Santa Fe Cafe

This place is awesome. A small restaurant with delicious food and it's dirt cheap!

A large burrito, small burrito and soda was about $7 and I was stuffed after the large burrito.

Se habla espanol but the also speak good English. I will definitely be stopping by more often in Rosslyn and stopping at this place.

Went here based on yelp reviews wanting to get some good cheap mexican food...and this place disappointed me.

1. The food was really bland and tasted like nothing - taco bell probably taste better.
2. The service was SUPER SLOW and INATTENTIVE. Even though there were maybe about 10 people in the restaurant.

Bad food + Bad service = 1 star!!!

3.75 stars...with conditions.

I came for dinner here recently after work, prior to a show in the District. I've always seen their specials on the A-stand they set out on the sidewalk and have been tempted by thoughts of seafood and hatch green chiles - especially after my last trip to the real Santa Fe, NM.

The weekly specials didn't have anything substantial (only one small plate, unfortunately) that had hatch green chiles (a small polenta stack or something with shrimp and green chiles), so we chose the chiles rellenos and the red chile pork tacos - pretty much the only two things that stuck out as really New Mexican on the regular menu.

The chiles rellenos were definitely fried in the New Mexican style - puffy, doughy, light batter and tons of cheese melted inside. I asked for it smothered with red and green chiles (half and half, aka Christmas). They were sandwiched on a huge platter between rice (meh) and beans (flavorful), smothered with tons of cheese. Next time I order this, I'll skip the rice and beans, even though the beans were quite flavorful mixed in with the chile sauces, because then hopefully they'll smother it with more chile to make the platter look full. The green and especially the red chile was delicious and the best part of the meal.

3 red chile pork tacos come out on a big platter of fixins, rice & beans. They are like carnitas that have been marinated in adovado sauce (earthy red chile salsa), and they were good but they were a little dry. It would be a lot better with more of the red chile adovado sauce inside the tacos as well - both to make them more moist and to make the red chile more pronounced. Or, next time I'd order this with the red chile on the side.

In summation, whatever you pick - skip the rice, perhaps the beans because it's just too much food on the plate, and get anything smothered with the red and/or green chile to make it NM-style. Or opt for a special that already has one of those sauces and/or Hatch green chiles.

Also skip the fruit-flavored (strawberry, peach) margaritas. They're just the frozen kind with the premade mixes and are full of HFCS.

This is the only place inside the beltway that serves any authentic New Mexican food. Walking in, you forget suddenly you're in Rosslyn; the inside reminds me of a locals' restaurant in some small town on the side of the interstate in the middle of nowhere...but with New Mexican kitsch on the walls. It's a pretty inexpensive and super casual joint.

Also, I'd skip this place for lunch. It's the joint's livelihood from all the business workers, but lunch is counter-ordered fast Tex-Mex fare (tacos, burritos, enchiladas) unless they have a NM-centric special...and I'm not sure if you can ask for things smothered with red/green chile. Maybe you can...but if so, beware, it can be a heart attack with all those rice and beans (and pound of melted cheese).

Dinner weekly specials menu: http://www.santafecafe-arlington.com/showall.asp

This place brings me back to Santa Fe.

We first walked into this place at breakfast and this place was really casual. Menu on chalk board, lights were dimmed, and employees milling around the few people in there. We checked out the menus and decided to come back for dinner. Wow! It really transformed for dinner with menus and it was packed with patrons. The place was alive with people and the passion that the own her to serve his great food.

I talked with the owner about this food while we chowed down on chips and guacamole and entrées. The guacamole was thick with ripe avocados and chunky with diced tomatoes. The selection was fantastic but I was draw to the things that had green chili. Oh green chili how I love thee. It made me close my eyes and imagine being back in the plaza in Santa Fe.

the food is great, service quick and friendly, portions are large, and the prices are appropriate for the quality and portion of food.

This dive-y joint has easily become my favorite lunch spot, as it's just a 3 minute walk from work. Everything I've had - nachos, enchiladas, etc - has always been hot, fresh, tasty and inexpensive. My favorite combo!

