El Paragua

Very good food, which we have had trouble finding in NM. Prices were good and the food was fresh. Service is a little slow, but definitely visit again if in the area

Atmosphere was very cozy with romantic lighting in a Spanish rustic kind of way. The food was unbelievably good. The secrete home made recipe vinaigrette salad dressing was unique and delicious. It helped cool the mouth after the very spicy salsa served with chips. She had the award winning beef tacos, and it lived up to all the rage. I had the chata special which was a perfect flavor combination. But the sopapillas were exceptional with the honey and jam.
Service: best we’ve had!
Price: worth the 3+ course
Margaritas: B–

Wow. Just Wow! The food was excellent, from the salsa, to the sopapillas, to the jam, to the salad dressing, to the entrees. The service was warm and professional (I love men in ties!). The dining rooms are charming. After a cross-​country odyssey to cities large and small, we found the prices to be fair. I think I’m gonna have to move to Espanola!
About that jam… so often, preserves taste just like sugar. You could really taste the berries in these. I think a place that keeps its eye on «small» details like that is doing a good job in other ways as well. Same with the fresh mint in the iced tea and the house salad dressing.
Another Unilocaler mentioned that food of this caliber can be had for less money elsewhere in town. Being a fan of dives in my own hometown, I’m sure she’s right. But this is a date place, where we saw many local families celebrating special occasions like birthdays and Mother’s Day. So I don’t think it’s a question of price, really. It’s good food, it’s fun and a teeny bit fancy. We liked it so much we spent another day around here just to eat there a second time.

I’ll start with the good. Their food is fine. There are way better places in this area to eat for a much more reasonable price. It is the kind of place you’d bring people that are from out of town because they don’t really know better and will be impressed.
Now the bad. We had a room reserved here for a party (about 20 people). We made the reservations months in advance. We called three times to follow up on the reservation and make sure we got the space we wanted not only to accommodate our group but to be courteous to the other diners. Our party was on Sunday and we even called the Thursday before to check one last time. Each and every time, they promised us they would be ready and that we would be upstairs.
Well, we show up on Sunday and they have us in the wrong area, with the wrong number of places set. We talk to the manager and to say he is rude is an understatement. My friend explained what had happened and when she said that she couldn’t remember the name of the lady that she spoke to earlier but that she had it written down, the manager insisted that we weren’t telling the truth and said «I can’t believe you called here three times and don’t know the person’s name». We explained the situation again to him and he insisted on showing us their reservation book. Showing us the book is fine but maybe the people answering the phone need to learn how to read what is written down then so this problem could have been alleviated early on? In hindsight, I should have used his logic and responded with «Well, I can’t believe you would constantly reassure us that you are ready to handle 20 people upstairs then only have places set for 16 downstairs».
It’s disappointing to pick them because they say they are able to accommodate a group to only be treated like liars and a huge inconvenience by the person in charge.
Skip them. Go somewhere else for your party or you’ll find yourself crammed in a corner in the midst of Sunday diners who are now stuck hearing your bridal shower.

The tacos were very, very good. The carnitas were very, very good. But the sopapillas and preserves served along with our meal? Those were spectacular. Definitely glad we stopped here!

Ummmmm, yum. This is hands down the best restaurant in NM. We can eat every meal here. The waffles on Sunday for brunch are some of the best I’ve had in my whole life… The tortillas that come straight off the top of an old wood stove are just like grandmas. I also love the tacos las brasas or something like that. The salad they serve is delicious, with a house made dressing that is unlike anything I’ve ever had. They also serve a sopapilla with home made preserves that are simply devine. We always come back, and will continue to do so for as long as possible.

Great service and great food. The beef tacos are on point, as is everything on the Mexican combination plate. Service is friendly and fast, and the prices are reasonable. Recommended.

