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We've compiled the best of the best in Day Trips from Santa Fe - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
You can't miss the vivid murals on the building in sleepy Peñasco that houses both a vintage theater and an intimate restaurant where acclaimed chef-owners Kai Harper Leah and Ki Holste serve up tantalizing farm-to-table fare, from bountiful salads and juicy burgers to triple-layer chocolate cake. This is the best restaurant on the High Road, hands down. Espresso drinks and dessert also hit the spot. You can dine on the side patio in warm weather.
Huevos rancheros and burritos smothered with spicy salsa top the list in this friendly, simply furnished New Mexican diner that's been around since the 1950s and is a great bet for hearty breakfasts and lunches. You can also pick up cookies, doughnuts, and pastries from the on-site bakery or a stack of freshly made corn tortillas from the tortilleria.
Seasoned hippies, youthful hipsters, and everyone in between congregate at Java Junction for lattes, chai, sandwiches, breakfast burritos, bagels, pastries, and other treats. You can also pick up a number of house-made gourmet goods, from hot sauces to jalapeño-raspberry preserves. Upstairs there's a pleasantly decorated suite available for overnight stays.
Much of the seasonal produce, baked goods, and other ingredients used in this cheerful market-café's breakfast burritos, chilaquiles, and tacos are grown or made on-site (there's both a nursery and a bakery) or sourced from area farms and ranches. The market is stocked with interesting cheeses, crackers, jams, juices, chocolates, and other tasty snacks, making this an ideal place to stop before hiking.
Your best bet before or after visiting Bandelier for anything from a light snack to a substantial lunch or early dinner, this cheerful bakery and café features farm-to-table fare and tempting desserts (be sure to try a macaron or two). Share a couple of small plates, dig into a hearty platter of pork schnitzel, or savor one of the outstanding sandwiches, such as the signature "hot pig + fig" with honey-cured ham, spinach, Brie, and fig jam.
