Santa Fe

I had a mixed experience yesterday at this restaurant. My boyfriend and I biked down Esplanade and decided to stop here for lunch. We were hot and wanted air condition so we opted to sit inside. When we first walked in I was surprised to see how small it is. We weren’t sure if we should just seat ourselves, so we stood there for a minute until the waitress told us to pick a spot. The restaurant is cute, but it was actually pretty hot in there and we had a few flies flying around us (I guess still better than sitting outside).
You get one serving of complimentary chips and salsa, and I really did enjoy the salsa. My boyfriend and I decided to order queso ($ 7) and a chicken and mushroom quesadilla ($ 14). My boyfriend loves queso and said that was all he really wanted. However, the queso just wasn’t good. That’s probably the most expensive queso I’ve had but may be one of the worst. I also thought they should have brought out another basket of chips with it, since the basket of chips we had with the salsa was pretty small. Since we didn’t eat much of the queso, we didn’t end up running out of chips until the end of the meal though. My boyfriend was upset and confused on how a place could mess up queso. I promised him that I would split my quesadilla in half with him. The chicken and mushroom quesadilla was delicious! The mushrooms gave it so much flavor. It was a decent portion, so I didn’t mind splitting it with him. However, I think for the price tag it should come with beans and rice too.
Service was a bit spotty, but I believe there was only one waitress and quite a decent amount of tables to serve. A man (maybe a manager) was helping her and ended up talking to us for a bit. He was very nice. Overall, we had a decent experience, and I would come here again for the quesadilla alone because it was seriously that good!

Freshie Fresh salsa to begin. Strong, reliable margaritas. Great outdoor seating. If your a fan of gazpacho they have one they serve with crab. I believe this place is a locals long time establishment. It feels that way. I can’t give it 5 stars because I’ve been spoiled with a lot of amazing Mexican in Houston but it’s damn good for New Orleans. If you have not been just go.

Not very impressed with my first time at this restaurant. Our waitress, just like the food, was average to begin with, but turned outrageous when she argued with us about our tip. She treated us as if we were young teenagers out for the first time instead of mature college students. We were nothing but polite and she suggested we go to a different restaurant next time if we weren’t going to tip higher. Her arrogance and blatant rude behavior nearly ruined this experience with good friends and, if I do come back to this place again (which will most likely not happen), I will personally ask not to be waited on by her. I do not appreciate being belittled as a toddler would by this insignificant and downright rude woman. There are much better places to have a decent meal that is not tainted by such disrespectful treatment.

We love, love, love this place. Great ambience. Indoor & outdoor seating along a scenic part of Esplanade Avenue. Dog friendly. The Margaritas are awesome. Their Mexican food is top notch and the big surpise is their hot wings. Brave. Staff is always friendly and attentive. Check it out.

On a beautiful day it’s nice to sit outside. The service was good. But the food is average and a bit over priced. Can’t say I would recommend it, definitely wouldn’t go out of my way for it, but it’s good if you’re close by

Food was good and margaritas are strong and well mixed. Been here several times with friends and have tried different plates from their mussels, ceviche, seafood pasta to grilled salmon and all were good and the servers were friendly. They have a patio which is perfect for al fresco dining but the only thing is that they’re overpriced. Pasta dish that’s over 20 dollars? I mean it ain’t a Brennan restaurant and I’ve had better Mexican food elsewhere like in Metairie area that’s more authentic and not too fancy snanzy expensive like Santa Fe. My friends like it tho because it’s fancy and charming but I ain’t paying almost 20 bucks for tacos. No ma’am!!!

My favorite place to eat. I’ve never had a single thing I didn’t like here. My favorite go to here is the tuna tostado appetizer or any of their daily specials. I’ve gotten many great recommendations from their servers. So when in doubt, ask your server!

so anyone one who knows me. Or any Californian knows we feel like New Orleans lacks good Mexican food. This place is listed as Latin so I’ll write my review accordingly. I’ve had their ceviche and I can say hands down its been the best in the city. I went to other places and it’s like they looked at a picture and guessed at what ceviche should taste like. At Santa Fe I was delighted. Did my food happy dance and everything. In regards to other dishes they were good. Often influenced by local flavor. The seafood enchiladas were great. They have some good options if you like seafood. Also when I went and it was cold they had warmers & blankets so guest could still sit outside. I thought that was nice.

