Valentina's — Restaurant in Santa Fe

This is a conflicted review as iv had a mixed experience there. The food itself was great and close to some of the best new Mexican food ive had in Santa Fe. I ordered the breakfast burrito with chorizo and let me tell you, the red chili had a wonderful heat and a full bodied and hearty flavor while the green chili was acidic but not overwhelming and in combination played well together. The potatoes where cooked wonderfully and were seasoned just right and really took the chili flavor and ran with it to the moon. Unfortunately, maybe the waiter didn't hear or maybe there was a shortage they didn't tell me about, there was barely to no chorizo in the burrito. Once i got halfway through i started pulling the burrito apart, fork and knife, and not a nugget of chorizo was to be found which was sad as that would have made it a 5 star for me. That and the margarita that was ordered, while it was a deep glass and well iced, probably had about half a shot of tequila in it even though it was priced in the opposite index.

Now is here where we get into the negative part of the review. Our server, David, wasn't there top waiter or was his first night there as it felt like we were bottom of the priority, even next to his duties. We arrived at 7 and finished around 8, the restaurant closes at 9(as its listed here on google) yet all of his cleaning duties happened directly next to us as we ate, talked, and wrapped up the meal. Sweeping, table/chair management, making sure that everyone in the dining room and kitchen and outside seating could hear his placement of the menus, all 16 of them for the big party that was coming in as if he were having a slapping contest with the table. No apologies, half smile or anything. Also he barley broke 34db meaning that the music from the kitchen(20 feet away) was louder than the server(at our table). And with that it was like talking to a robot, he would ask you how you were doing when we sat down, i responded and then he moved to step two of his order prompt not realizing he needed to respond to what i said. I went with another person and they claimed that this was the first time ever experiencing below subpar attuited from staff but first impressions are first impressions.

Tl;DR: Unless we got a funky night with staff like my friend suggested, this place is a great take...

My mom had the most atrocious dining experience here while on vacation!. I called the restaurant several times asking to speak to the owner and left my info with no reply to this day. My mother has Lupus and cannot eat anything spicy as it will cause major issues for her. Upon ordering she asked the server if her plate was spicy and informed the server why should could not have spicy foods. The young female server with long dark hair (we believe her name was Melody/Melanie) replied no it is not spicy. The entree was in fact incredibly spicy. Her partner who loves spicy food had a taste to confirm it was very in fact very spicy. We notified the server and it was taken back practically untouched. When she brought the bill and she refused to remove the spicy entree saying you didn’t want to order anything else so you have to pay. The server was incredibly rude, immature and took zero responsibility for her lack of menu knowledge. My mom again refused to pay for her entree but paid for the rest stating she did not even get to eat and told the server she was very rude and unprofessional. The server responded by saying my mother was rude and that is why you have your sicknesses! This response was not only inappropriate but completely heartless. The chef actually came out to try and talk to my mom and told the server she should have known the dish was spicy before serving it. It seems he felt bad given the situation. My mother has had many hardships and complications because of her condition. This whole experience was extremely upsetting for her and my family and unfortunately will be a memory that will stick with her about that trip. To have a stranger/employee make a comment that my mother deserved to be sick because of a mishap on a food order is just disgusting. I come from a long background in the restaurant industry and if this was my employee I would fire her on the spot once I became aware of this incident. This kind of behavior should not be tolerated in any...

Authenticity, it is rare to find.

When we walked into Valentina's we knew we had something authentic. It was in an unassuming strip mall area with not much of a sign. Really the only way we knew about the place was word of mouth. My cousin had mentioned it when we were talking about great Mexican restaurants in town. We found it was enough, it was right off Alameda. We walked into a joint that felt local. No over-the-top stuff hanging from the ceiling, no mariachi music blasting to make it feel "more Mexican", just a decent place with some tables. it did have a nice pallet of color and decor. A couple Frida paintings were up, and a calming mural of a countryside. We grabbed a standard booth and perused the menu. It had all the staples you could ask for. Thing was, I wanted everything. When the waitress came over I asked for something with a tomal, a enchilada, and a chili relleno. She said that's not on the menu but I will make it for you. hearts! Everything came out within 15 minutes, hot and ready. We were not led astray, it was the best Mexican I had had in a while.

The enchilada was on point; the salsa was tangy goodness, the rest of the plate was perfection.

I wish this review seemed more of a love letter. Because I have clear affection for Valentinas, and will be back as soon...