La Fiesta Lounge & Bell Tower Bar

The drinks are expensive, but oh what a view! The old bell tower is jazzed up now with heaters, fire pit tables and blankets to use as shawls in the cooler fall weather. The Don Rael is a great margarita.

Our group of five found the Bell Tower Bar to be a great place to watch the sunset, and enjoy a margarita. We arrived after a long day of vacation fun, and found seating in the couch area. It turned pretty chilly, so they lit the fireplace and provided us with blankets. We enjoyed the views and conversation with fellow patrons. This was a fun place to relax, and unwind.

Great environment. Little pricy on cocktails but worth it for the view. Thanks to «Johntan» (not to confused with Johnathan, lol) for the Amazing service.

I liked the Bell Tower as a place to hang out for an afternoon margarita, chips and salsa after excessive walking and shopping in Santa Fe. Sunny and breezy afternoons are a particular draw for me to this oasis!

If you want a lovely view — go to Tower Bell
If you want an alcoholic beverage — stay away.
We ordered two different kinds of Margaritas, My theory is that the bartender passed the bottle of Tequila over the drinks, and skipped putting any in. It was so watered down it was a joke.
When we mentioned it to the waitress (who didn’t seem surprised)_, she took $ 2.00 off the drinks.
If you’re doing to charge $ 12.00 for a Margarita, and want locals to come back, there must be an improvement on the quality of the drinks served.
Right now, I’d not recommend it to anyone.

Lovely tight rooftop space to view the sun as it dips behind the mountains. A fair selection of beers, wine & margaritas.
Dont come hungry tho… no real food except chips or quesadilla for about $ 10/​order.

While we only came here for drinks, the view at sunset should be a must stop for anyone visiting Santa Fe. You have a perfectly clear view of the mountains and the city. The drinks are reasonably priced for the location and view and the service is quick and friendly.

Best place to enjoy a margarita, chips and salsa, and the Santa Fe sunset. We loved this place so much, we went back another night. The crowd was a mix of hipsters/​wanna be hipsters, middle aged Texan couples on holiday, and 20’something singles. The crowd didn’t matter b/​c the space was gorgeous and the servers were friendly and efficient. We didn’t feel rushed nor pressured to order much more than we did.

They have some great quesadillas, and the best margaritas in town. The view isn’t bad either.

Great food, bit pricey, but great place to sit down off the plaza have a nice margarita. The rellenos are awesome! My wife gave the torta 4 stars! Watching mystic lizard here (a bluegrass band). Nice entertainment! Good atmosphere. Nice service. Price is only reason it’s not 5 stars! (Expect $ 100+ for two) nice lounge off Santa Fe plaza!

Decent place, decent food. Had a live performance going on. Good place to hang around for a few drinks but definitely can do better in the food department.

The lobby and bar downstairs provide an authentic Santa Fe feel. The margaritas and beer selections are solid. The pinion wood burning fireplace in the lobby lends good ambiance. This ain’t no disco. You might see a cowboy hat too.

Great View but service is poor to non-​existant
Great setting for sunset views. Last nite Friday, waited 15+ minutes at 5:15 PM for order to be taken (it wasn’t crowded, servers clueless to partrons). Night before the bartenders didn’t know (or have) margarita menu — It’s unclear how they can make it and charge correctly if they don’t know (and can’t) communicate the menu (and price when queried). Go for the view and sunset — but order minimally.
It could be great but isn’t.

Besides the beautiful view and great seats, the service and staff at the Bell Tower bar is the reason I come here at least once a month. I had a great conversation with Gabe the manager the other day and the rest of the staff was extra friendly as always. I’m never treated like a tourist, I’m treated like a guest! Kudos to everyone at the Bell Tower bar. Thanks for being so excellent in every way!

