Counter Culture — Restaurant in Santa Fe

Prior to 2002, I lived near Boulder, Colorado. Then I got to move to New Mexico. My first ever introduction to Counter Culture was around 2006. I distinctly remember the laid back environment and the pleasantly wide diversity of customers. I also remember loving their HUGE and tasty cinnamon rolls!

I hadn't had the pleasure of visiting Counter Culture again until a few weeks ago. I was in Santa Fe again briefly and my daughter and I needed breakfast. I did a search to see if there was a Denny's, IHOP, or Village Inn nearby where we were staying. I was not impressed by the ratings of the 2 options available. Hmm

Then I remembered... "Holy crap!! Santa Fe!! Counter Culture!!!" I did a quick search to see if the business was still running.

Serendipity!! I excitedly explained the ginormous cinnamon rolls and I only listed off a few of the menu items to her and she agreed we had to go to Counter Culture for breakfast. I was really hoping the food was still just as yummy as it used to be.

When we arrived, we got into a short line of customers waiting to place their orders. Soon thereafter, I was handed a flag marker with a number on it and we went to sit down. You can sit anywhere. There is a patio area out in front of the building and a second one off to the side of the building. The outdoor tables have big umbrellas to shelter you from the hot summer sun. I even saw the cutest, most chill and laid back large dog laying on the ground outside, next to her people's table. It made me smile. 😁 I love that people can bring their well behaved pups with them ❤️❤️❤️

The scent of my daughter's hot n fresh pancakes took me back down memory lane. Nostalgia! She scarfed her scrambled eggs and bacon first and saved the pancakes to take home and eat later.

I ordered a breakfast burrito. I've sampled so many different breakfast burritos in New Mexico at this point. But Counter Cultures burritos are my top favorite! I got green chile and I greatly appreciated that they didn't completely smother it (the way that some other restaurants do). It was the perfect amount in relation to the rest of the contents in the burrito. Oh my gosh. SO FREAKING YUMMY! I saw in a display case that revealed they still sell their HUGE cinnamon rolls like I fondly remembered having before... We got one to go.

All of the staff we encountered had a pleasant disposition and were friendly! I'm not sure how our food made it to us hot and ready so quickly. But we waited like that 10 minutes before a handsome gentleman brought our food. The atmosphere was even better than I remember it being back in the day. The food was amazing and there was plenty still for us to take home and eat for leftovers.

The only miniscule thing (that's almost not worth mentioning, but I'll say it anyway), was the amount of icing on the cinnamon roll. I wanted more! The ratio of cinnamon bread to the sweet icing wasn't what I expected. The rolls are so huge. I split and shared a roll with my daughter. I wish there had been slightly more. This was not a deal breaker though. We happily ate it! Next time, I'll ask if I can purchase a small side of extra icing, to accommodate my sweetness preference lol.

I highly...

Would not return. Would not reccomend.

My friends and I were in Santa Fe visiting for the weekend. Counter culture was reccomended to us by multiple colleagues. The setup was rather strange, but I can see how it may have been beneficial to run that way during the height of the pandemic. You order at the counter, take a number, sit down, and they bring you the food. But everything else, and I mean Everything Else, you had to get by yourself from a station placed awkwardly in the middle of traffic. Silverware, napkins, salt and pepper, condiments, water, to-go boxes, etc. were all laid out for customers to grab themselves. I usually don’t mind when restaurants do this, but I would like the prices to reflect all the work I am having to do myself. Meals ranged from $10-20 and drinks from $5-11. You were expected to bus your own table as well. I haven’t even gotten to the worst part. Not only did our friends meal come out 15 mins after the others, but every single egg on every single meal was cold. I have personally worked in breakfast restaurants for 5 years and if there’s one thing that will turn any customer away, it’s cold eggs. The taste is repulsive. I asked a food runner if it was possible to get them reheated, and he just said “oh” and walked away, never to be seen again. I don’t think the employees working BOH spoke english very well, but if he would have at least indicated that, I could have told him in spanish that my eggs were cold. And even if I really didn’t know any spanish, he should have sent someone out who spoke english to work with me to fix the problem. Needless to say, I did not eat my 2 Egg Breakfast that I paid $12 and when I went to place my plate in the bus bin, I noticed that many other plates were half eaten as well. Obviously I wasn’t the only one that had a problem with the service. The cherry on the sundae was when I decided on at least drinking some water to fill me up, there was none left in either of the water pitchers and there were no employees in sight. I reiterate: Would not return. Would...

Tuesday, August 1. 9:15 am

Counter Culture is a local breakfast and lunch place that has been in Santa Fe for a long time, open 7 days a week, 8 to 3. We came for breakfast and ordered at the counter. There was no waiting in line and our food was served quickly. We sat at a picnic table on the back patio. Dogs are welcome on the outdoor patios and a little one was next to us. The patio was quiet with traffic noise in the distance but nothing that interfered with conversation. (76 dB) I ordered the Gravlox, house-cured salmon on a fresh baguette served with capers, cucumber serrano (tart and peppery, a real compliment to the arugula) and lemon dill crema on a base of mixed greens. I love salmon and this did not disappoint. All was fresh and attractive on the plate. My husband ordered the Cowboy Bowl. This was a bowlful of black beans, homefries, red and green chile topped with melted cheese, two over easy eggs (or any way you like them), two long and nicely fried strips of bacon and a flour tortilla. He enjoyed the combination of ingredients in the ample bowl and the “nice spiciness” of the dish. Though we were here for breakfast, the wide range of choices (way too many to mention here) for breakfast (served all day) and lunch is notable. Everything from a banh mi entree to a middle eastern salad with spanakopita. And, of course, they have burgers. Our breakfasts were both around $14 and well worth the price. We have eaten here many times before and will be...