Casa Chimayo Restaurant

Great ambiance and the service was pretty spectacular with a waiter from Mexico city… we felt very well at home. Had the blue corn enchiladas with chicken and montadas definitely filling and did not disappoint. My parents had the mole plantain enchiladas and they both loved the sweet taste. Then for the finale had the chocoflan which was awesome end to this meal… the only disappointment is that the chips and salsa al gratis is not something practiced here and so you have too add them as an appetizer. Being a border grown kid we are just spoiled on expecting free chips and salsa.

I went here as per a recommendation of a local. I’m was not impressed. The service was slow, the wait staff ignored me and I had to ask for another waiter to serve me. I had the blue corn enchiladas with mixed green and red chili. It was not that good, I have had better ones. Their chicken tortilla soup was very good. Their price was reasonable.

Slow service, cold food, and overpriced. Don’t waist your time in this «restaurant». We came for brunch, our food took more than a half hour to arrive to our table and the place was almost empty.

While the rating is high, I feel I do not agree with many of the reviewers. From the sangria that resembled fruit punch to the chips that were fried tortillas, these should’ve served as a warning signs for the culinary debacle that was about to ensue.
The mole was more Willy Wonka than Santa Fe and the chile relleno attempted to emulate a ghost from the past called Pancho’s. Unfortunately there was no flag to raise to beckon the wait staff.
And if you’re looking for a bit of spice and an unexpected heat, wait until your bill comes and it will happen as you can’t believe you’re paying THAT much for such a miserable experience.
So incredible, I’m writing this as we wait for the cheque to return so we can escape!

Terrific food and beverage. You can’t miss on anything in the menu. If you’re there over holidays call and ask about what’s being served as they often times shorten the menu…

I really wanted to like this place, the ambiance, the décor, the friendly people, the amazing aroma of food billowing out of the kitchen… We arrived promptly for our 8pm reservation and were ushered to a cold enclosed patio in the back to await our table (which the hostess explained should be clearing shortly). We were offered a $ 5 margarita (cash only) by a man (later identified to be the owner). Friendly guy, he told us the history of the restaurant and the building and how the chile seeds have been passed down in his family. Most everything is locally sourced, and a lot comes from the local Pueblos. It was very interesting and made the long wait less painful in the chilly back patio.
The margarita wasn’t really that good. I asked for a rum and coke and the owner responded with «do you know how much a full liquor license costs in New Mexico?». No, but the margaritas? Made with wine he responded.
Forty-​five minutes later we were finally seated. The previous party had stayed longer than expected. I rarely get seated on-​time because not everyone finishes on queue, but taking forty-​five minutes to seat a party of FOUR seems rather excessive. Still the aroma of food we smelled when we first entered had us in high anticipation.
Turns out the aroma was misleading. Just about everything we had wasn’t that great. I had the pozole and it was decent. The chips and salsa brought to the table also decent. The chips appeared to be made in the restaurant, but I’m not a fan of thick tortilla chips. I love tamales so asked to try one of the pork tamales. Good, not the best I’ve had. For my entrée I had the Carne Adovada. a classic New Mexican specialty cuisine. If you’re a New Mexican restaurant and you can’t cook a good Carne Adovada, you need to close your doors. Unfortunately it was only decent. The sauce had good flavoring and the right amount of spice, but the pork was tough and bland by itself. I had much better at lunch the day before at a certain lady’s New Mexican kitchen. Her Carne Adovada blew me away and was my best meal of my 5 day stay. Casa Chimayo missed it unfortunately. My other dining guests also said their meals were just ok. I’m sure others might find the food good. It is, after all, just a matter of taste.
I do hope they do turn things around, it really is a great little place with a great story and a lot of history. Specifically I’d definitely recommend:
1) Get a liquor license-​what mexican/​new mexican restaurant doesn’t serve tequila margaritas!!!
2) Work on your scheduling/​reservations. I wouldn’t have waited this long for a confirmed reservation at any other place, I won’t do it again here.
3) Maybe the kitchen was backed up, which contributed to the long wait and the food being marginal. Figure that out and you got yourself a great little restaurant.

