Location: Taos
Top Restaurants in Taos
Where to eat Southwestern food in Taos: The Best Restaurants and Bars
Best Southwestern restaurants nearby. Discover the best Southwestern food in Taos. View Menus, Photos and Reviews for Southwestern restaurants near you.. A rolling mesa at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Taos has a magical quality. Its rugged beauty, majestic mountains, wild Rio Grande river and unique blend of cultures - Spanish, Native American and Anglo - have historically drawn artists and photographers, evidenced by the plentiful galleries, museums and festivals. To experience the Native American culture here, explore Taos Pueblo, where the Tiwa Native Americans have practiced their traditions for centuries. Finally, the Anglo influence is prevalent in the business district, with its shops, art galleries and some of the finest restaurants in New Mexico. Skiing is also a major draw, but the challenging slopes are geared to the more advanced crowd. There's no rat race here; a fair share of non-mainstreamers have made this laid-back, low-key mecca their home. You, too, may not want to leave its tranquility and natural beauty.
Things to do in Taos
10. Alley Cantina
Overall Ratings
4 based on 482 reviews
Reviewed By Marcus L
There were six of us - got a table easily. Great waitress who got all the meals right. Food came quickly and was very tasty. We all had different orders and everyone thought their meal was excellent. She split the bills correctly and was always available for any extras. Great decor, too.
9. Casa de Valdez
Overall Ratings
4 based on 198 reviews
Reviewed By NormanSantaFe
This is a BBQ place. Nothing to write home about from the outside - looks kind of like a dive - but quite surprising inside. Nice rooms, tables and atmosphere. Our beverage service was slow - probably 6-8 minutes before our order was taken - but everything else was fine. We shared baby back ribs for 2, with 2 sides apiece (for $30, very reasonable), and, with 3 drinks between us, the tab came to $54 before tip. While the ribs were a bit overdone, they were tasty, and we are familiar enough with similar restaurants to know that consistency in the ribs is tough to achieve. The sides were good. Our meal server was professional, pleasant and prompt. We would happily go back (and may this evening!).
8. Guadalajara Grill 3
Overall Ratings
4 based on 256 reviews
Guadalajara Grill is an authentic Mexican Restaurant in Taos, NM. We boast a delicious Mexican menu that will suit any appetite.We offer an extensive menu including: American, Latin, and Mexican style creations, steak, chicken, and vegetarian dishes. Our
Reviewed By JimLud
Good place for New Mexican food and drink. Had spicy grilled salmon, which comes with grilled vegetables and guacamole, plus tortillas, rice, sour cream, and chopped tomato. Jamaica to drink. No service: order at register, they bring food to you. Friendly folk. Fast cooks. No fuss. No atmosphere. Just good food. Many local Hispanic clients. Highly recommended.
7. Taos Mesa Brewing
Overall Ratings
4 based on 428 reviews
Taos Mesa Brewing is a microbrewery, restaurant & indoor/outdoor "brewclub" on the spectacular Taos Mesa. We feature hand-crafted beer on draught, wine, delicious homemade food, premier live music & the best mountain-view sunsets in Taos, New Mexico.
Reviewed By LaChatNoir
We were staying at Hotel Luna Mystica so figured weâd try TMB for dinner. The menu was limited. And it was only so-so. The roasted beet salad was a whole ton of spinach and previous few beets. The tacos were okay. The calabacitas (sautéed squash) was the menu highlight. We donât drink beer so weâre pleased to see wine and some wine based cocktails available.
6. Taos Diner
Overall Ratings
4 based on 368 reviews
Reviewed By NormanSantaFe
We are in Taos for a bridge competition and don't like the hotel breakfast, so went wandering this morning for something else. Came across this diner. Very pleasant ambiance, equally pleasant and efficient staff. Our food was typical breakfast fare - eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, toast, coffee and tea. Portions were sizable, everything was served promptly and hot, and we would happily go back.
5. Bella's Mexican Grill
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1127 reviews
A delicious blend of traditional Mexican Cuisine and an array of Northern New Mexico favorites.
