Not a ton of options for eating at night - but this place is a fun place to go. Cold beer, friendly wait staff, live music, the swinging grill - this place has a great vibe. It was pretty busy when we visited - which made it fun to sit and talk with other people traveling. The greatest room for improvement - the steaks. While the presentation and grilling is great - the flavor is pretty so-so. When grilling steaks, you expect they'll season them up or marinated them - it seems like more or less, they take the steak out of the package and grill it - so not a ton of flavor. I added salt and pepper at the table - but it doesn't seem like a ton of effort to pre-marinated or season the steaks for a better taste. Bottomline: This place is more about the awesome environment, great people, locaton, etc than it is about amazing steaks. The food is OK, the environment is A+ read more

Awesome time and food!! You watch a guy cook your food on an open kitchen. The food is great and the restaurant is a great stop on the way to the monument valley. read more

4th time here and we still love it. The experience is awesome: your steak swinging over an open flame. The menu is everything you need after a day on the trail: beef, beans and a simple salad. Yes, the prices are a bit high, but I've never been disappointed. The steak is always cooked right, always tender and portioned generously. We refuse to pass through Mexican Hat without stopping for dinner. read more

Going in, I knew what to expect based on the reviews I have read: limited menu and $$. I was not looking for anything else and I knew I would be paying for the same price elsewhere so I was comfortable eating there. We were greeting by the friendly host. Once we ordered, the meat was quickly put on the swinging grill to sear by an attentive and watchful grillmaster. My medium rare flat iron steak was beefy and grilled to perfection, I also tried a bite of the NY sirloin which was also tasty. I was expecting more flavor from the ribeye but I think it was charred a bit more than I liked (it was asked to cook to medium) so it had more charred bitter flavor which might have masked the beefiness. The garlic toast was delicious, while the pinto beans could use a bit more seasoning (which was saved by a little dash of salt and Tapatio sauce). We all had a good time and enjoyed the dinner and hope more people get a chance to discover this little gem. read more

I had the steak, and it was dry and tasteless. The staff was unfriendly and lacking in hospitality. And they insult you by adding on to the bill an 18% service charge. read more

Love it. Simple, pure, perfect. We stumbled upon this place 10 years ago, loved it and always swore we'd return. Well we just did return and it is just as awesome as I remember. My wife and I shared a ribeye. Thoughtfully, you can order an "extra plate" of beans and salad to accompany a shared steak. I love how the medium rare is actually medium rare - red, but warm. And the cook totally nailed it. It's hard to go wrong with a hardwood fire and a gorgeous big slab of cow, but this guy is a real pro. Just divine. We ordered a burger for our little boy and he just mowed it. We tried it too and it was excellent. It's a bit different in that they use thick grilled slabs of garlic-buttered white bread instead of a bun. A nice difference! As long as the home of the swinging steak is here, we will return. Hopefully sooner than in a decade. XOXO read more

If you're looking for a place to chill and have a couple of cold ones, super place. But we found the steak dinner a little overpriced for what you get, the steak being very plain with little or no seasonings. The steak, salad and pinto beans come all just slopped together on one platter so in a matter of seconds, you have steak, salad and bean soup...not happy. What is it with the pinto beans slopped on the platter around here? Got it here, the motel diner there at the river and at the Monument Valley View motel as well. Also be aware that an 18% gratuity is automatically added to your bill. read more

very simple meal .. not surprising removed from civilisation .. yet satisfying .. service was excellent though .. nice "swinging" ambience read more

Mexican Hat Lodge - Very very simple meal - Steakhouses Near Me - Mexican Hat, Utah

We checked in, the room smells like moldy old carpet. Called the front desk and they said " I'll let housekeeping know". After riding ten hours on a motorcycle we just wanted a clean room and some food. After inquiring at the lodges restaurant about getting some food we were informed that we could not order food for take out to our room. They said we had to come to the restaurant in order to eat there, which would entail paying for food and the additional 18% gratuity that they already add on to your bill. So guess what?? We go down the street order take out food from another restaurant and bring it back. So you lost money and any future visits from us . Overpriced, not nice and not accommodating at all. Will never go there again, will never recommend anyone to go there. read more

Be careful with this place. Was traveling through and saw how great reviews were. Got there at 3:00 and was told they did not open until 5:00. Stuck around for 2 hours as we wanted a steak dinner. Went back at 5:15, and was told cook was not in yet and it would be at least another hour before they could begin cooking. Not good customer service. Had to go back to kayento to eat. read more

Had the sirloin with beans and salad, steak very tender and cooked to perfection along with the beans really nice meal

Totally worth the drive!!! We stopped here on our 11 day whirlwind honeymoon tour of the SouthWest. The massive ribeye (grilled over juniper wood) was magnificent and the open air atmosphere just added to the elemental nature of the entire experience. The Swingin Steak has a basic but fulfilling menu (steak, beans, salad, etc) and will leave you feeling like you stepped back into the old west. read more

