Excellent food and service. Had a fried chicken salad with lots of fresh veggies and the cooked to order chicken was delicious! Wanted to go back before leaving town but it just didn't work out read more

I've been waiting to write a review on this place because I wasn't sure if it was a real gold mine or not! After three different trips to Ruidoso I can honestly say this place is LEGIT!! 1st it's where the locals go! 2nd every meal I've had has been spot on. 3rd the wait staff is professional, fast and incredibly respectful! They work as a team making sure coffee and drinks are full, the food comes out FAST and even though they can get busy I've never waited long for a table! The breakfast burrito with bacon added and smothered in green chili is filling and has just the right amount of heat. Above all what makes this place better than all the others in town is that the food is perfect, the staff is amazing and the service is fast! read more

Alto Cafe - American Near Me - Alto, New Mexico

We stopped here after a day at Ski Apache. I must say I was pleasant surprised, cute small cafe with delicious food, quick service and pleasant staff. We will definitely be back. read more

Alto Cafe - Club sandwich - American Near Me - Alto, New Mexico

Had breakfast. It was good - biscuits and gravy was above average; my dad had eggs/bacon/hashbrowns/toast and he enjoyed it very much. Probably the closest decent café to the Rancho Ruidoso condos (where we stayed). Although we enjoyed the Log Cabin more, this was an excellent runner-up. read more

Excellent spot to relax close to Alto. Great Food and Cold Beer! Will be back next trip read more

Alto Cafe - American Near Me - Alto, New Mexico

INDOOR SEATING!! We've come to Ruidoso for years and finally made time to stop into Alto Cafe for their Catfish Friday and it was so worth it!! Not only was the price amazing, the food was incredible! The catfish was perfect and the chicken fried steak was crispy and delicious. The service was outstanding and you could tell it was a local spot as the waitresses knew almost everyone that walked in. Will definitely be back on future trips. read more

I'm sorry I can't say anything wrong about this place. The breakfast was awesome. The service was great. The place was very clean, quaint and welcoming. I had the Bonito Biscuit and talk about a biscuit. Bonito, small, I don't think so. It was half as big as my breakfast plate. It was sliced in half, buttered and grilled, bottom biscuit had a scrambled egg, bacon and cheese, then topped with the other half biscuit and smothered in cream gravy. Oh my, heaven on a plate. The biscuit was light and fluffy. One of the best "restaurant" biscuits I probably have ever had. My husband had huevos rancheros, it was very good. Great fresh green chili sauce, the beans were good and hash browns cooked just right. The eggs on top cooked to perfection. If we weren't passing through they would be seeing us again very soon. read more

Alto Cafe - Bonito Biscuit - American Near Me - Alto, New Mexico

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Pretty good place to grab some lunch. The onion rings are great. Turkey melt sandwich was really good as well as the Santa Fe chicken sandwich. They make the potato chips fresh, so they are nice and warm. And they don't salt them that much, so they taste really good. Refills on the tea keep coming. Difficult to get out of the parking lot if you have to turn left. We would definitely eat here again. read more

Went here for breakfast when the wait in town was over an hour. Waited about 10 minutes for a table and had a delicious home style breakfast! read more

Used to think this place was a good value...just had poorest excuse for Green Chile Stew....EVER. Hamburger in water broth with six potato chunks for $5....not good......isn't there a Bureau of Standards in NM? should be required to have at least 5 parts per million Green Chile in alleged Green Chile Stew! read more

Two words: nothing extra. The food and place mediocre. Burger was dry. Really wanted to try the green chili stew and it was okay but bland. We won't go back. read more

My friend and I have made this our breakfast place when we come out from Socorro. The food is excellent. I was blown away by the Bonita Biscuit...that baby was PACKED with bacon, hash browns, eggs, in a dinner-plate-sized biscuit and smothered in excellent gravy. I have also had their breakfast burrito, so yummy! We're heading out again soon, and we're anticipating having another excellent meal here. My only complaint? The acoustics could use some help, as the noise can get pretty loud. But when it comes to food, I'd be happy to wear ear plugs just so I can enjoy their excellent food and service. read more

This is a great place to stop after skiing. Today was chicken fried steak on the buffet and everything is made from scratch including the skins on mashed potatoes. Buffet also came with dessert which was orange cake today...just like Granny used to make. We are going back for catfish night on Friday before we leave! read more

I've had breakfast which is amazing, Lunch -great, Supper, I love the catfish! Great service! An all around local favorite

Breakfast is awesome along with lunch , service ladies go beyond great , get there early because the locals know it a "have too " place to eat !!!! My group will always go back to one my favorite place in Alto !!! read more

Friendly service and delicious food made this a winner! The catfish and alfredo specials we had were fresh and tasty. I could have eaten the whole apple pie instead of just the one slice I ordered - the crust was flaky and buttery and the apple filling was perfectly cooked with a great punch of cinnamon. read more

The dinner buffet they offer on weekends was very good. Chicken fried chicken, chicken fried steak and fried catfish. They were all very good and fresh. The mashed potatoes were excellent as well. read more

Service was great, atmosphere was inviting, and the food was great! The chicken sandwich was especially good and would definitely recommend.

