We recently visited this place after hearing rave reviews from local bloggers. We were thoroughly impressed. The quesadillas, especially the pulled pork one, were delicious. The presentation and portion sizes were also impressive. We also enjoyed the queso fundido. The quality of the food was exceptional. It was refreshing to dine at a restaurant where the food was not frozen or from a jar. We highly recommend this place. Our waitress, Trish, was incredibly friendly and attentive. Overall, we had a wonderful experience. read more

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For over 30 years, this locally owned and operated cafe has established itself on the basis of New Mexican cuisine. From late summer through the fall, don't miss the Hatch chili specials, based on amazing imported chilies from NM. As the appetizer version promotes, it's a bit of a gamble because nobody knows how hot your chili will be until you bite in. But the amazing apricot Crema will cool things down. Diverse menu of Southwestern specialties is complemented by a full bar and very cute, authentic interior. Many vegan options. The service is excellent and the prices are reasonable for made-from-scrath scratch cuisine. Do not miss the homemade red and green sauces. Or the amazing cornbread. read more

Southwest Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

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The very best green sauce outside of New Mexico that I have found. I have been there twice and the quality has impressed me and those I have been with. Friendly, attentive service. read more

This was the first time my husband and I have been to this cute cafe. You felt like you were in someone's kitchen it was very cozy First of all I'm not a person that eats Mexican food however my husband loves it. He had the taco burrito combo with rice and beans The portion was generous and he said it was very good. I had my usual quesadilla cheese and chicken. Lots of cheese and chicken the Guacamole was very good We were the first ones in the cafe but within a half and hour it started to fill up If you like Mexican I would recommend giving it a try read more

Southwest Cafe - quesadillas and a salad - Mexican Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

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We had a truly relaxing and enjoyable time at Southwest Cafe. The decor is charming..very festive. There are lights and pretty paintings for you to admire. The food we tried was delicious! I loved my cornbread and my main, and ordered a dessert to take home. I also had a mocktail, which was fun. Service was wonderful. Our waitress could not have been nicer. She did a great job. I will definitely return! read more

Southwest Cafe - Entrance - Mexican Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

I had lunch at Southwest Cafe for the first time in quite awhile. I ordered the Chopped Salad and added shrimp, and let me tell you, the shrimp was the absolute star. Don't get me wrong. The salad itself was delicious, and I would gladly eat it with a different protein or no protein at all. But someone in that kitchen really knows how to cook shrimp to perfection. They were cooked to that exact point of being juicy and tender and not a second over. I plan to try more shrimp dishes there in the future! read more

Southwest Cafe - Chopped salad with shrimp - Mexican Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

Came here for dinner before a show at Ridgefield Playhouse. We really enjoyed our meal here. The place is small with a nice ambiance, and the food came out very quickly. I loved my chicken quesadilla. Would definitely return, especially because parking was such a breeze. read more

It's ok. The setting is nice and the vibe is nice inside (there's some outdoor seating in a tent). The service was average, although I thought the bartender was great, with a great attitude. Owner is busy working all aspects of the establishment, but she seemed kinda emo and detached. Maybe she's tired of it all. The trouble I had was the food. "Southwest" is in actuality a basic Tex-Mex shop with nothing inspired on the menu. Just all the Mexican cliche dishes. Salsa was meh. Food was average to below average. I think Southwest Cafe is long overdue for a remake, with an up to date inspired menu, new decor and a new chef. It has the potential and demand to be great, but it did't live up to my expectations at all. read more

Some friends invited me to join them at this place for a beer and some special appetizers - and that's why they're my friends as this place rendered a five star experience for food, service, and ambiance. Because of the incomplete and short range in this first experience, the possibility that the great company biased my experience upward, and my policy of conservative scoring in such circumstance I well score at 4 stars and just rave about the place. The only downside is they have a rather limited selection of draft beers which is a small point since you should be drinking Tequila Margaritas. All else was upside. Your visit begins with deliciously light nacho chips with perfectly spiced salsa. All of the appetizers we ordered were delicious. I was beguiled by the sautéed chilies I could have continued eating them until I got sick. There was a interesting salty vinegary flavoring to accompany their own natural goodness. The house chopped salad was so light and delicious. And the lobster tamale was the heavyweight flavorful you would hope it to be. We sat at the bar. It is a tiny place with a nice ambiance and cozy which I will rate as a positive since we all got a seat. The service was great and staff were amusing and full of personality. I will be back as soon as I can for a full dinner and fully expect it will earn my coveted 5 Star rating read more

