The Former India House Owners Behind Gatsby's, a Roaring Twenties Style Cocktail Lounge in the Santa Fe Railyard

Chili Chili writes, "Glittering chandeliers suspended from a soaring ceiling and backlit shelves of gleaming liquor bottles towering behind the bar lend Art Deco glamour to Gatsby’s."

The City Editor's photo of the lounge shows a GATSBY'S wall sign on wood slat paneling, with chandeliers, green tufted sofas and diners at tables.

The City Editor's caption on the lounge and dining room photos reads "great dining experience perfect dark mood."

The New Mexican describes Gatsby's as a Roaring Twenties style restaurant and cocktail lounge in the Railyard. The heading on the restaurant's own website reads "Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge."

After India House

The New Mexican reported, "When brothers Amrik and Pawan Dhindsa sold the India House restaurant in Santa Fe in July 2022, they did so without much of an idea about how they would keep themselves busy."

The Santa Fe Reporter wrote in 2013, "Dhindsa's father, who is from the Punjab region of India, opened the restaurant in 1992." A profile of India House says Kewal Dhindsa arrived in New York from India in 1974, and it calls Amrik Dhindsa "one of Kewal’s two sons."

After the sale, Amrik Dhindsa told The New Mexican that the brothers were sort of semi retired. "It just got kind of boring," he said. "You can only travel so much."

The New Mexican reports that during a visit to San Diego, the two found themselves one night in an elaborate, stylish, speakeasy type cocktail bar called Raised by Wolves.

Why Gatsby

"The name, of course, comes from the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel that has been adapted for the big screen four times since it was published in 1925, most recently in 2013," The New Mexican wrote.

Chili Chili says Gatsby's draws inspiration from the lavish parties in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel. "Everyone was welcome to the parties at his mansion," Pawan Dhindsa told Chili Chili. "We want everyone to feel welcome here."

Inside the room

Chili Chili says the restaurant and cocktail lounge is on the second floor of a modern Santa Fe Railyard building with an outdoor balcony and mountain views.

A second photo by the City Editor shows the dining room, with a gold table lamp in the foreground, green tufted sofas, a lit backbar with bottle shelves, chandeliers and diners. One of the City Editor's clip captions adds that the "stocked lit bar sets the mood."

OpenTable lists the dining areas at Gatsby's as Couches, Bar Stools, Patio Stools and Main Dining Room, and it lists the dress code as Business Casual.

Pawan Dhindsa also told Chili Chili, "We wanted to give Santa Fe an elegant, upscale experience that’s about feeling good and celebrating the moment."

What is on the menu

The Santa Fe Restaurant Week listing says the speakeasy, created by brothers Amrik and Pawan Dhindsa, blends the sophisticated charm of the 1920s with a modern East meets West culinary philosophy. Chili Chili writes that the upscale fusion menu at Gatsby's features high quality steaks and seafood. OpenTable lists the executive chef as Rafael Zamora.

The City Editor photographed two crab cakes with aioli, a nasturtium leaf, lemon and sauce swooshes on a white plate. On the menu, the Blue Lump Crab Cakes come with "Roasted pepper brunoise, chives, French mustard, passion fruit aioli, wild rice crackers."

The City Editor's caption on the lamb photo reads "lamb dish see menu." The menu lists the Colorado Rack of Lamb as pan seared, with a port fig demi glaze, potato pavé and grilled broccolini.

The entrees page in the City Editor's menu photo lists Chicken Tikka Masala as a "Family recipe since 1972." It is chicken in a vine ripened tomato and cream sauce with fenugreek, served with saffron basmati rice and naan.

The City Editor's caption on the bone marrow photo reads "Bone marrow not on the menu yet but coming soon."

Late in the Railyard

Amrik Dhindsa told The New Mexican he intends for Gatsby's to be a place where patrons can enjoy quality food after 9 at night, a time when many Santa Fe restaurants have closed their doors.

The restaurant's website lists a LATE NIGHT MENU with Beef Sliders, Asada Quesadilla, Shrimp Cocktail, Lollipop Lamb, Street Tacos and Asada Nachos. The Lollipop Lamb is "Grilled lamb chops, apple slaw, jalapeño mint jelly."

OpenTable lists the cuisines at Gatsby's as Cocktail Bar, Speakeasy and Fusion / Eclectic. The restaurant's website says, "Wine & Cocktail Selections Available In Person."

The Railyard around it

According to the Santa Fe Railyard, "On February 9, 1880, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company ushered its inaugural train into the Santa Fe, New Mexico station." The Railyard's grand opening came in September 2008.

If you go

OpenTable gives these directions: "Directly across Sky Cinema, take the second floor to get to Gatsby's." OpenTable lists parking as a Public Lot. The website says, "Reserve through Open Table or give us a call!" Check hours before you go.

Gatsby's is a Roaring Twenties style restaurant and cocktail lounge upstairs in the Santa Fe Railyard, above Restoration Pizza and across from Sky Cinemas. Brothers Amrik and Pawan Dhindsa, the former owners of India House, own it.

Where You LIVE