Based on the reviews here, I expected to be treated to some exceptional Santa Fe cuisine. For the most part, this was true. Let me summarize: What I liked: * The service was excellent * Chicken carne adovada enchiladas were very good and so was the pasole that came with it. * Excellent, well spiced green chile stew * Located at the southwest end of the trendy Rail Yard district What I disliked: * Worst Chile Relleno I’ve ever tried. It was over-battered, soggy, stringy, and full of oil. It was also rather flavorless. In a town full of such excellent southwestern cuisine, and at a restaurant I waited 1.5 hours to dine at, this is completely unacceptable. I did mention that the service was excellent, and our server graciously took this item off our tab. * Very long wait. We waited an hour an a half to get a table. There is NOCALLAHEADOPTION. That night it was about 21 degrees and very damp. It would have been nice to call ahead and get on the list rather than brave the cold twice to get a table. In the era of OpenTable, NoWait, and other such apps, not having this option is just lazy. Summary: Be prepared to wait *a long time* for some good enchiladas and excellent green chile stew served up by some excellent wait staff. DO call and make a reservation well ahead of time. DONOT order the chile relleno(you’ve been warned).
Ruins ..
Rating des Ortes: 1 Vancouver, WA
The only reason I would come back would be Angelo. Bartender, waiter, all over look after me person… the only reason. The food was atrocious. If I wanted bad mexican(this wasn’t new mexican), I could go back to the Northwest. We have plenty there. One of my items to get on my trip were chile rellenos. So this is what *I* think a chile relleno should be: one whole green chile, sliced down the middle, gutted and stuffed with cheese and then toothpicked together, dipped in batter and deep fried until the batter is crisped and the cheese melted. It’s freaking impossible to find! La Choza came highly recommended(and no, the Shed does not have chile rellenos) but they were egg battered as in mexican food egg battered as in so mushy ‘why bother’ egg battered. There is mushy food I like and there are things that just should not be — this was one of them. I had the tamale(littlest one ever in the existence of man) and it was dry and just downright nasty, the pinto beans had no flavor, the green and red sauces were ho hum and my ground beef(no shredded on offer which quite possibly IS a new mexican thing) was just that and cheddar cheese. If I’m going to get an americanized taco, give me the whole Taco Bell works. Takeaway? Ask for Angelo and tip him lots. He’s worth it.
Zain K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Louisville, KY
It was suggested I come here for my first authentic New Mexican meal on my first evening in Santa Fe, and I was ultimately well-advised. Ordered a combination platter($ 13) with the staples: carne adovada, blue enchilada(chicken), posole, beans, Christmas sauce, sopapilla, etc, and everything was fresh and tasty(though I decided that carne adovada doesn’t really suit my taste buds). The place was bustling on a rainy Thursday night, though service didn’t suffer for this in the slightest.
Rich T.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Tucson, AZ
Of all the great local restaurants in Santa Fe, La Choza stands out as my favorite. Everything about the food is excellent. Take the enchilada plate for example. The enchiladas are completely smothered in red or green chile sauce(or both — Christmas) and served on a well-worn plate. Their sauces are so consistent. You can pretty much expect the same fabulous flavor on any visit. Their posole has a generous amount of pork as well. If you can only visit one restaurant in Santa Fe, I recommend it be La Choza.
Cameo W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Phoenix, AZ
This was our favorite during our trip to Santa Fe. We only came once, but would have come back to try more things if we had another day. Highly recommended. During our visit our favorite was the Pork Adovada Grande Burrito with Green Chile. It was awesome. The Adovada seasoning was the perfect compliment to the green chile sauce. Even their beans were awesome. We also had the Green Chile Chicken Quesadilla, you can’t go wrong there either. Good flavor, spicy, but not over powering. They are serious when they say the margaritas are tart, so if you like it sweet, take their advice on the menu and mention it!
Thomas P.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Niederösterreich, Österreich
Personal ist teilweise sehr freundlich, teilweise aber auch sehr unfreundlich was sich dann unter Anderem darin gezeigt hat, dass die Kellner die Rechnung nicht splitten wollten. Dafür haben sie 20% Trinkgeld gleich mit verrechnet. Es musste daher einer von unserer Gruppe(7 Personen) die Gesamtrechnung von über 200 $ alleine bezahlen — was uns dann nachträglich fast eine Halbe Stunde Rechenarbeit gekostet hat um das untereinander aus zu machen. Das essen habe ich als sehr authentisch allerdings nicht umwerfend empfunden. Ein heißer Tipp sind aber auf aller Fälle die genialen Margeritas, die ich zwar mit 11 $ ein wenig teuer finde, die aber auf aller Fälle Super schmecken.