Taberna

Although I really wanted to like this place, because I love tapas and a chill atmosphere to enjoy good beer and wine, especially during the summer, I can’t really recommend it, at least not based on my food experience.
The good is that the patio is nice, and it’s in an internal area, so there isn’t traffic noise, and there’s a decent amount of outdoor seats so that you can get a spot outside if you want one. Also, the service was impeccable: friendly without seeming forced or overly flattering, and very promt in clearing dishes, refilling water, etc.
The bad? The food was underwhelming. I don’t think that the price point is outrageous for the small plates, and the ingredients are high quality and individually delicious, but the flavors don’t tie together like they should at a good restaurant, which Taberna tries to pass itself off as. I think that the main culprits are likely under-​salting and lack of using adequate acidity (lime or vinegars would’ve helped), especially with bold Latin food that’s for summer. Thought it wasn’t nearly as noticeable to me, some textural contrast would’ve also helped, perhaps in the form of crisp jicama or crisper/​thicker red cabbage slices. Something like thinly-​sliced green mango would solve both the tart and crisp shortcomings.
When eating the fish tacos and the fried avocado topped with salsa and quale egg, the food tasted the same when you ate the pieces separately as when you ate them together :/​The chicharrones were somehow simultaneously dry but not crunchy at all (though I still enjoyed them, because fatty pork is tasty, almost no matter what). At least in my opinion, this isn’t how it should be, since, especially if I’m going out to eat, I want there to be synergy in the foods that’s just delicious.

Most of the wines by the glass on the menu were not available. The server said that’s probably because their «wine guy» is in Hawaii. Really? I think he should get back. The ones we tasted were not very good and they were warm. The ambience is like sitting in the lobby of an office building probably because that’s where it is. The food prices are very high. We had tuna ceviche for $ 14. It was over cooked — yes you can over cook ceviche chef. It was chopped in tiny bits which could have been anything in some mystery sauce. The taberna salad with fried avocado was okay and the olives were good. Soggy tasteless bread drenched in olive oil for $ 3 is an insult.
Now to the service. Slow to the point that we were were wondering if the staff is high. Wandering from table to table trying to find out which table the food brought out was for. Very unprofessional. Eating here is like going to a college friend’s apartment and finding some leftovers in the fridge.
Go to Spain for the tapas.

Had a lovely casual meal. Service was friendly and efficient and tapas style food delicious and well presented. Also enjoyed Jesus Mas playing guitar — really nice but not intrusive. Note that this restaurant has an extensive and fairly priced wine selection, but not a full bar. Definitely worth trying though.

Awesome food, but what happened to the happy hour menu? Used to be pretty extensive. Now only a few items remain which happen to be marked down regular menu fare. Also, the happy hour used to extend past the literal hour. My wife and I felt very rushed to arrive, rushed to get seated, and rushed to order in the allotted time frame. Food is still incredible, I would just like to see more items at a reasonable price for happy hour.

My husband is not usually a tapas fan so getting him to eat at a place like this is like pulling teeth. As it turned out though, my husband declared Taberna La Boca the best meal of our trip.
I think it helped that we came on Taco Tuesday.
Tacos are two for $ 10 that night. My favorite was the carne asada. It was super flavorful and served with pickled onions, regular onions, cilantro, and (my favorite) avocado salsa. My husband preferred the ahi with mango. It was good but I didn’t like the salsa as much with this one.
We also shared the short rib sliders with serrano pepper. Kathy’s rule #1: Always order short ribs. (They are NEVER a miss.) These short ribs had good flavor and included a generous amount of meat, especially compared to the tacos. They came with sweet potato chips, which sometimes had a too-​soft texture.
We threw an entrée in there, too — the $ 22 halibut with white chocolate mole. It was a small portion for $ 22 but it was good. I think overall the apps are the way to go.
We ended our meal with the $ 9 Mexican chocolate tartlets flavored with a little bit of chile. They consisted of four mini slices and tasted a lot like Mexican chocolate tofu pudding I’ve made.
Overall, the food and service were spot on. Taberna is located in hidden courtyard without much signage, which might be why it was pretty empty at 8:30. It was also really relaxed with groups sitting and talking a long time. Basically just what you want in a restaurant.
Kathy’s New Mexico Food Trip Extravaganza 2015 Rankings
5 Stars
1) The Love Apple, Taos*
2) TABERNA LA BOCA, SANTA FE
3) Plaza Café, Santa Fe*
4 Stars
4) La Fina, Santa Fe*
5) Rooftop Pizza, Santa Fe*
6) El Patio, Albuquerque*
7) El Pinto, Albuquerque*
8) The Shed, Santa Fe*
3 Stars
9) Cowgirl BBQ, Santa Fe
10) Pueblo Harvest Café, Albuquerque*
2 Stars
11) Tia Sophia, Santa Fe*
12) Taos Pizza OutBack, Taos*
* meal included green chiles

