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    Earl's Family Restaurant

    3.7 (228 reviews)
    ModerateMexican, American
    Closed 7:30 am - 7:00 pm

    Earl's Family Restaurant Photos

    EARL'S FAMILY RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Earl's Family Restaurant

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    Combo enchilada, chile rellano and a taco rice and beans.
    Janice W.

    Earls is a cute little restaurant, with booths that mostly sat 2 people. Very cozy. The staff is very friendly and they all help each other out. All of the food looked good. It was hard to choose. They have a big menu. I got the carnitas with red and green sauce and rice and beans. It came with a small salad and hot fry bread. My husband got a combination of chile relleno, enchilada and a taco with rice and beans. He also got red and green sauce. The red sauce is delicious and the green sauce is a little spicy and delicious too. Our food came out hot and fresh. Next time I will try the pork chops. They have a variety of sandwiches and their French fries looked good. We will stop on our way back thru this cute little town. A definite place to try.

    Navajo Taco (half order)

    First of all, what an incredible staff and the owner himself was seating, serving, sweeping and visiting with all customers. A great little diner with great REAL food.

    Awful waiter named Victor. Wasn't attentive when placing order as well as bringing out wrong orders. Asked for thousand-island dressing and was brought out ranch. When asked for the thousand-island, waiter rudely took the ranch on the table and STILL didn't bring the dressing. As for the meal itself. I ordered the chicken strip platter which I was excited to eat but upon arrival I was disappointed to see that the strips and meal overall looked unappetizing to me. The meal looks like something from elementary cafeteria. This could be a personal preference but upon the manger arriving he himself told me "well what do you want me to do with it" and hit my harsh reality that I found the meal unappetizing he then said "well I don't know what to tell you, we sell a lot of them" I don't know why a well establishment would be proud to sell these chicken strips. All of this was said to me after I was hoping to order a new dish but that wasn't an option unlike most establishments. Overall, waiter and service as well as food was beyond subpar. Do not recommended at ALL! I'd like to add that throughout all of this myself (woman) and mother's input was ignored as they would constantly look to my dad for answers and when speaking. Even though this restaurant is filled with native folk, there are accusations that the restaurant's owner or manager is racist towards natives. PLLLLEAASSSE eat anywhere else.

    Julie H.

    We've never heard of fry bread until I visited NM so wanted to give it a try. We found a spot nearby for lunch so stopped at Earl's. Staff was very family oriented and sweet. We split an order of fry bread to try. The burger bun was fried flat bread (frybread) which was interesting. Portion was huge and was tasty. Note that there are several vendors that will approach you and sell some native items. It's a great way to support the community. Overall a nice experience.

    Sharlene D.

    Very mom and pop but updated place! Bigger than when I visited as a child.. Server, Cassidy, was on top of order and just out right a great server!! Thank you.. People were so kind even the customers .. the ambience was nice and place was rather clean for being busy! . Served To-go orders quickly.. wish we would've stayed for the beef stew special.. next time. Thanks for this experience since it's been sooo long .

    Denver omelet and Hash browns. Comes with bread choice. Mine was pancakes not pictured
    William T.

    As a truck driver I've been to my share of mom and pop restaurants. Ive had food in wouldn't feed a dog. HOWEVER THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE PLACES. Service was excellent from the moment we walked in we were seated and sat within a minute. YES the place was busy. After being sat we waited maybe 2 mins. Within 4 minutes we had drinks. We had service from multiple waiters that absolutely the best attitude towards Their jobs and customers. The facility was older in style but clean. If anything this place is a fresh step back in time to when the family restaurants where the only way to go. So if your looking for great quality and quantity of food this is your ticket. Well worth the 5 minute detour off the highway.

    Great burgers

    Great customer service best food and native and great Halloween decorations And always has a great feeling and feels like family

    Navajo taco
    Bridget C.

    Food was so delicious! Wish I lived here to eat there on a regular basis. Service was great.

    This place makes good money I'm sure they could renovate their restrooms

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    10 months ago

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    3 months ago

    Our server was fabulous! We split the Navajo Taco and still had leftovers! A nice diner experience traveling through Gallup.

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    8 months ago

    The carne adovada was super delicious. Our server Cassidy was awesome and provided great service. Would definitely come here again.

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    2 years ago

    It was delicious. Worth the price for the fry bread because of the generous portions. Bring your appetite!

