While visiting Carlsbad Caverns we stayed in town for a couple days and had dinner here our first…read morenight. The waitress who served us was wonderful, friendly, attentive, and incredibly kind to our dog. Prices were very reasonable and the portions were generous. The only negative part of the evening had nothing to do with the restaurant. A man seated next to us spent much of dinner being rude and entitled, repeatedly questioning how the salmon was prepared, criticizing the wine list, and generally acting unpleasant toward the staff. The blonde waitress with glasses handled the situation with impressive patience and professionalism. Honestly, it took restraint not to say something myself. She did a fantastic job dealing with a very difficult customer and deserves recognition for it.

Came here because locals swore this place was "so good." Absolutely not…read more The outside gives you hope, but don't be fooled. They marched us straight to some random back room that looked filthy and forgotten. Dirty walls, dead flies sitting on the window sills, dusty air vents directly over our table, worn-out floors and furniture... the whole place felt grimy. On the way to our table we were also walked past a nasty smelling dishwashing area, which really set the tone for the experience. Now the food. The kids got chicken fettuccine Alfredo, and somehow it managed to be both lava hot and completely flavorless at the same time. The chicken tasted like it lost a fight with the microwave. The meatloaf? I genuinely have no idea what they served me. It looked like cafeteria mystery meat drowned in tomato puree. Honestly offensive. I ordered the green chile cheeseburger with fries thinking maybe they'd at least get that right. Nope. The green chile had zero spice, zero flavor, zero reason to exist. The burger itself was forgettable at best. And the best part? The bill was nearly $100. For dirty vents, dead flies, bland food, and mystery meat. Would I come back? Not even if someone else was paying.

Best burrito in town!!! Big Boss was amazing!! My hubby also ordered Big Boss and added chorizo,…read morehad great spicy flavor!

Neat little spot in Artesia. I got the Boss and it was really good! I do wish they would give…read moreextra salsa, but what they put in the burrito is hot, and it's really good!

Carniceria San Juan de Los Lagos in Carlsbad, NM has to be some of the best Mexican food I've ever…read morehad! I usually have a rule when traveling that I don't visit the same restaurant more than once, but this place was the exception. I came back three times in two days. Yes, it was that good. Sadly, the third time I came back, they were closed. The food tasted very authentic and absolutely worth the visit. I noticed some reviews mentioned communication issues or that the staff may not speak much English. I had a little bit of that struggle too, but honestly, that's how you know you might be in the right place for truly authentic Mexican food. I also felt like it was partly my fault for not doing enough research before ordering. But we figured it out, and the food was more than worth it. One small suggestion: it would be helpful if the menu had a little more English explanation, pictures, or item numbers to make ordering easier for both customers and staff. Overall, this is the kind of true hidden gem you hope to find in a small town. I would definitely take a detour to come back here whenever I'm in the area again.

Carnicería San Juan de los Lagos - Worth the Detour, Even Years Later…read more Some places stay with you. So much so that five years later, on a completely different road trip, you find yourself checking the map and thinking... "we're kind of close." Back in 2021, while exploring nearby national parks, we stumbled across Carnicería San Juan de los Lagos and loved it. This time, on our way to White Sands National Park, we made a small detour to see if it still held up. First surprise... I barely recognized the area. What used to feel like the middle of nowhere has filled in. Suburban life has arrived. Growth happened. But the place? Still there. Still good. Inside, it keeps that same warm, easy charm. Cute wood, farm-style Mexican decor, nothing fancy, just welcoming. The space has grown too, now clearly divided into restaurant, carnicería, and panadería, which means more reasons to linger. And the smell when you walk in? That alone could convince you to stay. Service was just as we remembered, sweet, friendly, and genuine. The kind that makes you feel like a regular even if you've been gone for five years. We went with pozole and shrimp tacos, and both delivered. Flavorful, comforting, exactly what we were hoping for. It's always a bit of a gamble revisiting a place you loved years ago. This one paid off. Still a favorite. Still worth the stop.

