The Palace Restaurant and Saloon

Discovered this while walking down the street looking for something different than the std. NM fare. We were lucky enough to be the first dinner service of the New Chef. New Menu, Great selections! Tried the Chicken Fried Chicken which was very light, in no way greasy. The sauce was just the right consistency. Portions were just enough and «comforting». The salmon was fantastic, but my wife mentioned the rice had a little to much pepper, when telling the chef, he was open to the feed back! Anytime you have a chef who is excited and passionate, AND the management support his menu, you’ve got a winner! We will return when in Santa Fe.

It was late and this place was so inviting and accommodating to us. We had our 87 pound chocolate lab with us and they let us bring her in. Ruth our waitress was amazing! The sangria was awesome and the food was great!

The food was mediocre and the service terrible. They made sure they got their 20% as there were 7 of us.
Never to return.

Mellow mood, great cocktails, friendly staff and
Interesting history of the building.

Awful service, complete disarray, mediocre food. Waited and waited for everything, especially cocktails, because our young, punk waiter kept going outside. The manager on duty spoke with complete lack of tact, only attitude towards our party and even told the fiancé of the band, about to play, that she’d have to go back out and pay a cover to come in and see the band play. We are career food and beverage professionals and parents who don’t get out enough, but treat staff well. We were treated poorly, had a lousy experience, settled checks and left promptly. An absolute thumbs down!

So pretty. But the service– horrible. Our server told us to get our own water. Totally cool. Until the other servers ask why you are the server station. What???

thanks for being open late and filled with alcohol, Palace! our fries and sliders and cocktails were lovely, as was the company at the bar from patrons and staff.

I hate this place about as much as I hate ABQ. This is not a saloon it is a lounge. They charge a cover but still hosting dinner. The girls are fat and ugly. Go check out my other reviews and find the right place to party of you are in Santa Fe. Stay away. Far away. The beer is 6. The cover is 5 and the place is empty.

Drinks are over priced but the food is good. I usually go for for karaōke on Thursday nights with friends. There is a tall blonde waitress with a bad attempt of a smokey eye makeup that’s reminiscent of Brittney Spears during her crazy years who is mediocre at her job at best. She shoved my bill back in my face because a $ 5 tip isn’t good enough for a couple drinks and some fries.

One star is for charging everyone in our group $ 10 cover at 12:30 at night ??? Other then that the person who threw up on the dance floor, the slow service and presenting us with a drink bill BEFORE the round comes is ridiculous and I’ll think twice before I go to this scissor sister bar

They have excellent wine specials and the staff (particularly Ann) are very friendly. She saw that our IDs were from Florida and gave us great recommendations. The food was just ok though. My boyfriends sandwich was delicious but my gnocchi not so much.

Swanky was a good word. Don’t ask what happens at those tables in the late hours of the night. The servers are really cool people outside of working there. It seems like they are trying to be too many different things. I’ve seen it packed as a night club, dead during happy hour and busy in the evening. Food is actually very good though. Go for the vodka battered fish and chips.

Great for late night, love the patio but the DJ doesn’t fit the theme. Hang out bar to. Seems this is where the movie people land. I totally get the guy who talked about the hot staff. I thought that was a weird review till I got there and see his point. But I digress I don’t know anywhere else you can get this good food after 10pm Worth a shot

Went in for a drink after walking around the Plaza. Very swanky interior… all red wallpaper and dim lightening. But the atmosphere is very casual, which is nice after you’ve eaten a big burrito and have been walking around. I got the French 75, which was delicious and refreshing. The bartender was very friendly.

Gorgeous décor, booming music, and I was told they served food late! Awesome! It took a while for a waitress to come to the tables to take orders. I ordered the squash blossoms, fried calamari, and beef sliders with onion rings. Squash blossoms were pretty yummy, fried and filled with creamy cheese. The beef sliders were pretty yummy as well and had a great hint of the garlic aioli.
Now the downside… All of a sudden an order if polenta fries come out. Hmmmmnmm… I thought that’s awkward, I never ordered polenta fries. Then the calamari came out. IT. WAS. HORRIBLE. It was super chewy, and tasted so rubbery. I felt like was chewing on balloons. When the waitress came back, I informed her about how horrible the calamari was and asked to switch it to something simple that’s always good at almost any restaurant, so I asked for the spinach and artichoke dip. Well, when that came out our waitress told us to be careful because our dip was really hot. The dip was cold, and the chips were stale.
Great atmosphere and food, but half the food was shameful. I would come here for drinks and dancing again, but never for the food.

I am giving this 2 stars because I thought the young waitress in a black dress was exceptionally beautiful and my wife liked the squash blossoms. We both at least got something out of this quick bite on a Sunday.
We sat on the patio, which is a nice patio all in all. It was perfect to relax on after a long day in the New Mexican sun. We ordered some water with lime (our compliments to the chef), the fondue, squash blossoms, a cosmo, and a coke (my compliments to the chef). The cosmo was good so reported by my lady. I didn’t like either of the appetizers. They tasted dull, like unwashed gym socks, except the squash blossoms had at least a level of dill, which is a perfect pairing for gym socks.
I don’t think we will be back, unless I gather enough courage to go back for the waitress. She was exceptional in poise and presence. Liked her a lot.
Oh yeah, squash blossoms… whatever.

I returned to the Palace to try again. Thanks David B for responding and I apologize for the late response. I have to say this time around was a complete turnaround for my initial visit. The staff was very attentive and took great care of my and my freind. There was a minor glitch in a food order but it was speedily addressed and alternative offered. I fully enjoyed Karaōke night. Later in the evening the restaurant is opened up for singing but the noise level is fine in the bar, we were able to carry on our conversation without feeling like we were shouting. Also, curtains are drawn open and it changes the feel of the place. I liked both. Much improved and I WILL RETURN. Cheers, and thanks, N

I ordered the Rocky Mountain Rainbow Trout and my fiancé ordered the Osso Buco. He reported that the veal was the best he ever had, which I concurred with. Talk about good. Flavorful, juicy, and falling off the bone! When we return, I will be ordering that. The trout was okay, nothing to rave home about. So if you’re looking for a more flavorful dish, be sure to ask about their specials or ask the server for recommendations. You will not go wrong with the veal though.
The ambiance is great. The restaurant provides views of the bar (for entertainment), is a bit dark, and the Palace has a very sultry feel to it. For a nice meal to celebrate my fiancé’s birthday, we were able to leave a nice tip, have two bottles of wine, two courses, two soups, and one dessert for less than $ 150. Checking in on Unilocal gives you the perk of a free dessert too.
Just a note, if there’s a band playing at 10pm on a weekend night (as there often is), you will be required to pay the cover even if you’ve been enjoying dinner and drinks for a couple of hours.

The fish tacos are tasteless. Pulled pork is good, and generously-​portioned.

I came here on a Wednesday night with girlfriends. The restaurant wasn’t busy and they had really good service. Our waitress was knowledgeable and I appreciated that she wanted to get our order in before a much larger group.
I ordered the linguine with meatballs and a side of fries (yes, carb overload). Both were tasty! We also ordered a bottle of cab sav for $ 28 so the prices of wine are also reasonable.
My friends also enjoyed their food (steak, sandwich, etc) and I would come back here for a low-​key dinner. When we were leaving, they had live music in the bar area and there were a bunch of people there.
The décor is old-​school and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was haunted :) But I think this is a fun place to get together with friends and have a good time!