Santa Fe

Name: Santa Fe
Address: Beach St, Merimbula, AU-NSW, Australia, 2548
Telephone: (02) 6495 1552
Price range: $40 and under
Rating: 4.2

4.2 (22)

$40 and under

Mexican

Beach St, Merimbula, AU-NSW 2548

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 6, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 1 time today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Great for scenic views
Great for outdoor dining
Good for groups

Santa Fe is a warm and welcoming family friendly Mexican restaurant & bar located in the middle of the Merimbula CBD with incredible views over Merimbula Lake through to Bar Beach. We offer a high level of service in a casual atmosphere.
The beautiful vistas are visible from all of our three dining areas front open air deck and our rear covered deck.
Our menu includes a broad range of Mexican food favourites. We also feature excellent cocktails, wines and Mexican and local beers as well to make it a complete experience.
Located on the first floor of The Plaza. Access from Beach Street via stairs or use the lift next to Dwyers Real Estate.
Your hosts Peter and Jodie Dunnage are well known locally for their fabulous service and attention to the diners experience. We are proud to be the Travellers Choice for Mexican on the South Coast through Australian Good Food Guide and Open Tables Diners Choice for 2024.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$40 and under
Cuisines
Mexican, Tex-Mex
Hours of operation
Lunch Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–2:00 pm Dinner Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–8:00 pm
Phone number
(02) 6495 1552
Website
https://santafetacobar.com.au/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Private party facilities
We host private events for up to 40 people inside and 30 outdoors. Please contact us directly on 0460001264 to arrange. Small groups of 20+ are also able to book our outdoor spaces for private functions.We offer a very flexible Banquet Menu starting at $43 per person for a 2 course meal.

Location
Beach St, Merimbula, AU-NSW 2548
Neighborhood
Merimbula
Cross street
Beach and Alice Streets
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Banquet, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

Large Group Booking (10+)
Multiple dates available
Santa Fe is an excellent venue for large groups and we receive many requests for larger tables. To assist us in managing these requests we have created this experience.

Offers

5-6pm Grab a drink and snack then go!
Multiple dates available
Thu - Sat - 5:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Heading to the movies or even another restaurant? Pop into Santa Fe between 5-6pm for $16 margaritas or our discounted beers and wines. Add a tasty small plate to share and you can be set up for a fabulous evening! Easy parking, centre of Merimbula

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AI Beta

Our AI assistant, Concierge, is here to answer your questions about this restaurant.

Mexi BowlA$29.00
with Jack cheese, iceberg, pico de gallo, corn salsa, guacamole, sour cream, Mexi lime rice and your choice of beef, pork, chicken, beans (1 protein only) GF
BurritoA$27.00
with side of house corn chips, sour cream. Our burritos contain your choice of beef, pork, chicken, beans (1 protein only), spicy Mexi Rice and Quesadilla cheese. Extras available inside burrito include pico de gallo, lettuce. Corn salsa, guacamole or sour cream (charges apply)
NachosA$28.00
corn chips topped with Jack cheese, heated, then topped with your choice of beef, pork, chicken, beans (1 protein only), pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream GF
QuesadillaA$24.00
2 flour tortillas filled with quesadilla cheese with choice of pork, chicken, prawns or mushrooms – grilled and topped with pico de gallo, pickled red onion, sour cream and tomatillo salsa verde
Tacos – Flour Tortillas (3) with choice of 1 of:A$24.00
Crumbed whiting fillets, iceberg, quesadilla cheese, pico de gallo, lime mayo, lime and coriander
- Beans with iceberg, quesadilla cheese, corn salsa, guacamoleA$0.00
Tacos – Blue Corn Tortillas (3) with choice of 1 of:A$24.00
Pulled pork, avocado, jalapeños, pickled red onion, tomatillo salsa verde, coriander and lime
- Mushrooms, iceberg, corn salsa, spring onion, guacamoleA$0.00
Rice & ProteinA$18.00
spicy Mexi rice, choice of protein (1) beef, pork, chicken, beans

Kids (under 12 only)

Kids NachosA$14.00
corn chips, cheese with either beans or beef and sour cream
Kids cheese QuesadillaA$14.00
served with corn chips and sour cream
Kids fish and chip bowlA$14.00
with salad

