Five & Dime General Store

«Been coming here when in Santa Fe as long as I can remember. Always have the Frito Pie. Chile is authentic New Mexico. Sorry Texans, not like that stuff that comes in a can that says Hormel or whatever on it. Some days it has a little more bite than others, but always very manageable. Probably as reasonable of a meal as you’ll find on the plaza. ($ 4.99)»

A fun store, and a big surprise right on the plaza. Reminds me of stores I frequented when first emigrated from England. One of the best places to find postcards if you’re into sending them, or if you’re not a good photographer! Be prepared to spend some time «just looking». They also, in my opinion, have a better selection of NM or Santa Fe T-​shirts, if you like that kind of thing. It’s a great place for tourists in comparison to the high prices of Santa Fe, and especially The Plaza area.
If staying around the Plaza, this is a good place to get water, sodas etc not readily available in this area. A definite must visit, just to see what’s available. I

Nice staff people. Broad variety of goods for travelers. Got some ice cold water, sodas, and bubble bath for me to enjoy later at La Fonda. Cashiers were really friendly and nice. Did not have Head and Shoulders shampoo or comparable dandruff shampoo.

This place reminds me of the Five and Dime stores that I frequented growing up. It caters to the tourist with trinkets and t-​shirts but why not, it’s Santa Fe. They have just about any toiletry item you might have forgotten.
You’ll see an interesting crowd but that adds to the fun of the store which sits perfectly on the Plaza.

Home of the Frito Pie needs Better Chili
OK, now. In my opinion, chili should be thick and rich and very flavorful. The chili here had a little heat and was only OK. It was also thin and almost seemed like a soup.
We should have gotten the «Frito Pie» but missed that opportunity. Instead I had a large chili dog. It was tasty, but the chili, ladled over everything, turned mine into a big mess of soggy bun. The only way to eat it was with a knife & fork. I haven’t eaten a hot dog that way since… wait, I can’t remember.

Anthony Bourdain can suck it, Frito Pie is great.
I love the atmosphere, but I also love dive bars and being a hick.
Don’t be a jerk to the cashiers and they’ll hook you up with a decent amount of chili and cheese. The chili’s got some heat and feels like authentic New Mexican food. A great place for tourists, in my opinion.
Also very important, CASH ONLY!!!

If you are shopping in the Santa Fe Plaza stop in and visit the Five & Dime. The have a lot of Mexican crafts and decorations with the best prices in the downtown area.

SUCH A TOURIST TRAP! Seriously the frito pies here are disgusting there’s such better places in Santa Fe to get a frito pie I’d recommend the frito from tortilla flats. The service here is horrible. The workers in the front and back have been rude ever since I can remember and I have lived in Santa Fe for 20 years. They don’t maintain there bathrooms AT ALL they seriously just don’t care. if your a tourist visiting Santa Fe skip this place I HIGHLY recommend it

I’m on a trip to Santa Fe right now with my mom. I went into the Five and Dime today in the downtown area and found a good array of reasonably priced gifts (magnets, calendars, salsa, t-​shirts, coloring books, etc). Most people want to taste the Frito Pie but I was in the market for thank-​you gifts to take home.
When I went to the cashier to check out, the red-​headed woman in her 60s was busy putting strings on wooden butterflies and barely acknowledged me. While waiting for my credit card to go through, she resumed putting strings on butterflies so I tore off the receipt when it was done printing and signed. «I wish you hadn’t done that,» she snarled, «sometimes it ruins the machine.» Really? A minute ago, you didn’t appear to give a damn, lady. I responded «Well, sorry I ruined your day.» «You didn’t,» she huffed, «you’re not that powerful.»
In any retail setting, regardless of the location and the clientele, vendors need to train their employees to be polite and courteous. I’ve read other reviewers claiming the same thing about the rudeness of employees that work in this store. I wish I had read them before I walked in.
Avoid this store and the nasties who work there. You can get t-​shirts, post cards, magnets and the like at practically any store in downtown Santa Fe. I was in quite a few of them, and I was greeted and treated respectfully. You can make your own Frito Pie at home and find all your retail needs met at surrounding establishments for nearly the same price with much better service and kinder people. Toothpaste and other items can be found at Albertson’s, CVS or Walgreens.
I’d rather drive the extra mile and receive polite service than walk into a store where the clerks are crappy and rude.

Walked here and found toothpaste! Yes! The one thing I forgot to pack.
They also had some interesting birthday cards, and of course, souvenirs galore.

I have went there a few times during our stay for various small items (painkillers, children’s notebooks etc) and while the selection of those is adequate, the employees must be the least helpful and some of the rudest people in Santa Fe — quite a contrast to all the other stores in the city– simple polite greetings are too much for them to say. They have discussed my signature on the receipt right in front of my face, and have failed to give me a bag to carry items in even after I asked for it. The owner might do much better with his personnel selection.

