Coyote Cafe

Pretty good food. Nice atmosphere. We rented the place for the night and they took very good care of us. The fish is yummy, and the Crème brûlée is where it’s at for deserts in town.

Exceptional flavor and artistic presentation. Dining alone, I ate at the bar and had the pleasure of chatting with Abraham their talented mixologist who made many complex cocktails for other clients as he shared information about life in Santa Fe, including multiple orders of a «smoked Manhattan» titled the Gentlemen’s Vice – very popular. With Abraham’s guidance, I ordered the Caesar salad and the free-​range chicken that comes with roasted root vegetables, including a scalloped sweet potato cake under the chicken that will haunt me for its deliciousness. Every detail of the meal is attended to here, from the exquisite bread basket of petite, homemade breads to the well rendered sauces. Loved this meal, the staff and the atmosphere.

My Mom and I frequent the outdoor area for happy hour when we visit. Service is usually good (sometimes when you seat yourself you seem to be looked over). The drinks are unique and yummy, and we love their nachos. It’s fun to sit on the outside ledge area where you can people watch. The chairs are horribly uncomfortable, but that’s really my only con.

Not bad, but less flavor than I anticipated. Especially for the price. Service was great. However, the tables were too close together. We had to endure the boisterous ramblings of a person with an extreme sense of self-​importance and his child with poor table manners. This really impacted my perception of the place given the lack of flavor of the filet and the chicken we ordered.
I would try to get fewer people seated at any one time (e.g., proximity of tables) to enhance the intimacy of diners experience. Due to the above noted we would be likely to question returning to this restaurant.

SO GOOD! We were lucky to get outdoor seating. Huge portions (a little expensive) and everyone at the table looooved what they ordered. My friend’s chimichanga was unbelievably good and my fish tacos (4!) came with a ton of optional side toppings.

Absolutely phenomenal service! Food was excellent! A must if you are visiting Santa Fe! Our server Ben and Henry were very attentive and made our dining experience memorable.

Great service and food! We sat at the bar where you watch the chefs work their magic. Filet was spot on. I was very surprised by the corn muffins. Full of flavor!

We had dinner @ Coyote Café tonight,
And It was the best Mexican Restraunt
I had the shrimp ceviche — large, so fresh &
Healthy. We also had the hili relleno it was so good & really different. Our waiter Pedro was very attentive & personable. What a great guy.
Thank you so much.

We were in Santa Fe and were told by some folks at the hotel we were staying in that this was a great place to eat.
We were a little early since stores and the tourist sites close at 5 in April. We took a walk around looking at some shops then went in at 5:45.
We were seated promptly and greeted by our server quickly. My girlfriend mentioned that she had an upset stomach and he recommend a ginger ale with a couple of drops of bitters. It did the trick and settled her stomach.
We ordered the Elk tenderloin and Osso Bucco. Both were phenomenal, my compliments to the chef!
Our server Carlos, kept in touch with us but was not intrusive. Always making sure everything was to our liking.
Here’s the kicker. Maybe prices are lower in Santa Fe, but for the quality of meal it would have been 30% to 40% higher in Seattle. Plus you would not have had a great server like Carlos.
If you are in Santa Fe and want a great meal, I highly recommend this restaurant. If you read my reviews, I give out very few 5 star ratings. This place earned it and more.

We had dinner here the other night, and it was outstanding. Not only were our meals outstanding (elk tenderloin for me, lobster tail for my wife), but they were also very accommodating in preparing something «off menu» (some simple fish and pasta) for our 6 year old son. Great food and great service.

My husband and I went for our anniversary dinner. When we arrived they gave us special menus congratulating us on the milestone and then proceeded to offer us complimentary glasses of champagne. I thought it was a very nice touch.
We split the Caesar salad for our appetizer. While they did charge a split plate fee of $ 3, it was worth it. Great portion for each of us. It was a deconstructed salad, very pretty presentation and great flavors. I would recommend it. For my entrée I ordered the toothfish, which came with a spinach ravioli, root vegetables and a grapefruit butter. It was good, nicely cooked. My husband ordered the filet mignon, accompanied by potatoes. They were gracious to swap out the brussel sprouts for asparagus, since that was his preference. The plates were really beautifully presented works of art. For dessert we had the banana cream pie, on pi day! It was good, but a little heavy after our dinner. Overall, nice experience and attentive waiters.