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great place, delicious food! Wonderful service! Can't wait to go back next time I'm in Gallup!

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    3 years ago

    Great food. Great portions. Just a visitor, but earl treated me like family. Great man. Great service. 10/10 would recommend

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    Page 1 of 6

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    El Rancho Restaurant

    El Rancho Restaurant

    3.5
    (121 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    Wow! Best food I've had in a long time!…read more I came for the historic hotel on the way home from Telluride to Scottsdale. There didn't seem to be much around to eat that was open on a Sunday so I came to the hotel restaurant. I saw lots of people had the chips so ordered the trio dip appetizer. The guac was definitely my favorite. So flavorful and fresh! The salsa was delicious but a little extra spicy and the queso was yummy! I ordered a cup of the green chile pork stew and it was spicy but delicious, a little light on the pork but very good. I got the Rita Moreno three chicken enchiladas with green chile. Best chicken enchiladas I've had in a long time! The chicken was moist and had just the right amount. Excellent flavor and melted cheese. The rice and beans were very bland. My friend got the chicken mole and got light sauce but she wished she had got the full sauce because it was that good! The whipped potatoes and sautéed veggies were the perfect accompaniment. I wish this place was where I lived because I would eat here as often as I could. Great atmosphere and service too. Had fun wandering around the gift shop after.

    This place is mediocre at best. I went here because Gallup doesn't have a ton of options, it is…read moreclose to where I'm staying and the recent reviews were ok, plus I was hungry. I ordered the three dips and chips - which is a shareable appetizer. It came out almost as soon as I ordered it and since I was only the third person in the restaurant I wondered if they had a bunch pre-made in case they got busy. The guac wasn't made to order. It looked like it had been sitting out for awhile, but tasted ok. Queso was good. Salsa was decent. Chips were good but I had more tiny broken pieces than actual dip worthy chips. For dinner I chose the Rita Moreno with chicken, no sour cream and no beans. I got it "Christmas style" so I could try both green and red sauces. When it was brought to me the plate had beans on it and the enchiladas weren't even hot - they were barely warm. The cheese garnish on top was barely melted. I started with the red side. The sauce was very spicy (I love spice so no big deal for me). I wasn't a big fan of the flavor so I switched to the green side. The sauce had a decent amount of spice but way more flavorful IMO. The tiny rice scoop was decent, but again, all this food was barely warm. The waiter came by once to say sorry about the beans but a random hotel/restaurant guest that was muttering something incoherently prevented me from being able to get a refill of my soda. By the time the waiter checked in again I was over it and asked for my check. I guess I could say the appetiser met expectation but would have been much better had the guac been made to order. With all the hype this place got I expected more. There is a bar and a gift shop connected to it and a historic hotel where apparently come famous people stayed long ago. Since I'm not staying there and was there only for dinner I would have rather had a better meal experience and less hype. My advice is to keep looking unless you have it as a stop on your bucket/checklist.

    Photos
    El Rancho Restaurant
    El Rancho Restaurant
    El Rancho Restaurant

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    Native Grill and Meats

    Native Grill and Meats

    4.9
    (24 reviews)
    1.4 mi

    The service is great, the portions are large, and the food is tasty!…read more I'm not much of an adventurous eater, but I ordered the rib sandwich and my girlfriend got the Navajo Taco. We both enjoyed our meals, the meat was lamb and not gamey. The frybread was a real treat - new experience for myself.

    We're from California and used to having tons of food options, but I had never actually tried fry…read morebread before. We were just passing through Gallup and needed a quick lunch. We found this spot on Yelp and I'm so glad we stopped! We got the fry bread (sandwich) and it completely surprised us. I usually think lamb is too gamey, but this wasn't at all. When I brought it out, my husband thought it was beef at first because of how mild it tasted. The portions are huge. HUGE! One taco was seriously the size of a medium pizza and somehow we still finished it. If you're taking it to go like we did, eat it within 5 to 10 minutes so it doesn't get soggy. They also have free broth and honey inside which was such a nice touch and made it even better. Dipping the fry bread in the broth was a nice touch. Like a lighter consomé. Try it with the honey, too! We did with the remaining fry bread as a bit of a dessert. The best part though was the woman working there. She was so kind, answered all my questions, explained everything, and even gave me a magazine about Gallup. If you want something authentic and filling, definitely stop here.

