Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
OpenTable logo
  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. New Mexico
  4. Santa Fe / Mountains
  5. Santa Fe
Rio Chama, Santa Fe, NM

Rio Chama

3.7
3.7
439 Reviews
$31 to $50
Steakhouse

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 14 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
  • Great for live music
Rio Chama in Santa Fe, New Mexico is located not far from the Santa Fe Plaza, next to the state capitol. Since 2001, the restaurant has developed a reputation for simple, elegant dishes made with high-quality ingredients. You'll find a relaxing atmosphere offering a mix of intimate dining rooms, inviting patios and one of Santa Fe's most popular bars. It is a long standing Santa Fe institution, where Executive Chef Joel Hernandez features modern American cuisine serving the best prime rib, steaks and seafood. We serve the Edible Magazine 2023 People's Choice for best green chile cheeseburger. Excellent food, wine, and spirits with great hospitality and service make Rio Chama perfect for any occasion.

We take reservations for the dining room only. Our bar and Doug Montgomery @ The President’s room is first come first serve basis.


Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Steakhouse, American, Seafood
  • Hours of Operation
    Happy Hour Mon, Thu, Fri 4:00 pm–6:00 pm Sat, Sun 3:00 pm–6:00 pm Dinner Mon, Thu–Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (505) 955-0765
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress

What 439 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.7
3.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4Food
  • 3.8Service
  • 4Ambience
  • 3.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • New Mexico

    Romantic

  • New Mexico

    Good for special occasions

  • Santa Fe / Mountains

    Hot spot

  • Santa Fe / Mountains

    Romantic

  • Santa Fe / Mountains

    Good for special occasions

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Rio Chama is a delightful dining spot praised for its "wonderful food and service" and "excellent" cuisine, with standout dishes like the "bison ribeye" and "braised bison short ribs." Guests appreciate the "large portions" and efficient service. Despite some challenges with their liquor license, the "friendly and helpful" wait staff ensure a pleasant experience.

439 Reviews
  1. Pietje

    New Orleans

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    We had a reservation at 7 pm, but the hostess said we'd be better off in the bar area. We didn't get menus for 15 minutes or so. Our food arrived an hour and a half after having sat down. There was no offering of bread or free dessert to make up for all the waiting. Waiters were friendly and apologized. However, if you pay full price for what is supposedly a nice sit down dinner but end up waiting and waiting due to staffing shortages, should there not be some kind of compensation for all the inconveniences? Management, do better.

    Is this helpful?

  2. Chino

    New Mexico

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    The parking lot is small and there are limited spaces to park. The inside is nice, decorated for Christmas and New years but it’s labeled identifying the different dining rooms, host station, bar, etc. We sat at the bar, where service was mid. The bartender wasn’t inviting felt like we were more of an inconvenience for sitting at her bar. The appetizer was eatable but nothing special, dessert was well presented and was delicious. To be fair, it was a busy night and it looked like they might’ve been under staffed but I won’t returning to this establishment. The squeeze isn’t worth the juice

    Is this helpful?

  3. Chris

    San Antonio

    8 reviews

    2.0

    8 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    Our reservation was at 6:45pm, did not leave until after 9pm due to extremely slow service. My wife got her plate last after everyone else was finished. She had to ask where her food was at one point. It also took 45 minutes to receive 3 bar drinks. Manager never came to apologize or offer any sort of remedy. Food was only ok for the price. We will never go back.

    Is this helpful?

  4. OpenTable Diner

    Houston

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our New Year’s Eve spent at Rio Chama was incredible!! From the smooth sounds of Doug Montgomery to the delicious prime rib, the evening was perfection. If you see any complaints concerning New Year’s Eve about the staff or Rio Chama in general, it was simply that they did not have reservations due to poor planning skills. Santa Fe is incredibly understaffed right now and Rio Chama did all they could, to serve who they could, while keeping the high standards they have had for years. Our waiter, Dan was incredibly impressive with the amount of people he had to serve. Our food was beyond delicious, and made even sweeter thanks to the sounds of Doug on his baby grand. Rio Chama is an incredible establishment and we are lucky to have such a delightful restaurant to patron. Highly suggest a visit, especially on a Doug night. I know we will be back!!