Sides

GuacamoleA$5.00
Sour CreamA$4.00
Red or Green Chilli SauceA$3.00
Mexi RiceA$8.00
Corn CobA$7.00
FriesA$8.00
either salted or with Mexi-seasoning
BeansA$9.00

Dessert

ChurrosA$14.00
(4) served with a vanilla ice cream and ganache
American Brownie (GF)A$14.00
served with 2 vanilla ice cream scoops

What 22 people are saying

Santa Fe reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.2

4.2 based on recent ratings

4.3Food
4.4Service
4.4Ambience
4.0Value

Noise • Energetic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Santa Fe boasts "fantastic" jalapeño margaritas and "extremely good" food. Guests love the "lovely and friendly" staff and the "breathtaking" deck view. Despite some mixed reviews on pricing and service, the overall experience remains positive with "generous portions" and a "great atmosphere." Perfect for a memorable dining experience.

22 Reviews

N
Nicole
Sydney1 review
5.0
Dined on May 17, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
What a fantastic restaurant. We started with the jalapeño margaritas which were the best we have ever had! The lingering heat was just right. The pod was delicious, love the ability to add heat and the portions were very generous.
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M
Madison
New South Wales1 review
5.0
Dined on April 26, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food was amazing Stuff we're lovely and friendly Great atmosphere
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C
Christine
New South Wales1 review
4.0
Dined on April 24, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Very good experience. Service was prompt and efficient. Excellent Magerita. Food was extremely good.
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J
Jason
Melbourne19 reviews
4.0
Dined on March 26, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
A great dining experience in Merimbula - always a must visit when we come to stay. Great food and friendly service. If you can book a window seat you’ll enjoy views over Merimbula Lake.
Santa FeResponded on March 29, 2025
Thanks Jason! ☺️🌮
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T
Trudy
New South Wales1 review
5.0
Dined on March 14, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our night out at Santa Fe was very enjoyable. The service, food & atmosphere was outstanding. The view from the deck whilst enjoying our dinner was breathtaking. We’ll definitely be back for sure! 😊
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H
Helena
Melbourne2 reviews
4.0
Dined on February 26, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Service was the stand out, food and drinks were great to!
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N
Natalie
New South Wales1 review
1.0
Dined on February 15, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
Booked for a birthday celibration and anticipated a great night out. We were looking forward to a nice restraunt quality meal. Unfortunatly it fell short of meeting our expectations. Prices were very high for something I felt I could have just as easily thrown together at home. Very basic ingredients i could have picked up from any supermarket. Meat was dry and lacking flavor and very little provided. Given the extra charge for beef of $4 we would have expected more than a small minute steak cut into strips. Not enough to fill the 4 small tortias provided. Food was very disappointing and service was lacking. Water was requested by us and delivered to table no glass provided. Food came out but no utensils offered. Should have stayed at the club and ordered food there.
Santa FeResponded on February 19, 2025
Hi Natalie. Your review is no surprise since you ordered a blue margarita and returned a freshly made margarita with quality traditional ingredients in a Margarita glass because “it was not what you had expected”. I suspect given your comments you don’t know too much about what goes into making fresh Mexican food and given your reference to the RSL you were probably expecting a frozen margarita which we don’t sell because they are unauthentic. We were kind enough NOT to charge you for the margarita as you did order and receive it. As for the delay in utensils, we apologise as we had new staff on who are not fully up to speed yet.
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S
Sarah
New South Wales1 review
5.0
Dined on February 12, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Awesome staff and amazing food! Our favourite family night out!
Santa FeResponded on February 13, 2025
Thank you Sarah. We re so pleased you enjoyed your evening at Santa Fe
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T
Tracey
Melbourne1 review
1.0
Dined on January 21, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 1
I called to book a table and was told they were booked, out so I went online and low and behold they had tables available - when we arrived we had to wait about 10 mins as they were confused as to which table was ours - finally got our table and paid $30 for the blandest Mexican bowl I have ever had. the nachos were terrible only served one they were so small and to top it off I am a vegetarian and I asked for a beans mex bowl which was served with beef chilli con carne. When i questioned it they said not it’s just beans I know what meat looks like??? The little waitress was the best part of the night
Santa FeResponded on January 22, 2025
Hi Tracey. Shocked at your review! Did you send the food back or just put up with something you thought was incorrect? I know we did quite a lot of bean dishes last night. We use Pinto beans, I can assure you,; you would know of it was our beef, and our staff know what our food is. The small Nachos (as you claim) was a normal serve and the person at your table ordered the cheaper Plain Nachos which has basic toppings, no protein. Our menu clearly states everything about the meal. Including suggesting you ask for more spice if that is your choice. As for your booking online, I will take this up with Open Table as we had paused online booking due to be understaffed.
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S
Steph
New South Wales1 review
3.0
Dined on January 14, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 1
Great points - lovely staff, generous meal sizes. Not-so-great - timing, environment, coat We arrived on time and were kept waiting in the entranceway to be seated, for several minutes. We had booked a week earlier! We were then finally seated literally in the entrance. We waited for several minutes before we were given menu’s and then it was a good 10 mins until we were approached to order. Our drinks did not arrive until long after the food, which was so frustrating. The food was delicious and great serving sizes however; expensive for a family meal. We won’t be back as we just didn’t enjoy the environment or sitting in the doorway and generally did not feel it was value for money. Recommend booking early, getting straight on to the drinks order and choosing your seating.
Santa FeResponded on January 16, 2025
Stephen your review is very disappointing. You booked the back terrace a week ago. At 5pm a major storm hit Merimbula and your table was badly affected. I made the decision to contact you and advise that we could accommodate you inside and as you were a table of 8. You accepted that offer. The entire restaurant inside was booked out so we had a lot to do to accommodate you. As for cost, our average meal cost is $30 pp. Your spend with entrees, meals, 2 rounds of drinks was less than $50pp. For drinks coming out, your first round of drinks may have been a bit slower than normal because you arrived at a peak time. Your review is grossly unfair given the lengths we went to accommodate a you under the circumstances. I will think twice next time someone’s booking is weather affected.
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FAQs

