SANTA FE BEES RESTAURANT — Restaurant in Santa Fe

You’re looking here because you wonder if this is where you should go to eat. Quick answer: Yes. Unequivocally, absolutely, “100%-ly” this is where you should eat. It is 2-3 blocks from the backside of the Eldorado and Hilton Historic hotels, just past the SG school of Cooking.

Here’s why Yes: This is an InCreDiBle local’s spot. It is the sight of the famous old Bert’s Burgers from the 1980’s. Just as Bert’s was a landmark, so will Santa Fe Bees bee-come.

Sitting in the “3-season” enclosed patio to eat is nice and it affords easy conversation at and between tables. There are outside table as well. Be sure to look on the wall for specials. Order at the register and the food is served at wherever you choose to sit. oYou can of course stop at the register for a basket of chips and salsa and a menu. You may need some time to figure what you are Not going to eat—because you’ll want it all. The staff are very friendly and enthusiastic, and accomodating. They tend to their guests well.

(Note. There are at least two other “bee spots” in town, one a block away, but I suspect This is the IT bee spot judging by the food.)

The sauté on the Fajita veg is perfect. Absolutely perfect. Perfectly Perfect to Perfection. The meat is medium to medium rare, beautifully browned, very flavorful, very tender. And tasty, really tasty. The portion size is Large.

The Black Beans are the best I’ve ever had anywhere at any time. That they are the best beans ever makes me sad—because I may never be in SF again.

It is hard to describe how perfectly the essence of the zucchini comes out in the calabasitas. I’m sure you’ve experienced that “oh, zucchini” experience, where it is a weird veg with a mildly annoying and unique flavor unrelated to anything else on the world. That’s Not how it is here. That the zucchini is a squash, and lovely squash of the first order will become clear. Perfect flavor. Perfect texture. If you’ve never known GrEaT zucchini, here it is. A surprise star!

The homemade salsa and pico may become your new high-bar standards—particularly the pico. Never had one so sophisticated in the melding of flavor and texture. It’s not just pico, it’s PICO!

The chips are sturdy and good. You can dip and scrape with these babies, but they won’t break and scar the inside of your mouth like some do.

The Horchata is a new drink to me. It is a light milky, sweet and rich, cinnamon-laced drink. It was amazingly refreshing.

Then there are the plantains with Salvadoran Cream. The cream is another new one on me. I tastes like it is a lightly fermented and seasoned cream. It is like a spoon-coating thick and slightly salty cousin to sour cream—but with some kind of seasoning.

As for the plantains—do yourself a favor and don’t save some to take home for later. The trip will be torture. Eat them then and there and save yourself the avoidable misery. The plantains were perfect in my book. The flavor and sweetness was preserved and enhanced in the cooking. The outer textures varied from silk to crunch, and there wasn’t a burn on them.

I wonder if they’d make a Horchata Ice Cream to serve with their Plantains. If they ever do, I think I’ll move...

We were tired of eating on the plaza and we stopped in here just based on the reviews. From. The moment we walked in we were greeted with happy workers, who explained the menu and ordering right away. We ordered our food at the counter. We got chips with salsa and guacamole right away. Then we went to a table with pur number and waited. The guacamole and salsa were excellent! Especially the green salsa. And they gave us more chips when we ran out. Then we got our food; two orders of birria tacos and a chicken chimichanga. The tacos were so good! That meant was dry at all and it was full of flavor, as was the consume. My husband's chimichanga was really good as well. The chicken they was so flavorful and it was pretty big. My husband was sad that he couldn't finish it all. This will definitely be a stop I make every time I...

We happened upon this place while driving back from Colorado, looking for a place with a heated covered patio (during winter) where we could eat with our dog, and we really felt like we lucked out. The employees were extremely friendly and obviously took great care in the food they prepared. I had the tamale plate (one chicken, one pork, Xmas style) and my husband had the fish tacos - both delicious! You get your choice of pinto or black beans, rice, and/or calabacitas (squash & corn) as sides, and we were given complimentary chips & salsa. This feels like a locals place - reasonably priced, not fancy, but great food. I hope they have great success, and we'll look forward to going back next time we're...