Cowgirl — Restaurant in Santa Fe

Giddy up, cowboys and cowgirls! It’s time for some bucking good food!

Caleb had to work this day so Cassey took me downtown to show me some of the city that her and Caleb love. First thing was to find a place to eat and after throwing out a few different places, we landed on Cowgirl BBQ.

We rolled up after the lunch rush and quickly got seated. I almost got a buffalo burger at The Ranch House but didn’t feel like trying to customize it so I knew Cowgirl was the place to properly get one. I ordered a Santa Fe Brewing Social Hour beer and quickly fell in love with it. That ended up being my go-to beer during my stay in Santa Fe.

While sipping our beers and waiting for our food and with some liquid courage, I asked our waiter if they sold shirts and the manager came over and escorted me from my table back outside, to a side portion that seemed like private seating to a locked door with tubs and tubs of shirts inside. I got a Large since she said the shirts will shrink after a wash or two.

Back at my table, I was buzzing from the beer and getting a shirt from my travels. It’s been a recent thing of mine to get a shirt from places to help support them and to rep them while I am out and about during my non-traveling. Anyway, I was buzzing when our food was brought out. I don’t remember what Cassey got because I was enamored with the buffalo burger in front of me. Cooked to a medium rare, each bite was heavenly. Apparently buffalo is a big menu item in the southwest and reflecting back… I kinda wish I lived down there. It’s not much different tasting than a beef burger, to be honest, but it tasted hella good cooked to medium rare. It was nice and juicy and full of flavor. The fries were pretty decent but nothing to rave over. It also came with coleslaw and I got the green chile on the side since I wasn’t sure if I’d like it on my burger. Turns out, I forgot to put it on there but I did sample it and it was really good. As for the coleslaw, I don’t care for coleslaw personally but I did sample it and it was also decent.

It was around Cowgirl BBQ that I started to get the hint that I was in for a week of some of the most delicious food I ever had. Boy, how little I knew how true that would become.

If you find yourself in Santa Fe, do yourself a favor and wrangle up your friends/family and haul them in for a taste of how delicious the southwest is.

Giddy...

Five-Star Experience at CowGirl BBQ – Perfect for Large Group Dinners! 📍 319 S. Guadalupe St, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Planning a team dinner for 35 people can be a challenge, but working with Nicole at CowGirl BBQ made the entire process seamless and genuinely enjoyable. From our first conversation, Nicole made it clear that our group was in good hands. She helped us design a custom menu that hit all the right notes—local flair, hearty flavors, and plenty of variety for everyone at the table.

The evening started with family-style appetizers: guacamole, pico de gallo & chips, mini nachos, and assorted quesadillas with all the fixings. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and served in generous portions.

For dinner, we were treated to an incredible Texas BBQ buffet, featuring:

Mesquite-smoked brisket

Mesquite-smoked BBQ chicken

Baby back ribs

Butternut squash casserole

Mixed greens salad

Coleslaw

BBQ beans

Potato salad

Cornbread and flour tortillas

Extra BBQ sauce (because you can never have too much!)

Every item was cooked to perfection. The brisket was tender and smoky, the ribs fell off the bone, and the sides were comforting, flavorful, and clearly made with care. The cornbread in particular got rave reviews from several folks on our team.

Dessert was just as impressive:

Tres leches cake topped with whipped cream and strawberries

A beautiful assorted dessert platter including chocolate chip cookies, lemon bars, brownies, wedding cookies, and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

The drinks from the bar were a hit as well—creative cocktails and a great selection of local brews and spirits.

Throughout the event, the service was exceptional. The staff was attentive without being intrusive, quick to refresh drinks, clear plates, and check in on our group. You could tell they cared about making our experience great.

The coordination before, during, and even after the dinner was top-notch. Nicole and the CowGirl team truly went above and beyond. The entire night ran smoothly, the atmosphere was fun and laid-back, and our team left full, happy, and grateful for such a great evening.

If you're planning a group event or just looking for excellent BBQ with a side of Santa Fe charm, CowGirl BBQ is a must. Highly...

Second visit on 2/18 (first was on 2/11) and it was horrible. Only reason we went back was because the experience the first time was great - service, food, music...

I invited my family (total of 11 people) and we were seated immediately when they opened, so was feeling pretty good at the start. But once the server took 10 minutes to come get drink orders, I should have know it was downhill from there...

Service was slow, only 1 drink refill each - and we did order from the bar. Food was "warm" at best when it was served, and one dish took and extra 10 minutes to arrive. As soon as the first person at the table was finished with their food, the bussers came in and swooped that empty plate away. Then every couple of minutes, they'd return - got to be annoying as they were really aggressive. Ordered bananas foster and it was swimming in liquor - too much to enjoy.

Waited 20 minutes for the ticket and then it was wrong - they charged us for an additional BBQ combo#1 ($22) and I wanted the server to correct it - but he never came back. Had to go to the hostess station and ask for help. She was our server the week before and I reminded her of how excellent she was the previous week. She had me follow her to another server station where I believe she spoke to the Manager and then he asked me for clarification on which extra entree to remove. He quietly corrected the ticket and NEVER apologized for any of the issues. I stated that for the automatic 20%, we received 2% service ($75 tip).

I returned to the table where my family was waiting for me to ask what happened. I told then things were corrected, but this was the last time I'd be dining at Cowgirl.

Makes me sad since I was born and raised in Northern New Mexico and we treat our guests like this now. I don't remember our values and manners being "left at the door" when we got to work. Yes - I totally understand that being a server and busser is exhausting and you can be treated very poorly, but at a minimum, please pretend to do your job that you volunteered for - especially when you know that you're guaranteed a gratuity. Had the service been even slightly better, I would have left an additional tip - I ALWAYS DO in Albuquerque... ...