Santa Fe Nightlife: Where to Eat, Drink, and Dance
While Santa Fe has a whole host of attractions to keep you occupied throughout the day, it’s not a city necessarily known for its nightlife. Santa Fe has a smaller population of young people than many other cities of its size, and most bars and restaurants shut down before midnight. If you’re looking to grab a drink or a bite to eat, or just want to get out and socialize with other people, your late-night options are a bit limited. Luckily, however, what Santa Fe lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. Here are our tops picks for late-night venues to eat, drink, and dance at:
Late Night Santa Fe
Best for dancing: Meow Wolf
Best for drinks: Tonic
Best for late night snacks: Boxcar
1. Meow Wolf
Where to find them: 1352 Rufina Cir, Santa Fe, NM 87507
We recommend: Take a shot of absinthe and dance the night away
Meow Wolf is an art collective and permanent installation located on Santa Fe’s south side. Supported by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, the organization reimagined an old bowling alley into an immersive, experimental installation called The House of Eternal Return, something like a cross between an art exhibit, interactive story, and haunted house. Visitors can climb and crawl all over the exhibit, which features over 70 different rooms ranging from the psychedelic to the mysterious and tells the story of a family swept up in supernatural forces and a shadowy intruige.
While Meow Wolf is open to visitors as an art exhibit during the day, by night it transforms into a fantastic concert venue, featuring a selection of visiting artists. Concerts are held inside The House of Eternal Return itself, on a stage in the center of the exhibit. Concertgoers can purchase drinks at the bar at the entrance to the exhibit, and are free to explore the installation while the concert is taking place. Meow Wolf doesn’t host events every night, but there’s often a concert each weekend.
Avoid the crowds at Meow Wolf by attending a concert or special event. During this special dinner event one of the exhibit halls was converted into a long dining table
2. Tonic
Where to find them: 103 E Water St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
We recommend: Bliss Behind Your Eyes
If you’re looking for a late-night bar with a speakeasy vibe, carefully crafted cocktails, and spectacular ambiance, look no further than Santa Fe’s Tonic. Located right downtown just a short walk from the Santa Fe Plaza, Tonic serves up creative cocktails in a little jewel box of a venue, with low light, art deco decor, and frequent live jazz music. Their menu is constantly changing, but always features unique blends with inventive flavor combinations and ingredients, many of which are sourced locally or created from scratch in-house. If you don’t want to indulge in an alcoholic drink, Tonic bartenders can also create bespoke non-alcoholic drinks based on what you’re in the mood for. Best of all, the bar is open until the wee hours of the morning, closing up shop at 2 am.
3. The Matador
Where to find them: 116 W San Francisco St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
We recommend: Grab a seat by the bar and enjoy a beer
The Matador is a classic dive bar, open until 2 am every night except for Sunday. Located in a basement venue just a few blocks from the plaza, it draws locals and tourists alike for strong drinks, loud music, and a grungy but comfortable atmosphere. Because of its late hours, Matador is a great place to grab a drink long after other bars have closed, whether you’re winding down for the night or planning to stay up until sunrise. This bar is cash only, so be sure to bring money with you, or take advantage of the ATM around the corner.
4. Boxcar
Where to find them: 530 S Guadalupe St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
We recommend: Local beer and Boxcar Nachos
Boxcar is a bustling sports bar located in Santa Fe’s Railyard District. Like Tonic and Matador, Boxcar is the place to be once other venues have shut down for the night. They offer a variety of drinks, beer, and bar food like wings, nachos, and fries. They also often feature live music. Most importantly, their kitchen is open until 1:30 am, making it one of the only places you can get a bit to eat in the city after midnight. Come to watch the game and grab a beer, or swing by for late-night takeout if you’re craving comfort food in the early hours of the morning.
5. Desert Dogs
Where to find them: 112 W San Francisco St #307, Santa Fe, NM 87501
We recommend: Bell Ringer IPA, Ginger Cider
Desert Dogs is a relatively new venue in Santa Fe, located just a block from the plaza up a small set of stairs leading to a roomy, comfortable venue with a great balcony overlooking San Francisco Street. The bar has an extensive selection of craft beers and hard ciders, and serves delicious tacos during dinnertime hours. This is a great place to meet up with friends and enjoy a drink or two. While not open as late as the other venues on this list (Desert Dogs closes at midnight on weekends and at 11 pm the rest of the week), this bar has a young, hip vibe paired with a welcoming and low-key atmosphere.
6. Remix Audio Bar
Where to find them: 101 W Marcy St #201, Santa Fe, NM 87501
We recommend: Iced Matcha Latte, Steam Punk Latte
Remix Audio Bar is a late-night coffee shop with an electronic music theme. This eclectic venue is located just a block from the Santa Fe Plaza, up a set of stairs above popular ice cream joint La Lecheria. This unique coffee shop and music venue is open until 11:30 most nights, making it a great spot to sip on coffees, teas, and herbal concoctions, whether you’re looking for something caffeinated to give you a boost or just want to hang out somewhere that’s not a bar. Patrons are welcome to listen to music on headphones throughout the small space, and can even create and share their own playlists. Remix features coffee, tea from nearby ArtfulTea, and medicinal mushroom-based concoctions from Santa Fe’s Mushroom Mama.
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