We love the Alto Café. My better half enjoys the buffet and the killer chicken fried steak that would stand up to any Texas restaurant with it. I love all their great veggies. They make great green Chile stew. Nothing on the menu is not excellent. We will continue to frequent this place when in town. It is small and parking is a bit tight at times, but it is worth it. read more

This is probably the best spot I've been to so far on this trip. The service has been splendid and our waitress was have friendly and patient. (We were a party of 13) I ordered the breakfast burrito and it was sooooo good! Most satisfying plate I've had so far here. I give this local spot 5 stars!! read more

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Good food. Hometown atmosphere. I had chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans. Not bad. Hubby had the steak fingers, he said they were very good. Peach Cobbler with ice cream was delicious! read more

Small, quaint, very friendly staff. Had to wait about 5 minutes for a table. We both had steak fingers with a side salad. YUM! Good, down-home country cookin'! The gravy was delish. Fries could have been a tiny bit more done for my liking but I didn't push 'em away! Ran into an old family friend there and I don't live in Ruidoso! I look forward to going again, not ordering such a big meal, and ordering the cobbler! read more

Came here to just use the restroom and boy did it smell gooood!! We all agreed we should stop and eat. We werent so hungry but are we glad we did. The food is delicious!! They have buffet of catfish and i must say its good. I ordered the fried chicken burger and with some green chili's that was goood. Another ordered the burger and he said it was one of the best burgers he had. Highly recommend you stop by and check it out.. Almost forgort the dessert was yummy some kind of pineapple cake read more

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This place is always good. They have a wonderful staff. Their BBQ is some of the best I've ever had. The locals frequent this place on the daily for good reason. read more

The pork barbecue was minuscule, mostly fat and gristle. I suppose someone has to get the dregs, I just didn't expect to get them when I paid full price. The chicken was dry and also not abundant--the barbecue sauce sort of helped. read more

I ate here this past weekend, I'm fat and love to eat so I had a double cheese burger( a tad dry, but good) biscuits and gravy and pancakes, all were good and I want more. The wait staff wasn't very helpful especially with refills but the food will make me come back. read more

Pretty decent diner food! I had a brisket plate and it was yum!! Everybody else in my party was happy with their food too!

Excellent food!! Small place but pleasant surprise. Great waitress and everyone loved their food. Family friendly. Hope to return on our next trip to Ruidoso. read more

Good food and good service! Thanks for being open during the snow storm in December! I recommend Burger and chicken strips.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner, this place is wonderful. Reminds me of sitting at the table and having my grandmas home cooking. Breakfast is wonderful, eggs, omelets, and my favorite- oatmeal. Lunch and dinner are always filling and leaves me full. They have daily specials or you can order from the menu, even breakfast items all day! Chicken fried steak, chicken fried chicken, hamburger steak, meatloaf, beef tips and rice, burgers, and Friday fried catfish! Staff is always friendly and is working hard to accommodate the seating on the patios, which they have enclosed and heated due to the NM Covid rules. If you're in the Ruidoso, Alto or Capitan area, you need to stop on in and enjoy some home cooking! read more

Great food and great prices as well. The patio seating was nice and warm. The staff seems to be really nice as well.

Great food and service. Home style cooking. Definitely would eat there again. Every time we pass the place the parking lot is full so the numbers don't lie... repeat business = good food & good service. read more

Best hand battered to order chicken fried steak outside of mama's kitchen and giant tasty biscuits. Yummy food and friendly staff. Small dinning room with a eat at counter. Breakfast served all day. Definitely going back again. read more

We came to Alton Cafe for breakfast. I chose the Cheese Omelet with green chiles. It was delicious, huge and the Green Chile sauce was spicy and wonderful. My husband got the egg burrito covered with Green Chile sauce. He ate every bite so it must have been great. read more

Excellent brisket and ribs, very good potato salad. Would be 5 stars if it wasn't for awful green chili stew with seem to have no chili and way too much salt. read more

This place is on top of the mountain in the midst of a sea of pine trees. On a Sunday there was a huge line out the door but it is worth the wait. I asked what is good here and I was answered everything. I saw someone get the chicken fried steak and so I asked about it. The lady told me that they tenderize the steak twice and only coat the steak fresh when needed. This was the best chicken fried steak I have ever had with perfectly done coating! It had on it's side really good mashed potatoes too! I turned down the green beans though so they didn't put them on the plate. read more

I ate here for the first time today. I had the buffet which was all you could eat chicken fried steak, real mashed potatoes, two vegetables, salad and dessert. Chicken fried steak was excellent and so was potatoes and the gravy. The wait staff were so friendly. Checked on us a couple of times without being overbearing. Will definitely recommend this place to my friends. read more

We stayed 5 days and ate here 6 times! The breakfast was delicious. We tried pancakes, breakfast tacos, omelets, and the green chili cheeseburger. All food is fresh and made in house. Their homemade salsa is great, as is the service. Friday is catfish buffet day, and very popular. It looked great, although we didn't try it. read more

Super friendly folks and great food. Try the green Chile stew. Very cute scenery and quaint setting. Thanks

Amazing service and food. There was only one server with 6 tables and took great care of everyone. Ate here twice in one day.