I had no knowledge of the world famous frito pie but I appreciate this establishment for the way it does tacky. To the extreme. Want a sheriff badge with your name on it? Got ‘em. Want hot sauce with a ridiculous label? Got it. Want a scorpion lolly? Got that too. For cheap and cheerful $ 5 gifts, this is the place to go. Nowhere else on the plaza will you find anything close to affordable.

To be honest, my taste buds were so shot from a hot sauce I ate earlier in the day, I couldn’t taste a thing in my Frito pie. No, I didn’t get the hot sauce from Five & Dime. I got it elsewhere but unfortunately it left a lingering effect in my mouth. I’ll have to try their Frito pie again when my mouth is in better shape.
It should be noted that Five & Dime is hardly the only place in town to purchase a Frito pie. Many places sell them throughout northern New Mexico. However the Frito pies sold at Five & Dime are fairly cheap at under 5 bucks, the chile is cooked daily, and they serve them in a real Frito bags. Not every place in town serves them in actual Frito bags, so that’s a special nice touch.
The snack bar in the rear of the building is quite tiny. The rest of the store is a touristy gift store that sells cheap poorly made trinkets.
Lastly, the employees working the front counter seemed to be the weirdest of the weird. I was almost afraid to ask them a question.

Not a bad place to walk into if on a budget. They had a lot of touristy stuff that had me wondering in the aisles to keep out of the sun. Located in the back of the building is a small little counter that serves food. You can order a frito pie. Not even sure what that is? But I think it involves meat? Bleh!
This is a great place if you happen to need the bathroom. They are located in the back. I walked out with some gifts to take back home for friends. My boyfriend picked out a cold drink from the fridge. Just your usual market/​gift shop.

Actually haven’t spent much time in the General Store portion but the in the back grill has our attention anytime we’re anywhere near the Santa Fe Plaza. And that’s because of the best we’ve ever had anywhere Frito Pie.
The beans, meat, and red chile mix is poured straight into the single serve bag of Fritos and topped with cheese. There are other food items offered but honestly I’ve never even considered the choices because that’s how good the Frito Pie is.
The attitude of the ladies at the counter is a bit shy of a brillo pad, but as long as you know what you’re going to have before you get there it’s quick, pretty cheap for the large portion, and you get to take it out and sit in the Plaza for some people watching.
And make sure you have cash, nothing else is accepted at the food counter, though there is an ATM at the front of the store.

If you are looking for anything while you are in downtown Santa Fe and you don’t have it, Five and Dime probably does. It’s not fancy or clean, but it’s convenient.
My husband and I buy shot glasses every time we travel from where ever we went, this was the first place that had them for a decent price and a large selection.

Good place to stop by if you’re on a road trip and need a break from the highway blur. They have good soft serve and unique souvenirs. The more notable ones are the hand made native american pieces near the back. The rest is nothing special, just your usual run-​of-​the-​mill «made in china» trash.

I saw this place on a Food Network show «Best Ever» and had to try it out. You have to walk to the back of the Five & Dime store and there you will find a very small food counter. I think they sell some other things, but just order the frito pie (which comes in a frito’s bag which has been cut open along the side and then filled with a large scoop of meat/​red chile and cheese).
They have a small condiment tray where you can add onions and jalapenos (which I would recommend) and then find a seat by the small bar and prepare to have a rather splendid time.
It has a great flavor, very deep, it is good & spicy and the fritos stay somewhat crispy.
This place only takes cash (there is an ATM at the front of the store ready to charge you a fee on top of your withdrawl).

It was sure nice to find this place among all the fancy stuff. A place where you can get something as simple as a coke and a candy bay without all the fancy overhead. I gotta say — Thanks for being there!

Known to my family as «the shortcut store» for its having one entrance on the square and one (via another store) closer to parking, the best part about this place is ability to save a person some walking. Other than that, it appears as a rather strange anomaly beside all the high-​rent Native American art stores.
The Five and Dime is exactly what you’d expect from the name: a curious throwback to ‘50s style one-​stops, with a whole lot of overpriced household miscellany and touristy bric-​à-​brac. Imagine if the sundries section of your local gas station were expanded to fill a rather large storefront, and you have this place.
What’s the point? Well, some people swear by the Frito pie. While I can appreciate the years of dedication and culinary training it must have taken to be able to fill a bag of chips with chile and low-​grade cheese, I’d much rather save five bucks and undertake the Herculean task myself. Just like with their inedible stock, they are really just dishing out cheap garbage at high prices for a captive tourist clientele. Do yourself a favor: skip this store and spend the extra time talking to the amazing Native American artists selling their wares under the awning across the street. Then you’ll get a real idea of what Sante Fe is about.