We tried Casa Chimayo on the last night of our Santa Fe holiday stay (how about that for a rhyme?) and were very impressed. A few nights prior, we opted to go to the Shed instead of Casa Chimayo on the recommendation of a local in the food service industry. The Shed was fine, but Casa Chimayo was excellent– we found that Chimayo was much less crowded (we sat right down and didn’t have to wait over an hour like at the Shed), more affordable, and tastier.
I tried the the Cundiyo combination (goat cheese tamale and calabacitas blue corn enchilada, Christmas) and my boyfriend had the chicken enchiladas. We loved both of our dishes and noted that the chicken at Casa Chimayo was much more moist and flavorful than that at the Shed. The beans on the side were also wonderful– something I’ve never said before of side beans. We also had a chile en nogada as our appetizer and loved it.
As a foodie and slightly-​more-​than-​amateur chef, I felt that Casa Chimayo’s food was of very high quality. Our waiter was also excellent.
For those deciding between the Shed and Casa Chimayo, know that both are excellent, but that Casa Chimayo offers better food at slightly better prices without the long wait and somewhat pretentious atmosphere of the Shed.
One note though: Casa Chimayo does not use hard liquor in their drinks (agave wine is used instead of tequila in margs). If you’re looking for liquor drinks with your meal, opt for the Shed.

We were really disappointed in this place. The food was bland. You can get much better Service and New Mexican food in Santa Fe. Skip it.

Solid Mexican food. Delicious sauces and authentic flavors. Were open on Thanksgiving which was much appreciated by our visiting clan. Worth seeking out.

I love mole and I’m used to seeing chicken in mole. I was so excited to see a mole enchilada The plantain mole enchilada was so good, I’ve never seen it on the menu anywhere else.
The margarita and chips and salsa were very good if I’d had more time before I left Santa Fe I would have come back again

On this, my first trip to the restaurant, I was curious as to what to expect. It took awhile to be seated, although the restaurant was not busy. I chose a vegetarian plate with zucchini and corn topped by green sauce. I was not disappointed. The accompanying vegetable tamale was a good counterpoint. And let’s not forget some tasty frijoles. All in all, a good meal except for the seemingly long time it took for me to be seated.

Well, I think I’m done with my Boston reviews for now; on to the next city. I haven’t been to Santa Fe for about 25 years, and the only restaurant I remember from that trip is Coyote Café, which we won’t make it to this time. We do have lots of good eating planned, though and Casa Chimayo is our first stop. We overhear the folks at the table next to us telling the waiter they took a cooking class today, and the instructor recommended this place. The setting is lovely and reminds me of some of the Mexican places I’ve like best in the Bay Area, cozy, homey and not too refined. TOO HOT, though! Even on a coolish night, I wish I’d worn sleeveless.
We started with a couple of glasses of cava to set the mood. The heirloom tomato salad sounded good, but I was afraid it might be too big, so opted for the ensalada casa, which was handtorn romaine with lots of under ripe plum tomatoes, nicely dressed in a slightly creamy vinaigrette. They source almost everything locally. I had the trout which was boned and pan fried in a cornmeal crust. It was served with a lovely corn dish, which they called a pudding, but it was more of a sauté, and an indigenous spinach called quelites. The sides were very tasty. The trout, while pristine fresh, was a little dry. I asked for a little bit of salsa to dress and moisten it. Our charming waiter brought a little ramekin each of the both the Chimayo (red) salsa and the green (I think Hatch chilis) Both were hotter than I usually eat, but the complex fruity peppers were so tasty, it wasn’t a bother. S. had the fajitas, where you had a choice of meats, and she chose lamb, which we were told was from a ranch not more than 50 miles away. We’re both lamb fans, and one rarely sees it as an option at Mexican restaurants. Unfortunately it wasn’t abundant, and what there was seems a bit dry and overcooked. Sweet fresh flavor, though, similar to lamb I’ve had from Colorado.
We finished up by splitting a goat milk flan. The texture a little more like pudding than flan, but the unique, slightly tart flavor imparted from the goat made it special. This was the first time I’d made a reservation through Unilocal!It went smoothly. I also «checked in» on Unilocal,which I rarely do, and luckily there was a 10% discount as a reward for that.
Food:30/40
Service: ¹⁶⁄₂₀
Atm/​intang: ¹⁶⁄₂₀
Value: ¹⁷⁄₂₀
Overall: ⁷⁹⁄₁₀₀

