Legal Tender Saloon & Eating House

We visit Santa Fe often, and we've eaten at great restaurants here. This restaurant, however, is two to three times better with regards to food, staff, and ambiance. If you miss dining here while in Santa Fe, you will be missing a very special treat.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We were visiting friends in Santa Fe and they took us to Legal Tender for dinner. We loved the ambience with the railroad memorabilia and antiques. The bar is handsome.

We had the green chili Stew, green chili cheeseburger, Cesar salad and arugula salad. Everything was well prepared. Oh! We shared the onion rings which were crispy and warm. Service was attentive and friendly.

We look forward to visiting our friends again and will definitely return for dinner.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The atmosphere is Excellent. It's like stepping back in time and reminded me of a fancy Tombstone establishment. Excellent service from my first call, and throughout the evening. I asked for a specific table, I got the perfect table.* Reservations are very advised here, especially if a musician is playing on a Saturday evening. The food did not live up to my expectations but I did leave full and happy. The salads were quite good. I wish the bacon on the wedge salad was warm. Their goddess dressing is delicious. The goat cheese and beet salad was great, I loved the vinegrette. Main course was where things dipped a bit as the plates were a tad sparse. Our trout and NY strip were of a good a quality and taste. The steak was a bit undercooked. The mashed potatoes were watery but I loved the green chile on it. Asparagus was cooked perfectly. Desserts were very good. I would go back for the rhubarb crumble every day if I could. The key lime pie was tart and rich. Do not miss this restaurant and overall experience. I can't wait to return. You can tell a lot of effort and love went into creating such a unique and special place. Parking is easy. If you like you can go earlier and check out the old train station across the street.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

This place is a must! The chile cheeseburger and chile stew were amazing, as were the onion rings, and chips with pimento cheese and Guac. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the drinks, food and staff. A truly unforgettable and special spot.

Always a blast at the Tender

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Our first visit to this iconic place. We made our reservations for a Friday night first thing after they opened, so I can't comment on how busy it gets at peak times. I do recommend reservations, however. The food and service were excellent and we felt the food prices were reasonable (the drinks were a little pricey).

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Key Lime Pie, House Smoked Pork Quesadilla, Pink Trout and Chicken Liver Pate Along with a Glass of Port

Glorious western bar, attentive staff, some high-end platters

We had a very odd experience there. First, the staff wasn’t friendly. There was a strange energy towards us. We wanted steak, but they don’t serve it until 4:00, which is fine. We waited until four to order our steak. It was 3:45 when we were ready to order, but the staff member made us wait the full 15 minutes. Other restaurants would have just allowed us to order, and we wouldn’t have minded waiting longer for the meal. When we did order, he didn’t bring us new menus, so we had no idea if the steak came with sides or how much the meal would cost. He just said the steak was an add-on meal with no additional information. A waiter would normally provide that information. We had to pull information out of him for some reason? He acted like we were inconveniencing him the whole meal. After all that hassle, the meal wasn’t even good. It was not a good experience.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 1

Can't wait to go back. Great memories and history!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fabulous place, great stop down memory lane! And great food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fantastic vibe and people 💯🤟

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

What an awesome spot! Definitely worth stopping to grub it up.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Feels like the Wild West. Everyone and everything was great. Will come again.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place was welcoming, unforgettable & a place that all should patron.

We were staying at The Hamilton by the restaurant & walked in on a Sunday evening with no reservations & 3 young kids. Admittedly, we didn’t know what type of restaurant it was but we gave it a shot as it was close. (Would totally recommend reservations as the place filled up quickly within 15min of us arriving)

The entry bar counter was full & there was an 8-person table with a few duos seated throughout the restaurant.
We were sat quickly, given water & menus.

Our server was attentive & informed us that there are a few kid dishes off menu that ours may like & upon hearing that there were burgers, all 3 of ours immediately said yes!
Our table ordered quite a bit:
2 House margaritas, 2 old fashioned, a green chili burger, green chili stew, 3 kid burgers, a cobbler, sundae & slice of key lime pie.

All of it was fantastic! What sealed the deal for our experience was chatting with chef & restauranteur Murphy O’Brien and having the warmest conversation that included his personal recommendations for local places to eat at throughout New Mexico. He was also so enthusiastic about sharing the restaurants history & all of the work that has gone into making it what it is today. We were grateful to have chatted with him & learn the history of The Legal Tender.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent drinks. Delightful atmosphere and building. Wonderful waitstaff. Lousy food. I had the quesadillas. There’s barely a forkful of meat in them. Food was airport quality with airport prices. The waitstaff, drinks and atmosphere are fabulous. I suggest popping in for a drink- maybe a snack, but don’t come expecting a great meal.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 5