Tia Sophia's ★ 4.5
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
Eat well in Santa Fe for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Cheap eats worth seeking out
Horseman's Haven Cafe ★ 4.5
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
Tomasita's ★ 4.4
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
El Chile Toreado ★ 4.7
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
Bumble Bee's Baja Grill ★ 4.2
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
Santa Fe Bite ★ 4.4
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
Palacio Cafe ★ 4.3
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
Tune-Up Cafe ★ 4.5
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
The Pantry Restaurant ★ 4.2
Open since 1948 on Cerrillos Road, The Pantry plates carne adovada combo plates and chicken-fried steak under $18 in a no-frills diner room.
Try: Diner combo with carne adovada
Bang Bite Filling Station ★ 4.6
Bang Bite's Galisteo Street truck plates the Bite Burger and a green chile cheeseburger under $18; on Food Network's 2019 Best 26 Food Trucks list.
Try: Bite Burger (winner, 2015 Green Chile Cheese Burger Smackdown)