Me again. Driving across country and discovering early evening while checking in at our hotel in Kayenta...no wine being served with dinner and a waiting line? Depressing, iPad in hand plus Yelp ..while our hotel host was recommending nonalcoholic wine, we bravely set out driving in the dark to Mexican Hat for Swinging Steak! A blessing! Go...and in the morning on your drive to Monument Valley you will feel humble by what you drove by in the dark! Bonne Route. read more

This was such a unique treat on our trip to see Monument Valley. Great homey feel. The smell was fantastic of the grill and seasoned meats. A little pricey and not the best steak I've ever had, but worth it for the atmosphere. The people were friendly and talked to you while they cooked your food on the swinging grill in front of you read more

Terrible..terrible..their gimmick is that they have their steaks on a swinging grate over a fire..my steak was rare (asked for medium). Opted for the extra plate which included a drab salad, tasteless beans and tasteless bread. The steak was not tender ( got the $36 model and they throw the steak and some clear juice on the plate and then stupidly put the salad, which became unedible, the beans and the bread on top of it all. It was a soggy, tasteless mess! Stay away..also, not clean at all... read more

The grillmaster, a fifth generation Mexican Hat, UT resident and cowboy, was not only friendly, but cooked an awesome steak. The restaurant is part of the Mexican Hat Lodge and has an open fire bbq with a grate that literally swings back and forth over the juniper wood fire. It's a very simple menu - a cowboy menu - meat, beans, salad, texas toast. My husband still raves about it. read more

A little pricey but a great steak and a wonderful experience. Steak cooked on a swinging grate over a roaring fire. The staff was friendly and treated us like we lived there. Just had a great time, staff went out of their way to deal with wife's soy allergy. Eat here if you get a chance. read more

The New York steak was fantastic, albeit rather pricey ($36 for 14 ounces). This place has a great, classic western ambiance. Every entree comes with the same sides: salad, pinto beans, and Texas toast, all served on the same plate as the entree. While the Texas toast was great, the salad was average, and flavorless pinto beans were practically drowning in water. There is an 18% minimum gratuity, and 20% for parties of 5 or more. This place is still maybe the best option for dinner in town, but based on the size of Mexican Hat, that's really not saying all that much. FYI: the burgers are served just like the steaks--no buns. read more

We got a bad vibe in this restaurant. First of all the the server was curt with us. While we waited we noticed a sign that said, "We reserve the right to refuse service no matter who your Daddy is." Then the food arrived (and you better like pinto beans and salad because those are are the only sides) and the steak that was described as a "baseball" was anything but! We observed other patrons being served what looked like "baseballs" but mine was NOT! When I questioned the chef in cowboy garb about my steak, he said, "That's what you got" and walked away. The meal was quite expensive and there is an 18% gratuity already added. I guess they have to do that when the dining experience is often disappointing. read more

Do yourself a big favor and make sure to drive up here if you're anywhere in the area (like Monument Valley, for instance). The drive is incredible, the ambiance is somehow perfect, and the food is simple, but excellent. One of my favorite memories from our trip to Monument Valley was our dinner here. Everything just fits beautifully together. The ash from the fire, the swinging grate, the 125 year old cook and wood-burning stove, and the superbly cooked steak. Wish I lived closer... read more

Loved the sirloin and "hamburger". There isn't a kids menu, everything is huge. Great ambiance. They don't have any extras or lots of choices - like ketchup or cheese for your burger ("this is a steakhouse"). Also the burger is more like hamburger steak - you can make a burger by using your Texas toast... Kids love to watch the steak cooking on the swing. read more

Pretty good food. Navajo taco good but almost no meat in it. Excellent fries. Cool and interesting place overall. Good luck eating healthy though. read more

One of the highlights of our trip. Its unique, fun and very tasty. If you are anywhere near Mexican Hat stop and have a Ribeye.

Expensive for what it is, but it was very clean and well-maintained, with a very nice pool.

We stayed here for two nights and would definitely stay again. The rooms could use a little updating such as windows (1 of ours did not open) and the bathroom. But the room (room 5) had a bedroom, a microwave, coffee maker and fridge. The coffee wasn't very good. It was clean and the beds weren't too soft or too hard. We could have used more towels for 3 people in the room. The curtains kept the room very dark. The bedding was nice. It was quiet. Parking was convenient. We didn't eat at the swinging grill but it smelled great. Our biggest complaint is the wifi. First it wasn't terribly fast. Second the password we were given was only good for 24 hours and we were there 2 days. We almost missed getting a new password before the office closed for the night. Third the password was only good for 4 devices. There were 3 of us who each had a cell phone and iPad and needed 6 logins. I do not know if they would have given us another password for the additional devices because the office was closed before we realized this situation. Over all, for the price, we were happy. read more

Food was way overpriced for what you get. Hamburger with no bun, no condiments. Watery beans that just make everything else soggy. Not impressed. read more

My meal was not cheap ($50 for 1 beer and a New York Steak). The steak was very tough with little flavor, with watery beans and salad.