Tapas and wine were the best part of the meal. Entrees were both sorely lacking. Seating was horrible. We had a reservation and were seated right next to the stage– i.e.; the singer’s feet were about an arm’s length from our table. Taberna, remove that table — it’s just wrong. Also, the waitstaff had to ask another patron at another table to get out of his seat and move over EVERY time they served us a plate. That’s TOO close. Ridiculous. One last comment is that I didn’t see that anything you serve is locally sourced… this is pretty disappointing considering many restaurants in town, at lower price points even, are serving local beef, pork, eggs, chicken and vegetables. If you tout yourself as being one of the most «innovative» chefs in NM than I think you should stand by that, and it should actually mean something. P. S. your «chimichurri» is pesto… not chimichurri.

Fabulous! Everyone loved every single thing that came to the table. So delicious, you may want each tapas to be an entrée but then you would miss out on the others tapas!
If I had any comment for improvement it would be for them to offer diners the traditional bread basket to soak up some of the yummy sauces rather than having to order the grilled bread.

Great variety of tapas each individually created with sumptuous favors. Great service and very extensive wine menu

Last Saturday Night… Feb. 6. Do you have a reservation asked the server? No, we said looking at the empty room. We were then seated at the 2^nd worst table in the house… another couple occupied the worst table and we butted up next to them. The bar was dark and no one seated, the entire staff stood at the end of the bar tasting wine and eating food brought out from the kitchen.
According to the sign, we were at the tail end of ‘Happy Hour’. Asking about food or drink specials during Happy Hour? Nada, sorry nothing tonight. SATURDAY NIGHT!
We ordered a bottle of wine from the clueless server… it’s a newer list and I don’t know much about it, he stated. We started with the mushroom flatbread tapa which was tasty but dreadfully over priced as most of the tapas selection. ‘Racion’ prices and Tapa portions.
My wife ordered the flatiron steak and I ordered the Parillada… mixed Grill. Well, if you have ever experienced a «No Name «Brand Mystery Meat ‘Steak’, the meat we were served had less flavor and a mushier texture and a rotten smell. The steaks had also been obviously pre cooked, pre sliced and then warmed over. 1 bite each, that was it. There is no excuse on earth for serving such disgusting fare. Chef Caruso should be ashamed !
We have eaten numerous times at La Boca and Taberna over the last five years and sadly have witnessed Taberna’s descent from a terrific and fun 5 star venue with excellent food and a good value to our 1 star rating today.

Just returned from one of the better meals in my life (and possibly the best in the life of my intrepid dining companion).
We love Tapas in its many forms, whether traditional Spanish or the many small plate Asian varieties and «tasting menu» types. After stomping around the galleries in Santa Fe, we were in need of reconstitution and Taberna came recommended from multiple sources to my intrepid dining companion (henceforth, IDX). This had a semi-​traditional tapas menu but the delights were on the reimagining of traditional favorites in fresh and delightful ways. But I am getting ahead of myownbadself.
We came early and caught the middle of the happy hour (which here us actually one hour). A couple of serviceable Riojas led us to four outstanding dishes from the non happy hour tspas menu, because that was how we rolled. Each with a well conceived and mature demeanor. The wine pairing was spot on and instructive as well. The 1922 vintage Amontillado was transcendental. Music started at 7 and was a collection of Spanish standards that were well-​suited for the evening. Our primary serving human was knowledgable, nice, and worked with us to dial in a great experience.
Highly recommended for the tapas, wine and vibe. Cannot speak to the entrees but the descriptions were inviting and I fully expect them to be outstanding. Go!

Fabulous food but subpar service. My friend and I dined at Taberna last week. The food was great. Fresh and inventive. We started with the salad with the fried avocado which was delicious. The fried avocado was surprising light and flavorful. They have a nice wine list and a great ambience. The noise level was manageable and the space open and comfortable.
The service left a lot to be desired and hence the low rating. We sat at the bar. I travel a lot and expect the same service I should receive at a table. When I travel (alone or with others) I like to enjoy a meal and meet locals and fellow travelers; bar seating allows me to meet people. When we sat down a gentleman asked what we wanted and we told him. Then he curtly informed me he wasn’t our server. As though I’d know that on my first visit. And then don’t ask me what I’d like then be snarky when I say what I want. He could have said something like, «thanks for coming in ladies. Your server is busy but I’d be glad to take your drink order.» When our server took over she was kind of grumpy. The staff behind the bar seem to care more about polishing the glassware than caring for customers. This is not a cheap place and I expect excellent service at this price point. If I wanted grumpy service I’d stay home and cook for myself.

My waiter Gabe! What can I say. This kid is something else! I felt intimidated as he read my wife the wine list… That’s how good he is. He’s a hustler and a gentleman. The perfect waiter makes you feel good and makes you spend money…
Gabe .
You get my tip!