Reviewed By CalicoLil
Arrived here on a Friday eve and after a short wait we were seated. Waited awhile before the server introduced herself and took our drink orders. And she never came back! We waited and waited and finally another server asked if we had been helped. We told him we were still waiting for our drinks, so he rushed to get them for us and took our food order. While we waited we saw a table cleared, and another party seated, however the table was never wiped down. Patrons didnât have water, or utensils. The server who waited on us after the original server abandoned us told us he was working with all new servers and it was their second day. We felt bad for him because he was trying to get everyone taken care of. The other servers apparently didnât know the first thing about their job. A pitcher of margaritas (only so-so) and an hour later, our food arrived, two sopapilla plates and an enchilada plate. Mediocre at best. I would save my time and money and venture someplace else.
4. Orlando's New Mexican Cafe
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1604 reviews
Reviewed By Mary Beth P
Orlando's is our favorite place for Northern New Mexican food when we're in Taos, so we went there last week for lunch. We usually sit in the patio on a beautiful fall day, but Northern New Mexico was experiencing a cold snap so we sat inside. It was cozy, and the place was packed well past the noon lunch crowd. The best part was Angelica, our server, who was always smiling, efficient and charming, no matter how busy she was. I had the blue corn green chile chicken enchiladas, which were delicious as always. The posole on the side is very good. My husband had the red chile beef burrito which he said was tasty but not great. The red chile had no body to it, like it was made from chile powder and water, not ground chile pods. He liked it on previous visits so maybe they changed the recipe. It's still our favorite place; he'll just order something different next time.
3. Ranchos Plaza Grill
Overall Ratings
4 based on 451 reviews
Reviewed By gregoryw656
My wife has Celiacâs Disease and has to eat strictly Gluten Free. Trip Advisor shows this restaurant as GF however they donât truly understand GF and the end result after many questions it was determined that she could only have dry chicken breast or modified salad. They marinate most meats with Soy Sauce. If you need to eat GF you need to pick a different restaurant. On the good side the food looked good. The staff seemed nice and the building was very cool. We ended up leaving without eating since I wanted my wife to have something good. We went to Bellaâs. Just as beautiful and they had a great selection of GF meals. Bellaâs Was the best meal we had in TaosWe donât usually respond to reviews- but I do feel the need to respond to this particular one. 1st of all we do not claim to have an all Gluten Free menu. We do however have gluten free options. Secondly we do not marinate all of our meats in soy sauce - however we did inform you that the particular dish you ordered did have soy sauce - we always make sure to check with our chef - and he did inform us that it contains gluten. He was able to make the same dish with unmarinated chicken to try and accommodate your needs. For you to say that it was a dry piece of chicken makes no sense since you never even tried it. And for your information our salads are gluten free and need no modifications.We appreciate you coming In- we are sorry you did not give us a try and we are glad that you found what you were looking for . But you canât really make a comment about the food you never tried.Our staff is fully trained to verify all situations with or chef - this review however made it seem like we are not aware of what gluten free is. We have accommodated many customers in the past successfully.May you have a great day!
2. La Cueva Cafe
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1015 reviews
Reviewed By mystic100
Donât be put off by the exterior. This lovely cosy restaurant provided some of the tastiest food we have eaten this trip. The menu isnât very extensive but the ingredients and flavours more than make up for this. The quantity of food is also spot on. Brilliant service from very attentive staff added to the experience. Would definitely eat here again and can highly recommend
1. Antonio's The Taste of Mexico
Overall Ratings
4 based on 917 reviews
An Eclectic Taste Of Mexico. Chef Antonio covers all the bases, deliciously. Everything on the menu is prepared fresh and made to order and the majority of the menu can be prepared gluten free. Because of the flavorful, full-bodied sauces, you will be ple
Reviewed By dbaaronson
Interesting and fun array of dishes here (at least at lunch), some of them were very good (chile en nogada, enmoladas). Others were decent but maybe not as worthwhile as those first two (green chile / mango enchiladas, fish tacos). The guacamole appetizer was excellent as well. Service is good but a little spotty.
Most Popular Mexican food in Taos, New Mexico, United States