While in Santa Fe, we drove up to Espanola and visited the cliff dwellings nearby. For lunch we ate at El Pargua. This is a classic New Mexican restaurant. It is more upscale than the usual small town joints.
We started with very good salsa. It was green tomatillo with medium heat, appropriate salt and well balanced flavors. It was served with good quality corn chips.
Ms T ordered homemade Chicken and Rice soup. It had onion, a lot of chicken, onion, tomato, onion and some onion. I see onion as a crutch for cooks who don’t know how to flavor things any other way. Ms T not being an onion eater was not too pleased. It really should be advertised as onion soup with chicken.
I had a side order of posole. This was decent with very good stewed chicken, lots of chicken and good quality posole. It was salted just right but was a little bland, not much chile if any. I fixed it with a squeeze of lemon. This is worth ordering as a meal and maybe when you do so, you will get lime wedges. Ask for them if you do not and ask for red chile.
TT ordered a plate that comprised a tostada with chicken and a chile relleno. In this version the chile is stuffed with tomato and onion instead of the usual cheese. The chile was poblano and was well roasted. It had good flavor. There was orange cheese on top of the tostada which seemed unusual. Bro J had a big bowl of menudo with posole and red chile added. He also liked the posole.
My huevos rancheros were served with green chile and potatoes that were fried with chorizo. The chorizo used was very scant. Refried beans were bland, not creamy and lardy. The green chile was awesome however. The roasted flavor of the chile was delicious and it was salted properly. I would return for this green chile. The whole thing was served on a homemade flour tortilla. This does not work. The flour tortilla turns to goo under the eggs and salsa. I could not eat any of it. This deserves a partly fried corn tortilla and it would have been very good.
El Pargua has some hits and misses. The Posole is decent with some doctoring. The green chile is very good. The service was erratic, with things missed and having to be asked for more than once. There are four star things and two star things. I will average it out to three.

Tasty Carne Adovada & posole. Savory sopapillas. Service needs some help. Food is good enough though that you won’t notice after your second drink.

The good: It was edible and didn’t give us food poisoning.
The bad: The waiter didn’t check on us at all in between the time the food was delivered and it was time to bring the check. We sat and waited and waited and waited for the check until he came back and asked us if «they» had brought the check. Ugh, no, we’re still sitting here like bumps on a log — obviously not.
The Carne adovada came out cold and lacked any sort of discernable flavor. The posole had about as much flavor as a shoe, the hominy was rigid like it wasn’t stewed but rather dumped out of a can and gingerly rewarmed. The meat in it was overcooked and stringy.
Nachos were nachos, with some sort of yellow American type cheese. Ordered ground beef, got stewed beef.
The ugly: The country of Mexico would be ashamed of these margaritas, they would probably be grounds for having your Mexican nationality stripped. I really wasn’t convinced that they had any alcohol in them and the House margarita doesn’t have any sort of citrus liquor (triple sec, Cointreau, Grand Marnier) and is made with some disgusting sweet and sour mix not actual lime juice.

WOW! The atmosphere, cleanliness, service, food. This is an extraordinary place to eat. The moment we walked in till the time we left, we felt welcomed. The majority of staff are young adults (teens). They all help one another, very gracious and professional! I had steak with green chile, wife had jumbo shrimp. It was the most tender and flavorful steak I’ve ever had. The green salsa before dinner is very flavorful and a little hot. The place was packed and from the time we sat down till we left was a little over an hour. We in no way felt rushed, low lighting, candles at each table. I will return, I will also let all my friends know how great this place is! Great job!

Still 5 stars because there are plenty of their choices but I am mystified that a place with food this good doesn’t make better guacamole.

