My review from 2022, which by now may be out of date:
La Casa Sena is an upscale outdoor restaurant near the main plaza in central Santa Fe. Eating lunch here will set you back a bit, but way worth it. I normally despise fusion concepts, but this place honestly gets it right.
The ambiance of the beautiful courtyard sets a great mood. Not a single bad table in the place. Service is good too.
The cocktail list is outstanding, and I plan to explore it further next time we visit.
But the real star is the food. Small menu, but clearly that allows them to focus on perfecting their offerings.
Highly recommended. If someone tells you to eat at the Shed, come here instead.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Wit Da Shyt
I thought La Casa Sena was a Steakhouse. It should be called Lacasa tuna. I’m not sure who the new general manager or Chef are with the menu has completely changed and it is a new age hippy vibe. Everything is seafood I thought La Casa Sena was a steakhouse however, I felt like I was at a tuna food truck. I think they seriously need to reconsider the chef and the menu selection… beautiful place beautiful full of tradition however, the food does not match the caliber of other restaurants in downtown Santa Fe.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Heather Aston
Extremely rude hostess. I cancelled my reservation and left. This restaurant came highly recommended. What a disappointment.
A L
This place can be hard to pin down in that there is the indoor nice restaurant area, the great outdoor space and the jazz club bar area with music some nights of the week. Service as been chaotic the last few times over the last year and a half (except for one long term waitress here that is great) and it feels like no one really knows what they are doing. Then when the chaos clears, the drink and food are usually quite good. It just always seems like we get a person’s first day or last day there. And we miss the bar/happy hour menu they used to have. Great loss in that regard.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
B Emerson
They must have a new chef. I dined last light at Casa Sena with 4 other people and all of our dinners were awful. The paperadelle was so greasy, swimming in butter or whatever. The few peas and tiny asparagus ends, tomatoes and a couple of green pepper pieces were totally overcooked and soggy. There was a little Parmesan cheese on top and when I asked for a more the server said there already is some! So they ended up bringing only two teaspoons more! In the end the three of us that ordered the pasta barely ate it. The steak tacos were bad too. The soft taco shells were so soaked at the bottom that they had totally split apart and you couldn’t eat them, they were a mess. The filling wasn’t great anyway. Sent the salmon back it was fishy and salty.
Too bad with such a lovely atmosphere I’ll never go back. I brought out of town friends and remembered having wonderful meals there. We were so
There is so much great good in Santa Fe. But, you won’t find it here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
johnnytorrance
We decided to try this restaurant, attracted by the promise of Mediterranean dishes. Upon arrival, we were surprised to find that it was an outdoor-only venue, which did lend a unique Mediterranean feel. However, our experience quickly went downhill.
The menu had a few Mediterranean-inspired items, but it felt more like a loose interpretation rather than authentic cuisine. We were seated in a pleasant enough area, but when we asked for the drink menu, we discovered they no longer had a liquor license—definitely a disappointment.
My wife ordered the duck and didn’t enjoy it. The real issue, however, was the ribeye I ordered. Instead of the expected ribeye, I was served two 8oz medallions that looked and tasted like sirloin. Being from Texas, I know my steaks, and even an overcooked filet is more tender than what I received. The so-called “ribeye” lacked any fat or marbling, which is characteristic of the cut.
When I questioned the waitress, she informed me that the chef insisted it was a ribeye, which only added to my frustration. To their credit, they offered a discount, but the overall experience left a lot to be desired. It felt like they were trying to pull a fast one on us. Given the misleading menu and poor quality of food, I can’t recommend this place and give it only one star for the effort.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Calamari
Melissa Galt
I travel a lot and rarely feel discriminated against as a single female but this experience was uncomfortable and I won't return. Upon arrival, the host invited me to sit indoors, no one was indoors and it was a beautiful night so I asked to sit outside. I was taken to a table apart from all others, not dressed in a tablecloth as all others were, and yet there were tables available. Service was spotty at best, food was mediocre. They appear to have lost their liquor license as only serving two types of water despite owning a wine shop and advertising as a source of wine.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Juliette
I’ve visited here several times since I was young - used to sit it on the live performance or on the flowery garden porch. Such a lovely restaurant with great service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Raffi
I've had lunch at LA Casa Sena on several occasions & has always been very pleasant. Food & cocktails were great, atmosphere on the patio is nice. This time though, there was no alcohol due to loss of their license, this was communicated to us just before the reservation time. But the sad part was the patio was overwhelmed by flies. We were swatting away flies the whole time. It was awful. Did not enjoy our food, did not want to stay and have any desserts or coffee because of the flies. I hope they remedy the alcohol issue, and also spray the patio to eliminate the flies, or provide table fans or something.
