Property that has long housed Maria's on the market for $4M

Jun. 19—The property that houses nearly quarter-century-old Maria's New Mexican Kitchen, a Santa Fe institution known for its local cuisine and vast selection of margaritas, was listed Tuesday on a series of real estate websites with an asking price of $4 million.

The listing comes just two months after a jury awarded $31 million to a woman who slipped and fell in the restaurant's parking lot in 2019, sustaining severe injuries.

It also comes as its owner, local business magnate Gerald Peters, and his wife, Kathleen Peters, have been named as defendants in two separate lawsuits this month — one seeking to foreclose on the Santa Fe Arcade property on the downtown Plaza and another alleging the two defaulted on a $2.8 million loan from regional bank WestStar.

Maria's, part of Peters' Santa Fe Dining restaurant group, has a long and storied history in the city, tracing its roots back to 1950.

Peters has owned the eatery at 555 W. Cordova Road through his restaurant group since 2013, according to Maria's website.

Santa Fe Dining completed a massive expansion in August 2019 after purchasing property next door. A new bar and dining area increased the seating capacity by 100, a company executive said at the time.

It was unclear Wednesday if Santa Fe Dining plans to close or relocate the restaurant — which has been popular among locals and tourists alike.

An assistant to Peters didn't respond to a request for comment. Restaurant staff referred questions to Santa Fe Dining. Phone messages left with the company were not returned.

Christine McDonald of Santa Fe Properties, listed as the broker for the property, also did not respond to calls seeking comment.

The listing, which appeared on the Santa Fe Properties website as well as that of Scarborough Realty Group, says the 9,632-square-foot building is "in a fantastic location, currently used as a restaurant" and that it has "excellent visibility and parking."

The listing also appeared Tuesday on the Barker Realty website — santaferealestate.com — but was taken down sometime Wednesday. Calls to the company were not returned, and a voicemail stated the real estate company was closed Wednesday in observation of Juneteenth.

Maria's was first opened by Maria and Gilbert Lopez in 1950 as a takeout business before it became a sit-down restaurant, according to previous reports in The New Mexican.

Don Hammond, a former New Mexico State Police officer, bought the restaurant in the mid-1960s and later sold it to bartender Charlie Lopez. Lopez sold it to Peter Gould and Priscilla Hoback, a popular potter and writer who also was involved for years in The Pink Adobe restaurant on Old Santa Fe Trail.

Al and Laurie Lucero took over Maria's in 1985 when the business was struggling and owned it for nearly three decades before selling it to Peters' company, earlier reports say.

The property listing sparked a flurry of comments this week on the Facebook group Santa Fe Foodies.

Some noted the jury's $31 million award in April to Megan Jade Gonzalez in a lawsuit over what was described as a spinal cord injury she sustained during a fall at Maria's in 2019.

Others recalled memories of dining at the restaurant.

"Years ago, locals spent many a memorable night chatting up art, the theatre scene (there was one), gossiping about both art poverty and art sales and laughing loudly in the dark and somewhat divey corners of Maria's saloon," one person wrote.

"Way back in the day, the best tacos I ever ate! I hope it can make a comeback!" another posted.

Other comments:

"The original Maria's was awesome."

"Maria's is a go to place for me the last thirty years."

"Wish I could buy this and turn it around. I've lived so much of my life at that place."

Some people had less favorable things to say about the eatery, in particular about their experiences there in recent years, since Santa Fe Dining took over.

"The non-chain, non-par-cooked, non-formula, non-commissary, made-to-order restaurant business is brutal and hyper-demanding," a commenter wrote, later adding, "it should come as no surprise that once family-owned Maria's was acquired by a so-called 'restaurant group' the odds of success seemed questionable."

The property, which houses Gerald Peters' Maria's New Mexican Restaurant, was listed on Tuesday. Peters has found himself in legal trouble in recent months — a jury awarding $31 million in April to a woman who tripped and fell in the restaurant's parking lot.