Sazon

Potentially the best fine dining option in Santa Fe. A delicious variety of mole-driven dishes that proudly put their cultural influences front and center while also retaining a familiar feel for those who might be new to this type of cuisine. Given the quality of the food, the atmosphere is refreshingly unpretentious and somehow both cozy and vibrant, featuring a variety of stunning artwork, warm colors, wooden beams, and quirky accents. Service is a standout - the staff is passionate and knowledgeable, but also approachable and attentive. The owner/head chef makes a concerted effort to check in on you and make sure your experience is a memorable one. Only small qualm: the sopa de amor was a bit overhyped. Skip it for the mole sampler platter, Brussels, and the truly spectacular zucchini blossoms (they were a special, but they were so good I think they should be made a regular menu item if feasible).

We love our experience at Sazon. We highly recommend make a reservation, the food goes far beyond and the customer service makes the experience unique our server Megan was so helpful and gave us the best recommendation. We were surrender by art and loved each painting around us (Frida Calo ) The chef is going to be around just to make sure you get the best experience he is so friendly and kind. They have a special menu for vegetarians just asking for this... I have to say it was one of the best tofu that I tried before

Disappointing Vegetarian Options & Service at Sazon - 2 Star Review I am writing this review for Sazon in Santa Fe with a rather heavy heart as my dining experience considerably missed the mark. As a vegetarian, I am perpetually on the hunt for diverse and worthy dining experiences. However, Sazon didn't translate into the enjoyable vegetarian retreat I hoped it would be. The vegetarian options on the menu were, at their best, below average in taste and range. Apart from the limited items on the menu, especially for those seeking plant-based dishes, the quality of the food was highly disappointing. It was almost as if my taste buds had embarked on an adventure where they expected exquisiteness but fell off the cliff into the abyss of mediocrity. Sazon needs to reconsider the intricate balance of flavors in their vegetarian dishes. The culinary experience was further marred by service that was anything but satisfying. The evening turned particularly sour when the server and I got into a prolonged, unnecessary debate over the origin of the wine I ordered. It took an astonishing 55 minutes of back and forth before the server reluctantly admitted that I was indeed correct about the wine's location. Time that could have enriched my dining experience was instead wasted on a trivial matter. The combination of subpar vegetarian food and less than ideal service at Sazon has left a bitter taste in my mouth and made my visit there an experience I would not hope to relive. The restaurant may shine somewhere, somehow - but their vegetarian cuisine and customer service require significant improvements to reach an acceptable standard. As such, I regret to say that I can't offer more than a 2-star rating for a generally disappointing experience. I hope that Sazon heeds this feedback and takes the necessary steps to improve its offerings and service.

We dined at Sazon during the Santa Fe, NM Wine and Chili Fiesta. We had to make reservations 3 months early, as Chef Fernando Olea was the James Beard 2022 Winner, Best Chef of the Southwest ... boy was that award well deserved. Dining at Sazon was one of the most incredible dining experiences we have had in years. Definitely going back on our next trip to Santa Fe! Best advice is to put yourself in the hands of the wait staff and let them guide you through the meal. Our dinner began with a prickly pear margarita and the Clooney Coin, which is basically a straight up margarita with Casamigos Blanco tequila. Both of the cocktails were phenomenal. As an appetizer we had the sample platter of the chef's seven different moles, all excellent, with super depths of flavor. It was hard to pick a favorite... We had the Sopa de Amor next, the chef's signature soup. OMG! They tell you to not stir it, just put your spoon in and and lift it out. The soup had layers of flavor, some hot, some a little cooler, a sublime fantasy of flavor. For entrees, we chose the duck breast with one of the red moles (I don't recall the names, one green, one red). The duck was expertly prepared, and the moles off the chart greatness. We also had the Cholula, a tower of poblano pepper, ground lamb, pork and beef, nuts, dried fruits and spices in a cold creamy walnut sauce, littered with pomegranate seeds. Crazy delicious! I've included photos of the menus with this review, read them and dream! LOL BTW, service is perfect, attentive but not intrusive. If it were possible to give Sazon more than 5 stars, I would give it 10! September 2023: Wow, what a difference a year makes! The bloom is off the rose... Food and service misfires this time... We're back in town for the annual Wine & Chili Fiesta and reserved our spot at Sazon 4 months in advance. We had a great experience last year; this year was a letdown. We stopped in on a Friday evening, 5:30pm reservation, the place was busy but not crowded. We were seated right away, which was nice... We started with cocktails (a recurrent theme), prickly pear margarita and the Oro Puro, a nice upscale margarita, which was great. We enjoyed the sampler mole platter! The first food we ordered was the foie gras crostini which was absolutely divine! Round two was the Sopa D'amore, a delightful bowl of soup, so good last year that we each ordered our own to keep the peace at the table! LOL From there we ventured into the fish special of the day, Norwegian halibut, and a steadfast selection on the menu, the shrimp enchilada. Both were outstanding, perfectly prepared and presented. Our last course was the Dulce Simfonia, a light ice cream/sorbet dish, with way a way too spicy hot, jalapeno finish on the end. Not refreshing at all, I didn't care for it. Perhaps the folly of the night was the wine service. We thought, this cuisine, let's go Old World Spain. Ordered a $100+ bottle of Spanish white. When the length of time between appetizer and soup reached 30 minutes, we should have known something was up! Our bad... Suffice it to say, a warm bottle was brought to the table, with the promise of an ice bath. The first 1/4 of the bottle was room temp, the second 1/4 of the bottle was 70 degrees, the last 1/2 bottle was temperature great. IMHO, if you don't have the wine, or cannot present it properly, come and tell us, we'll figure it out. We would have preferred another bottle, rather than what was served. Given the bottle of wine was 1/3 of the total bill for the evening, that was a HUGE miss. With all the superior dining options in SF, NM, we don't need to return to Sazon.

Hello. Former New Yorker and world traveler (based on food). Chef Fernando and his entire staff were outstanding. And that's even before I tell you about the food. My partner and I thought that it was some of the most ingenious delicious food we have ever eaten in our lives. We eat not infrequently at Michelin/James Beard restaurants so I'm so happy to give others who love good food this recommendation. It was our first time, but definitely not our last. The staff, Chef Fernando, our server, the ambiance, it was just outstanding from beginning to end.