Tripadvisor names Sazón in Santa Fe No. 4 best fine dining in U.S.
Jul. 23—Double calamities have not stopped diners from regarding downtown Santa Fe's Mexican "New World" restaurant Sazón as one of the nation's top fine dining experiences.
Tripadvisor announced Wednesday Sazón ranked as the No. 4 U.S. Fine Dining Restaurant. Sazón was No. 12 on the same list last year after being closed for seven months because of a fire, and the No. 4 ranking came in a year of pandemic closures and limited service.
"It has been, for sure, an interesting journey," co-owner Lawrence Becerra said.
Geronimo was the only other Santa Fe restaurant to make the fine dining list, at No. 11, a drop from No. 6 in 2020. Geronimo also made the list from 2016 to 2019. Owner Chris Harvey is not disappointed.
"We certainly weren't expecting it this year with all the disruptions and serving in a tent," Harvey said. "If we can be Top 100, we're happy. It's a tribute to the staff."
Reader reviews at Tripadvisor over the past year determined the 2021 Travelers' Choice restaurant awards.
Sazón garnered more than 1,100 reviews on Tripadvisor, with 86 percent achieving five bubbles, the top rating, Tripadvisor Casey Brogan said.
"Diners love the molé and shrimp enchiladas," Brogan wrote in an email. "One recent diner even went as far as to say the experience 'literally brought me to tears.' "
Even before the Tripadvisor awards, getting a table at Sazón has been a challenge since indoor dining resumed.
"We have reservations into next year," Becerra said. "You certainly can't just show up. If you want to go there, you pretty much have to think two or three weeks ahead."