The owner/older-man who gives you your food is super adorable, and always friendly. He seems to genuinely enjoy life, and that translates into how the restaurant is run. I've never heard him speak rudely to his kitchen staff, and he always has a kind word to say to each customer.

I dig.

So Sante Fe is the kind of place you probably walk by multiple times and think.. "That place could have really good, authentic, Mexican.. OR I could end up with a fly in my food." Well, let me set the record straight. Walk inside next time you are nearby!

Sante Fe is legit. The picnic bench style tables and old tablecloths just add to the charm of this place. The chips are fresh, the salsa is spicey, yet tasty. I had the combination plate.. and note we eat Mexican a lot, so I have had this before at other places. However, at Sante Fe, I could actually tell where the different items on the plate were by the taste! My enchilada actually tasted different than the burrito- and by different I mean good.

Sante Fe is a much try- and I love that it seemed like a family owned restaurant and everyone seemed to really care that we were happy with our meal.

My work places caters from Santa Fe Cafe all the time but I've never actually gone inside until today.

The owner Kip is really nice and the decor was what I expected for a Burrito/Taco place. The tables seemed self-assigned & you can sit down after you put in your order. I was there after the lunch rush so I have no idea how crowded it gets.

I ordered 2 Bean & 2 Beef tacos with Nachos Grande to go. Sadly, they didn't hold up to my no soggy expectations. I was even eating the nachos on my way back to work but within 5 minutes had started to be come soggy. My guess is due to the fact that the chips are so thin. Sogginess aside, the nachos were pretty good with Sour Cream, Jalapeños, Guacamole, tomatoes (sliced not diced), beef, &chile con queso on top.

The bean tacos held up more than the beef ones, probably due to the juices with the beef. They were so so, nothing to write home about. I probably would have liked them better (sogginess aside) if they were combined & sour cream was involved. Both tacos tasted a little bland to me and while the been was too soft consistency wise the beef was to "crumbly". They would have gone better together.

I still like their catered nachos which essentially has you build your own. Since I make is so that I am dipping the nachos as opposed to have the toppings on top, no sogginess and nothing but yumminess. Next time I'm there I'll ask if I can get the toppings on the side.

I came here for lunch several months back. It is a quaint location under an office building in Rosslyn. With limited dining options in the area, I was excited to try the "New Mexico style" Mexican food. I opted for the three enchilada plate. What I was met with was a giant plate of cheese and bland tasting red sauce. I suppose if this is New Mexico style, they succeeded. As a Southern Californian, I didn't particularly care for this style of food, but this cheese bomb was still tasty as a lunch (despite it probably having 100g of fat).

I have heard good things about the breakfast burrito, but now that my office closed in Rosslyn, I may not get the chance to try it. Hopefully it's better than the breakfast burritos offered at fellow "New Mexico Style" restaurant, Anita's.

I work directly across the street and restaurants like this make me consider moving to Rosslyn. Only because it would be a blast to take friends here for dinner. Could you imagine getting drunk in this place??? The décor is your best friend from New Mexico's sparsely decorated basement. It's also completely unpretentious, clean, reliable, friendly and has fair prices. What more do you need? ... ok I do wish the seating was more comfortable.

As with all my favorite lunch spots I end up ordering the same thing over and over. 3 chicken tacos, 1 beef taco and refried beans. Its an A + lunch for around 8 bucks.

The guy behind the counter is cool. He reminds me of that actor Stephen Tobolowsky. NUMBER 57...

The best breakfast burrito in Arlington. Stuffed with scrambled eggs, cheddar, sautéed green peppers and onions; your choice of bacon, sausage or without meat; served with good salsa and sour cream. YUM

Their nachos are very good; covered with refried beans, cheese, black olives, sour cream, guacamole. Mmmm

I've heard their burgers are good, but I am a vegetarian so I wouldn't know.

I went there for dinner once, a long time ago, and it was very good but I can't remember what I had.