While my stay in Santa Fe, my favorite spot for breakfast and lunch was this cute boutique bakery and cafe called Sweet Lily Bakery. It was right next to the hotel, so it was really easy to get to, and I love that they have made-from-scratch items that changes on daily bases. They offer good variety of items like pastries, savory puff pies, scones, soups and sandwiches. They also have gluten-free and vegan options here too.

They had nice outdoor seating around the cafe, and they were more popular than the indoor seating. Since I am not used to the heat (and I don’t do well in the heat), I liked being in the inside.

 

The inside was much bigger than I thought, with good amount of seating and lots of natural light coming in from windows. They had high ceiling, creating even bigger space. It was clean, cozy, warm and inviting.

They had a large dining table in the middle for a group or used as communal table, and smaller table around it. They are mostly table seating, but they also had sofas on both corner sides. It seems like a perfect spot for a relaxing meet up with family and friends.

On my first visit, I was getting a late lunch, so I was really hungry. So, I decided to order a sandwich and something sweet as well. I ordered Chocolate Hazelnut Ring ($4) and Figgy Ham & Cheese Panini Sandwich ($9.50). They asked if I wanted the Chocolate Hazelnut Ring heated, and I said yes. They gave me a number and told me I can sit wherever I want while I wait.

 

Few minutes later, they brought out the Chocolate Hazelnut piping hot! The staff told me it is REALLY hot, and she was right. I appreciate the warning. Since they make the sandwich to order, I decided to go ahead and eat the ring while I wait for my sandwich to be ready. The ring was soooo good, with gooey chocolate, lots of hazelnuts, and it was a good size too. Soft, moist, sweet, heavenly and comforting. I recommend having this right after it is heated up.

I asked my sandwich to go, so they put it in a box. The sandwich comes with a choice of side salad or chips, and I chose chips. The Figgy Ham & Cheese is made with ham, provolone, and fig jam on house-made roll. This sandwich took a while to come out, because the staff told me she dropped it as she was bringing it out…so the kitchen staff had to make another one. It is a good thing I was not in a rush. LOL.

The panini looked rather small, I was worried if it was going to be enough. But, looks can be deceiving. It was super filling, and I mean, SUPER filling! It was packed with high quality ham and nice amount of cheese. The fig jam was an interesting mix, but worked perfectly well with ham and cheese. It added tangy sweetness to it, and I really enjoyed it. The freshly grilled panini was very tasty and satisfying. The chips were good too, I am not sure if chips are also made there? It had the similar texture and flavor of Cape Cod chips. It was a really nice lunch!

Another great thing about this place is that they have self-serving water for free. They had a little counter near the entrance, and it held utensils, napkins, water and cups, pot for coffee refill and milk, etc. I always appreciate a place with water jug and cups for customers.

The next day, I brought my boss to have lunch here. On this day, I ordered a Chicken & Mushroom Puff Pie ($9.50). It comes with a side salad. Even though the puff pies are already made, they finishes it off in an oven. It came piping hot as expected.

It has mashed potatoes in the inside on the bottom, adding creamy texture and filling component to the pie. And let me tell you, this pie was AMAZING! I absolutely loved it! The chicken and mushroom had great flavor, earthy and juicy, tender and delicious. Each bite was a party in a mouth for my taste buds. The side salad was very fresh and tasty also.

On the last day, I went there for breakfast before I left Santa Fe. I ordered a Latte ($4.25/12oz.) to go with my food. They have two sizes for coffee, 12 oz and 16 oz. I didn’t need that much coffee, so I went with the smaller size, but it was still a pretty good size. They brew the coffee from coffee beans, so it was really nice! They use locally roasted “Iconik” coffee, and all coffee are made with double shots. Strong and flavorful coffee.

For food, I ordered Mini Chocolate Bundt Cake ($2), Strawberry Cheesecake Baby Muffin ($2.75), and Breakfast Sandwich ($7.50). The Breakfast Sandwich looked small, so I thought I could have it with two small desserts. The bundt cake is served as is (without being heated up), so I got to have it first. I waited until they finished making my coffee before I had it. You can see the size of the bundt cake in the second photo, it is really small.

Even thought it is small, it was very rich. The moist and dense chocolate cake was covered with chocolate sauce, which filled the middle part of the bundt cake. It was really nice and very sweet. With the sweetness, this was just the right size. If it was any bigger, the sweetness would be overwhelming.

The Breakfast Sandwich is made with green chile cheese scone, egg and cheese ($6.50). You can add bacon for extra $1, which is what I did, making it to be $7.50. Since it is made with scones, it was a bit small. This is also pre-made without bacon, then heated up.

The sandwich was really great, especially the scones. It was more like fluffy biscuits, packed with flavor. I loved the green chile in it, a little sweet, a little spicy, rich and deep flavor. It was excellent! The egg was nice and airy, cheese was melty and hugging the eggs, and bacon was thick and delicious. This sandwich was really, very filling! It was so filling that I was completely stuffed, had no room for the muffin…

So, I took the muffing with me and ate it a few hours later. The staff asked if I wanted the muffin to be heated at the time of order, and I said yes. It was a shame I couldn’t have it while it was still hot, but it was still great regardless. They have two sizes of muffin, regular and “baby.” I like how they use the work “baby” for small muffin… I didn’t realize it was a small size, as it was a nice size.

This was gluten-free, and it was really good. Moist, airy and packed with flavor. It had bits and pieces of real strawberries in it, which was awesome. I assume they have cream cheese in the batter, which went great with the strawberry, creating the “strawberry cheesecake” taste to it. They do know how to bake really well here.

After three lovely visits, I still am a fan of this cafe. The staffs here were all very nice and friendly, and everything I ordered was great, all delicious and very affordable. My boss also enjoyed his lunch too. He was doubtful of the small sandwich size, but he did get completely full just as I told him he would be. It is a very relaxing spot, quiet and calm, warm and cozy. If I ever go back to Santa Fe, I would definitely go back for more great food!

 

Sweet Lily Bakery – 229 Johnson St, Santa Fe, NM 87501