1 Coyote Café/ La Cantina
132 W. Water St.
505-983-1615
The Coyote Café has been through several life stages in its long history in Santa Fe, and even when some of those stages were a little rocky, the Coyote Cantina, its rooftop bar, has always been a blast.

Now that Coyote has a new chef, Eric DiStefano (formerly of Geronimo), the restaurant and bar are both rockin. With a commanding view of the Plaza area, the Cantina is a superb place to meet up for drinks after work, celebrate a milestone or just have a margarita for the hell of it. The drinks are creative, colorful and always delicious. And now the food is more exciting than ever. It’s interesting, but not intimidating. There’s a yuzu ceviche that tastes the same whether or not you know that yuzu is an ugly little Asian citrus fruit.

Just tell the picky eaters that the pasilla-marinated beef desebrada flautas you ordered are taquitos—they’ll love them.

2 Rio Chama, 414 Old Santa Fe Trail, 505-955-0765

3 Cowgirl BBQ, 319 S. Guadalupe St., 505-982-2565