Santa Fe offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (02) 6495 1552.

Santa Fe is rated 4.2 stars by 22 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 6, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 1 time today

Experiences are available.

Beach St, Merimbula, AU-NSW 2548

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross street
Beach and Alice Streets
Neighborhood
Merimbula
Hours of operation
Lunch Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–2:00 pm Dinner Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–8:00 pm
Price
$40 and under
Cuisines
Mexican, Tex-Mex
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Banquet, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
https://santafetacobar.com.au/
Phone number
(02) 6495 1552
Private party facilities
We host private events for up to 40 people inside and 30 outdoors. Please contact us directly on 0460001264 to arrange. Small groups of 20+ are also able to book our outdoor spaces for private functions.We offer a very flexible Banquet Menu starting at $43 per person for a 2 course meal.

Santa Fe

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Dining areas

Additional information

Large Group Booking (10+)

5-6pm Grab a drink and snack then go!

Small Dishes/Entrees

Guacamole and House chipsA$12.00

Pico de Gallo/Chilli adobada salsa with House ChipsA$13.00

Wings (5) with either spicy red sauce or mild BBQ sauceA$14.00

Plain Nacho – cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour creamA$18.00

Fries either salted or with Mexi-seasoningA$8.00

Mains

Mexi BowlA$29.00

BurritoA$27.00

NachosA$28.00

QuesadillaA$24.00

Tacos – Flour Tortillas (3) with choice of 1 of:A$24.00

Tacos – Blue Corn Tortillas (3) with choice of 1 of:A$24.00

Rice & ProteinA$18.00

Kids (under 12 only)

Kids NachosA$14.00

Kids cheese QuesadillaA$14.00

Kids fish and chip bowlA$14.00

Sides

GuacamoleA$5.00

Sour CreamA$4.00

Red or Green Chilli SauceA$3.00

Mexi RiceA$8.00

Corn CobA$7.00

FriesA$8.00

BeansA$9.00

Dessert

ChurrosA$14.00

American Brownie (GF)A$14.00

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

Does Santa Fe offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Santa Fe restaurant rated?

Is Santa Fe currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information