Checked out this place for sunday brunch… mimosas were pretty good and very cheap! Unfortunately the food fell short. Entrees, while pleasing to the eye, were pretty bland. I ordered the crab cake dish which was full of shells. Had to send it back becuase of what i thought was a hair. Turned out it was a a piece of bristle from a kitchen brush. Tasty huh?! our waiter was pretty friendly and efficient. Although the mimosas were a hit… they are not worth the trip back here. Sorry guys.

My wife and I stopped in for lunch before a day at the Fairgrounds Racetrack since it was close by and we had some time to kill. We sat in the «bubble» on the outside patio.
The chips and salsa they give you to start are pretty good. The gazpacho was excellent – very fresh and tasty. I had a pork quesadilla and my wife had sauteed shrimp tacos. We both enjoyed them.
On the downside, the service was pretty bad. What should have been a 45 minute in and out ended up lasting well over an hour. Our server had no charisma and was (barely) going through the motions.
We won’t be back next time we’re in town. There’s too many places in NOLA that get everything right.

First time at this restaurant. I’ve been to a lot of the restaurants in this section of Esplanade and I wanted to try something new. Looking at the menu I was trying to figure out if there were vegan options or, vegetarian options that I could make vegan. I decided to try the veggie burrito and just exclude the cheese. That was a great choice! The burrito was filled with deliciously grilled veggies of all sorts. I enjoyed it along with their house made salsa and chips.
We sat outside, which by the way, was also another great choice because despite the 40 something degree weather they made sure we kept warm. They setup partitions to keep the cold air out and provided heaters along with very warm blankets to wrap ourselves in. The owner kept coming by our table to check on us and ask if we were warm enough or if there was anything he could do to adjust the temperature. I really enjoyed my first experience at this establishment and I will be returning very soon.

The good news: It’s on charming Esplanade Avenue.
The bad news: This place lacks grace. The service is slow and awkward. There is none of the New Orleans connection or friendliness you would expect. The food is passable but expensive. With so many other soulful restaurants in New Orleans, I cannot see a reason to return to this one.

Tucked away in one of my favorite spots in the city, Sante Fe did not steer me wrong on the eats for the evening. After leaving a boozy Christmas shindig we were starved. A wait at another fav restaurant in the area led us here and it was a win all around. I’ve been here on occasion before so it was nice to revisit. Same chill atmosphere and great service.
We’re definitely the ordered a bunch of items so we can share kinda group. And we did just that! We ordered so much random stuff from the menu to make our evening complete. Where do I start?
Steamed Mussels: Sopping up the broth with bread was a treat but I literally wanted to just put the bowl up to my mouth and sip like soup! It was THAT good. Seasoned well and the chorizo was a nice spicy accent. The portion is pretty large and great for sharing.
Sante fe Hot Wings: The sweet, spicy, sticky glazed was really good. I mean if you’re gonna have wings this is definitely the sauce you want!
Grilled fish tacos: One of my favorite things from here. We ordered the drum… cause its kinda my fav fish as well. Moist and well seasoned with all your usual taco toppings… and super fresh.
Sante fe Seafood Pasta: This was the star of the evening. Large pieces of seafood that you could actually SEE and recognize on your plate. Which is always a good thing. Very fresh and the spicy tomato sauce was a winner for sure. Again. super large portion and great for sharing.
Their house made sangria is almost as good as mine lol. And our server informed us they make a really good Paella which is served on one particular day of the week. I love me some Paella so I’ll definitely be back on over.

One of my favorite places I ate at while I was in NOLA.
Our über driver recommended to come here after visiting the museum and I’m glad he did. :)
We ordered sangriaaaa, the garlic shrimp, calamari tacos, soft shell crab tacos, and empanadas! Everything was amazing but I especially liked the garlic shrimp and the soft shell crab tacos. So GOOD!
Our bar tender/​server was awesome! He was very friendly and made us feel at home. We definitely had a great time here and I highly recommend this place. You won’t regret it!

