David Allen
I had a decent experience at Cafe Grazie, but I do have a few complaints.
First, the restaurant itself is quite small and it felt cramped. There are not many tables so if you’re dining in without a reservation, you may have to wait during peak hours. On the flip side, there’s usually plenty of parking outside of the restaurant since it’s located in the little plaza off of Zafarano.
The restaurant decor definitely gave me local vibes, but the waiting area is too small. The staff was friendly and professional, but it seemed like things were a bit unorganized. It may have been that the servers they had were constantly moving back and forth, and it can be a bit distracting. I often got the feeling they could have used another pair of hands or two.
The food was alright, but I think my complaint here was more that the stuffed grilled chicken plate that I got was not what I really wanted. It was a little tough to eat, but the vegetables were good. That wasn’t an error on their part though, and I’ll probably come back and update this review whenever I try something else. Also, the food can be a bit pricey for the portion size that you get.
(I forgot to snap a photo of the food before eating this time.)
… moreKayla Ortiz
What an incredible experience we just had. We tried to come the other day but they have a small break in between dinner and lunch. It was definitely worth the wait. Nathaly went above and beyond to make our experience was exceptional. You can tell she takes pride in her work. The food was fantastic. We got the Alfredo pasta with sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, peas, and spinach linguine. Then the chicken parmigiana. Highly highly recommend.
… moreJohn Hornick Chef’s Apprentice
Category: Elevated Italian. I was hesitant to try this trattoria because it’s located in a freestanding building in the Target parking lot, but we finally tried it. We’re glad we did and regret not trying it sooner. This gem of a locals hangout has a cozy, comfy dining room with a few booths but no bar, a stacked stone accent wall, original art, and a wood/tile floor. White-paper-covered white tablecloths, black wooden tables and chairs, and a candle and flowers on each table set the upscale tone, but wait. The menu is a cross between the usual Italian suspects and creative house dishes. I really enjoyed the creative Fettucine de Carne with Filet Mignon, mushrooms, and a really delicious Marsala sauce. Sarah loved the classic Pollo Parmigiana. Both dishes were well prepared and generous (we took home enough for lunch the next day). But even though the tone and menu are upscale-ish, the prices are not. I don’t usually write about menu prices, but they were a fraction of the downtown Santa Fe prices, for food I enjoyed just as much if not more. The wine prices followed suit. We couldn’t have been happier to see that although the red wine list is small, all of the choices were under $50 (our sweet spot for restaurant wines), most were under $40, and one was under $30. This restaurant’s quality, plus the total bill, including wine, made me think for a moment that we were actually in Italy. Service was the team approach and excellent. YouTube’s Chef’s Apprentice
… moreAmanda Taylor
It was something new to try. The food was good but nothing that stood out in amazment. The service was slow but was mindful they had one server and one chef that day so patience was key. The place was decently clean, could use a paint job and parts broken that need attention. Overall, I recommend trying it out once and get your opinion on it for yourself. It is worth a try.
… moreAubrey
Fantastic quality of food and service!! Enjoyed our dinner and dessert so much, will have to come back asap. Atmosphere was the cherry on top!
… moreMark Frossard
A hidden gem in Santa Fe’s Southside. The food was incredible and reasonably priced. The service from both Natasha and Jared was phenomenal. We’ll be back often!
… moreAlicia Cheng
The service was super slow. I ordered 4 glasses of water with lemon and it just took forever. I think they gave it to the other table of 4, then she brought us plain water, when I specifically asked for lemon. No big deal, she brought us lemon after but for me the small details is all tha matters between 15% and 20% tip. I ordered the stuffed chicken and it was burned. The side zucchini and mashed potatoes were ok. The pasta dishes were done al dente but very salty. The worse was the fried calamari. It looked and tasted like someone didn’t like and they re fried it. Small, greasy and overcooked, especially the shrimps. We saw the same order in another table and it looked fresh. I won’t be coming again.
… moreFrank Ditore
Really wanted to love Cafe Grazie. Chose it based on online reviews. Despite it’s location in a big box strip mall out parcel, it is a cozy and borderline elegant atmosphere. The server was very attentive and the menu looked good.
While the food was OK, it was not at all what I hoped for. The chef seemed to be goat cheese and sun dried tomato happy. They were both abundant in our appetizer and one of our meals. The portobello ravioli would have been amazing in some burnt sage butter but instead was drowning in a cream sauce that seemed to have more goat cheese in it
Overall it was a passable meal and reasonably priced. With just a little more effort and attention to subtlety the food could be amazing.
… morePhil Sims
Small and quaint little Italian restaurant with limited seating. You can tell the owner is passionate about having a clean and Mediterranean feel to his/her place and has done a great job creating that atmosphere. The food was average on taste, not matching the expectations. Not a bad place, but in all my travels I couldn’t rate this place in my top places to eat, but definitely would not cross it off my list of places to visit. Come see for yourself!
… moreAmanda M
We had a wonderful dinner here with friends and we’re able to get reservations last minute on a Friday night. I know you may be thinking if this place was so good that wouldn’t be the case but it is that good. Our party was warmly welcomed to this intimate restaurant (maybe 25 seats), the atmosphere was as wonderful, softly lit and quiet. Our group had a variety of food, all were delicious although we probably waited over an hour for our entree’s. We didn’t mind because we were chatting and enjoying a nice bottle of wine but if time was of the essence this would be a consideration. Katia was our server, she was wonderful and just the right kind of attentive. I the prices were reasonable. I would come here again.
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