Description: It’s kitsch with the look of a 50's diner. The food is good, the servings large, and the hot coffee just keeps coming.
The Plaza Restaurant, which has been in this prime spot on the Plaza since 1918 (and, I was told, under the same family management since 1948), serves local food to local people – the kind like you and me who have to work for a living – though tourists do find their way here. The no nonsense décor includes a choice of red vinyl booths, a long low counter with silvery stools also covered in said red vinyl (alas, they don’t swivel – I tried) or, our choice, tiny tables for two wedged between the booths and the counter.
The clientele is a mix of the three cultures that formed Santa Fe: Indian, Hispanic and Anglo and the waiter is as likely to ask if you want more coffee in Spanish as English. The food is great and the servings enormous. It was a tough choice between huevos rancheros or the breakfast burrito but in the end, my husband settled on the chile relleno omelette while I ordered an extra plate and fork. The omelette consisted of a green chile stuffed with cheese and folded into a three-egg omelette smothered in more green chile and served with hash browns and beans. No, it was not particularly hot (spice-wise) but it was not bland by any means – bear in mind that I put chile in or Tabasco on most of my food. With a couple of warm tortillas and bottomless cups of real coffee (no fancy lattes here), it was enough for two.
You can also get eggs any way you want them, a variety of breakfast meats and assorted breads. If you have lunch at the Plaza Restaurant, try one of the local beers.
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