If you can't find it, it's on the second floor. Try the chicken nachos! Yum. The restaurant is fairly small but clean. The waitstaff and bartender are really friendly. The patio has a great view of the plaza and basilica, but it is full early even on an only semi-busy night. Prepare to wait if you want the patio, but worth it!
SSBCWB
We were so pleased with our dinner. Salmon very good as were the nachos. We were seated out on the balcony and it was a beautiful evening. Very good service. One of the managers brought a complimentary dessert in celebration of my mother’s birthday. It was a great evening.
karensC4426FQ
We have eaten here several times and can always count on a good meal. The view of the plaza from their patio is the best. It is a great place to go for drinks, too.
Willowigu
Like many restaurants, they are short handed, so you may face a wait. But the food is excellent. I have quite a few food allergies, so I asked that they prepare some of their entrées leaving an ingredient out, and they did a fantastic job. They provided a very flavorful meal! The staff is also excellent and worked very hard. A great place to have dinner! I went there three times in two weeks!
Jim B
We have been walking past this place for several weeks and finally had a chance to try it. We sat on their upstairs patio and enjoyed the view up the street to the Cathedral. We had the shrimp fajitas, which were good...not the best I've ever had...but good. Our server, Carolina, was very friendly and attentive.
778lynb
This is always a good place to eat while in Santa Fe. The staff were very accommodating in finding seating for our group which numbered 10. Food is excellent as well as the margaritas!
DrSynteq
The nacho, salsa, and guacamole appetizer is as good as always. However the Bloody Mary’s are in free fall. They used to come with a piece of bacon threaded on a stick, a tall stick of celery, a pearl onion, tons of olives. Now it’s a little celery, bacon stick on it, and no presentation. What’s worse I they are almost non-drinkable for about half the people and undrinkable by the other half. My wife and one of our friends can handle spice of eight on a one to ten scale. It took them thirty minutes to drink it. The others took one sip and could not take anymore. I’m a eleven on a scale of ten and agree these are abominations. The nachos are a lot of chips, whole beans, some jalapeños, and not much cheese. I first came here about ten years ago and always bragged on it. Now it’s a warning to stay away.
CraigandAngieDalton
Horrible! We waited 25 minutes on a table which was no problem, but then we waited 30 minutes for water and another 15 for our drinks and then we had to ask for our order to be taken and 45 minutes after that we still did not have our food! We were at this restaurant forever and No food. We asked for service several times and got none. If they don’t have enough help then they should seat less people at a time or at least tell you that they have minimum staff and the wait will be long. Don’t just ignore guests. We were ignored! The people beside us had the same experience. We finally left and put $20 on the table for our drinks and told the hostess we couldn’t wait any longer and the money for drinks was on the table. The hostess did apologize.
DarylJ552
We had a dinner reservation at a restaurant near the square but when we arrived the place was closed probably due to the pandemic. We found The Thunderbird and luckily got a table on the balcony overlooking the square right away. The food was actually pretty good and so was the service.
Wolfshadow611
Looking for a quick stop for lunch with outdoor seating, we found Thunderbird upstairs porch. We were seated relatively quick and order drinks, appetizer and soup. I didn't get my margarita until my soup came. The Frito appetizer was good, the soups just so-so. We were able to eat relatively quick and dine outside, so it was a win for us.
I wish I could give less than 1 star. My wife and I went to this place to have a drink after spending time at the plaza. We wanted to sit on the balcony because it was a nice evening. We got there and the host said we could sit at the granite table for drinks as it's open service. We went and sat there and waited 20 minutes and nobody served on us. A table opened up that was right on the balcony edge and we thought we would go and sit at the table and see if somebody would serve us there. A waiter promptly chased us off and said it was reservations only. I told him that we had been waiting 20 minutes to be served and he said we had to get our own drinks where we were sitting. I told him we didn't know that (my wife and I later both agreed we didn't hear the host tell us this). We went back to the bar to order our drinks and I saw that waiter go and talk to the host that originally directed us to the balcony bar tables. I assumed he was telling him about our situation. Seeing this I decided to go and let the host know we had been waiting for service and that he should have told us we had to serve ourselves where we were sitting. Apparently this set him off and he said "I did tell you that and I can call security to have you removed". I was taken aback by this response and said something to the affect that if he was going to be an j*** about it, the last thing we wanted to do was to have a drink in this establishment and we both left. My wife and I are senior citizens and to be treated this way at a business during times like these is a reflection of where society is today. I'm surprised this business allows this kind of behavior from their employees that serve as their face to the public. In our opinion, this host should be fired, but regardless, we will never visit this business again based on this experience. Maybe our experience was unique but I would never recommend this place to anyone based on the people they apparently hire who they consider to be customer service representatives.
