The Plaza Café Cookbook

Photographer Douglas Merriam
Published by UNM Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

LIST PRICE ₹1,311.00

PRICE MAY VARY BY RETAILER

About The Book

The first book to celebrate Santa Fe’s world-famous Plaza Café with stories, mouthwatering photographs, and over ninety recipes from the oldest restaurant in continuous service in one of the oldest cities in America.

Since 1905 the Plaza Café has been serving inspired favorites to Santa Fe locals as well as to destination travelers who seek out the bustling restaurant in the heart of the old city. It’s hard to miss this culinary gem, with its enviable position smack on the central plaza in one of America’s most beautiful and most visited cities. Known for its longtime family ownership, the Plaza Café offers warm hospitality, a casual atmosphere, and reliably mouthwatering home-style American, Mexican, and New Mexican specialties.

Now the Plaza Café Cookbook serves up a winning combination plate of over ninety recipes—from Mexican shakshuka to green chile stew, from blue corn enchiladas to the Café’s famous house margaritas—along with the rich history behind this treasured establishment. The Plaza Café appears on every “best of” Santa Fe list and in travel magazines and websites worldwide. In this first-ever cookbook from the Southwest landmark, four-time James Beard Award–winning author Cheryl Alters Jamison teams with Plaza Café owner Leonardo Razatos, who grew up helping his parents in the Café. With stunning full-color photographs by noted photographer Douglas Merriam, The Plaza Café Cookbook is your guide to re-creating the award-winning, fabulous flavors of Santa Fe at home.

About The Authors

Four-time James Beard Book Award–winner Cheryl Alters Jamison is one of the nation’s premiere food writers, the author of numerous cookbooks, former Food Editor for New Mexico Magazine, and the host of Heating It Up, a food talk radio show. Her Excited About Food website is a place that embraces good eating and creates enticing meals the whole family will enjoy. She is the coauthor of Smoke & Spice, The Border Cookbook: Authentic Home Cooking of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico, and The Rancho de Chimay Cookbook: The Traditional Cooking of New Mexico, among others. She lives in Santa Fe.

Leonardo Razatos, along with his business partner and husband Giuliano Marcheschi, is the owner of Plaza Café Downtown, Plaza Café Southside, and the Italian Piazza Caffè. He is the son of longtime proprietors Dan and Beneranda Razatos.

Product Details

  • Publisher: UNM Press (September 22, 2026)
  • Length: 240 pages
  • ISBN13: 9780826370266

Raves and Reviews

“Absolutely delicious and enduring! Part memoir, part menu, this cookbook is a refined celebration of culture, comfort, and history, a timeless expression of the beloved Plaza Café.”

– Kelley Cleary Coffeen, author of The Big Book of Hatch Chile

“If you’ve ever eaten at a restaurant on Santa Fe’s plaza and wanted to cook those same dishes at home, this is the book for you! Full of easy-to-make, mouthwatering recipes with a Santa Fe twist, it will satisfy your craving for New Mexico food no matter where your kitchen is located.”

– Sharon Hudgins, former editor of Chile Pepper Magazine and author of T-Bone Whacks and Caviar Snacks: Cooking with Two Texans in Siberia and the Russian Far East

“You can feel it when a place is proud of its history, and you can taste the celebration of that in every bite. The Plaza Café has always delivered genuine, honest New Mexican food with a warm, welcoming cup of Santa Fe hospitality. The recipes here capture all of that aroma and flavor.”

– James Campbell Caruso, chef and owner of La Boca and author of España: Exploring the Flavors of Spain

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Cheryl Alters Jamison

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