Del Charro touts itself as “Santa Fe’s Watering Hole,” and if you’ve ever spent an evening there (or a couple of years worth of evenings, as I did when I first moved to Santa Fe), you’ll totally get that statement. Del Charro is a local’s bar, a place where you’re likely to run into three or four or eight or ten people you know on any given day. The bartenders are friendly, they remember your name (is the theme song from “Cheers” running through your head?), the drinks are NOT expensive, and the food is good. Not fancy, just good.

Last Friday night was the official party of the Santa Fe Reporter Best of Santa Fe announcements and I was thrilled to hear that Del Charro won Best Bar. In 2015, they won Best Local Bar, Best Cocktails and Best Happy Hour. They also won mentions in the categories of Best Hotel Bar, Best Cheap Eats, Best Margaritas and Best Chile Cheese Fries.

All well deserved. If you’re visiting Santa Fe for the first or the tenth time, I strongly suggest that you wander over to the Inn of the Governors and pop into Del Charro for a drink. Even if you don’t want a cocktail (the house margarita is one of the best in town), lunch or dinner on the patio is cheap and easy and delicious.

My very first visit to Del Charro was years ago when I still lived in Quay County and was here for a cousins weekend. It was bitterly cold and we were walking around downtown, trying to muster up enough energy to keep moving from shop to shop to church to museum to shop. We asked someone in a clothing store where the locals ate lunch and she smiled and said, “Del Charro, of course,”

We found ourselves on the patio (sealed for the winter) in front of a roaring fire, eating Frito Pies and their amazing Green Chile Chicken Chowder and homemade potato chips. Had margaritas to go with our warm lunch, and then a couple more. When the tab came, it was by far the least expensive meal we had eaten in Santa Fe all weekend.

That was years ago. I still take out of town guests to Del Charro for a meal and a libation. There’s a reason they won Best Bar. Stop by and see for yourself. Let them know Bunny sent you. I’m pretty sure they’ll know my name.

By the way, if you’re curious about who won in the other categories, check out the Best of 2016 guide.