Nani N
We have eaten at the Thunderbird numerous times. Never been disappointed! Best Southwestern food, especially their seafood w/ southwest touch. We had their Margarita shrimp, Chimayo fish tacos, their blacken tilapia, Atlantic salmon, shrimp tacos & spicy scallop linguini. Cannot say enough about how attentive the Staff were. Special "thank you" to Hayden, Selma and Omar who made our dinner uniquely special and of course, the Cooks and Bartenders. Rick, who manages Thunderbird, worked along with his Staff to insure his customers are cared for. It says a lot when Management is respected by his workers. We live in Texas but love to come to Santa Fe for its lively culture.
trekkerplanner
Located upstairs on the plaza. Balcony is perfect for people watching. They have lovely margaritas and the food is tasty. Not the best you will find in SF but love always enjoyed it. Frito Pie was my choice this trip and it was delicious. Their Texas chili is quite good. Caesar Salad with chicken is also good with the dressing having a Santa Fe kick
lethav2019
This was a nice place to go and have a drink and a quick bite. The food was decent for the price and the drinks were served in a timely manner. No complaints from our group
839patricia
was seated and 2 other parties were seated after me. The other parties were given water and their order taken. I asked about my server twice. Finally she came after 20 minutes waiting. I was still fine until another waiter came over and said "you are very impatient". I told him that 2 other groups have already been served. He continued that I should just wait. When I asked for the manager no one would get him Look out for him -- Hispanic with a beard.
If you can't find it, it's on the second floor. Try the chicken nachos! Yum. The restaurant is fairly small but clean. The waitstaff and bartender are really friendly. The patio has a great view of the plaza and basilica, but it is full early even on an only semi-busy night. Prepare to wait if you want the patio, but worth it!
We were so pleased with our dinner. Salmon very good as were the nachos. We were seated out on the balcony and it was a beautiful evening. Very good service. One of the managers brought a complimentary dessert in celebration of my mother’s birthday. It was a great evening.
We have eaten here several times and can always count on a good meal. The view of the plaza from their patio is the best. It is a great place to go for drinks, too.
Like many restaurants, they are short handed, so you may face a wait. But the food is excellent. I have quite a few food allergies, so I asked that they prepare some of their entrées leaving an ingredient out, and they did a fantastic job. They provided a very flavorful meal! The staff is also excellent and worked very hard. A great place to have dinner! I went there three times in two weeks!
We have been walking past this place for several weeks and finally had a chance to try it. We sat on their upstairs patio and enjoyed the view up the street to the Cathedral. We had the shrimp fajitas, which were good...not the best I've ever had...but good. Our server, Carolina, was very friendly and attentive.
This is always a good place to eat while in Santa Fe. The staff were very accommodating in finding seating for our group which numbered 10. Food is excellent as well as the margaritas!
The nacho, salsa, and guacamole appetizer is as good as always. However the Bloody Mary’s are in free fall. They used to come with a piece of bacon threaded on a stick, a tall stick of celery, a pearl onion, tons of olives. Now it’s a little celery, bacon stick on it, and no presentation. What’s worse I they are almost non-drinkable for about half the people and undrinkable by the other half. My wife and one of our friends can handle spice of eight on a one to ten scale. It took them thirty minutes to drink it. The others took one sip and could not take anymore. I’m a eleven on a scale of ten and agree these are abominations. The nachos are a lot of chips, whole beans, some jalapeños, and not much cheese. I first came here about ten years ago and always bragged on it. Now it’s a warning to stay away.
