Santa Fe Grill reopens with new bar, new floor, new drinks

The customers are like family”

Efrain Farciert, co-owner of Santa Fe Grill

Beers and Margaritas flowed freely as servers passed complimentary trays of shrimp cocktail and a four-piece mariachi band blared into the night at Sante Fe Grill.

The Tex-Mex restaurant at 6025 Broadway and across from Van Cortlandt Park, celebrated its grand re-opening last week and the return of its original owners.

Closed for 10 days, the restaurant underwent a nearly $30,000 renovation which included new bathrooms, new kitchen equipment, a shiny, charcoal-colored bar and a new linoleum floor.

“And we’re not done yet,” Efrain Farciert said, who co-owns the restaurant along with his wife, Manari Merino.

Opened in 2003, Santa Fe Grill has become a staple of the community, serving Tex-Mex favorites. However, it was not Farciert’s first foray into the business.

He opened his first restaurant at the age of 24, El Paso in Hackensack, NJ which he opened at the same time as Santa Fe in Manhattan. He then sold the restaurants and opened Fabi Restaurant in Stanford, CT; Santa Fe Grill in the Bronx and Hacienda Santa Fe in Bridgeport, CT – but only the Bronx location has stood the test of time.

Faciert used to play soccer with friends and family at Van Cortlandt Park when one day he noticed a ‘For Rent’ sign at 6025 Broadway. Given his long history of being a restaurateur and lover of the community, he saw a golden opportunity and patrons have been flocking to the humble joint ever since.

“The customers are like family,” Faciert said.

He admitted that inflation has had an impact on his business, but instead of transferring the cost to customers, Faciert instead incurs the loss himself, taking the brunt on his own pocket.

Josefina Zabala was at the reopening with friend Aurialle Charles and her two young children. Zabala moved to the neighborhood the same year Santa Fe opened and said the Jalapeño poppers and salmon dinner are her favorite items on the menu.

Police from the 50^th precinct were also in attendance buying steak tacos and a steak burrito and local politicians arrived to the event to show their support.

“As chair of the small business committee it’s a privilege to be able to join our small business owners as they continue to expand,” Councilman Oswald Feliz said who was joined by Assemblyman Manny De Los Santos. “I’ve come here a lot a and they have really good food.”

Nine months ago, the owners of Santa Fe left their business in the hands of a friend as they left to South Carolina. However, business began to plummet, the quality of food was suffering and customers were unhappy.

They called the owners in a hail Mary and the husband-and-wife duo arrived a week prior and immediately started renovations. Working at the restaurant has been a rite of passage for their five children and in the following weeks, their son and his wife will be joining the team to ensure high quality and maintain the charm of a family-run business.

As part of their grand re-opening, the restaurant has added a new menu item of a flight of Margaritas – four eight-ounce glasses (frozen or on the rocks) for $24.

“And the Margaritas are on point,” Zabala added with a chuckle.