Good was awesome. Red is hot so be careful if spice is not your thing. Waiter was awesome and even brought us some dessert. Good lunch! We will definitely come back.

The most delicious app ever stuffed poblano peppers withy steak, apricots, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds with crème fresh.
Outside dining is lovely and friendly staff!

Pros
Great outdoor seating area, both shaded & in the sun
Good Margarita menu
Eclectic menu
Blue corn Enchiladas!!!
Friendly service
Great ambience with interesting statues
Cons
Service a bit slow, especially waiting for the Check

We started with lamb chicharonnes and the chile en salsa nogada for our first course, and the chile nogada was amazing. Very Old (not New) Mexico. I then had the blue corn enchiladas with red and green chile (aka «Christmas»), and my husband had the chile relleno. Both were delicious, hot, and obviously made with love. We took some posole and green chile home and I was sorry that we did not order more. I wish they served real margaritas (with Tequila), but their wine list isn’t bad. Excellent dinner on the patio.

This Mexican restaurant is a must stop if you are visiting Santa Fe. Casa Chimayo will fill your belly with some outrageously tasty traditional Mexican cooking. Their Pozole and Chili Renollo are some of the best I have ever had. There Margaritas are a little light on tequila but the food definitely makes up for it.

The ambiance and food is down home genuine New Mexican.
The menu is descriptive enough to give a good idea of what you’ll be getting — but don’t be afraid of the heat! I think they warn about this for those who’ve never eaten any spice at all and don’t like it.
My waiter Alex advised that the salsas were not the high heat kind. I followed his suggestion on a first time order and found the green and red chili salsa sauce (half & half) on the blue corn tortilla chicken enchilada plate had a warm rich heat — delish without excess!
The salsa that comes with the chips while you wait is hotter, yet still flavorful (not just heat shock).
The menu says no substitutions however — if you have diabetes you may substitute out the rice for an equivalent cost, lower carbohydrate vegetable, per the owner Sr Roberto Timoteo Cordova. The calabacitas are very fresh and not over cooked — perfect!
This lovely human size restaurant is dog friendly. I was having an early dinner, my dogs quietly on the floor beside, when I noted a man at the next table speaking to a waiter. We struck up a conversation about the food and I learned that he was Mr Cordova. We had a long chat about food in relation to health, family history in the Americas & New Mexico, history of the restaurant and its food and the genetics of my Chihuahuas.
He insisted I try his mother’s special dessert and it was a light cinnamon topped end to a delightful restaurant experience.

A-​OK sums it up. Ate here on our first night in Santa Fe. It was close to our hotel, so it was nice and convenient. We were able to walk over, so that’s always a perk!
The restaurant is on the small side, and very nice. The staff are very attentive and friendly. The prices are a bit steep for being able to get the same type of dish outside of the area, hence fewer stars. The food was overall good, but not so good I’d write home about it. I had the carne adovado, which came with tortillas.
We ordered house margaritas which are not made with tequila, but wine. It’s different and not exactly what I was looking for. It’s in the same flavor department, but it didn’t quite make it.
The chips and salsa on the other hand, were very good. The salsa had a nice (baby) kick to it that would probably please a mix of spice lovers and spice-​intolerant people.
All in all, a good solid restaurant.

The green chili stew was SO delicious and the pineapple margarita was so amazing, I had 2. I ordered the blue corn enchiladas with chicken and montadas (egg on top) christmas style and it was to die for! Next time I’m in Santa Fe, I will be back here for sure! Our waiter was also fabulous! Loved the ambiance too.