar tender, I think his name is Hector, really turned things around for me. I visited Secreto (another hotel based outfit, in the Hotel St. Francis) because they are supposed to be a "cocktail experience," boasting "garden to glass" cocktails. Dark wood and southwestern palate for decor. I had: Smoked sage margarita: flagship drink, smoked washed premium margarita (super herbal) Ghost ranch reverie: Tequila with peach, apricot shrub, lemon, seltzer, smoked rosemary (light, not too sweet, an "homage to the passionate artists of the southwest) Madonna of the Mesa: tequila blanco, pomegranate, mouth herbs, lemon, rose water (soft and balanced) Secret garden: basil infused gin gimlet with lime and chomilre infused honey. "Botanical crispiness meets honeyed serenity." I liked the basil, but the honey wasn't my thing. But a good cocktail. Again, drinks were good. On a Thursday afternoon, it was initially crowded and the initial service was terrible. But Hector saved the day.

We thoroughly enjoyed spending an hour here prior to dinner…read more 'The cocktails were inventive (lots of smoke and infusions) and the surroundings were pleasant. We sat on the veranda out front and it was the perfect spot for watching the world go by. Recommended cocktails; Smoked Sage Margarita, Secret Garden and the Secreto Old Fashioned.

Charming Patio, Decent Food, Better for Drinks Than Dinner…read more The patio is lovely. Cool, shaded, and surrounded by greenery. It feels tucked away and cozy, with heaters for chillier evenings. This is definitely a mezcal focused bar, so keep that in mind. Margaritas lean smoky thanks to the mezcal preference, which might be unexpected if you're used to a more traditional flavor... The chips and guacamole were just okay. The guac was overly whipped, and the salsa lacked spice. I had the asada tacos. good, though a bit dry. Service was a bit hit or miss, took some effort to get the waitstaff's attention. If I came back, it would probably be for happy hour rather than a full dinner. The vibe is great for drinks and a light bite, but not a must-visit for the food.

Best bar person in Santa Fe this restaurant is a hidden diamond among restaurants…read more Great food great service and a bar that doesn't stop Marina is the one to know and Robert is The King

No bar for a year now Sign outside says "lounge"…read moreVery disappointed! Menu looked good though!

We booked a night in this town knowing that there weren't a lot of drink and dining establishments…read moreavailable, but we saw that there was a brewery so we figured we would check that out. Without food, but you could bring your own or order in. Nope, the brewery closes at 5:00 on a Saturday. We asked at our lodging about options, and Blackie's was on a list they gave us. Blackie's was classified on Yelp as only a liquor store, so it didn't show up on any searches. They do have a package liquor store on site as well. The front entry that is shared with the liquor store had bars on the doors. Inside, Blackie's had VFW/event hall vibes. There was not much to speak of in the way of decor. They did have food and you need to order from the Double C dining room server, which shares the space, and if you're sitting at the bar you'll have a separate tab. I was glad to see they had enchiladas with green or red chile sauce, and burgers with green or red chiles (1/2 pound or 1/3 pound). Prices were reasonable at $12-ish for a meal. The bar and neighboring large room featured pool tables and darts, and a 20-ish year old TouchTunes but there was no music playing. Sounds like after the dinner crowd leaves the music might get turned up. Our vantage point view was staring into an empty room with booths and wooden chairs, but eventually some people filed in there to play pool. There was no internet on our AT&T phones which led us to watch rodeo tv and talk to some of the customers. I drank vodka tonics and the Mr. had Coors Banquet. Our bar tab was cheap. Mr. R ordered the nachos, and they were pretty huge. I ordered enchiladas with green chile sauce and the presentation was quite nice and the beef tasted fresh. It was a good choice. People had to wait a bit at times for drinks, but overall this turned out to be a better stop than we expected!

One of the locals recommended this place to us for drinks, and we enjoyed it so much! The décor was…read moreso cute, and it was so cozy inside. They have three different fireplaces and a lot of areas to hang out. There didn't seem to be any table service when we were there on a Saturday night. My boyfriend went up to the bar to get us drinks, and he mentioned the bartender didn't seem to be that experienced, having to check the book frequently to know what went in each drink. She just poured all the ice from the shaker into the glass for my margarita mocktail, for example. They have a very fun drink list, and I enjoyed the mocktails, but they didn't blow me away. We would definitely come back for the vibes and we'd love to stay at the hotel next time. They also have a lot of cute and fun items in their little gift shop that's next to the front desk. So glad we found out about this gem!