First of all, the food is fine, edible, and the margarita was delicious. But I cannot give higher than 1 star. We called to make a reservation, the man on the phone said we didn’t need them and just walk in. We show up and there is a 20+ minute wait. Now, we know they take reservations, why deny us the chance to make one, just to have us wait? We were hungry and didn’t have a backup so we waited. The bar asked if we’d like drinks while we waited, we asked if we could have waters. They never came, while everyone around us was served their beverages. While we waited we attempted to find another dinner location, fortunately for them and unfortunately for us the place we wanted wasn’t available for reservations for another hour and a half (they were willing to give us the reservation though!). The rest of the night was fine, although I was given posole instead of rice, so that’s another mark off. Oh and we were offered more water by the busboy (our waitress never asked), but that never came either. It was all around a very upsetting experience, I certainly won’t be back.

Every time I visit New Mexico, I try to go to El Paragua. I recently took my son’s Aunt and she loved it as much as I do. I am always treated very well here. The owner Angela is very nice, she came to our table to greet us. (Thank you Angela). As I said in my previous review, I always order the Enchilada Atencio & they are always delicious !!. I also love the fresh house-​made preserves that they serve with the Sopapillas, mmm those are delicious as well. See you soon Angela …

I’ve been living and eating in northern New Mexico for over twenty years, and this is still my favorite New Mexican restaurant. From the time you get out of your car and walk past the gigantic ancient cottonwoods that shade the property, you can tell this is someplace special. There are so many unique, quirky, historic touches to this place that just entering the building is an experience — the tree growing out of the building, the oil painting of famous San Ildefonso potter Maria Martinez plying her craft, the tiles with little jokes in Spanish. I especially love the drawing by World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin, drawn directly on the wall plaster and surrounded by an empty frame.
But of course it’s the food that keeps me coming back. This is a step above standard New Mexican fare, with the Atencio family adding their own unique flair and expert seasoning to familiar dishes, and mixing in touches of old Mexico as well. My favorites are the carnitas y rellenos (cubes of char-​broiled steak in a spicy sauce, with cheese-​stuffed chile rellenos), and the enchiladas Atencio (a chicken enchilada with a creamy green chile sauce). They also have some amazingly delicious soups and stews: the Caldo Talpeño, a chicken and chickpea soup with chipotle peppers and fresh avocado, is in a class by itself, one of the most delicious soups of any genre I’ve had anywhere (but be warned, on some days it can be very spicy; it varies widely with the chile and stewing time, so you never quite know how hot it will be). The Bifsteak Mexicano, a spicy tomato-​based Mexican beef stew, is also outstanding. Even the salad dressing, a vinaigrette with some secret spices (I never have figured out exactly what’s in it), is unique and delicious. The sopapillas are done right (not the thick, doughy mistakes that some restaurants serve), and are usually offered with homemade preserves — apricot, pear, peach, depending on the day — in addition to the standard honey.
(One small disappointment is their «award winning» tacos (voted best tacos in some newspaper survey years ago). They may be wonderful by some standard, but they don’t seem that great to me: soggy with grease and stuffed with unimpressive meat, they may be «authentic», but not my cup of tea. But apart from that, pretty much everything on the menu is fantastic.)
It’s a very popular place, so you’ll likely have to wait for a table. Which is alright, because you can enjoy some excellent house margaritas next to the big tree growing out of the lounge, or, in the colder months, next to the cozy antique wood stove.
Great food, great drinks, great atmosphere, and fun people watching. What more could you want?

Stopped here on our way to Santa Fe. My Dad enjoyed the menudo (I know… right?), hubs had a burrito with green chili he said was «excellent. » Being allergic to dairy, I ordered blue corn beef enchilada with red chili. The chili was so hot I couldn’t eat it — I tried several times and fairly sure smoke was shooting out of my ears and I grew up with New Mexico chili — my entire family is from here. It was so hot, the picture I took disappeared in a puff of smoke from my phone. Sorry. Recommend ordering chili on the side with lots of lettuce, tomatoes and fire extinguisher.
A little pricey.

My favorite restaurant in Espanola and parts north to Taos. The food is exquisitely and carefully prepared. I always end up taking a to-​go box. The chili rellenos, tacos, enchiladas are perfect every time. Even their refried beans and Spanish rice are good, and I ordinarily don’t like those typical New Mexican sides. The sopapillas are light, served not only with honey but with a local plum jelly option. Once or twice the servers have been inattentive, but the management more than makes up for those small oversights.

