Did not stay at the Eklund but did visit the saloon. I'm a sucker for historic watering holes. The saloon did not disappoint. Historic and long bar. Historic photos on the walls. I got the feeling it wasn't all that different from old west days. We were there in the afternoon and I would feel comfortable taking my mom there for a snort if she were still alive. A big plus is the beer sampler which features mostly NM beers. We sat at a table underneath a mounted bison head and pictures of train robber Blackjack Ketchum being hanged. I'm not sure which was the more interesting. An easily overlooked gem. And just a half block off the hwy. Definitely worth a stop between Amarillo and Raton. read more

We are staying in Clayton NM and and we fond the Eklund on our hotel pamphlet and on trip adviser so we decided to try it out. I got the club sandwich it came within 10 minutes it was a a decent size the only thing was the bacon had a lot of fat however this is definitely a great place to stop and we will return read more

Hotel Eklund - Hotels Near Me - Clayton, New Mexico

A lovely, quaint hotel in the center of town. Very clean and Jerry at the front desk was so personable and helpful! read more

Hotel Eklund - Hotels Near Me - Clayton, New Mexico

There are only 3 sit-down restaurants in Clayton. This is the restaurant in the historic Eklund Hotel. I had the penne pasta with salmon. It was "okay," esp. considering the remote location of Clayton, but I wouldn't order it again. But there is a pretty large menu, and I will eat here again when I pass through in about a month. The restaurant is obviously aiming to please a wide range of palettes. Dessert was banana cream pie. It was good; I'd give it 4 stars and the entree 3 stars. I was seated in the bar; the dining room was closed, although the patio was open. Service was a little slow...waitress just didn't "check in" with me very often on the evening I was there (8/20/14). She didn't notice that my water was empty, or that I was done with my main course and ready for dessert, or that I was done with dessert and ready for my check. Finally had to have another server go get her...sloppy. Then she does the credit card at the table using a tablet and asked, "Did you want to add a tip with that?" I hate that...who would say "no"? I gave her what I thought was 15%; I usually give 20%, but if she hadn't been standing over me, I would have given 10%, with a note why. I posted the menu here as .jpg files; I hope you can access them. read more

Hotel Eklund - Menu 8-2014 Pg 1 - Hotels Near Me - Clayton, New Mexico

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We stopped for the night in Clayton while on a road trip to Colorado. The restaurant at Hotel Eklund was scheduled to be open for at least another hour, and yet despite an empty-looking dining room were told they would be unable to seat us. Hostess came off as completely rude, to the point that I have zero interest in stopping in Clayton ever again. Will be spending my money elsewhere in the future! read more

Beautiful historic hotel, friendly service and excellent Mexican food. Unique experience in this small town, definitely worth taking the time to experience it. read more

I didn't stay.. Just ate in the restaurant. It was quiet and nice.. Food was good, but nothing to write home about.. The place itself was amazing and definitely worth the visit!! read more

Hotel Eklund - Hotels Near Me - Clayton, New Mexico

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Plan your trip so you stop in Clayton New Mexico. Old west feel, really 1900 feel to the rooms and food. My meal of xxx chicken (can't remember the name) was, honestly, the best meal I have had in months. The Eklund hotel ~20 rooms and restaurant. I will be back. read more

Great hotel in a charming town. Room was larger with clean soft beds.,. Second-floor room with the front balcony was a bonus addition to the room. Hotel staff is very accommodating and knowledgeable. Connected hotel bar and saloon really gave an old world charm read more

Hotel Eklund - Front lobby and entranceway - Hotels Near Me - Clayton, New Mexico

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This Is a cute little hotel to stay at. Yes, its a little older, but that gives it style. It has a nice little restaurant and bar there, so you don't has to go far looking for food. The staff there are very friendly. read more

The rooms are quaint and comfortable. Well presented. Very much would enjoy another stay here. But will definitely eat elsewhere. It being New Mexico, I expected some good Mexican fare. I got a glorified Patio Dinner from the early 80's. Tasted like It all came from a can, though the blue corn tortilla they used for the enchilada was a nice touch. Our front desk clerk, Barbara, was the nicest, kindest person. She was very helpful. read more

The ascetics of the hotel is very nice and the dinner in the saloon with live music was awesome! However no sleep all night as trains and travelers made so much noise as they traveled the Santa Fe Trail which is right outside your window. The room we booked with a sofa bed had no sofa bed and the little selection of breakfast was pathetic! Way over priced for sure. I will not be back! read more

