Was so grateful they were open after a massive power outage in the area. After asking around, the local gas station suggested this was the closest best option. And she was right. Big open porch area with good air flow, cold beers (power came on around 3pm and we showed up around 6ish). Our take out was tasty and comforting. read more

Chili Pepper Cafe - So grateful for the ice cool beer, good food and that they are open. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

Food sucks. I literally wouldn't eat here again if I was starving and it was the last restaurant on earth. Chips and salsa clearly store bought 2.3/10. Waitress was trying her best, but disappointed with the overall experience. Literally choose anywhere else in Terlingua read more

We found this spot to grab a bite for lunch, the menu was decent and I had vegetable enchiladas which were outstanding. Saw a mix of locals and tourists which is always a good sign. Not a big dining room but they also had outside seating. Not too busy for lunch on a Wednesday in February. read more

Chili Pepper Cafe - Vegetable enchiladas - Tex-Mex Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

Haven't been out this area in years. And thankfully, more restaurant options have popped up. Enter Chili Pepper Cafe near Study Butte. We had spent the day in Big Bend and had worked up an appetite for some quality Tex-Mex. We initially wanted seating on the screened in patio, but settled inside as there were no tables available. The interior was hot; and the AC's were eventually turned on. We started with chips and salsa ($3). Nice flavor on the red, chips were hot. Speaking of AC, it does no good when you're waitstaff and bussers leave the door open. We pressed on with some agave wine margaritas ordered by my mom. She ordered basically a #1 used my most places in Texas. Beef Taco, beef enchilada, cheese enchilada, and a tamale. Kiddo had chicken strips and fries. Also served with Texas toast and white gravy..Hmmm, wonder where they dreamed up that combination? GF and I both had the chalupa plates. Three small tortilla cups versus traditional flat corn tortillas. Each filled with your choice of toppings. Funny thing though, beans were an option instead of a standard topping. We also added sour cream. My personal favorite was the chicken version of the tostadas All the flavors were decent; would try again if I was in the area. Service was just OK. We had to ask for items more than once on during our dining experience. We weren't expecting white table cloths and tableside wine buckets mind you; just plain ol' decent attention to detail including keeping the door closed. read more

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I hated this. The food was gross and tasted store-bought. Don't pay $13 for canned beans and cold tortillas. I'd rather eat a hot poop than at this place again. read more

Was hoping for a good Mexican style breakfast before we left to go home, this place fell short. They ran out of coffee, luckily we had our morning dose before we got there so we had juice instead. The tamales were dry and seemed prepackaged, the beans didn't have a lot of flavor either. The people were really nice, just not great food. read more

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We arrived after hiking Big Bend in Terligua Texas. We had a Mexican plate and I had a Fajitas salad. Both were good with plenty of food. We got our food quickly. We sat on the patio. Our waitress was very busy but friendly. Prices were reasonable. It's a Tex Mex Cafe in an old mining town. read more

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I've had chicken enchiladas with green sauce from Fort Worth to Mission, Texas but never any better than these. Quiet, simple, friendly joint serving awesome food in generous portions. Thank you! read more

Chili Pepper Cafe - Serving breakfast and dinner to those lucky enough to find this Terlingua treasure. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

Not impressed with the food here. I would thought they are famous for its chili but the chili dish was the most disappointing one. The sauce is runny and the pork has no flavor. The chili is very blend not hot at all. The nacho is ok, just portion is big but nothing spectacular if you love to have the sour cream and yes it has a lot of that. The queso dip is very watery as well. read more

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Tough call between a 3 and 4. I went with 4 because our waitress was very nice. Ate here on a Wednesday night when it was 112 in Terlingua. The inside does have air conditioning but it also has flies. Food was very good although the refried beans were way too bland - no flavor at all. The cheese enchiladas come West Texas style - flat and with red sauce. These were very good. Also, I HIGHLY recommend the guacamole, it's right up there with my homemade version. One recommendation for the owner and staff. Clean up dead the dead and semi-dead flies on the window sills and tables. It will make the dining experience much better for everyone. read more

