Budget Eating in Santa Fe: Cheap Plaza Eats

Eat well in Santa Fe for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.

Cheap eats worth seeking out

Tia Sophia's ★ 4.5

Brunch$downtownMon-Sat 07:00-14:00; closed Sun

Tia Sophia's lays claim to coining the term "breakfast burrito" on a menu; the Plaza counter has fed Santa Fe under-budget breakfasts since 1975.

Try: Breakfast burrito with red or green chile

210 West San Francisco Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Horseman's Haven Cafe ★ 4.5

Cafe$cerrillosMon-Sat 06:30-19:00, Sun 06:30-15:00

Horseman's Haven has poured cheap chile-laden plates from a Cerrillos Road gas-station building since 1981; full meal under $15, plus the Bourdain-blessed.

Try: Carne adovada burrito with Level 2 green chile

4354 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87507

Tomasita's ★ 4.4

New Mexican$railyardMon-Sat 11:00-21:00; closed Sun

Tomasita's has done sub-$20 stuffed sopaipillas and chile combo plates since 1974; the line is part of the deal, the kitchen never rushes you.

Try: Chile combo plate

500 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501

El Chile Toreado ★ 4.7

Brunch$cerrillosMon-Sat 07:00-15:00; closed Sun

El Chile Toreado runs an under-$12 breakfast burrito out of an Early Street trailer; the green chile delivers heat and the kitchen turns lines fast.

Try: Breakfast burrito or carne asada taco

807 Early Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Bumble Bee's Baja Grill ★ 4.2

New Mexican$downtownDaily 11:00-21:00

Bumble Bee's plates counter-service Baja-style tacos and burritos near the Plaza on Jefferson Street; under $15 fills you, salsa bar is included.

Try: Mahi mahi fish taco

301 Jefferson Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Santa Fe Bite ★ 4.4

New Mexican$southsideTue-Sat 09:00-20:00, Sun 09:00-15:00; closed Mon

Santa Fe Bite, employee-owned heir to the iconic Bobcat Bite chile-burger lineage; the 10-oz patty under $18 pulls St. Michael's Drive crowds Tue through Sun.

Try: Green chile cheeseburger

1616 St. Michael's Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Palacio Cafe ★ 4.3

Brunch$downtownMon, Wed-Sun 07:30-20:00; closed Tue

Palacio Cafe sits a half block from the Plaza and runs breakfast burritos and Boar's Head deli sandwiches under $15 from 07:30 daily, closed Tuesday.

Try: Boar's Head Reuben or breakfast burrito

209 East Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Tune-Up Cafe ★ 4.5

Brunch$agua friaDaily 07:00-21:00

Tune-Up plates pupusas, breakfast burritos and tres-leches cake under $15 in a Hickox Street adobe near the Capitol; the line is regulars, not tourists.

Try: Pupusas plate

1115 Hickox Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501