I feel as if 1 star is being generous. We walked in at 6:30 with a group of 8. We received our food around 8:50. During this time the waitress brought us one refill and intentionally ignored us. When the burgers came out my burger was just as pink as raw meat. Very nasty. My friends hamburger came out overcooked and hard as a rock. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone seeking decent service and warm food. read more

Quaint and classic hotel. Love the suite with the jetted tub next to the window! Love the creepy history associated with the hotel. This is our overnight stop when going to Colorado from OKC. The restaurant was nice, food was good and service was slow, but our waitress was very sweet. read more

Hubby and I were on our way home when we drove through Clayton and looked for a place to have lunch. The Eklund looked nice, and since I love historic buildings, we decided to stop. We walked in and had to wait several minutes before the only person seeming to be on duty decided to seat us. We sat for several minutes looking at our menus until she came by to take drink orders. It took about ten minutes to get two iced teas, and we still had no silverware or napkins, nor had she taken our order. Finally she came over and took our order, after we had been sitting for nearly 20 minutes. A simple hamburger and a club sandwich took 28 minutes to get to our table from the time we ordered it. The waitress told us that the lady who finally appeared was the owner. The owner acted like a queen; she waltzed around the dining room glad-handing the people she knew and preening and simpering before the new priest in town, and just couldn't stay away from their table. There was a young man there who was supposed to be helping, but it seemed that he had no experience whatsoever in waiting on customers. He had to be told to set tables, get drinks, clear tables, etc. The three people at the table next to us sat for nearly ten minutes before their drink orders were taken, and even then they had to stop the waitress and ask for service. Hubby and I were about 45 seconds from walking out when the waitress took our order--28 minutes later it showed up. I wouldn't go back into this hotel for all the tea in China. There is no excuse whatsoever for a hotel to have only one person in the kitchen working to try to feed customers at lunch; I feel sorry for dinner guests. The hotel is gorgeous and full of antiques and historical stuff. The dining room could use an efficiency expert!!! We wasted nearly 1-1/2 hours in Clayton at this dining establishment, when we could have gotten a hot dog across the street at the coffee shop. read more

Horrible. I wouldn't eat there again if it was free! Atmosphere is the only thing this place has going for it. Service was rude and not attentive. My husband ordered a rib eye, baked potato and salad. The salad was wilted and the potato was half a potato. Maybe an attempt at twice baked. He said it tastes like a dried up Allsups potato wedge. He did say the steak had good flavor and was cooked as ordered. I ordered the flat pork enchilada. This was the size of one small tostada. It came with about 4 bites of tasteless beans and about 6 bites of old, hard, burnt rice. I didn't eat any of the sides. I can't believe they even put that rice on the plate. I also ordered a margarita which I assumed would be a real, tequila margarita since there was bar. Nope, it was a wine cooler. This was the worst $50 meal for two I've ever had! read more

Well, I found this place on the map a few weeks ago because I knew my wife and I and another couple would be passing through Clayton on our ride from Taos to Amarillo. The place looked like it had some history and being labor day, I figured it would be open since it was a hotel too. We rolled into town after a 168 mile ride from Taos and the hostess/manager Jeanette was able to seat us in the saloon section in about 5 minutes. Then things went down hill. Our waiter came over to take our drink order and we ordered 4 waters. He comes back with the waters and then sands there waiting for us to order. We had to then ask him for menus. He brought us menus and came back a short time later and we ordered. Two orders of the tacos, one enchilada and an open face turkey sandwich. Forty minutes later, after seeing only one table get their food and a family of three get up and walk out because they still hadn't got their food, I walk over and glance through the windows in the kitchen door. I see absolutely no activity so I walk over to the dining room side. I see people eating and a little more activity. i see our waiter and ask him if the kitchen is unusually slow today. He says yes, and he's getting aggravated by it. I point out that we ordered 40 minutes earlier and still hadn't gotten our food. He says he'll send the manager over. Jeanette comes over several minutes later and tells us that the kitchen is like Grand Central but our order is the third one up. She says she would get us some chips and salsa but they are slammed in the kitchen. What manager can't walk in and get some chips and salsa for waiting customers? Does it take a chef to serve up some chips and salsa? She then notices we have no napkins or silverware and says she can take care of that. We never see her again! Over an hour after we ordered, our food arrives, and we ask the server for silverware. She says sure and walks away. I see her speaking to our waiter then he walks away. I get up and walk over and look for silverware myself and the waiter sees me looking. He sees there is none so he walks back into the kitchen to get some. He returns with 4 forks. We ask for some napkins and he walk to the kitchen again. I then walked up to where I saw a stack of napkins and grabbed some for our table. The waiter then returned with a steak knife to go with the open faced turkey sandwich. The food was just mediocre. My wife's beef tacos contained unseasoned ground beef, cold , out of the bag cheddar cheese, all for $8.95 with cold beans and flavorless rice. No salsa. My enchilada was something I could have got from Taco Bell. My beans were hot but the rice was flavorless. My friend said the turkey tasted like ham but the gravy was good! This place is definitely a candidate for Restaurant Impossible! While we were finishing our lunch, two other tables gave up and left. One was a table of about 9 and as the walked out, Jeanette started yelling to them that their food was ready and coming out. another employee went after them and they returned as I paid my bill and left a very deserving 1 cent tip. Needless to say, 2 hours of my travel day were wasted, with only 15 minutes of it eating my lunch! Maybe we were spoiled by the great food we found in Taos. No, this experiance was just plain bad. read more