I understand charging extra if two people are sharing a plate as is El Paragua’s policy BUT if two kids (ages 3 and 7) are sharing a taco plate there is no reason to charge an extra $ 4.50 just for a plate. My personal opinion. The food is good but the recent management isn’t worth it to us.

Our meal started off with a bang. Our server was clipped and short like she didn’t want to be there, or didn’t like us «gringos,» I couldn’t be sure which was the case. Chips were stale and we were served one tiny bowl of them at that. But none the less, The Cheese Queso and the Guacamole were amazing… Salad was great and My Flautas were spectacular, the other 3 meals were about average or a little below. The sopapillas were brought out with our meal, which meant by the time we ate them they were cold. Had they been served after our dinner, like a normal dessert, they would have been spot on perfection. (Not to mention, we are a family of 4 and they brought us 3… talk about a family feud! Lol) The meal was expensive. $ 100.49 for the 4 of us. (Had a margarita & 2 soft drinks, we had guacamole and Queso for appetizers, and 4 meals)
I’m giving them 3.5 stars.
The décor and surroundings were awesome!
So I would try them again and hope for more the next time!

Wow! San Antonianos can be a little picky about our Mexican food. And New Mexican can sometimes be a little disappointing, often because it’s so different. This is definitely not Tex-​Mex or the kind of Mexican we get in Texas — but it is excellent! We split an order of nachos and the Chili Rellenos. Still more food than we could eat, and all very tasty. Fresh Jalepenos on the nachos were a surprise but very good. Not too hot and a great flavor. Try posole instead of rice — very tasty. And the pork served as a side with the Rellonos is delicious. Everything first rate — good service, too. Don’t deny yourself this pleasure if you are anywhere near Espanola.

My favorite place to stop for dinner after a day of skiing or snowboarding. Rich history and great service. They are always accommodating and willing to please your pallet.

We stopped in Espanola NM for lunch on our long quest for «the perfect chile relleno». And we finally found it (!), and a whole lot more (!!!). I’m no spring chicken at 59 and I was born in New Mexico, so I’ve had a lot of Tex-​Mex. But this was the single best Mexican meal of my life, every dish just (amazingly) perfect, right down to the side of pinto beans and the spicy green salsa. A plump anaheim chile relleno perfectly dipped and fried, stuffed with queso blanco and finely diced onion and tomato, covered in a scrumptious sauce. And (again amazingly), the grilled-​to-​order, medium-​rare steak carnitas were even better, tender and delicious. They are known for their tacos so my companion ordered a mix of three hardshell types, each was excellent. We finished our meal with large yeasty golden sopapillas with honey and home-​made peach jam (not to be boring, but best ever again). Family-​run for fifty years, this is a fantastic place. It is pretty spendy, but worth it. It’s also got a less expensive outdoor taco stand called El Parasol next door that looked relaxed and fun.

This is the first time at this establishment. It took 10 minutes for someone to come to the table. When the server came he looked like he was hating his job and unfriendly. No one working looked happy. Food was good nothing spectacular.

Don’t let the building fool you– the food is fantastic!
The vegetarian taco comes with cheese, potato, lettuce and either salsa or guacamole. It was the best taco I have ever had. I normally do not like hard shell tacos but the shells appeared to be made from scratch. The beef taco with guacamole was also fantastic.
The best thing here is the salsa. It puts most other salsa to shame. It’s not chunky salsa but it lacks a punch with heat and flavor! It is spicy and not for the faint of heart. A little goes a long way.
The salsa is the best I have ever had! It reminded me a bit of Guyana pepper sauce! Excellent!
And the staff is super sweet. We were $.06 short but were told that was fine (we were out of coins but had bills).
Lovely lovely lovely.
Cash only and tip well!