Chili Pepper Cafe - Enchilada Plate - Tex-Mex Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

Excellent service even though we showed up just before closing. Hamburger was delish. Welcome to the desert. read more

Chili Pepper Cafe - Duh - Tex-Mex Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

Queso! Sweet Tea! Tacos, fajitas, burgers. Great place to eat and we are regulars when we are home. read more

One of the few restaurants in Terlingua. They have covered porch seating and inside seating. It is a small place, but they stay busy. The evening we went, there was one waitress for all the tables, who was also checking everyone out, and filling to go orders. She was super busy! The inside eating only has about 4-5 tables. There are several locals who come and eat alone. They have a mexican menu and american menu. I ordered the Taco salad, which was delicious. read more

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The establishment was busy - we were told we'd have to wait - we said we would - took 20 minutes to get water and drinks - then they ran out of vegetables. We're vegetarian and ended up with rice and beans. We saw them serving food to two parties that were seated after us. Upon asking, they said they'd lost our ticket and forgot to make the chicken. We left. No tip. Pick Tivos every time and twice on Sunday. Good decor, great ambience and fabulous service. Also in Terlingua. read more

Great food, atmosphere, and service!! We both got the Tamales, which were delicious. Food came out fast & service was quick. Will come back!! read more

Yummy authentic Mexican food, nice wait staff, and fairly big seatery. Empanada's were super yummy We'll be back when we are driving thru. read more

Chili Pepper Cafe - Indoor Dining area - Tex-Mex Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

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Quick, plentiful, & good service. Waiter Crow (like bird) was fast, efficient, and good to talk to. I ordered the chorizo burritos (tacos) that were very good. Son ordered the Mexican plate and daughter had cheese omelet. That came with flaky biscuit & potatoes. Coffee was good. Very laid back & exactly what we needed as we headed into Big Bend. read more

Food was great, we had the Rushing burgers and fries. It was reasonably priced and the service was outstanding.

5 star review is for food, price and service on breakfast. The ambiance is not exactly 5 star, it's more like dive bar kind of setting. It's a local mom and pop kind of place where if the locals don't know you, they give you the hairy eyeball as you sit down. Having set the stage on the atmosphere, the bomb is the food quality, excellent service and really fair pricing. We had Crow as our server and he was efficient, friendly and made good recommendations on the menu. I had the machaca eggs and my brother had the breakfast burrito. Both were super tasty. If you want great at a great price, this is the place! read more

Dined in after a brutal 3 day solo camp out where I almost died in Big Bend Ranch State Park. I had the chicken sandwich and small nachos The Good There are not many options out here so any restaurant is a welcome sight! Everything is very affordable and the service and staff are very friendly! The fries were surprisingly good and so was the chicken sandwich. The Bad I was half dead and well starved from camping when I came in here. In that physical state all food tastes 10x better, but even so the food here was not that good. I have to say this place got a higher rating than usual because of its location. It would be unfair to judge this place based off city standards. The nachos were a total miss. The chips were stale, the beans were dried out, the cheese was dry, the extra chicken fajita was super dry and hard, and some parts of the nachos tasted like perfume so it seems like maybe someone had some scented lotion and it got into my dish. The chicken sandwich was overall decent. I probably wouldn't return here which pains me to say because I really liked the staff. There was a BBQ place down the street and I should have gone there. I left this place feeling unsatisfied. read more

Chili Pepper Cafe - Nachos - Tex-Mex Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

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Good food. Good service. Good music. All with a very small town feeling. But don't have the tres leche. It came out frozen. It looked like another dessert served to another guest was frozen, too. The special of the night was fried chicken which was pretty good. read more

We stopped here for breakfast before making our way back to San Antonio at the end of our couples mini vacation in Terlingua. I ordered the chorizo and egg burritos. You get three to an order, which was a little troubling for me. Then, when they were served, I saw that they were just what we call breakfast tacos in San Antonio. Now let me tell you... These were some of the best breakfast tacos I have ever eaten. The tortillas were absolutely perfect. The chorizo to egg ratio was about two to one. Plus, the chorizo was the real honest to go orange grease dripping stuff. I loved everything about it. They had plenty of cheese in them as well! read more

