Had a great day brewing and BBQ’ing. I’ll update more specifically on that later… but this got my mind churning on one subject I’ve been thinking about for awhile now… where is the best place to drink beer in Santa Fe?
To start off… I’m not into listing big tourist places or really expensive places… I usually prefer more of a low-key smaller place than an expensive tourist locale. So anyway… my list… here goes….
Second Street Brewery at the Railyard: This is my all around number one pick and my favorite spot for “beer Friday”. The food is great… and there are a ton of choices ranging from sea food to New Mexican to American… to whatever else you might want. The beer menu is also fun. I love their Cream stout but sometimes they come out with things like a smoked imperial porter. Add a patio.. always friendly service.. and live music to the mix and you get a winner. I like the casual atmosphere as well. This is my first pick.
The Marble Tap Room: My preferred beer here is their Marble Red… nice and bitter… but not too bitter… but oh so fresh! The locale is also great being right off the plaza (2nd floor in the same building as rooftop pizzeria) and they have a balcony, big fire place, giant leather chairs. Its one of my favorite spots in the winter to go and sit near the fire, watch the snow come down outside, have some good conversation with friends… and drink up some good beer. As I recall, the oatmeal stout is good here as well and the fact that you can have food brought over from the pizzeria is a plus. I love the hot corned-beef sandwich.
The Cowgirl: Third place was a tough call because I could go in a few different directions here. The Cowgirl doesn’t always have the best service… but the BBQ and burgers are unreal! They don’t brew their own beer but they serve Santa Fe Brew Company’s Beer… and there’s plenty to love about that. I love the State Pen Porter.., especially in the fall, spring, and winter. Add to this The Cowgirl’s big patio, pool tables, and live music and you’ve got yourself a great place to hangout.
The Agave Lounge: If I was a single guy looking for a cougar with loads of money to take me home.. I might try this place. Its really swanky inside… modern, nice leather chairs, huge modern fireplace, and absolutely amazing food. Its also within walking distance from the plaza. The only downside is that its affordable for me basically during happy hour… after that… prices go back up to what you’d expect from a place hooked on to the El Dorado Hotel. But I like this place… nice change of pace once in awhile.
Del Charro: This place makes the list not because of its fireplace or big leather chairs. It doesn’t brew its own beer… just sells Santa Fe Brew Company’s stuff… but does have a lot on tap. It makes the list because it isn’t fancy, its really laid back, cheap, and comfortable… especially for a place to wrap it up as a last stop before calling it quits. Its an unassuming place where you can take it easy.
That’s it for now… no doubt I’ll add more places later. If a place didn’t make this list, it doesn’t mean I don’t like it… it just means I don’t frequent it as much as the places listed above and for some reason, it doesn’t have the same appeal as the above five locales.