Dinner was neat because they had an open mic night so we enjoyed listening to that During supper. Supper on the other had was mediocre. I got the half club and salad and my husband got the Santa Fe steak plate which was basically a battered hamburger patty with beans and rice, Very bland even with their chile sauces. The waitress wasn't rude but wasn't nice. We ended up staying at the hotel which was actually very neat, historical, and the bed was very very cozy. We got a room to where you walked out on a shared balcony but luckily we were the only ones so it was neat to sit out and chat. Breakfast the next day... Let's just say don't. Oatmeal that I'm 98% sure was instant and limited pastries and the Orange juice tasted spoiled too. Overall it wasn't awful and the rooms were clean and neat so we felt a 3 was deserving. read more

Love the Eklund. I recommend starting with chips, salsa and guacamole then on to the combo plate for the main dish. The New Mexico cab wine Ponderosa pairs well with it. Last night we enjoyed live music in the saloon while we ate. It was such a lovey evening. read more

Passing through and needed a drink and food after a long day of driving. Great looking place, the atmoshphere was old school Texas money. The menu had some appetizing dishes. I ordered the pork chop with a nice chutney and garlic mash potatoes. The taste was excellent, the texture was tough as leather, overcooked. The waitress asked, I told her everything was not good. She said she would fix it. She came back, only to tell me that the cook basically said "that's the way the pork chop is going to be." So I got the prime rib. It was a decent cut and tender, but a bit over-peppered in some spots. The garlic potatoes were excellent! The other funny thing, I asked if one of the beers on tap was a NM beer. She had no idea. EVERY beer on tap was a NM beer. The prices were good and they comped my meal. Maybe I caught them on a bad night, but I can't see giving more than two stars for this experience. read more

I didn't stay at the hotel but rather had a lovely lunch at their restaurant. My road trip pal & I shared a Reuben, club sand which & guacamole salad & onion rings. Yes, we are both very health conscious. The food was good and it was a nice break from being stuck on a 40 mile an hour safety corridor road for most of our little cross over through New Mexico. There were a lot of old photos and history posted on the wall which added to the ambiance. New Mexico I want to love you you, but your just not Texas, but then again at least your not Oklahoma. The lobby of the hotel is very nice and I bet its a nice place to stay if you are passing though. read more

I am torn on the number of stars to give here; my food (green chile burger) wasn't terrible, but it wasn't very good either - it was ok. Normally, that means a 3 star, and the historical ness of the place would contribute to the rating. However, the service was pretty bad. We sat down and asked if any of the beers on tap were brewed here in New Mexico. The answer from the hostess? "I don't know." Then she stared at me goggle eyed until I told her to go find out. Instead of finding out, she avoided me for the rest of the evening and didn't make eye contact at all. The answer? They are only serve New Mexican beers on tap. We ordered from a different waitress, and when the food arrived, my brother's pork chop was as tough as leather. When we told the waitress, she came back from talking to the kitchen and told us that the cook had just opened the package and that "they were all going to be the same." Essentially telling us that they didn't know how to cook pork chops. We called a manager over who comped the chop and brought him a ribeye (which was good, though over peppered). Nice location, and you can get a beer while you eat, but the service is pretty below par. read more

Had their breakfast burrito plate and coffee. Both were good, but the burrito was outstanding and reasonably priced. YUM!