    Is this helpful?

  5. 9709033666

    New Mexico

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    We were 2 people only.I didn’t appreciate the waiter hand (scribbling)adding a 20% gratuity without even telling us. Never told us or did we see anything regarding it. I’m not sure what I would have entered, but just to hand write (not even where a gratuity space might’ve been) was not right. Yes, they were short handed, but inappropriate. So… would I come back . Probably not. Baked potatoes had to be reheated. Cold. Bread…dry. Steak was good, but server when served gave my wife and I the incorrect temperature plates. Again, no big deal, but for $220 .. inappropriate. I grew up in the restaurant industry and this should not have happened.. Sorry

    Is this helpful?

  6. Mittida

    New York City

    24 reviews

    5.0

    24 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great love music. Steak was good. Wedge salad was just ok. Great burger and very very good fried potatoes.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Lisa

    Austin

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    We visited this place two years ago, and it was exceptional. We went back excited for a great meal, but had a very different experience. They seemed very understaffed, and you could tell immediately that most tables that had been there before us were not happy. We soon understood why. The service was very slow, and some of the servers just seemed very unhappy to be there. One server literally grunted and just walked away when I politely asked for salad dressing when my large salad was delivered completely dry! The food still ended up being good, but we were going there for a more full experience.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Natalie

    New Mexico

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    We had a great time until they overcooked my mother in law’s prime rib by a lot (A LOT) and brought it back to the table three times and told us that was all they had and the way it was. They ended up comping the meal and getting us dessert which we appreciate but the service was not great. We were treated well at first then told they were busy- then tried to take my mother in law eat a well done prime rib three times (they kept bringing back the overcooked and cold piece of meat to our table)- she might be 87 but she wasn’t going to eat an over cooked prime rib for $55 - then they got her a replacement (different cut of meat) after we got a manager involved. In the meantime we all finished our meals and my mother in law was starving, they never checked on our water or if we wanted any other drinks. They offered dessert and we took them up on it. The waitress didn’t even hang around to see if others wanted dessert she just said what kind of dessert and one person ordered one and my daughter ordered one and she walked away. We weren’t expecting anything for free !! We wouldn’t have gone there if we were. We just felt like we were a bother after $422 and honestly we were not worried about price. My father just passed and it was the first time we got together as a family to celebrate my nephew’s 16 bday. We got treated badly. Hands down. Otherwise the food was decent not as good as table for two which is where we normally go but it was decent !! But the way we were treated was so poor that we felt like we won’t ever go back or recommend this place. I do think the manager understood after she spoke to the kitchen and saw the ticket said med rare - I just have never been to a nice restaurant (steak house) where they obviously ruined a $55 prime rib then made it our fault …tried to get us to eat it not once but three times …and then just ignored us and make us feel like we were a burden. Honestly Santa Fe has alot of amazing restaurants and this was not one of them.

    1 person found this helpful

  9. Ruby

    New Mexico

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on 28 December 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    This felt 100% like a tourist trap. Truly one of the worst restaurants I have been to in Santa Fe.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Jim

    Dallas

    27 reviews

    5.0

    27 reviews

    Dined on 28 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Service was excellent. The food was delicious and well prepared. The cheese fondue was a great starter. The elk tenderloin with blue cheese bacon crust was outstanding. Highly recommend you give this place try.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Rio Chama offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (505) 955-0765.

Rio Chama is rated 3.7 stars by 439 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 14 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Rio Chama

414 Old Santa Fe Trl, Santa Fe, NM 87501-2770

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Area
    Santa Fe
  • Hours of Operation
    Happy Hour Mon, Thu, Fri 4:00 pm–6:00 pm Sat, Sun 3:00 pm–6:00 pm Dinner Mon, Thu–Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Steakhouse, American, Seafood
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Private Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2024 OpenTable Australia Level 22, 357 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking Logo
Priceline Logo
KAYAK Logo
Agoda Logo
OpenTable Logo