So good!!! Service was fast and great. We had a burrito and it was huge!!! So good and fresh.read more

Excellent food and service. We ordered chicken tostadas, chicken burrito with enchilada (smothered…read morein both red and green sauces) and chicken fajitas. The chicken fajitas were very tasty. Whatever they do to the onions and peppers is amazing. Chicken Tostadas were delicious. The tortilla stayed crunchy. My husband preferred the green sauce on his burrito to the red but I liked the red better. Their horchata is fantastic. Not too sweet and perfect cinnamon flavor. The chips come with two salsas. A green creamy spicy salsa and a tomato based salsa with chopped avocado pieces. Very good. They have a kids menu with typical "kid safe" foods. We didn't order off this menu so I can't say how that food tastes. We came on a Friday for lunch (2 adults, 3 kids). The restaurant was quite busy with a mix of tourists and locals. I highly recommend this place!

I was recommended El Charro in Carlsbad, NM by some locals, and I'm so glad I listened…read more I'm a big fan of quesabirria and have been on a little quesabirria journey, and this has to be one of the top two best quesabirria tacos I've ever had. The taco was crispy and filled with delicious meat, and the consommé was rich and flavorful. If I hadn't been on the road, I probably would have ordered another one. The portion was generous, and the price was fair too. The service was quick, and the overall dining environment was bright and clean. Definitely a great local recommendation and a spot I'd happily come back to.

Ordered takeout and my husband said the whole experience went well…read more We ordered a few different tacos, but have a couple picky eaters, so they were able to separate the meats and toppings for us. We got carnitas, pastor, brisket, steak, and ground beef. (The pastor was my favorite! It came with pineapple. My husband's favorite was the carnitas.) Everything was hot and pretty tasty. The meal came with 4 sauces-- orange (spiciest), watery orange, watery green (my favorite), and the creamy green (least spicy.) After reading some reviews about slow service, I was a little apprehensive about ordering, but my husband went during lunch and said everything came out quickly, there was just a line to order. All in all, I'd definitely eat here again.

A little challenging to find (it's on the riverside of the building the map will take you to) but…read morewas well worth it. I don't often get a chance to eat b'fast when in Carlsbad but will add this to the top of the list for when I am. Coffee was more than satisfactory as was the omelette.

I stopped here for lunch and just had their Cuban sandwich and an iced tea, with chips. The Cuban…read morewas quite good, though not authentic -- not a pressed sandwich, closer to a hoagie. Still, very good and filling for what it was, and I would order it again. Tea was fine, chips were a bit bland. I didn't have any trouble finding the place, Google took me straight to the parking lot, and I just needed to know that the entrance is on the lake side. Service was friendly, and the food came out quickly. I sat at a table in the rustic dining room, and it was not too busy at the time, calm and fairly quiet. I also grabbed a latte on my way out, which was okay. The lake side is a nice place for a stroll, and there is even a bridge which crosses the lake. Clear water, plus even a swimming area on the far side.

We went out of our way to drive to this location based on a few other reviews I read on Yelp…read more Big mistake! I want to start by saying that the restaurant is not in a very nice area. And after our experience, I wish I had recommended we stopped by another restaurant in a more central part of town. We arrived at approximately 12:40 PM. The restaurant was at less than half capacity. We ordered chips with queso. I should have realized that if a restaurant can't get that and salsa right its a HUGE red flag. The chips were incredibly salty and the queso was dried out overly salty. It did anything but fill our stomach while we waited 40 mins for a chicken quesadilla, the "foot long burrito " see pictures and, beef enchiladas. The quesadilla was average and contained what tasted like boiled chicken. The "burrito" was nothing near a burrito. It was the width of an enchilada. I paid an extra $3.00 for queso on my burrito which was the saving grace. However, that made it barely edible. The beef enchilada plate had one flavor, chili powder. Service was sadly not any better than the

Great authentic made to order tacos. Served quickly! Worth a stop on our drive through town. Don't…read moremiss the homemade salsa.

The food was absolutely delicious! Fresh and served promptly. The service was prompt and excellent!…read moreHighly recommended

Great food! Friendly & fast service! Awesome margarita! Clean inside and big TV's with sports…read moreon. Would definitely return!!

Update website photos. Everything dead and no grass areas. Dirt for sure. Terrible upkeep and sites…read morewith old broken items everywhere. Sure not the same koa from 8 yrs ago.

If you are traveling with children, there are a lot of things for children to do including a large…read morerec recenter, giant chess and checkers.

Great museum about there history of Carlsbad. If you have time you should stop by. Staff was super…read morenice.