gabriel's restaurant

i was taken there by local resident friends after a modest build- up. first: wayyyy out of town- might as well eat dinner in taos (thefoodwould certainly be better). second: harried, forgetful waitstaff, maybe gabriel's tries to serve too many diners on the patio. third: very marginal chiles rellenos served cold! when is mexicanfoodever cold? fourth: nice mountain views, and the people-watching is not bad.

we found this restaurant on a dog friendly restaurant site and saw decent reviews so we decided to try it since we were going to be hiking in tesuque. we were seated on the patio and within a couple of minutes had chips and salsa and a bowl of water for our pooch. then the wait began. we watched the two other tables that were seated on the patio get their food, eat their food, get theirfoodpackaged to go, receive their bill, pay their bill, leave, and then have their tables cleared of the post-repast detritus. we had not had a drink order taken or even been acknowledged by a waiter. finally as the last of the other tables was being cleared, the waiter for that table asked us (from 20 feet away) if we had been helped. i answered "nope" and he quickly headed inside shaking his head. a couple of more minutes passed. three confused looking waiters came on to the patio and seemed to be looking for the table that was not being helped. one of them timidly approached our table and asked if our dog was going to bite him. our dog was not. perhaps the first thing out of his mouth should have been "i am so sorry for the wait" or "a thousand apologies, may i get you some drinks from the bar", or "i am the manager and would like to offer you a dessert in exchange for the 40 minutes that you sat neglected on our patio". instead: "is your dog going to bite me?" perhaps a waiter had been bitten in the past. perhaps this particular waiter had been attacked by a tourist's chihuahua. perhaps a less terrified waiter could have been assigned our table. i have noticed a trend lately of waitstaff being aloof when something has gone wrong at my table. this is not the correct response to a problem with a diner's experience at your restaurant. redouble your efforts! offer something in exchange for the inconvenience. don't get weird. your tip will suffer. thefoodwas ok. nothing to write home about. the view from this restaurant was fantastic. the patio was large and quite nice. we won't be back.

do you want a taste of old mexico and its cuisine? just travel 10 minutes north of santa fe, and you will find an indelible experience of mexican food. the table side made-to-order guacamole is highly recommended, and it is a joy to watch them prepare it right in front of you. the beef fajitas are excellent and sizzle with as much flavor as the skillet they are served upon. finish off your meal with the softest sopaipillas in the state.  you will undoubtedly satisfy that craving for authentic mexicanfoodwhen you visit gabriel's.

thefoodwas pretty good but the service was almost non-existent

eeh..foodwas ok but not up to the standard i was expecting. drinks and service could have been better with a little caring about your position. really was expecting a destination dining experience but was disappointed.

utterly the worst meal of my life!!!!. ate there 3 years ago and returned again for a repeat performance. this place has gone down hill big time. server could of cared less if we were there or not,foodwas the worst i have had in some years. ordered the fish taco's and any cat in their right mind would have not eaten this utter filth of a meal. was totally smelly of rotten fish and had the consistency of runny oatmeal. can you imagine?

disappointment is the best word i can use to describe our experience. never will return to this place again and would encourage readers to continue on into santa fe as there are many restaurants that exceed this one starting with mcdonalds!

all of ourfoodwas great but the guacamole was the best i had ever eaten. it was made tableside with the usual ingredients: tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, onions, and garlic. they used a whisk and a large metal spoon to combine the ingredients.

great patio dining!!. we visited gabriels while on vacation and were very impressed with dining there! greatfoodand atmosphere! tableside guacamole is a little pricey but well worth it and excellent. also loved the carnitas plate.

used to be good. i used to love it here when it was one of the only places near me that offered tableside guac. unfortunately, there are now many more places that offer it and also offerfoodthat is actually good. the guac at gabriel's is good because you can make your own special requests right there while it's being made, but overall the rest of thefoodis pretty sub-par. i would agree with others that call this place a tourist trap. that's absolutely what it is. and it's too bad because i recall that it used to be good.. i think?

sorely disappointed. i have eaten at gabriel's for several years and have always enjoyed it, but was terribly disappointed at my last visit and will not eat there again. the tableside guacamole was mediocre, the cocktails had to be doctored and the waitstaff was argumentative. thefoodtasted bland and had absolutely no flavor. i hope the restaurant managements takes these reviews to heart and takes corrective measures to fix the problems.

eat there, but make reservations!. we ate at gabriel's last night, which was a friday and that place was packed. i highly suggest having a reservation if you want to get in the door a little quicker. the quicker you get in the sooner you can have the table side guacamole, which was absolutely delicious, although at times i thought it was a little heavy on the cilantro. both husband and i had burritos - his carne adovada and mine bean and cheese. both were tasty and tended toward the small side. i thought the side of beans had better flavor than the side of rice. sopaipillas are served on request and i would suggest getting them because they are just what i want in a sopaipilla - golden and fluffy, just the right amount of crunchy without being hard. the service was excellent - our waiter was attentive without being a bother and thefoodcame out very fast, which was impressive because it was so busy. next time i would sit outside if the weather permits, because inside is quite loud.

great service! thefoodand salsa was also great! but the best part of my meal was the cheese cake! it was amazing! it is also conveniently located near the hilton buffalo thunder!

thefoodis nasty! the service sucks! i can't believe how many tourists fall into this trap! if you are visiting and want a really unique, delicious new mexicanfoodclassic destination, try el paragua in espanola. its only about 15 minutes north of gabriels.

good decor, solid food, decent service but over-priced. this has a very nice decor and, unlike most restaurants in the santa fe area, has placed the tables comfortable distance from each other. the menu is solid southwestern food. the guacamole they are so famous for is indeed fantastic and comes with a table side preparation.

however, given the simplicity of the food, this restaurant is too pricey. that yummy table side guacamole? almost $13 for a serving basically for one. come on, it's guacamole.

i would rave about this restaurant - particularly since we weren't totally ignored as we were by the servers in most santa fe restaurants. but it is way too expensive for thefoodyou get.

surprising delight. we received a recommendation to go to gabriel's from an artist we met in taos and we were so glad we listened! the outdoor eating area was gorgeous, the weather was gorgeous, thefoodwas delicious and we never would have found the place without the artist. so if you're in the santa fe area, plug gabriel's into your gps and follow it! it's a gem.