Very disappointed that this Gerald Peters restaurant is another victim of his holding company deciding not to renew its liquor/beer/wine licenses for their restaurants. What makes it worse is the dishonest manner in which they are taking reservations through Open Table and then hours before your reservation sending an e-mail that they don't have alcohol to serve as if its some sort of thing that just happened. We've learned that its been over a month since the license expired. The notice is too late to make a new reservation somewhere. There was a whopping 4 tables on a Thursday evening and a super slow kitchen which I can only assume was understaffed. Giant disappointment all around.
Outstanding
Very disappointed there was no alcoholic beverages available at all... which means many servers and others were not on duty .. the one server and hostess same gal.. was also food runner.. needless to say everything was slow .. but very quiet!
cathyo
our waitress was wonderful. And Paul Bitts, waiter supreme... Is exceptional and La Casa Sena is very fortunate to have him. Thanks to all! You made our girls reunion last night dinner very very special.
JohnC
Food was wonderful as usual, although the temporary lack of a liquor license was disappointing. Server was extremely good and attentive. Unfortunately, a loud-mouthed woman across the room shared information regarding her work to everybody present, including violating FERPA laws.
love2eat
The restaurant was closed for lunch despite Open Table confirming and reminding me of the reservation I was notified two hours before the reservation that the restaurant was closed. TOO LATE FOR ME TO SEE
Used to be good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
My review from 2022, which by now may be out of date:
La Casa Sena is an upscale outdoor restaurant near the main plaza in central Santa Fe. Eating lunch here will set you back a bit, but way worth it. I normally despise fusion concepts, but this place honestly gets it right.
The ambiance of the beautiful courtyard sets a great mood. Not a single bad table in the place. Service is good too.
The cocktail list is outstanding, and I plan to explore it further next time we visit.
But the real star is the food. Small menu, but clearly that allows them to focus on perfecting their offerings.
Highly recommended. If someone tells you to eat at the Shed, come here instead.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I thought La Casa Sena was a Steakhouse. It should be called Lacasa tuna. I’m not sure who the new general manager or Chef are with the menu has completely changed and it is a new age hippy vibe. Everything is seafood I thought La Casa Sena was a steakhouse however, I felt like I was at a tuna food truck. I think they seriously need to reconsider the chef and the menu selection… beautiful place beautiful full of tradition however, the food does not match the caliber of other restaurants in downtown Santa Fe.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Extremely rude hostess. I cancelled my reservation and left. This restaurant came highly recommended. What a disappointment.
This place can be hard to pin down in that there is the indoor nice restaurant area, the great outdoor space and the jazz club bar area with music some nights of the week. Service as been chaotic the last few times over the last year and a half (except for one long term waitress here that is great) and it feels like no one really knows what they are doing. Then when the chaos clears, the drink and food are usually quite good. It just always seems like we get a person’s first day or last day there. And we miss the bar/happy hour menu they used to have. Great loss in that regard.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
They must have a new chef.
I dined last light at Casa Sena with 4 other people and all of our dinners were awful. The paperadelle was so greasy, swimming in butter or whatever. The few peas and tiny asparagus ends, tomatoes and a couple of green pepper pieces were totally overcooked and soggy. There was a little Parmesan cheese on top and when I asked for a more the server said there already is some! So they ended up bringing only two teaspoons more! In the end the three of us that ordered the pasta barely ate it. The steak tacos were bad too. The soft taco shells were so soaked at the bottom that they had totally split apart and you couldn’t eat them, they were a mess. The filling wasn’t great anyway. Sent the salmon back it was fishy and salty.