I would recommend this hotel as an unexpected sanctuary with warm and hospitable hosts. We chose Clayton and the Hotel Eklund for a one-night stay as our first landing pad on a road trip from Kansas City to Taos/Santa Fe, so we arrived fairly late on a Wednesday night after a long day's driving. We didn't have the opportunity to eat in the dining room, except for the breakfast. We arrived to find the restaurant and hotel staff sitting together in the dining room after the last dinner guests had gone home, with the clean-up finished and preparations for the morning nearly done. The owner opened up the bar for us (beer & wine license only) and we were able to choose from a respectable selection of good beers, many from New Mexico brewers, and invited to sit in any cozy corner we preferred or to take our glasses outside. The bar and restaurant were huge, had high ceilings and authentic & original bar, ornamental plaster on the ceiling, fireplaces, wood-panneled and velvet-papered walls, and an atmosphere of quality decoration that had aged but had aged well. We took our drinks outside to the garden seating area that started out under the porte cochere and continued into a garden enclosure that in the morning was full of sparrows. The owner had created a lovely sense of place with comfortable tables and enormous pots of flowers. Our room was big and comfortable and clean, the hotel interior was quiet. The furnishings were in keeping with the overall tone of southwestern comfort and the bed was very comfortable. A possible downside might be the sound of traffic at the nearby intersection outside: during our waking hours, truck traffic was steady. I didn't notice the trains, but I'm a sound sleeper and grew up close enough to the tracks of the BNSF line that it probably would have felt like home. This is a hub of one of the region's main industries, so the sounds should probably be experienced as part of what it means to be there. The breakfast was mostly prepared in the kitchen: two kinds of delicious, crustless quiche, cinnamon rolls, some croissants that were packaged but fresh, juice and coffee were what we had. The quiche was very tasty. The owner was always nearby, warm and accommodating. read more

Very old fashioned and western. Great steaks and good service. Nice bar makes you feel like you are in a western about to chum it up with Wyatt Earp. Haven't tried the hotel but it is all very classy and or ornate. Definitely worth the visit. read more

I want to start off by saying I have always admired the Eklund for its rich history. We drive through Clayton several times a year on our way to the mountains. Clayton and the Eklund get many travelers passing through which makes this place a prime location for business. It really breaks my heart that the Eklund is being ran so poorly! It has huge potential! It's history alone can easily bring in business. Unfortunately, the current owners are oblivious to customer service and how to run a historic hotel and restaurant. Now on to our lunch experience today... We were greeted with "there is a wait" instead of "hello, welcome" Our server Samantha kept on disappearing to the hotel check-in area, I don't know why because there were no guests at the check-in area. All of our drinks were empty before our food ever came out and were never refilled or even offered to be refilled! Luckily I had a bottled water in my purse that my family shared to finish our lunch. My daughter ordered the potato skins and they were so over cooked they were not edible! My daughter tried eating one of them but it was too hard to chew. She did manage to cut out one piece but it was too dry to swallow and she had an empty drink and could not wash it down. Food and service were terrible!!!! Absolutely not worth 60.00! To make a long story short, until this place is under new ownership don't waste your time or money stopping here. Your better off eating in Dalhart or at the St. James in Cimarron! read more

The Eklund has a long history in Clayton, much of which is evident in the beautiful antiques and period decor. We spent a night here to get away from our hectic schedules, and enjoyed the drive and the atmosphere at the hotel, bar and restaurant! The food was well prepared and tasty. I had some meatloaf that was pure comfort. The Sunday brunch is popular and can get very busy. I had the pancake stack -- they were light and fluffy, and were served hot! read more

Smiles and warm greetings as soon as we entered. We stayed the night the historic vibe and the room were wonderful. We ate dinner and had drinks in the saloon had a great night and made local friends. Very good craft beer selection and the dinner was fantastic. The absolute best red chili sauce ever! It was so good i had to het more on my breakfast burrito the next morning. We will make a point to come back here and highly suggest staying a weekend here. read more

Well, we'd been here once before and enjoyed it. However, today we went in ( after looking forward to returning), sat ourselves as per the sign, and were thoroughly ignored for about 15 minutes while others were served. Needless to say we left and won't be returning. read more

We have heard about the food at the Eklund Hotel forever - had nothing to do so we drove the 70 miles to try it out. Biggest mistake ever! Service was crappy and the food really wasn't worth eating. They may have been good once upon a time but that time has long since passed. read more

Ive been here on many occasions and sat around for many hours waiting to get served. I have been the only table in the bar with a friend and had to wait 45 minutes to an hour to get a beer to the table, being served food is the same nightmare. The food itself (when you eventually get it) is nothing short of overly bland. They skip the traditional New Mexico food you would expect with a Santa Fe style menu that has the flavor of being boiled with some frozen french fries or frozen veggies on the side. The last time this place was good was back in early 2000, they had a good atmosphere in the bar all the time and food was reasonably priced and really good. I gave this place a 1 star purely because it is kind of cool looking, nothing beyond that. read more