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Food and drinks are great here. The chef does an amazing job and puts an innovative spin on the dishes. Have never had a bad meal. I especially recommend the wine dinners. Worth the price they are fabulous. The service is always just right. Love this place for lunch and dinner! read more

The music is great, the food was authentic. , very nice owner and wait staff,..Saw a single guitarist there inside that's phenomenal, and a great Husband wife duo outside ...very enjoyable evening! I think they were The Unexpected Duo..catch them if you can! read more

Great mexican for the area, drinks great. It's a small venue so can be hard to get seat. Service great, people very nice. Be sure to check it out! read more

I ordered the special, blackened shrimp tacos. Two tacos with two shrimp cut in half Unacceptable! There was no sauce and was really inedible. I will not be back. read more

Coming from California I was curious to try east coast Mexican food. That ended quickly. I'm not sure what other people reviewed but I'm reviewing the food here, and it's not good. It's not even approaching good. It tastes like something you'd eat in an Idaho elementary school cafeteria, in 1987. Hard pass unless you're curious what a used diaper tastes like. Southwest Airlines has better food. read more

Exceptionally mediocre. I mean like the master of mediocrity. Food is edible. Service is dull. Ambiance is so dull. Peak mediocrity everyone. I saw the rating before I went as well. They meet their rating perfectly. read more

Our go-to spot at the moment for quality Mexican/Southwest American take out. Pick up orders have always been ready on time and correct/complete. Salsas are very good, guacamole is as well. Various salad dishes (with possible addition of various meat/fish items) are arguably the highlights; chicken quesadillas (younger daughter enjoys them when they are "right") have however repeatedly been soggy or overcooked and bland.. Overall, good ++ though; we'll keep ordering when the mood for southwest style cuisine strikes. read more

What a nice vibe, and the staff was charming! I'll be sure to stop back if I'm in the area.

Southwest Cafe never disappoints! We come almost weekly and I can't say that of any other restaurant in town. There are great specials, although I love the shrimp burrito so much, I order it a lot. The salsa is so fresh, actually all the food is fresh, and so delicious!. Portions are generous and you always leave full. The servers are super friendly, and are always checking if there is anything else we need! Ambience is great. Very relaxed. Love that we have such an amazing, friendly place in town. read more

The yummy enchiladas, the fresh guac, the cozy atmosphere, and the gracious staff make Southwest Cafe one of our favorite spots. Recently used them for catering and everyone remarked on how delicious the food was! read more

Sat down in the patio. Got some alright tortilla chips and bland salsa. Had one too many place settings. Asked the waitress to take one away. Instead she took all but one menu and left the place setting. Then came back and asked what we wanted, to which I replied "could we please get a few of the menus back?" She looked at me dumbfounded and asked where they went, when she was the one who took them away . . . Then she returned with waters and menus. And then we noticed they were charging $22 for green chile stew. Also found out that while they supposedly get their chile from Hatch they don't know which kind it is, and when dealing with chile from Hatch it's very important to know as the spice level varies A TON. Dios mio de mi vida este restaurante es muy triste read more

Great business, good food, wonderful staff, enjoyable outside seating and supports the local community as they sponsor a 5k run every year. One of our regular stops as the food & ambiance are very nice. Posted 2 pics of some of the delicious offerings read more

Southwest Cafe - Arugala and goat cheese salad - Mexican Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

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Been here a few times for the last few years. The burrito is always good. The churros are always good. A friend got some kind of salmon one time and said it wasn't good and had to send it back. read more

Food was cold, owner was rushing staff to give us our check without even asking if we wanted desert. We were regulars, not anymore.

We stopped at Southwest Cafe for lunch after an exciting afternoon at the nearby Yoga studio, and were not disappointed by this lunch. I enjoyed a typical Mexican ambiance, with tortilla chips and salsa to start, as one would expect. My meal was a chicken bowl, that was packed with veggies, rice, and chicken, exactly what I would be looking for on a day of exercise, to supplement this workout. The bowl had seasonal veggies which consisted of squash, peppers, and peas, as well as sour cream, guac, and green chiles. Everything was well cooked, and the flavors were present. All in all, a great lunch. read more

Southwest Cafe - Great rice bowl, huge flavor and great veggie variety - Mexican Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

One of Ridgefield's restaurant gems. We have not dined here in a few months, but had an amazing dinner here last week. Everything on the menu is fresh and well prepared. You can tell that the kitchen cares about what goes on the plate, which is hard to find at restaurants these days. We will be returning soon. read more

