The Pantry Restaurant: A Santa Fe Local Favorite

If you are in Santa Fe, New Mexico, one of the local staples that you must visit is The Pantry. Located at 1820 Cerrillos Rd, between St. Francis and St. Michael's, it is conveniently accessible from anywhere in the Santa Fe area. It is tucked away between several small stores along Cerrillos so it is easy to drive right by, but it is definitely worth looking out for.

The Pantry is a small restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch items, and is usually only open until 2pm. The atmosphere here is incredible, much like an old style diner with both table and bar seating. It is wonderfully fast-paced; the staff all seems to be either related or friends and you can tell that they enjoy their jobs. The staff here is one of the most friendly and fast that I have ever been served by. The setting is very casual and homey despite the speed at which everything here moves. Mostly I mean that the staff is very quick and attentive, and for such a small restaurant they produce an incredible amount of delicious food and well-pleased customers. The place has a very positive atmosphere and is constantly bustling with chatting locals, waiters running around with arms of food, shouts from the kitchen, and people enjoying themselves. They provide seating for all sizes of groups, from single locals to large groups of travelers or family gatherings.

The Pantry is also one of the most affordable places to go to in Santa Fe. Most of the entrées range from $6-$10, with assorted coffee, tea, juice, and soda selections from $1-$2. It is also the place where you will get the most food for your money. The average entrée comes with beans or rice, Pantry Fries (which I highly recommend), grits, toast, and or biscuits and gravy. While I prefer their breakfast menu, they also have a lunch menu covering all the Santa Fe favorites such as enchiladas, fish tacos, and burritos. The choices that I most highly recommend here are the generous omelets, the fruit bowl, the green chili chicken soup, Pantry Fries, the bottomless coffee, and the stuffed pancakes.

The Pantry is such a favorite in Santa Fe that they have been voted best breakfast and lunch spots by several local magazines. They even have t-shirts, coffee mugs, and posters for sale- great gifts for any Santa Fe native or as a souvenir of Santa Fe dining. I wish it was open all day and all night; I could happily eat there three times a day. But, if you do get a craving for their food around dinner time, or just miss the lunch hour, there is a restaurant on the other side of town, ran by the same people, called The Flying Tortilla. They are open for lunch and dinner and serve many of the same lunch choices, in the same generous portions and low prices.