Coyote Café

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Santa Fe's Defining Southwestern Table

When celebrity chef Mark Miller opened Coyote Café on W. Water Street in 1987, he set out to do something that hadn't been done at that level before: place regional, native ingredients at the center of serious, creative cooking. The result was an instant landmark. More than 35 years later, the café holds its place as one of Santa Fe's most beloved and enduring restaurants, earning a worldwide following and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in 2025 — a recognition that speaks directly to the depth and seriousness of what happens here.

The Spirit Behind the Kitchen

The restaurant takes its name and its motto — More Chiles — from a Southwestern folk story about Coyote, the clever trickster who brought chile pods to the world by drying them in the sun to capture summer's warmth through winter. That story, drawn from Mark Miller's 1989 cookbook, still lives on the restaurant's walls and in its philosophy: chile is not a garnish here, it is the point. The Southwestern American cuisine at Coyote Café is built on that foundation — layered, warm, and rooted in place.

What's on the Plate

The current menu reads as a confident evolution of that founding vision. Starters include Bison Carpaccio with passion fruit-mezcal vinaigrette and huitlacoche-truffle crema, Mussels Posole with hominy and chipotle, and Morita-Citrus White Prawns served over masa crepes with lacto-fermented salsa fresca. Among the mains, a Tellicherry Peppered Elk Tenderloin arrives with smoked juniper salsa macha and onion ash demi-glace; Seared Diver Scallops rest on toasted coconut wild Himalayan red rice with tropical mole; and the Smoked Wagyu Beef Rib sits over roasted poblano polenta. The signature cornbread, served with an avocado-lime-cilantro butter and a smoked red chile-roasted garlic butter, signals from the first bite that this kitchen takes even the small things seriously.

The Full Experience

Beyond the main dining room, the upstairs Coyote Cantina offers an open-air rooftop perch above the bustle of downtown Santa Fe — walk-in only, and a fine spot for a crave-worthy cocktail and a bird's-eye view of the city. The Coyote Den is available for private events and large gatherings. Together, the three spaces give the address a range that few restaurants in the region can match, without diluting what makes the café itself special: a genuine sense of community, and cooking that serious food lovers return to year after year.