Too bad with such a lovely atmosphere I’ll never go back. I brought out of town friends and remembered having wonderful meals there. We were so
There is so much great good in Santa Fe. But, you won’t find it here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
We decided to try this restaurant, attracted by the promise of Mediterranean dishes. Upon arrival, we were surprised to find that it was an outdoor-only venue, which did lend a unique Mediterranean feel. However, our experience quickly went downhill.
The menu had a few Mediterranean-inspired items, but it felt more like a loose interpretation rather than authentic cuisine. We were seated in a pleasant enough area, but when we asked for the drink menu, we discovered they no longer had a liquor license—definitely a disappointment.
My wife ordered the duck and didn’t enjoy it. The real issue, however, was the ribeye I ordered. Instead of the expected ribeye, I was served two 8oz medallions that looked and tasted like sirloin. Being from Texas, I know my steaks, and even an overcooked filet is more tender than what I received. The so-called “ribeye” lacked any fat or marbling, which is characteristic of the cut.
When I questioned the waitress, she informed me that the chef insisted it was a ribeye, which only added to my frustration. To their credit, they offered a discount, but the overall experience left a lot to be desired. It felt like they were trying to pull a fast one on us. Given the misleading menu and poor quality of food, I can’t recommend this place and give it only one star for the effort.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Calamari
I travel a lot and rarely feel discriminated against as a single female but this experience was uncomfortable and I won't return. Upon arrival, the host invited me to sit indoors, no one was indoors and it was a beautiful night so I asked to sit outside. I was taken to a table apart from all others, not dressed in a tablecloth as all others were, and yet there were tables available. Service was spotty at best, food was mediocre. They appear to have lost their liquor license as only serving two types of water despite owning a wine shop and advertising as a source of wine.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
I’ve visited here several times since I was young - used to sit it on the live performance or on the flowery garden porch. Such a lovely restaurant with great service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I've had lunch at LA Casa Sena on several occasions & has always been very pleasant. Food & cocktails were great, atmosphere on the patio is nice. This time though, there was no alcohol due to loss of their license, this was communicated to us just before the reservation time. But the sad part was the patio was overwhelmed by flies. We were swatting away flies the whole time. It was awful. Did not enjoy our food, did not want to stay and have any desserts or coffee because of the flies. I hope they remedy the alcohol issue, and also spray the patio to eliminate the flies, or provide table fans or something.
Restaurantji Recommends
Very disappointed that this Gerald Peters restaurant is another victim of his holding company deciding not to renew its liquor/beer/wine licenses for their restaurants. What makes it worse is the dishonest manner in which they are taking reservations through Open Table and then hours before your reservation sending an e-mail that they don't have alcohol to serve as if its some sort of thing that just happened. We've learned that its been over a month since the license expired. The notice is too late to make a new reservation somewhere. There was a whopping 4 tables on a Thursday evening and a super slow kitchen which I can only assume was understaffed. Giant disappointment all around.
Very disappointed there was no alcoholic beverages available at all... which means many servers and others were not on duty .. the one server and hostess same gal.. was also food runner.. needless to say everything was slow .. but very quiet!
our waitress was wonderful. And Paul Bitts, waiter supreme... Is exceptional and La Casa Sena is very fortunate to have him. Thanks to all! You made our girls reunion last night dinner very very special.
Food was wonderful as usual, although the temporary lack of a liquor license was disappointing. Server was extremely good and attentive. Unfortunately, a loud-mouthed woman across the room shared information regarding her work to everybody present, including violating FERPA laws.
The restaurant was closed for lunch despite Open Table confirming and reminding me of the reservation I was notified two hours before the reservation that the restaurant was closed. TOO LATE FOR ME TO SEE
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