Horrible! We waited 25 minutes on a table which was no problem, but then we waited 30 minutes for water and another 15 for our drinks and then we had to ask for our order to be taken and 45 minutes after that we still did not have our food! We were at this restaurant forever and No food. We asked for service several times and got none. If they don’t have enough help then they should seat less people at a time or at least tell you that they have minimum staff and the wait will be long. Don’t just ignore guests. We were ignored! The people beside us had the same experience. We finally left and put $20 on the table for our drinks and told the hostess we couldn’t wait any longer and the money for drinks was on the table. The hostess did apologize.
We had a dinner reservation at a restaurant near the square but when we arrived the place was closed probably due to the pandemic. We found The Thunderbird and luckily got a table on the balcony overlooking the square right away. The food was actually pretty good and so was the service.
Looking for a quick stop for lunch with outdoor seating, we found Thunderbird upstairs porch. We were seated relatively quick and order drinks, appetizer and soup. I didn't get my margarita until my soup came. The Frito appetizer was good, the soups just so-so. We were able to eat relatively quick and dine outside, so it was a win for us.
Restaurantji Recommends
I wish I could give less than 1 star. My wife and I went to this place to have a drink after spending time at the plaza. We wanted to sit on the balcony because it was a nice evening. We got there and the host said we could sit at the granite table for drinks as it's open service. We went and sat there and waited 20 minutes and nobody served on us. A table opened up that was right on the balcony edge and we thought we would go and sit at the table and see if somebody would serve us there. A waiter promptly chased us off and said it was reservations only. I told him that we had been waiting 20 minutes to be served and he said we had to get our own drinks where we were sitting. I told him we didn't know that (my wife and I later both agreed we didn't hear the host tell us this). We went back to the bar to order our drinks and I saw that waiter go and talk to the host that originally directed us to the balcony bar tables. I assumed he was telling him about our situation. Seeing this I decided to go and let the host know we had been waiting for service and that he should have told us we had to serve ourselves where we were sitting. Apparently this set him off and he said "I did tell you that and I can call security to have you removed". I was taken aback by this response and said something to the affect that if he was going to be an j*** about it, the last thing we wanted to do was to have a drink in this establishment and we both left. My wife and I are senior citizens and to be treated this way at a business during times like these is a reflection of where society is today. I'm surprised this business allows this kind of behavior from their employees that serve as their face to the public. In our opinion, this host should be fired, but regardless, we will never visit this business again based on this experience. Maybe our experience was unique but I would never recommend this place to anyone based on the people they apparently hire who they consider to be customer service representatives.
We have eaten at the Thunderbird numerous times. Never been disappointed! Best Southwestern food, especially their seafood w/ southwest touch. We had their Margarita shrimp, Chimayo fish tacos, their blacken tilapia, Atlantic salmon, shrimp tacos & spicy scallop linguini. Cannot say enough about how attentive the Staff were. Special "thank you" to Hayden, Selma and Omar who made our dinner uniquely special and of course, the Cooks and Bartenders. Rick, who manages Thunderbird, worked along with his Staff to insure his customers are cared for. It says a lot when Management is respected by his workers. We live in Texas but love to come to Santa Fe for its lively culture.
Located upstairs on the plaza. Balcony is perfect for people watching. They have lovely margaritas and the food is tasty. Not the best you will find in SF but love always enjoyed it. Frito Pie was my choice this trip and it was delicious. Their Texas chili is quite good. Caesar Salad with chicken is also good with the dressing having a Santa Fe kick
This was a nice place to go and have a drink and a quick bite. The food was decent for the price and the drinks were served in a timely manner. No complaints from our group
was seated and 2 other parties were seated after me. The other parties were given water and their order taken. I asked about my server twice. Finally she came after 20 minutes waiting. I was still fine until another waiter came over and said "you are very impatient". I told him that 2 other groups have already been served. He continued that I should just wait. When I asked for the manager no one would get him Look out for him -- Hispanic with a beard.