Stopped by here for happy hour! 4−6pm. WARNING!!! The margaritas and sangrias are STRONG!!! After only two drinks, I was tipsy! We ordered fried green tomatoes ($ 15), it came on too of mixed greens with three huge toms, 4 shrimp peeled with heads on and ramoulade! We also got the deluxe nachos ($ 9) that came with gauc, sour cream, tomatoes, and jalapeño on a separate plate. It was good, but not amazing. I still enjoyed it! By the end of our meal we were full, tipsy, and happy! Our bill was very reasonable for the food and drinks! I think the drinks were $ 3 each!
Our server was also very friendly! When he spoke to us, I already knew he was friendly. He just gave us that friendly vibe. I’ll be back!

Not a fan of the Food or the Flies, that were flying around my food.
Again, to me, this is just another New Orleans restaurant trying to pass itself off for something its not. I wish there would for once be some authenticity in its cuisine, like the people across the Street. And I will leave it at that.

Let me start out by saying the iced tea was good as was my vegan burrito. The vegan burrito was also huge, by the way, and the little, gratis corn muffins were tasty. Also, our waiter was quite nice and the outdoor seating looks nice.
Why then two stars? A blonde woman, obviously an employee of some kind, a cook or, possibly, an owner was polluting that outside seating with her smoke. She was chatting with another table right by us, making us choke, then parked herself in front of the front door of the restaurant to puff away. This was bothering the rest of my party and we asked another employee to ask her to stop but they just said, «she can smoke outside.» That may be so but people are eating. I thought there was an ordinance and, even if that is true, why should the establishment’s employees be allowed to add to any smoke?
So much for the pretty-​looking outside seating, which is also party to all the traffic on Esplanade. I’d have said maybe try inside next time but, given their lax, sloppy attitude of letting an employee pollute the front door, I won’t be back. Also, another review mentioned how noisy it is inside. The vegan burrito was good but certainly not good enough put up with smoking.
Also, though it is not a problem for me, there were a lot of other diners with their dogs outside. I don’t mind that. I like animals. Others might not, just FYI. You have to like cigarette smoke, traffic going by within arm’s length, and dogs to take advantage of that outdoor seating. If that is you, by all means, have fun and enjoy your lung cancer from second hand smoke.

I’ve come here a few times since my last review (which I still stand behind) and I have tried a variety of things on the menu that I really enjoyed. For me, this place is all about location (I can walk here from my house) and ambiance (I am ‘outdoorsy’ in that I like to drink on patios).
I LOVE sitting on the patio and enjoying the margaritas by the carafe (the best deal in the house) on a nice day with the breeze blowing. On my last visit, my friends and I really enjoyed the empanadas & the mussels, and thought that the ceviche & the tamale were just O.K. (No melted cheese should be ON a tamale, it should be IN the tamale, right?)
They serve Sunday brunch which has some gluten-​free options and cheap mimosas (if you like your orange juice with just a splash of bubbly).

Fried green tomato and shrimp.
It was a deliscious dish to say the least. The service was quite nice and prompt. I came here with my neighbor and we sat at the bar. The experience was nothing special, but that should take nothing away from your decision on stopping on in for a meal.
The ambiance is very chill, fitting for its location just off of City Park’s entrance. There’s outdoor seating for nicer days, i believe there are heaters as well. The place was bubbling with business the entire time and rightfully so, everything I saw coming out of the kitchen looked like something to mark down to try later.
This little section of Esplanade is one that I don’t frequent, but i need to change that. There are too many places to grub around here, plus I dig the vibe of the area.

Somewhat of a hidden jewel of a place that people like to keep to themselves, because it’s definitely one of mine.
I had the Chicken Quesadilla & Sangria and both were great on all levels. The flavors, smell, presentation, and the polite service would definitely get me back here in a heartbeat.
You might want to find some time in search of parking though.