I can't give less than 1 star, which is unfortunate. Despite a mostly empty dining room we were told it would be a 10-15 minute wait for seating. Service was ridiculously slow (1 hour from sitting to food served) and staff rarely checked in with us. The food was mediocre. There was no offer to discount or otherwise make amends. Clueless. Won't be back. read more

Cute hotel and very friendly people. It is older, but charming. Nice bathrooms and comfortable beds. The rooms are bare, but that gives you plenty of space to put luggage and things. The free breakfast was OK... The only "negative" thing I'll say is the hotel can get loud since the walls and ceilings are thin. We had to blast the AC in our room to somewhat drown out the noise from neighboring rooms. Wasn't really a big deal. All in all, decent place to stay when traveling through Clayton, NM. We would stay here again. read more

Thank you Yelp for this gem! Just a lovely old hotel, great staff, comfortable rooms. We got the king suite which has a balcony facing the main st it's a bit noisy with the cars going by. There's a historic movie theater across the street all lit up in neon. We ate at the hotel restaurant service was a bit slow but very nice... Would've loved to see the bar all lit up but the a/c was out so it wasn't open to sit in. Very lovely historic hotel...would def stay here again! read more

I wish we had spent the night here, but we did eat dinner at the hotel restaurant. It is a small venue, and we had to wait. We went around 7:00. The hostess took our name to get in line behind 2 other gentlemen. We were told we could be seated on a couch just inside the door. They had a really neat old-time bar (without stools) with a worn brass rail near the floor for 'cowboys' to rest a foot! It looked like it was straight from a western movie. The hotel was built in 1892 and is very historic. My husband and the 2 other gentlemen went to the bar to get a drink while we waited. We had been told that they were a waitress short, but that does not make it acceptable for the waitress to be downright rude to the men at the bar when they politely asked to order a drink. At first she TOTALLY ignored them, but finally took their order. In the meantime, another couple walked in just as a table was cleared. The sign in the lobby stated to wait to be seated. The new couple seated themselves at the table, jumping ahead of those of us who had been waiting. My husband went to the hostess and pointed this out, but the waitress went ahead and took their order. The hostess felt bad about it, and came to take our order while we remained at the couch. She took the other 2 gentlemen's order, too. On the positive side our food was outstanding! My husband ordered the combination Mexican dinner, and I ordered the chicken fried steak with wild rice and green beans. Everything was homemade and delicious. The guacamole we ordered as an appetizer was a little too spicy for me. But the biggest plus was the live music by a young man named Justin Cole. He was really good. I would have gladly paid for a ticket to see him. I gave this restaurant 4 stars instead of 5 because I don't feel that being in a stressful situation gave the waitress the right to be rude to the customers. read more

It is not worth the trip to eat! Food cold, over priced steaks not cooked right. Staff unattentive and uninterested. Things on menu they no longer serve. Bar is ok. Get a drink and avoid the restaurant altogether. Worst food I have had in a long time. If I could a picture would show it all. read more

Yum!! My sister and I came per a recommendation from the hotel manager... Meatloaf and chicken fried steak... Fun atmosphere and yummy food equals a nice travel meal !! read more

When we were in town with 2 other couples we decided to eat at the Eklund. What a terrible mistake. I asked the waitress what the chef's specialty was. She said everything on the menu was great. What a joke. Nothing is more like it. An open face hamburger was so tough it had to be cut with a knife, the red sauce on top was cold. the chicken fried steak was rubbery, the Mexican dishes were fair but nothing to get excited about. One of our party had to order three times as they were out of that item, but nothing else until she ordered again. They also put an automatic 18% gratuity without telling you and wanted more on top of that. I'll be sure to discourage anyone I know from wasting their money there. read more

Historic, elegant, comfy, and welcoming. So much better than a chain hotel, and yet the same price. We got the room with the big bathtub - SO SO worth it. Beautiful chandeliers, cool saloon, & great homemade quiche and cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We'll stay here again, no doubt. read more

Great spot for lunch! Hubby LOVED his club sandwich made with thick sliced cured ham. French fries were hot and crispy. Taco plate was great. Spanish rice and beans were very flavorful and perfect complements to the crispy tacos. Iced tea was served with crushed ice and was very refreshing. Atmosphere was a nostalgic mix of antique furnishings. Made me curious about staying at the hotel.... read more