This is one of the few restaurants open late (until 8 p.m.) in the town of Terlinguas. It didn't have a very good reputation according to recent reviews, but I was hungry and decided to give it a shot. Sadly, I should have made the extra drive 5 miles down the road to other open restaurants. The food, service, and quality was not good. One of my biggest pet peeves is when Mexican restaurants can't get their staples down right. Mainly because I know it's not difficult to do and shows the characters of a restaurant. Unfortunately, the beans and rice were terrible. The beans were bland and the rice was undercooked. The taco meat tasted old and the taco shell was about the cheapest brand there was. The only good thing about the food is that the tamale and enchiladas actually had a good spice level to them. The service was terrible as well. Nobody there to greet you and I had to go up to the counter and request service. I understand you can't expect much in the middle of the Chihuahua desert, although there is some tremendous potential, but you should take a little more pride in your business and what you put on the table. read more

Chili Pepper Cafe - Mexican plate. Tamale, enchilada, and beef Taco - Tex-Mex Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

Went here about a month ago the food wasn't bad and it was a nice place but in both me and my friends meal there was hair in almost all of the food. I usually don't care if u accidentally get like 1 or 2 hairs in food but I was an excessive amount maybe like 6 or 7 hairs per dish. I may have changed since I went there but it was very disappointing for that reason read more

The service was friendly, and the food was simple and delicious. We liked it so much that we ate here twice in one day, for breakfast and lunch! read more

Was really looking forward to this place since it is the only 1 of 2 Tex max restaurants in Terlingua. We came in, little of a wait. When we got seated, I order the chicken enchiladas. It was horrible and I'm so sad that it was bad. The chicken tasted like it came from a can and the beans were not salted at all. The servers are extremely nice and welcoming so I give them some credit for that. My cousin got the cheese enchiladas which were a bit tastier than my meal. read more

Was my first time there this past week. Food was ok, but did not taste authentic.. taco had lettuce, tomato and shredded cheese on it instead of traditional cilantro and onion. Tamale was dry and maza crumbly. There were not hot sauce or salsa options for food, so overall somewhat bland regarding seasoning. It was edible but similar to what I'd expect at a chain fast food place. Service was great though, and the bottled coke was cold. Live music was a nice touch, though unusually slow/not busy given it was a weekend evening. Would be nice if there were more drink options. We left to and location for drinks after dinner. read more

The advertise on bring Fido as pet friendly but they are not. They also don't seem very people friendly. No hello, no welcome. Just a we don't allow dogs and haven't since 2020, no bye or anything. A smile can go a long ways...just saying!! read more

Wow! I thought I'd had the tippy top of great, authentic Mexican food living in Texas for the past 8 years. Nope. Exceptional food at this charming little "dive" conveniently off 118 before turning towards Terlingua ghost town or heading south to Big Bend. Shredded beef empanada stood out most but also amazing beans, cheese enchilada and tamale. I normally don't even like tamales but had to try again based on reviews. Their sour cream was awesome too - the way it always should be but never get, like homemade custard. Above average quac. Folks here are incredibly kind too. Not only did they let me confusingly sub items in the Mexican Plate but when I asked about getting another empanada ala carte they said I could take one for free since I'd subbed out two items for one when I originally ordered. Love. This meal was just perfection. Oh, and also appreciated having a few more than just the standard Mexican and domestic beer options. A must-try passing through Terlingua/Big Bend. read more

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Tried out this place out on a our first night of 2 while in Terlingua. There wasn't many options around so we decided on this place, the other didn't have much variety. We were seated right away, but didn't get our menu until we specifically asked for it after like 5 minutes. Our drinks also took a while to arrive. The place itself was pretty cool and seemed to have a lot of authenticity to it, but the service just wasn't good. At the end we also had to ask for the check even after being finished for like 20 minutes. The food was pretty good. Really liked the enchiladas and beans, but not too big a fan of the rice. Overall satisfied, but definitely some things that could be improved on. read more