Wife and I ate here tonight and had a delicious meal and excellent service out on their great patio. To wit,
A glass of a nice fruity Reisling
The Ensalada de Taberna, one of the best salads ever. Fried Avocado, strange sounding but delish, grilled artichoke, roasted tomatoes, kalamata olive halves, fresh greens, white cheese, some kind of vinagrette dressing, just killer
Tacos De Racbalo, baramundi fish tacos, great stuffings but accompanied by a sauce too hot to eat. Wife picked at the fish and enjoyed it tho
Tortitas, 2 small fresh rolls filled with tender, lean, tasty, short rib meat, pickled red onions and some chopped fresh jalopenas. Another killer good dish.
Wife’s dessert was vanilla bean ice cream with brandied cherries and sea salt caramel. Good but overly pricey
I had Tres Leche cake drizzled with a mango sauce. Very good.
All in all we’ll definitely be back either here or at La Boca. A tad over 4 stars but not 5.

Creative food, and staff was eager to provide us with food that we would like. But you must like spicy food. Everything was very spicy.
I knocked off a star because of the ridiculously tiny dessert. We ordered a chocolate tart to go, because we were too full to eat it immediately. Later, when we opened the box, my son laughed out loud! We had paid $ 9 for a tart so small that it barely amounted to 3 – 4 little bites. It was dwarfed by the box, like a small cookie, rolling around. What a rip-​off!

It was as good as anything I have had in Spain… maybe just a littler better!
A perfect evening! We where a happy and contented party of six on the patio for 3 hours!
The food and wine were fabulous as was the outstanding and entertaining service by our waiter, Gabe. The pace of the food coming from the kitchen was steady and the presentation, beautiful.
The alachofas, «grilled jamon Serrano wrapped artichokes» and the duck queso fundido where amazing but the fork tender sirloin steak special was over the top!
Finished with great desserts and a glass of Gran Reserva Pedro Ximenez sherry. For me, as good as it gets.

Went here for a party, so I was able to sample many different tapas. All were delicious! The stand outs were the mushroom truffle flatbread, taquitos and pulled pork/​ham open-​faced sandwich. Their selection of cheeses were great. Yum! The sangria was a good compliment to all the food. Food was Spanish tapas meets New Mexico!
There was a small stage inside. Would have been fun to see some live music there. Maybe next time!

I usually love Taberna but had a less than stellar experience last night.
Our server was attentive and right on the money with his wine suggestion.
The issue was our food.
First we were poured water that was warm and had to ask for ice.
The chili cheese gratin with duck was good but the duck was kind of indistinguishable. The steak was good on the sampler platter. everything else was overcooked including the potatoes which were hard. The sausage and the ribs were overcooked. Contrasting was the pork belly on a skewer. It wasn’t even warm in the middle. The waiter was very apologetic and offered to bring another. It took 15 minutes for it to come back after we had finished most of the meal. It was not a busy night with lots of empty tables.

I ordered the Tortitas: braised beef short ribs with slaw, blah blah blah. It was a couple of BBQ sandwiches. You don’t fool me, chef. It was pretty lousy for 12 bucks. The staff was unpleasant to put it nicely. Actually the bartender was straight up rude and me and my friend overheard her complaining about customers loud and clear. She was cussing up a storm about some poor old man there. Never going to go here again. ever. period.
Skip it.

This has become my favorite (or at least one of the top three) restaurants in New Mexico. Usually me and my boyfriend go for Sunday lunch but this time we opted for dinner and what a wonderful experience!!! We had three different appetizers, all amazing, and then opted for two entrees which we split — again — delicious! I’m not going to list what we had because like any tapas restaurant, they change the menu often.
Our server is EXCELLENT. Gabe has been our server every time we are there and he even knows which wine we prefer at this point. We trust him so much that we asked him to choose after dinner port for us and he did not disappoint. He picked the perfect port for both of us and ones that compliments all three desserts we sampled.
The biggest and best surprise? We were greeted by the Chef Caruso and his executive chef. They gave us one of their cookbooks and signed it for us.
I will keep coming back again and again. This is an AMAZING restaurant with interesting flavors, a nice vibe, good wine menu and live entertainment. What more could you ask for?

I loved everything about this restaurant — the food, the service, the ambiance! I came here on a Friday and they had a live Spanish guitarist playing. It felt so romantic and pretty on the warm summer evening.
The food was absolutely fantastic. We had the following:
Octopus carpaccio
Jamon wrapped artichokes
Steamed mussels
Seared scallop over crab cake — This was my favorite dish of the night. The flavors of the scallop & crab cake were perfect together.
They have a very long list of tapas so it was difficult to narrow it down. I will definitely come back again soon to try some more dishes.