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.

Food was really good! I had the salmon with slaw and fried okra. My husband had the Notorious PIG…read moreand really enjoyed it! The slaw was incredible! Service was very good! Atmosphere left a little to be desired! The music was very loud and it was annoying screaming music! I asked if they could turn it down and they did. Except for that it could've been a very nice experience.

We had lunch here, and had no difficulty finding parking We were seated immediately and had…read moreattentive service. Unsurprising, the Lucky Bull Grill has a rustic character. I had the 24 Tap BLT, and my wife had the Cobb salad with fried chicken. She enjoyed the salad, and said the fried chicken was quite good. The BLT was mostly bacon, with a leaf of lettuce and a thin slice of tomato; much as I enjoyed the bacon (chewy, not excessively crispy), I also appreciate the contrast with meaty tomato and crisp lettuce, so I found this BLT okay but not great. YMMV. I had onion rings with the BLT, and they were pretty good. Overall a positive experience, and a decent venue for lunch, but room for improvement.

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.

Found this place on accident and ended up being the best food I've tried in Carlsbad. If you want…read moresomething different at a good price with good service this is the place to go.

Friendly service with wonderful sandwiches, salads and desserts! The fig and prosciutto panini is…read moreout of this world!

This is an okay Wendy's…read more The food is like any other decent food chain of Dave Thomas' (RIP). A little weak on the fry servings, though! Didn't even fill our containers to the top! We there to get some snacks for the road back home to Hobbs after a tour at "Christmas on the Pecos." The drive-thru line was super long on 12/16/2023. They accepted my mobile order and got it to us quickly by the time we got up to the window. The guy at the register was nice, but neglected to give us any napkins at all. So we stared at him until he opened the window again. Lol.

Fast food is fast food but this review is for Diane who has great customer service. She was…read morefriendly & engaging & on some weird level, I think it made the food more enjoyable too. She recommended half & half frosty (chocolate on bottom, seasonal peppermint on top) & didn't steer us wrong. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I bought the free frosty promo tag. Thanks, Diane!

New Mexico burger was so good. Great burgers! Tad slow, but worth the wait. Loved the ranch also.read more

A whole lot of standing around and doing NOTHING but talking. Guys were ALL standing around while…read morethe girls were cooking. Kid at the window needed a belt. We waited forever in the drive thru. Then he gave us our bag and then went and got our tea but no straw. Please do better! This is ridiculous.

The interior was an interesting combination that gave mostly a country feel, even if the music…read moreselection was anything but country. Servers were kind and attentive although seemingly more business (at least our server). The food was fine but wouldn't necessarily say it was outstanding. I would though go back.

Nice clean place with fast and efficient service. The Bar-B-Q meats were cooked properly and tasted…read moregreat. The French fries were homemade and extra crispy like we like. A sign of the times when half the menu is listed as market price. The Memphis style Bar-B-Q sauce had a bit too much hot sauce/cayenne pepper.

Great service! Even allowed our dog inside because it was so hot. NO outdoor seating, despite that…read morelisting on Yelp. Reasonable prices and good food.

Great service. We are from Dallas, so Tex-Mex runs in our veins. This food surpassed my…read moreexpectations for Jalisco style and for food in Carlsbad. Yum! The salsa was spicy and great. Really loved the cheese on my burrito and the taco meat was red colored and had a great flavor. The plate was oven hot, the server said so as she put it in front on me wearing oven mits, but I insisted on touching it and I wear this blister in memory of a wonderful meal!