El Nido restaurant and bar, a fixture in Tesuque for 80 years and one of Santa Fe's best-known eateries, is closing.

The restaurant's last day will be Jan. 24.

The business is owned by partners Dennis Dampf and Don Scharhag, who have owned the restaurant for the last 27 years.

"This has lasted longer than any of my marriages," Dampf said Wednesday evening. "Don and I like to say we've only raised our voices to each other twice in 27 years."

When asked about the reasons for the closure, Dampf declined to disclose them, other than to say it was partly due to difficult times in the restaurant business, which have seen fewer people eating out and more eating at home.

"Business has been slow," Dampf said. "That's one reason for it."

Scharhag couldn't be reached for comment.

A statement Dampf e-mailed to The New Mexican said in part, "owners Don Scharhag and Dennis Dampf are announcing the end of an era ... many thanks to our loyal customers and wonderful staff. Don and Dennis hope to see as many folks as we can until the Jan. 24 closing.

"Again a sincere thanks goes out to everyone for supporting us these past 27 years."

Dampf said the restaurant building, which is owned by Santa Fe resident Carlton Colquitt, has been on the market for several months.

El Nido restaurant and bar has enjoyed a long and colorful history, starting out in the 1920s as a roadhouse and dance hall known for its jukebox and lively tunes.

"We heard it was a house of ill repute," Dampf said.

The restaurant changed ownership many times over the years. It was owned from 1962 to 1976 by the politically prominent Arias family.

Steve Arias couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

The murals famed artist Will Schuster painted at El Nido eventually ended up at the state Capitol building, Dampf said.

Santa Fe author Pen La Farge mentions El Nido several times in his book about Santa Fe, Turn Left at the Sleeping Dog, focusing on the restaurant's colorful history in the 1930s and 1940s.

"There weren't many places in Santa Fe to go for entertainment, either bars or restaurants or dance halls," La Farge said in a 2002 interview. "The two main ones were La Fonda and, going out of town, El Nido."

El Nido, La Farge continued, "as I understand it, based on implications from the way people speak about it, started off as a dance hall and went through various incarnations, including as a restaurant and as a brothel."

El Nido became a popular spot for celebrities, including Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Randy Travis. Locals gathered there for birthdays, anniversaries and other celebrations.

Scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory tended to gather there, a tradition that started during World War II, when, rumor had it, more secrets were whispered on the dance floor at El Nido than spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg could have imagined.

El Nido was also popular with opera-goers because of the restaurant's proximity to the Santa Fe Opera.

"We're well-known for getting people to the opera on time," Scharhag said in a 2002 interview.

Flamenco dancer María Benítez began performing at El Nido in 1970.

Scharhag and Dampf moved to Santa Fe from New York in the 1970s, and both ended up working at The Steaksmith when it was at the former DeVargas Hotel, now the Hotel St. Francis.

"At that time, The Steaksmith was the busiest restaurant in all of Northern New Mexico," Dampf said. "The opportunity came along to take over El Nido, and we went for it."

Starting in December 1981, they spent several months remodeling the 7,000-square-foot building but not making too many changes to the adobe structure, which was apparently built in the '20s or '30s with additions over the years.

"We wanted to keep the character of the building," Scharhag said. "We did add some partition walls and retiled some of the floor and added the back bar."

El Nido had been serving Northern New Mexican food, but the partners changed that, switching to steak and seafood. To this day, other than appetizers, they have only one New Mexican dish on their menu, a green-chile enchilada.

"We were the first restaurant in Santa Fe to dabble with expensive fish, like sole, halibut and salmon," Scharhag said. "We realized we were dealing with a diet-conscious community, and fish was a big part of that."

The menu has remained pretty much the same over the years.

"It's a good, solid menu with quality food," Scharhag said. "We've never tried to be trendy. Compared to a lot of other restaurants, I think we really give good value."

Another big part of El Nido is its service, which Dampf and Scharhag oversaw themselves — at least one of them was on hand the six days per week the restaurant is open. And they weren't just sitting at the bar schmoozing with customers — they took orders, cleared tables and even washed dishes.

An update to this story, detailing the planned re-opening of the restaurant can be found here.

Contact Bob Quick at 986-3011 or bobquick@sfnewmexican.com.