La Fiesta Lounge & Bell Tower Bar

The Bell Tower Bar is just "OK".

Yeah, you're on top of the building (5 floors up looking at roof tops of the rest of the city)  and yeah, the views of the distant mountains are nice....BUT.....

- It fills up fast on a nice evening, get there early if you want to go;
- Margaritas are $12; pricey and average quality;
- the server & management let you know when they want you out (guess I spent too much time in Europe - this really turned me off).

There were 4 of us, we ordered 6 of the $12 margaritas, 2 glasses of wine & 3 appetizers - we weren't being cheap.  

As soon as we finished our last sip, the bill was laid on the table (I mean, I had barely finished swallowing).  Then the management keep walking by the table, looking at the check and then looking at us.  After the 3th time, the tip percentage took a nose dive.

After the 4th time, we left.

My recommendation: if you really want to check it out (and it is a nice facility), go there early, have one drink & leave before they can push you out the door.  It's not like it's the only choice in Santa Fe - this city is loaded with great places to eat & drink.

If you want a downtown sunset experience, take a walk to Hillside Park (about 4 blocks from La Fonda), take a discreet drink with you & that special person, sit on top of the hill and be in control of your own time.

The lounge area serves the best lunch buffet ever.  It's so fresh, consistent and priced right.  The staff, ever so friendly, always greet us kindly.  
If we feel like meat, we have lots to choose from, if salad is the thing, we load up on the shredded lettuces, tomatoes, salsas and top it off with a bit of beans and cheese.
Something to please everyone!  Parking is almost always available, so convenient - get your parking ticket validated and it's free with lunch.

LaFonda will always be our special hideaway for New Mexican comfort food at lunchtime especially.

Bell Tower Bar: 5 stars. Beautiful views. Can get chilly!

La Fiesta Lounge: 3 stars
The food is standard bar food and not bad, not great. It hits the spot.

The drinks are good. Loved the local NM Alien ale on tap.

Live music and dancing every night. Quality of the bands varies, but none of them are bad per se.

The service is iffy. It take a long time to get served, but it comes, and the servers tend to decided when they think you are done and hand you a check whether you ask for it or not.

The place gets pretty busy almost every night, but there is an overflow area out into the hallway. But service gets spottier the further you get from the action.

Kitchen closes at 10pm, as do most kitchens in the neighborhood, so word to the wise if you like to eat late.

It's located nicely at the La Fonda and feels pretty open, like you just HAVE to stop by and visit at night. Nice touch.