One of the best dinners. I had the special, sea bass on risotto. It was buttery & cooked to perfection. My friend got the bone-​in ribeye which took up the entire platter! We shared an order of asparagus (large stemmed cooked perfectly) & the lobster mac and cheese was to kill for.
We sat next to the fire over looking the outside window as we were at least 2 floors up from the street. We received complimentary soups. I can’t even recall if we ordered dessert. First time to this area of the country and everyone recommend this restaurant. This is what «fine dining» is. Not COLTONS or even Ruth’s Chris.
Professional service and I could not believe the extensive wine list going up to a bottle of wine for several thousand $$.
Wonderful evening.

Everything was amazing! The appetizer was delicate sashimi that was very clean. Our dinners were perfect. Even the drinks were perfect! I would recommend this to anyone looking for that «ahhh» dinner.

The wait staff here is incredibly nice and accommodating. Meal was Thanksgiving prix fixe — terrible. At our table was a traditional Thanksgiving meal, a short rib meal and two lobster pasta meals. At $ 85/​pp (not with wine) we expected the food to be spectacular. It fell very short. Short rib was very dry, lobster super salty, pasta bland and flavorless. The Thanksgiving meal was probably the best thing at the table but it wasn’t a tough contest.

So good that we went twice! Quin is an amazing owner and his restaurant is a real gem! Photos speak for themselves! We had the best time! The best food, the wine list is fantastic and the staff wonderful. Will be going back!

Love Coyote Café
A Santa Fe tradition.
Cornpones in bread basket addictive!
Beautiful space, fab food .
Always treated well by staff.

I am not from Santa Fe, but my mother lives here and every time I come to visit, coming to Coyote Café is such a treat.
I had the bone marrow and beef tartar with a quail egg. It was delicious.
The green chili margaritas trump all.

My first time in Santa Fe and this was my first dining experience. A family friend who had been here before highly recommended it. The restaurant is pretty big and very spacious. We were a party of 6 and had our own table with plenty of distance between us and the other patrons.
This is definitely a higher end restaurant but the prices are now a reflection of the casualness of the people dining there. The staff were plentiful and very helpful. Our waiter knew his wines and made some great recommendations. The menu is full of interesting options. I went for the Elk– I don’t think I have ever had a meat that was so tender. It melted in my mouth. The taste was excellent. Although being one of the pricier options on the menu, I would say go for it!
Starters and Deserts were also great. Must say we really enjoyed our entire dining experience.

Absolutely amazing experience, started with the lobster bisque, full of lobster meat not as creamy and rich as I expected but who wants the expected every time. Then came the highly recommended Elk, all I can say is it was «Awesome» so tender and far from gamey.
A must stop for any visitor looking for a memorable dinner.

Coyote Café is quite possibly my favorite restaurant in Santa Fe. It’s not easy getting a reservation here, and for good reason. The ambiance is elegant yet cozy. The service is always on the dot. And the food… oh but the food though!
Note that the restaurant is completely different from their summer rooftop bar in possibly every single way — ambiance, menu, price level, etc. I think a lot of out of towners rated them based on the rooftop bar and that’s what skewed the average stars. (Though I like the rooftop bar too, it’s nowhere in the same stratosphere in food quality as the main restaurant.)
Your best bet on the menu is of course the Elk Tenderloin. I believe it’s a «thing» here in Santa Fe because I’ve seen it on multiple restaurant menus around town. I’d never tried it anywhere else, but at Coyote Café, you can pretty much always expect a flawless execution. It’s very much like beef, not gamey at all. The tenderloin cut is very lean, and I highly recommend it medium rare.
Another top choice on the menu is the Lobster Parpardelle. They’re very generous with the portions, with two lobster tails cut into four pieces per order. The cream sauce on the pasta has an ever so subtle kick to it, which takes it up a few notches in its appeal. (The Santa Feans do like it spicy!)
Oh and the cocktails are probably the best in town too… I highly recommend this restaurant if you’re ever in town. Definitely 5 stars.