We look forward to going to the Bell Tower every time we visit Santa Fe. The drinks are great, the food is good and the view can’t be beat! Make sure you call ahead if the weather is questionable– they close at the first sight of gray skies. It’s open from 11am until 8pm. It’s small and limited seating, so plan accordingly. When they first opened, the service was not so great But that’s been a few years. We went this past wknd and have no complaints. It’s laid back and comfortable– great for a group or a quiet couples evening. I could sit and relax there all day!

I really want to give the Bell Tower a better rating, but that service is just bad. They’re friendly and all, but beyond slow. I think I waited at least 20 minutes for my waiter to bring my check after I asked him for it and he walked by me many times without even acknowledging me. The only thing that really made up for it was how much I loved the Bell Ringer margarita. I love those sweet/​spicy margs and this one was my favorite! If you go, just be prepared to be kept waiting…

The Bell Tower Bar is just «OK».
Yeah, you’re on top of the building (5 floors up looking at roof tops of the rest of the city) and yeah, the views of the distant mountains are nice… BUT…
— It fills up fast on a nice evening, get there early if you want to go;
— Margaritas are $ 12; pricey and average quality;
— the server & management let you know when they want you out (guess I spent too much time in Europe — this really turned me off).
There were 4 of us, we ordered 6 of the $ 12 margaritas, 2 glasses of wine & 3 appetizers — we weren’t being cheap.
As soon as we finished our last sip, the bill was laid on the table (I mean, I had barely finished swallowing). Then the management keep walking by the table, looking at the check and then looking at us. After the 3^th time, the tip percentage took a nose dive.
After the 4^th time, we left.
My recommendation: if you really want to check it out (and it is a nice facility), go there early, have one drink & leave before they can push you out the door. It’s not like it’s the only choice in Santa Fe — this city is loaded with great places to eat & drink.
If you want a downtown sunset experience, take a walk to Hillside Park (about 4 blocks from La Fonda), take a discreet drink with you & that special person, sit on top of the hill and be in control of your own time.

Bell Tower Bar: 5 stars. Beautiful views. Can get chilly!
La Fiesta Lounge: 3 stars
The food is standard bar food and not bad, not great. It hits the spot.
The drinks are good. Loved the local NM Alien ale on tap.
Live music and dancing every night. Quality of the bands varies, but none of them are bad per se.
The service is iffy. It take a long time to get served, but it comes, and the servers tend to decided when they think you are done and hand you a check whether you ask for it or not.
The place gets pretty busy almost every night, but there is an overflow area out into the hallway. But service gets spottier the further you get from the action.
Kitchen closes at 10pm, as do most kitchens in the neighborhood, so word to the wise if you like to eat late.
It’s located nicely at the La Fonda and feels pretty open, like you just HAVE to stop by and visit at night. Nice touch.

Just visited the Bell Tower Bar. Sigh! First off, beautiful view. Didn’t catch the sunset, but nice anyway.
Second, Tommy, our server, was irritated that we wanted the table in the shade and he had to wipe down the table. Clue phone Tommy, might want to answer this one. We’re paying customers and well, that’s part of your job. We had 2 very average $ 12.00 margaritas, so then I had to retrieve Tommy from the bar to order a couple of Coronas.
I guess he forgot about them because one of his peers saw us sitting forlorn and drinkless and took our order a second time and delivered the goods. Hey! Can we change servers? Guess not. Tommy brought our bill but never came back for it so I had to take it to the counter to pay. Tommy got a crappy tip.
Again, it was a lovely location an perhaps if we had a different server we would have had a different experience.

I can’t imagine a better place to have a drink while watching the sunset than the Bell Tower. A couple of key tips:
1. Look up what time the sun sets and get there early. Everyone else in Santa Fe has the same idea you do. This isn’t some hidden, super secret spot.
2. Dress very warmly. 65 degrees sounds pleasant enough, but when paired with 25 MPH winds, it feels more like 45 degrees. If you get there early as recommended, they have a limited number of blankets which are key in making this an enjoyable experience.