    Photos
    Different cuts of lamb for sale
    Different cuts of lamb for sale
    Navajo Burger Corn Stew and Fry Bread
    Navajo Burger Corn Stew and Fry Bread
    Native Grill and Meats

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    Panz Alegra Restaurant & Lounge

    Panz Alegra Restaurant & Lounge

    2.8
    (37 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    NOISY, at least where I was put. Right by the kitchen. I could have asked to be moved, but I was…read moreenjoying the Mexican music blaring where the cooks were. I figured if they're happy back there then I shouldn't worry about what comes out. I wasn't greeted with chips and salsa which was a surprise, seeing how it's a staple at every Mexican restaurant I've ever been to. So that was a bummer. You would think that nice salty chips and spicy salsa would pair well with a cold beer. It would make you thirsty for another thus adding to their bottom line. It's probably for the best after that salty mess last night at the Garage restaurant in Oklahoma. I still feel like Lot's wife after she looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah. My bubbly server took my order of a beer and a Mexicali hamburger steak (closest thing to meatloaf that I could get). It came to my table piping hot. My steak was covered in chopped green chilis, and was extremely delicious. The beans and rice were standard, so no woop there. Panz Alegra was pretty busy on this Saturday night. You can sit in the bar area, or the regular restaurant. The bar was a hoppin', while where I was seated was pretty tame. Unless you consider the exuberant busboy dancing his way to tables entertaining. He made me a bit nervous. The guy was one misstep away from adding more dishes to my table than I was comfortable with. Ricky Martin he was not. You can't go wrong with Panz. You can get better, but who wants to drive all the way to Las Cruces. Quick Tip: This place boasts American-Mexican-Italian food on its menu. Interesting. I never would have thought that American food would find its way on the menu. Oh, from the outside, the restaurant looks abandoned. One of many relics you can find along Route 66. But don't be deterred. There's people inside, dancing and otherwise.

    Panz Alegra was a fun experience. I didnt know what to expect going in, they apparently have a bar…read moreand a restaurant area. I was in the restaurant side. The service was ok, good in terms of attentiveness, they were swamped and there was a wait to get in anways. Food came out pretty slow but then I am not sure if they are usually completely full. The Chile Releno was reallly good and had a lot of flavor to it. The tacos were pretty basic and the rice was good. My meal came with a large folded flour tortilla with a butter pad that confused me. The menu was expansive and some of the burgers that passed by me looked really good. They touted a sign that said an best authentic mexican food award, but really its tex-mex. Ill go again for sure try more and update.

    Photos
    The bar
    The bar
    Good Salsa
    Good Salsa
    Panz Alegra Restaurant & Lounge

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    Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

    Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

    2.7
    (179 reviews)
    2.4 mi
    $$

    Corn muffins came out cold. Chicken breast had no bones (maybe cuz it was processed?) & was over…read morefried/ hard. Had to ask for butter & ketchup twice. Then ordered the Coca-Cola cake to go (w the ice cream in a separate container). Server came back and said the manager "caught" her putting ice cream in a container & told her she couldn't give it to us, to go. Said that was "against the rules". And I couldn't have it to go. So even though I'm paying for the whole desert, I wasn't "allowed" to take it with me. I'M SORRY!!! WHAT!!?!?!?!!!! The server felt bad, so she "took the ice cream off of our bill". Well, ma'am... Miss "manager," have you ever had chocolate cake with NO ice cream???? Welp - that's like saying "you can't have syrup with your pancakes - butter with your roll- and apparently... HOT corn muffins with your meal!" So yeah, wasn't going to even give a review..... until the ice cream police told me not only were they not going to let have the ice cream.... But I was going to have to pay for it, regardless! So NOPE! Won't make the mistake of ever going here again! That's the most ignorant thing I've ever heard of!! Looking for all of the socials to post this most ridiculousness to!!! Do better Cracker Barrel!!!

    There is a new menu, but the feel is the same. I was met at the door, as if I were walking into…read moreGrandma's house. It has a clean, country feel. Sadly, the menu changed, and many fan favorites were removed. The staff was kind and courteous and knew the menu well. I traditionally like trying places I've never been and staying away from chain restaurants, but this was within walking distance of the hotel, and I knew what I could get and what I would expect after a long day of travel.

    Photos
    Main foyer
    Main foyer
    Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
    Chicken n' Dumplins are the best!!

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    Chicken n' Dumplins are the best!!

    Earl's Family Restaurant - mexican - Updated June 2026

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