Santa Fe, NM
For Fried Chicken in Santa Fe, the local food press points to Anthony's Grill and BOXCAR. Picks from Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog and Santa Fe New Mexican (Taste), updated July 2026.
Editor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog, Santa Fe New Mexican (Taste), Santa Fe New Mexican (Pasatiempo), and Santa Fe Reporter. Updated July 2026.
Anthony's Grill · St Michaels Dr
A St. Michael's Drive kitchen that opened in 2020 and, alongside its Asian-fusion stir-fries, built a following on made-to-order Southern-style fried chicken and catfish. Gil's Thrilling Blog covers the fried chicken in detail, and the Santa Fe New Mexican's Taste column profiled the takeout menu. Order the fried chicken by the leg and thigh, cooked to order in about fifteen minutes, with the fried catfish alongside. Yelp files it under soul food, but the fry is the reason to go.
BOXCAR · Downtown
This downtown gastropub's contribution to the fried-chicken category is its chicken and waffles: crisp fried chicken over a Belgian waffle, finished with red chile butter and maple syrup, singled out by the Santa Fe Reporter and reviewed by the Santa Fe New Mexican's Pasatiempo. Order the chicken and waffles, the fried chicken carrying the plate against the sweet-and-heat of the red chile butter. A lively Water Street room with live music most nights.
What’s your #1 Fried Chicken in Santa Fe?
Rank your top five and be the first to set Santa Fe's local ranking.