$ 15 Well Drinks at Happy Hour — REALLY!
Our food was absolutely incredible: tacos las brazas with beans and rice with layer upon layer of flavor and an enchilada suprema that was absolutely to die for. Not to mention the hush-​hush secret salsa with the fresh chips and the delightful super-​secret salad dressing that is so unknown that it’s made off-​site!
Had a great time till the bill arrived — now we know. BEWARE of Happy Hour! We were blown away when our bill came! Happy hour — 2 Old Crows bourbons on rocks were $ 15. We verified the well (Old Crow) rate with our waiter, who verified with the bartender, who verified with the owner that THAT was the price. In retrospect, maybe I should’ve had 5 Negra Modelas @ $ 3 each.

This review is based on takeout only.
We went to Rancho de Chimayo the night before coming here. We were SO disappointed by the terrible atmosphere and service there that we decided we would do takeout after a long day of hiking to enjoy at our lovely rental casita. The minute we stepped inside, we were both dissapointed that we hadn’t spent our «special» night out on our brief vacation here. The inside was charmingly full of local art, antiques and bric-​à-​brac that would make it a fun place to sit and enjoy a cozy romantic meal. The lighting was dim, warm and inviting. The service we did receive was welcoming, efficient and hospitable.
We brought our food back to our abode and heated it up in the oven about an hour or so after returning. It was wonderful! Everything was very full of flavor and well seasoned. The red chili may not have been quite as good as Rancho de Chimayo, but I would eat here any day over that place. We were very very pleased. We will certainly be coming here again on future trips.

Great Food! Terrible Margarita’s
The Fajitas And Combination plate were fabulous
Do not order the Margarita Carafe.
It is 60% ice for $ 24. We even asked the Bar Manager and he said that was the new policy due to needing more profit for less product. He was a total Axx Totally a ripoff. The ice never melted, a sign of little to no alcohol.
Everything on the menu is GREAT!
Fabulous Ambiance and Authentic food with great taste.

There’s no reason EVER to be in Espanola, unless Black Mesa golf course is in good shape (which it’s not now) or you’re eating at this place, or both.
The atmosphere here is just great. It appears to be an old house converted into a great place for New Mexican cuisine.
There’s plenty of history denoted via news articles and food reviews, proclamations from Governors, etc. hanging on the walls.
Staff was super friendly to a handful of tourists (me and my schmuck friends), and the bar drinks served cold and quick. (Great bar, btw).
Waiter was super nice, and did a great job handling a diverse order.
Food came out hot and quickly.
I choose the rib-​eye steak with a green chili on top, red enchilada on the side. Off the chart.
Great place to get a meal when you’re passing through…

This IS the place to eat while you are in Espanola.
When suggesting places to eat, this is number 1. It is located just off of Riverside drive on NM Highway 76. The parking is in the back and kind of narrow getting in but plenty places to park.
When someone asks what New Mexican cuisine is like… refer them to this place. The building itself could not be more original. The walls are made of rough stone and the ceiling are composed of Viga beams.
The atmosphere begins before you walk in, with a sign stating «Gentlemen NO Sleeveless Shirts Please». I’ve personally have had great service here and have always come with a group of people. They do a wonderful job in the kitchen and on the floor.
I ordered the Chimichanga and it is soooo good! Smothered in goodness, Goodness = Guacamole, Green/​Red Chile (I ordered Xmas). It has shredded beef and its a BIG plate. Tough to eat in one sitting.

Here I had the best margarita in New Mexico.
Even better than Patron margarita @ Sadie’s.
Great place with great food and super friendly service.
Definitely a must go place in New Mexico.
Sopapilla was warm and not greasy.
Salsa was so good. The best salsa I ever had in my life level!
Beautiful restaurant with excellent food.
Worth to drive here for sure.
We were on the way back to Santa Fe from Ghost Ranch.
Good food after visiting a great place is a memorable experience.