Love this place!!! I'm obsessed with the nachos they're so good. Everything on the menu is good - the salad are filling, the quesadillas are delicious, the rice bowl is to die for. You cannot go wrong with this place. Everyone is super friendly and they know exactly what this gluten free girl needs. read more

Southwest Cafe - Nachos Supreme - Mexican Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

The staff at Southwest has always been amazing but last night I saw something remarkable: A very angry man came to pick up his take out food that he ordered online. He had made a mistake, which the staff were more than gracious to comp him. He threw the food at the waitress, screaming in a high pitched shrill " The customer is always right". The professionalism given by the staff was exemplary and I made sure my tip matched it. I love coming here and love them even more now. read more

Very good New Mexican food. Kind and friendly staff. We'll be back. I had the Hatch Chile Stew, my wife had fajitas. Both very good.

We actually really like the food here. We have only had take out but so far so good. I have nothing to complain about and it even pleases some city born and breed foodies - give it a try! read more

The restaurants in embarrassment the food is horrendous the service is dumb there's a restaurant on main Street in Richfield a little Mexican restaurant that is light years better than that garbage that they sell finished read more

This review is solely based on the quart of salsa that the Southwest Cafe provided for our backstage catering tonight for our show at the Ridgefield Playhouse. I stood next to the salsa and chips, eating them for at least 10 minutes in total amazement - how could salsa this good be found backstage in the middle of Connecticut? I can imagine that the rest of their food is worth a try. We'll go check it out next time we're through town! read more

Was hoping for those wonderful flavors you find in New Mexico but it was pretty average "Mexican" style food. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable with a varied selection and nice drinks. They took care to note several gluten free and vegetarian options on the menu. We had a salmon and a quinoa and vegetable concoction and all the dishes surrounding us looked fresh. They also have a lovely outdoor seating area with music making for a lovely dining experience. It's in shopping plaza with several other dining options as well. Glad I tried it as it had been on my list for awhile. read more

I can't believe the flavors that come out of this place! I have had nothing but outstanding meals and have also gotten my entire office hooked as of today. We tried tacos with different meat, the Southwest Bowl , the Santa Fe Chopped salad, Green Chile Stew and the Red Chile Pork & Posole. The guacamole and salsa were fresh made and delicious, even the side salads were well dressed with corn, beans and cheese. Please try this little gem in Ridgefield. read more

If I didn't lunch here often with my mom, I would probably not rate it 4 stars. I've always had a good lunch here, so I decided to go with my husband for dinner. Dinner was not impressive to be honest. My husbands steak was okay. The potatoes were yummy. Our guacamole appetizer was good, but they didn't give us chips with it. We used the chips from our chips/salsa basket. At lunches they've always given us chips with the Guac ordered. My salad needed more dressing and I normally eat my salads very light on the dressing. This was way too light, because I didn't taste any. I do miss the quinoa salad though. read more

Southwest Cafe - Fresh Guac - Mexican Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

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This is our go to place for Mexican and Southwest style food. We usually eat in, but have also ordered takeout. The food is consistently delicious, well prepared and presented. I love their chicken mango quesadillas, and their fajitas. They make a great red or white sangria, and tasty margaritas. Save room for flan. It's the best I've eaten anywhere. I'm looking forward to the warmer weather so we can eat outside on their covered terrace. Great Place! read more

This place is always warm and welcoming. Great food, great service, and the best margaritas in Fairfield county! read more

Just a wonderful restaurant. Food awesome, service the best. Owner is caring and friendly and has been for fifteen years. Moved from ridgefield but still drive back. Especially love the salads but the specials are best. read more

Was in the area and decided to stop in for lunch. The place has a cozy atmosphere. It's a bit too dark inside however, that shouldn't prevent anyone from going in. Our food was tasty and speedy, which was super helpful due to timing constraints. Will gladly visit again. read more

Southwest Cafe - Santa Fe Salad with Salmon & Goat Cheese - Mexican Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

This amazing place is a family favorite. Food is fresh, tasty, and beautiful every time! We always order guac... it is light and delicious. Chips and salsa are always brought to the table. Margs are amazing! Outdoor seating is lovely when weather permits. Highly recommend!!! read more

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The Mission Burrito special was a perfect warm lunch on a damp, cool day. Delicious and filling with a fresh salad on the side. We always appreciate the friendly service from their experienced staff! read more