Chili Pepper Cafe - Tex-Mex Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

Stopped here on the way to Big Bend from Alpine. Arrived in time for breakfast or lunch. Decided on breakfast. Got the western omelette and it was huge loaded with ham peppers and onions and cheese on top. Came with potatoes and a side of salsa. Excellent, one the best i ever had. Girlfriend had Migas and she said the best she ever had. Place was busy inside and out. Server was great. If you're ever down that way give them a try. Super good read more

We enjoyed the food, queso was not our fav, but it was nice sitting on their screen patio while we ate our lunch.

Excellent food and service, very tasty and clean. Very quaint and the view is nice from the restaurant. It took a minute to get food but to be fair we were very anxious to go to Big Bend. People serving us were very nice. read more

Literally the worst. Food was inedible. No music, just a weird room with plastic tables. Do not recommend.

Loved the food here! We came twice in our short trip to terlingua. Not a ton here but we loved this cafe. Loved the green chile queso. Mexican plate was great, loved the tamales. Shrimp fajitas were fantastic and the tortillas are made fresh. Loved this spot! read more

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Not at all as expected. Internet photos so their job of getting you in the door, but don't be fooled. Taco Bell is more authentic than this place! The servers were friendly but the prices for what you get-one item with no sides, no complementary chips and salsa...it's all playing off of the high prices for the location and not the actual experience. Get a beer as that's the only thing prices reasonable. read more

This may be the best Mexican restaurant in the entire state. It is small, unimpressive from the outside, and something you could miss if you sneeze. Don't. The owner is the chef, and she puts out some amazing and large plates of genuine, authentic Mexican food. It's so good, we made a point to stop there a second day after driving along the River Road. The quest is so full of amazing green chiles! It is worth a stop, even if you don't get anything else. They carry a couple choices from the local Big Bend Brewing Company, should you like an adult beverage. The burritos are the size of your forearm & come with the option to top them with red or green chile & cheese. The shredded beef is moist & flavorful. On the first visit, I got the empanadas. What a delightful change of pace! A couple things you should know - neither the beef nor chicken fajitas taste like they are cooked on an open flame. Both a heavily marinated, and I would characterize the beef as more of a California-Carne Asada style. The meat is definitely cut in small strips prior to cooking. This is not really bad, it is simply unique. Their chicken fajita salad is large enough to feed a herd of bunnies. When you arrive, the dining room is "seat yourself." The service is friendly. Feel free to ask for anything you need. We will be back. read more

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Hospital food taste better than this stuff. If it wasn't because options are limited here I wouldn't have bothered eating this stuff. read more

Chili Pepper Cafe - How on earth is this picadillo??? Fajita maybe but picadillo definitely not. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Terlingua, Texas

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Nice easy spot for Lunch. We sat on the patio had a cerveza listened to some good music Queso Dip, Tamales & Beef Enchiladas Tex Max Y'all read more

DO NOT EAT HERE! My daughter wanted Mexican food one night while we were in Terlingua. So the only place I could find upended that was a Mexican restaurant was this place, and the rating wasn't bad. I got the Mexican combo which was a taco, tamale, beef enchilada, cheese enchilada, rice, and beans. The taco had no taste, the rice and beans seemed old and were not good. The red sauce on the enchiladas tasted more like spaghetti sauce. The only thing decent on the plate was the tamale and I assume they didn't make it. My daughter got a cheese quesadilla, it was burnt, and had old charred black food off the dirty grill stuck to eat. But non of that is the worst part, if I could give them zero stars I would! The next day I couldn't stay out of the restroom! I'm 48 years old and have never had a problem with my stomach like I did after eating here. If I hadn't been by myself with two kids and one was close I would have went to a hospital! I don't want anybody else to mess up their vacation just from eating here! read more

Chili Pepper Cafe - Mexican Combo, looks decent but taste was terrible and made me sick. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Terlingua, Texas