Santa Fe Capitol Grill

Hector (waitguy) and Brenda (bartendress) are THE BEST IN THE WORLD! Love those two. Some of the dishes and salads seem to be getting smaller, or is that just me? Can never lose with the green chile cheeseburger. Seriously. It is the best. You can get it with a side of greens too, if, like me, you no longer have any metabolism to speak of, and do not want to wolf fries.

Good food, good seats, service was good.

The food is okay; some good some okay… inconsistent. Servers forgot to come back with a side order and forgot to check on us. When I called for a reservation I was first out on hold for 4 minutes, hung up, then called back two more times with no answer. Should have gotten a clue as to service but tried it anyway. Nice people but only average experience.

A few years back I realized pubs are much better places to work during the day than coffee shops. Santa Fe coffee shops often times fill up quickly making seating difficult to find and the parking is usually limited. Pubs on the other hand have plentiful seating mid morning & mid afternoon, plus I’m way more productive three sheets to the wind. Buzzed working is way more creative and fun than sober working.
There are two pubs in this city that I can plop down for hours and be extremely productive. Capitol Grill is my go-​to place on the south side.
I tend towards the nachos wherever I go and boy howdy, Capitol Grill has amazing steak nachos. I love, love, love them. But really, I’ve never been disappointed by anything on the menu. The food is ALWAYS delightful, the mixed drinks are hearty, the beer list is good, and the servers are friendly, knowledgeable, and very accommodating. Bill, the owner, is super awesome and easy to chat with.
Parking is easy and generally plentiful.
I’m a bit taken aback at the ratings. They seem a little low to me considering my experiences are always so wonderful.
If reading this review inspires you to switch over from coffee shops to pubs for your working experience, please know, it’s always best to tip your waiter an abundant amount. Some times I work for 4 hours straight. I think about how times my server could have turned over that table while I’m sitting there and how much money s/he’s lost out on, so I tip well. Treat your servers like the gifts that they are and they will treat you in kind. Now I will exit the soapbox.

This was our second lunch here. The first time I had a Santa Fe Capitol Burger, which was great. The second time I had salmon tacos. (Those were good, too). Today we got there during Happy Hour, so had a nice break on the prices. Like before, we were seated immediately, the food came fast, and the service was quick and friendly. The atmosphere is cheerful, with a lot of chatting and so on in the bar area, though we always sit in a booth. As we left, the bartender hollered a friendly goodbye to us, which we thought was nice. When reading reviews on this place, you do need to be aware that the management changed – I think last year.

My husband and I visited for his birthday. Service was good but I have to say the food quality was not what it was since our last time we were there (earlier in the year). The calamari was, as New Mexicans say, «pinche». For the price of the calamari we expected a lot more portion. My husband’s steak was well done… he asked for medium. My pet peeve is an over cooked steak. My medallions were also over cooked, but I didn’t send them back. The manager took care of the issue and my husband was happy. I was quite disappointed in the medallions not just the fact they were over cooked but they were not good quality meat. Too bad because we were just giving the place another try, but probably won’t go back.
We were there Oct. 9^th

We stopped in after a movie and found it to be top notch with the menu selection and quite nice atmosphere. The service was great! I highly recommend this place!

One of the oddest dining experiences in Santa Fe.
My husband and I have been here before for happy hour and had fairly positive experiences with the appetizer menu, so we decided to try dinner. Like I said, it was odd.
First, the waiter didn’t seem to know how to act. Every time he came to the table he said some variation of, «what do you need?» It came across as abrupt and bordering on rude. Maybe he was new or perhaps he’s just not used to being around people. Towards the end of the meal, after trying to flag him down multiple times, he seemed to be trying to salvage his tip by making small talk. Fine, but at that point we wanted to pay the bill and get out.
The food was also disappointing. I had the steak medallions which tasted like, for lack of a better analogy, the kind of meat one would get at Applebee’s. I shudder to think– did the chef microwave it? The raspberry demi glacé was bland with annoying little seeds that got stuck in my teeth, and the garlic mashed potatoes were tasteless. My husband got the chicken fried chicken which was just ok, definitely not as good as what we could have gotten next door for less.
The bill with 20% gratuity came to nearly $ 70.00, so not worth the food we pushed around our plates. I guess I could have complained, but I’m not that type of person. I suppose I’ll just be annoyed with this place for awhile. I had such high hopes for the new management, but I don’t see that much has changed.

First of all slow service… We go there every Wednesday for happy hour as a big group and drop about $ 150-​$ 175. This time I specifically asked to have my bill on a separate ticket as I only had a card to use for payment. Our server assured that this was not a problem. Later when we got our bill of course it was not separate. We then also noticed that we were charged for two beers at the non-​happy hour cost. REALLY… Asked for a separate bill and to have the two beers changed to the happy hour price to which the server stated «No problem». Later I did find out it was a huge problem as the sarcastic Manager, Matthew Stuart, would not give us the beers at happy hour pricing and tried to take cash we were using as payment and apply it as a tip. AGAIN, REALLY… At any rate; I vote with my money and they will never receive my vote again. Save yourself time and a bad experience and go to a real pub (Santa Fe Brewing, 2^nd Street, etc.) with a better selection of beers and a lack of douche bags.

Server was great! Customer service was beyond awesome. Food was good, could use more of a selection. Salmon had s strong fishy taste but overall tasted good. Ahi tuna appetizer was awesome! Queso not the best, I have had better.

