A fun go-to for happy hour or an intimate dinner, this bright and bustling modern take on a Mexican cantina offers an impressive mezcal-focused cocktail program, plenty of shareable small plates, and seasonal entrées such as squash blossom enmoladas and a perfectly roasted half chicken with grilled chard, charro beans, and a classic mole poblano sauce. Street tacos—crispy Baja-style sea bass, cauliflower with marcona almonds, or lamb barbacoa with smoky adobo sauce—are another specialty, as is the remolacha salad of hibiscus beets, citrus, seasonal fruits, and frisee. You'll also find well-prepared versions of Mexican and Tex-Mex classics, from nachos to tortilla soup to fajitas.

Go farm-to-taco Handmade tortillas are the specialty at Paloma, where chef Nathan Mayes uses heirloom landrace corn from Oaxaca that’s nixtamalized in-house. Start with Baja sea bass ceviche, squash blossom quesadillas, or smoked chicken sopecitos made with dainty blue corn masa cakes and pickled onions. The tacos—like the pork shoulder carnitas sweetened with roasted pineapple or the crispy cauliflower accented with golden raisins and almond salsa—are basically mandatory in order to fully appreciate the texture and flavor of the tortillas.

Set in Santa Fe’s artsy Railyard district, Paloma orchestrates imaginative takes on Mexican cuisine. Chef Nathan Mayes sources seasonal ingredients for the made-from-scratch menu—down to the tortillas, salsas, and beans—where family-style dishes such as beet and melon aguachile encourage sharing. Diners lean into the plant-forward smokey sopecitos with griddled masa cakes and hearty chipotle-roasted mushrooms, while others can’t miss the short rib barbacoa topped with zingy pickled nopales.

For a big night out with great food and drinks, make plans for Paloma. We love catching up with friends while splitting this Railyard restaurant’s underrated vegetarian small plates. Standouts include the roasted carrots dolloped in a peanut-pistachio salsa macha and the El Jardin quesadilla, stuffed with buttery queso Oaxaca melted over delicata squash and nasturtium blooms.

The food and cocktails are as vibrant as the decor at Paloma, an eclectic, lustrous restaurant on the fringes of downtown. Modern renditions of Mexican and New Mexican dishes are front and center and as locally sourced and seasonal as possible, along with a bar program awash in agave spirits. With chef Nathan Mayes at the helm, the kitchen diligently prepares everything from scratch, including tortillas and masa-based bites made from heirloom blue corn sourced from local farmers.

The Paloma Restaurant is an upscale Mexican restaurant with some of the best tortillas made in-house from local landrace blue corn. These tortillas enhance the flavors of the restaurant’s tacos, especially those topped with carne asada, sea bass, or cauliflower. Known for serving the best tacos in town, the lively dishes at the Paloma Restaurant include authentic and fresh interpretations of Mexican cuisine.

The list of recommendations is endless, but several places you’re guaranteed an excellent meal include: The Pantry, Tecolote, or Palacio Cafe for breakfast; Tune-Up, Cowgirl (get their green chile cheeseburger), Caffe Greco, or Shohko for lunch; and La Choza, The Shed, El Farol, Paloma, or Cafe Pasqual’s for dinner. For an uber-special night out, try Sazon, the Compound, or Geronimo.

This restaurant, also a short walk off the main square, is far from your run of the mill Mexican restaurant. For example, if you order Tlayuda de Hongos as your entree you will find 3 varieties of local mushrooms on your dish along with an heirloom blue corn tostada, shredded cabbage, goat cheese, hibiscus pickled onions, and more. Their food and drink menu was fresh and innovative.

Paloma: If I were to design my own house, it would look like the interior of this little gem. Beautiful cocktails from the bar and a restrained, but creative, full-flavored and vibrant Mexican-inspired menu. On sunny days there is a charming back patio, usually with live music, that will have you feeling as though you teleported into the heart of Oaxaca Centro.

This vibrant, Mexican-inspired restaurant is a hotspot in the city, highlighting sustainably sourced ingredients, agave-focused cocktails, and artwork created by the local community. Paloma offers both fresh and classic interpretations of Latin American dishes, inspired by Oaxacan cuisine. Its back patio is a great place to dine al fresco on a sunny day.

We recently visited Santa Fe for our second time this year and we’re sure to get into Paloma as we didn’t make it our first time. We’ve heard so many great things and it’s ranked on many lists. The reservations were booked so we arrived 10 minutes prior to opening and were able to get in.

The Marg at Paloma is made with Cimarron Blanco Tequila and Turbinado Simple Syrup. It comes in at #7 on the rankings, not because it was bad by any means, but just because I thought it was pretty average. The classic margarita looked the part color-wise and had a perfectly salted rim.

Shying away from typical New Mexican cuisine, Paloma, a new spot near the Railyard District, serves up modern and traditional Mexican fare. Head over for the lively atmosphere and the cocktails and stick around for the food. The roasted marrow bones ($14) are a can’t-miss small plate.

Paloma’s fine dining menu of lively dishes includes authentic and fresh interpretations of Mexican cuisine. All ingredients are carefully and sustainably sourced. The menu is a creative bridge between the agricultural traditions of New Mexico and the vibrancy of Mexican cuisine.

Paloma – Just because you’re in New Mexico doesn’t mean you need to pass on Mexican food!. This hip (I see you, exposed brick) spot for modern Mexican also features a mezcal-focused bar.

Paloma: Modern and elegant, Paloma’s duck carnitas and mezcal cocktails were a highlight of my month. It’s one of my favorite places to eat in Santa Fe.