La Reina is the epitome of coziness, especially when stopping by on a cold winter night. Multiple…read morefireplaces (one by the bar and others in the main room/seating area) add the perfect touch. They host live music and different venues/events. A lovely experience for the local and/or traveler. 5/5 stars.

Absolutely a must go when in Santa Fe. It's slightly off the downtown plaza area, so maybe it's…read moreslightly hidden? Worth the tiny bit of extra work. If you can snag a seat in the armchairs beside the real fireplace, consider yourself lucky.

The live music was amazing. We arrived at the hotel late and needed to grab a bite before bed. The…read moreatmosphere was great with the music and fireplace. Our service was excellent and when we stopped in a few days later our server recognized us. Highly recommend for some live entertainment and delicious snacks.

We walked into the Skillet around 5:45pm, were assaulted by loud music (which we expected from…read moreanother review), and sat at the bar in the quieter room of the restaurant. We ordered a burrito, fries and drinks - a Manhattan for my wife and a chocolate martini with Kettle One and crème de cacao for me. My wife's drink was to her liking, but the chocolate martini tasted like there was coffee liqueur in it. Since I didn't know when our waitress would appear again, I told the first person we saw - a young man - that I couldn't drink anything with coffee because of the caffeine, and that I needed it remade. He took it back to redo. While we were waiting, one of the pool players dropped a very loud f-bomb when he missed a shot. Then a young child began crying very loudly. The young man came back with the remade drink, and the coffee taste was gone. After it had been over 45 minutes I had to ask what looked like the manager what had happened to our burrito and fries. She went back to check, and our food finally appeared. The burritos were long on rice and short on carne asada, something we couldn't know until we started eating. At some point our original waitress came back, and my wife told her we had to send back my first drink because of the coffee ingredient. She denied any coffee-containing spirit was used, and walked away. We never saw her again. I had to ask the manager for an itemized ticket, since the ones we had were sign for a total amount only, with no itemized detail. Since the original waitress had closed out our ticket right after we ordered and had given us our check, we paid and left. No tip was left. If you want a properly-mixed drink, be prepared to explicitly request every ingredient. Better still, don't expect great drinks or food at this place - stay away. There are lots of other choices in Las Vegas NM.

Walked in and it had quite the scent, like dirty drains/perhaps sewage (disclaimer, I'm pregnant so…read moreextra sensitive). A girl met us at the door with menus and let us know to order at the counter. We ordered and sat down. Food came out quick. We shared the Queso Dip - it was good flavor, little spicy. I didn't love the texture of the cheese, kind of gritty, but the flavor was great and chips great. I got Barbacoa Taco and my dad got a classic taco. They were good. Mine a little dry but put a lil queso on there and that was perfect. Loved the tortilla they use. One thing I didn't like, the kitchen had their music BLASTING, could hear that better than the dinning room music. Very overstimulating with two very different types of music going.

Yelp says 5 stars = "Woohoo! "As good as it gets!" and that is true for Chili Rojo Tavern…read more.. because, in Chimayo, this is *all* you get! And, it is GOOD. Well, good if you enjoy dive bars. And who in their right mind doesn't?! First off, you will probably be greeted by the owner tending his bar -- Wilford Ortiz, an old Army vet with centuries-old roots in New Mexico. Wilford grew up in the Chimayo area and after serving in the military at Ft Bliss in El Paso, he bought the bar (I think from his father) and has made it a local "institution." Be prepared -- he will greet you with a big smile and what a smile it is!! He is quite a charming chap, and I think when he was younger, he may have had a talent for opening bottles with his bare teeth! It's a must-see. Hey -- You're traveling the backroads of NM... you're staying in Santa Fe, drive north to hit lunch at the Chimayo restaurant with all the tourists... you owe it to yourself (and definitely to Wilford, who's tryin' to run a business in this sleepy little town!) to visit Chili Rojo Tavern. Just a little further north of the restaurant, and then west on 76. He might charge you $2.50 for a can of Bud Light, the wood floor may be sagging a foot into the crawlspace below, but it will be the best roadside bar you visited in Northern NM... because frankly, I couldn't find any others. And, this is as "backroads" as it gets! This place made memories for us, and they are good ones. SALUD!

For a town oozing with local flavor, this establishment takes top honor.. Wilfred serves a steady…read morestream of local take out business and the afternoon I was there, some nice cold Mexican beer and great conversation. The theme is a David Lynchian Havana paladare without the rice and beans.