I love the staff and food but was incredibly intimidated by the manager. I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. I hate feeling chastised when I’m out to have a relaxing time. My go-​to Southside restaurant may change to Cleopatras or Southside Plaza Café. On the other hand, it was during the dinner rush and I might have caught him during a moment of stress. I prefer to believe it was an isolated incident.
The entire meal was salvaged by our fantastic waiter, James! He was a hoot! I doubt I will change my go-​to place after all!

My boyfriend and I had tried this place a couple of times before because it is close to our house, but it was always disappointing. However, it seems they are under new ownership so we decided to stop in for $ 5 mimosas and to grab some brunch. It was delicious! We were both impressed with our food and will definitely be going back more often.

The atmosphere is nice, almost modern in feel. Windows provide a view and ambient light. There are booths as well as high tables. The bar is covered in brushed steel leaving a clean and beautiful dining surface. This is clearly a resturant built around the bar. It’s a beautiful stage with plenty of room.
The food is good and the Chile hot. This time I had 5he patty melt, it was cooked perfectly! They could probably start serving ketchup in a bit larger containers everytime I run out and have to bother someone for more.
The drinks are well mixed even if they are a bit pricy. There is a good selection of beer and a healthy supply of liquor to suit all of your needs.

Menu has definitely changed a lot. New burgers are some of the best in town. Fish and chips are also really good. Margaritas were fresh and tasty.

I live on the South side of Santa Fe, close to the Capitol Grill. I’m happy to report that, after years of seemingly endless ownership/​management changes that prevented this restaurant from living up to its potential, Capitol Grill is not only under new ownership, but has a new executive chef. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Bill, the new owner, and Chef Luis, and I can safely say that with these two industry veterans now running the show, the Capitol Grill is finally in good hands, and firing on all eight cylinders. Any reviews that are less than two months old are irrelevant at this point.
I most recently visited Capitol Grill this week, starting off with a South of the Border Shrimp cocktail, and I must admit, I was a bit nervous. Here’s the description from the menu: «Poached shrimp, tomato broth, diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, cucumbers, avocado & lime juice, served with crackers and tortilla chips.»
This is clearly not your grandfather’s shrimp cocktail. I’ve always felt that when a chef tries to improve on classic dishes, the results can often be underwhelming. A good example of the perfection of simplicity might be pasta with butter and cheese. Try to improve on that and you have an equal chance of hitting or missing. This one was definitely a hit, a very nice twist on this old standby, and it looked as good as it tasted.
This was followed up with a very nicely done red chile roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, whiskey creamed corn, and tomatillo salsa, and for dessert, an excellent butter cake with crème anglaise, with vanilla bean ice cream.
I also sampled two of the fourteen craft beers they have on draft, the La Cumbre Elevated IPA, and the Deschutes Fresh Squeezed, both excellent.
Service was friendly and attentive. If you haven’t visited Capitol Grill recently, or if this is your first time, it’s a great time to stop in for a casual lunch or dinner in their comfortable dining room, at the bar, or, weather permitting, on their outdoor patio with indoor/​outdoor bar.
Say hello to Bill and Chef Luis. They are both very hands-​on, personable, almost always on-​site, and happy to see you, which is more than I can say about the previous owners.
PS: As always, my rating is based on how well this specific restaurant does what they set out to do. Capital Grill is not trying to be the fanciest or most expensive restaurant in Santa Fe. It’s a high-​end, casual restaurant, without the high-​end prices, and they are at or near the top of my list. for SF dining destinations in that category.

First time visit, great experience. I had won a gift certificate, even though it was awarded by the previous owner, the new owner still honored it. Menu is very modern and extensive. We will be back again to try the dinner menu. Restaurant is clean and the wait staff is polite and attentive.

Good LORD!!! The food here is horrible. When I walked in, I was impressed with the décor but sometimes, looks can be deceiving. We sat down and a lovely girl took our order. We got fried chicken fingers for my kids, and calamari, buffalo wings, and the crab cakes salad (ugh, we didn’t even finish that), as well as the sweet potato fries. Let me tell you, it all SUCKED! How can you eff up sweet potato fries??? And their ketchup was so gross-​just stick to Heinz. I give it two stars instead of one because the service was really good.
Hire a new culinary chef, and make it better.
Oh! Change of the name of ‘Airplane Chicken’ because I’ll say, all the food here tastes like food you’d be served in coach.

I had a pretty terrible experience at Capitol Grill. I came here to meet friends after they had already been here an hour, expecting them to be solidly through or done with their meal. They were still waiting.
The waiter seemed both stressed without support but also ‘under the influence’. Drinks didn’t show up for 40 minutes or were the wrong item, items came out in nonsensical orders, etc. While my appetizer was just okay, my friend ordered a fairly expensive steak and stopped after 1 bite. The seasoning and flavor made it inedible. I made her send it back even if she was too nice. I’m not sure what was going on that night, but it was chaos, food to forever and ended up being either cold or downright terrible. The waiter did try to make things up to us knowing things weren’t going well (took the steak off, etc.) but it was not good at all.

Its a «must stop at.» when we are in Santa Fe. Excelltent food and service. Comptemporary furnishings. Attentive waiters. Always a highlight of our trip.

The food here is amazing! The staff was friendly from the minute we walked in. I ordered the Hawaii meets the southwest chicken, it was delicious!
If you eat here you will not be disappointed!