Steaksmith At El Gancho

Helllooooooo tourists! And locals. Smalls just said to me «please don’t ask me why I keep coming back here but I do. I’m hopeful that things will improve but they just don’t.»
Background time… This was a restaurant that didn’t need any help before this current owner took over. It used to be a great place to go… So sad, for now it sucks!
Let’s see where do we start?
First a shout out to the new bartender Lucas — great martini!
Now for the nitty gritty
Good God! The place is freaking dirty! You can see the kitchen from the bar; just sit there and look at all the dirt and scum on the side of the salamander machine. it is FILTHY! The walls behind the fryer are gross!
And for no extra charge the cook will handle your food with his hands, no gloves. I never saw him wash them once.
They stored a tray of butter and sour cream UNDER THE FRYER for the whole time we were there… mmmm salmonilla anyone?
The carpet is rotting away — hasn’t been cleaned in God knows when.
OOOOO that smell, can’t you smell that smell?
Go up the ramp to the washrooms — look at the walls — all I’m saying
One customer, sitting next to us, ordered a burger Medium rare, we heard the cooks talking about doing it well done. They cooked the hell out of it.
We ordered the wings, and seven bucks got a plate of what I guess were either pigeon wings or squirrel legs. The bartender was so embarrassed he comped it for us.
And for fun and entertainment try balancing on the rickety bar stools or better yet, play the — who can find a good chair game.
Ugh, all I can say is save your money for a different restaurant in Santa Fe. I used to like this place but damn it shot straight down the crapper!
Hello… Restaurant Impossible???

Service was so bad, we never even got to try the food. Left after 20 minutes on a night that was not too busy. Will not be back.

Good place for a nice juicy steak. Ahi tuna appetizer was very good. If you like spinach, do try the cheese balls. Soup of the day was cream of green chile with chicken. It was amazing! Would go back just for the soup. The service was very good.

Food was good and the waitstaff was ok. The owner actually came by to check and see how things were going. I will say we were a bit taken a back by the guy who took our payment. He chased us down at the front door accusing us of stiffing him on the tip. My son in law was quick to tell him we had not and asked him to recount the money, the genius had miscounted. That was embarrassing for him. Not sure I will be back anytime soon.

Very outdated menu and atmosphere. The staff were pretty friendly, but struggled to take care of my party of 7. The food was just ok, didn’t really have much flavor. I ordered a stuffed trout which was full of bones and scales and hardly edible. It came with a side of my choice and I went with asparagus. I literally got 3 asparagus on my plate! For the price the entire experience was comical and I would not reccomend!

Wonderful place ! Great prices– Attentive Service– Delicious Food in a timely manner —
What more need I say?

The service is superb, always there when needed but never obtrusive. The food is great. We both had the prime rib and it was perfection, perfectly seasoned and aged. I had green chile chicken soup for a starter. It was just seasoned enough to give it a nice bite and the proportion was perfect for a starter. For a appetizer we had fried avocado which was delicious. We finished off sharing a great crème brûlée. All in all a great dining experience.

Wow!!! This place is awesome. The filet ordered medium rare was perfect. Very nice and tender. This is easily my favorite restaurant now in Santa Fe

Barf

We made the hour long trek to have a romantic dinner @ Steaksmith because we’ve had an enjoyable experience in the past, not so on the latest visit. The petite filet ordered rare was a very petite sirloin that was cold in the middle. The baked potato could have used another 15 minutes in the oven, the asparagus was, just like the fish, hugely overcooked and fairly tasteless. These are the good points. On the bad side, there was a horrific odor of backed up sewage emanating from somewhere near the center of the restaurant that further detracted from dining, but the worst was the gastric distress that attacked our digestive systems before we could get home. Fortunately there was a Mickey D’s with a clean restroom en route. I sincerely apologize for the smell left in that respite.

Quality of meat not up to par for the price. A local chain restaurant is a much better choice at half the price.

Not worth the money. The two stars are for the fact that they checked on us regularly, and the creamy onion salad dressing was good. I’m not a big fan of steak, but I like to have one every now and then. I wouldn’t consider my standards to be very high at all. That being said, I can honestly say the petite filet I ordered was the most bland I have ever had. My asparagus tasted like it had just come out of the freezer bag. My husband’s prime rib was five times worse than the one we paid half of the price for last week at a pub. It gets better. Several of us (in a party of seven) ordered steak, and somehow, the wrong steaks were paired with the wrong sides. When we informed the waiter, he basically blamed it on us. He finally admitted they had put the wrong steaks with the wrong sides, but seriously??? The only thing I can compliment is that the water boy kept our glasses refilled.

Horrible. Surprised to see so many stars people gave it. Bad service. Bad appetizers. Bad stake. Bad seafood. I mean — not bad, but Lobster house like, nothing special, nothing mouthwatering at all.

My friends and I love steaks so we tried Steaksmith at El Gancho. We were not expecting too much at first because we just randomnly picked this place. The moment we came in the restaurant, we were greeted by friendly staffs and we were seated right away. Then they were so helpful and friendly. We tried their steak, and wow we were blown away! I loved their steak, the sauce made it perfect. It has a unique flavor that ticles my taste buds. We left the place with so much happiness that we picked the right restaurant.

Prime rib was great, good atmosphere. You have to try the chili cheese balls, they are fried yummy cheesy goodness! The service was fabulous, drinks were constantly filled, someone was always asking how everything was, very attentive. Great restaurant for a nice night out, or a drink at the lounge/​bar.

Traditionally I find myself at Steaksmith for a celebration of some event… some holiday, perhaps. Every once in a while, it’s been nice to stop in to the bar and get an app and the ribeye. Like at least one another reviewer, I’m familiar with the Steaksmith since it was downtown next to the St. Francis Hotel… it had these high back booth seats that were as tall as I was then (I must have been about 8) and I remember it being rather dark inside… one of the best places to eat, though, and still is!
These days, now residing several miles from where it originated, plenty of light shines in through the windows (especially at sunset) and the food and service still continues to forge on. Sure, there are those rare times that we might have a small complaint, but for as many times as myself, my friends and my family have been here, the good times have definitely out-​weighed the bad… and tonight was no exception.
This evening we brought a very good friend here for dinner… someone who was involved in a head-​on collision two months ago and is extremely lucky to be alive. A wrong-​way drunk driver on I-​25 traveling at 100mph slammed head on in to her vehicle nearly killing her… and tonight, she sat across from us celebrating her 20^th birthday… we couldn’t have felt any more honored or thankful that she has recovered enough to be here tonight! :)
A very big Thank You goes out to the restaurant staff who made her birthday celebration SO pleasant tonight… fantastic service and delicious food! Water glasses never ran empty (and neither did her Dr. Pepper), we dissolved the Jeanne’s Shrimp with a smile, enjoyed the fresh salads and the entrees were some of the best I’ve ever had. My Teriyaki steak was a 10 as was the lobster I paired it with. Sure, say what you want about the Surf-​side of New Mexico’s Surf-and-Turf…I know we’re not oceanside, but this was damned good! She had the Crab Legs with the Teriyaki steak and enjoyed it as much if not more than I did mine… then we all sang Happy Birthday and melted in to a Chocolate calm…
What an awesome night!

This place was nearly full on a Tuesday night at 6pm and appeared to be a mix of locals and tourists. A few tables have a nice view of the sunset and we were lucky enough to be seated at one.
Started with the deep fried avocado appetizer. That was pretty good, and even better with their pico de gallo. Then on to the dinner salad which was a small but interesting mix of greens, nuts, tomatoes, purple onions and jicama. But stay away from the caesar dressing if you actually like caesar because its not good here. The prime rib was cooked to medium rare perfection, which meant that I didn’t use very much of the horseradish even though it was good. My baked potato was barely warm and some of the butter inside was not melted. Yuck. I also couldn’t find an appealing wine to order. Their selection was very limited.
My friend had the breaded shrimp and remarked that it wasn’t the best but was OK. She opted for the spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette and thought the cubes of cheese (muenster?) were a great addition.
Overall, the atmosphere was nice, the service was OK and the food was alright. I think that I would have preferred having just appetizers in the lounge area. But if you’re coming for steak, you shouldn’t be disappointed.

If you are hungry for a good steak or superb seafood — and I can’t even imagine why you would be in Santa Fe! — but, if you are, then the Steaksmith at El Gancho will be an evening to remember.
It used to just be the Steaksmith and was a block off the Plaza. But telling you that tells you how long I’ve been eating in Santa Fe because very few folks will even remember that. I’m not sure what year it moved out to the Old Las Vegas Hwy location and merged with El Gancho, but it did and I think it was a blessing in disguise for both.
They were both 3 – 4 stars before, but the combination restaurant today is definitely a 5-​star place to eat.
* Don’t come here, if you are not hungry for a really good meal; and don’t come without a few extra dollars in your pocket.
* Do bring a date. .. he or she will be impressed, if they haven’t been here before. .. . or even if they have.

There is nothing I love more on a quiet snowy night in Santa Fe than taking my lady friend out to eat at The steaksmith. To put the 4-​Runner in four wheel drive, grab a glass of wine for the romantic drive and take the back roads from Old Santa Fe Trail to the outskirts of town.
Oh, the atmosphere is warm and cozy as usual. If it is slightly crowded we’ll have a drink in the lounge. If not, our hostess will seat us and we will probably order a bottle of wine, maybe a Shafer Merlot, Napa, ’03 and the fried avocado as an appetizer.
Do I feel like a steak or some seafood tonight? Hmmm
Three or four different waiters take our orders. one for the drinks, one for the appetizer, maybe the same one or another for the main course and a different one to inquire about dessert. That’s just how they operate and I quite like it.
For dinner I order the Alaskan King Crab. Crab in the high desert you say? Absolutely! My date orders the petite fillet mignon. I had a taste and let me tell you it was good, as the crab was also. She asked for A-​1 sauce which they had, but was not necessary. You have to understand she is from a small town in Texas and they smother everything in ketchup or the like.
The Steaksmith at El Gancho once again failed me not. And the drive back into town was beautiful, taking that first right out of the parking lot and a hitting the back roads, avoiding the DUI check point on Old Las Vegas Hwy altogether.
May they continue to serve Santa Fe as they have for the last 35 years!

I’ve been here before, but only to the lounge section. This time we ate in the real restaurant part.
I got the broiled honey chipotle chicken which was delicious, and just the right level of spiciness (something I’m not used to finding at restaurants since moving to Boston). The service left a little to be desired, as our waitress was extremely pushy about us ordering and seemed to want to _​force_​us to order more food, otherwise I’d give them 4 stars.