OVERALL The Wagon Wheel with its country charm, American fare and full bar is a good place for a warm dinner or supper. Note I did not say Mexican food because this ain't the kind I'm used to! RATING BREAKDOWN Food: 4 | Service: 4 | Ambiance: 4 | Price: 3 PARKING Ample free parking out front. LOCATION/AMBIANCE At the north end of town leaving La Jara, CO. It's got cowboy & country vibes with older decor and saddles all around. The bar is a good size. Good dining area for small groups and larger families. Not a fan of CNN (or any news outlet for that matter) on the TV, but it wasn't blaring and they had other music playing. THE GRUB - margaritas - I watched our waitress make it using a pre-mix. Wasn't a big fan of the taste, but she put a little extra tequila in my first round + 1/2 chili burger with green chile - the green chile wasn't all that prevalent, but this was a good choice recommended to me by more than one local. It was an open-face burger with a single patty with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion layered on top with fries all around and green chile somewhere in there. Good, hearty lunch. SERVICE Kind of standoffish until you talk to them more. After that, the older lady who served us was friendly. MY FAVORITE PART... My lunch dates, my fiancé & his aunt whom we stumbled upon when we walked in (3/21/2024). It was nice to be there for her the moment she found out her best friend died (almost expectedly). NOT SO FAVORITE PART... No purse hooks at the hightop tables! TIP - plastic accepted read more

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On 06/01/2025 I went to the Wagon Wheel Saloon with family to celebrate my birthday. It was my first time visiting the establishment. I had heard good comments about the food and was looking forward to the experience. Unfortunately, it would be my last. My aunt, who is 90 years old and blind, was with us. Because of her inability to see what she would eat, she wanted to order something she could handle with her hands. She asked for the chicken tenders, but they were out. She decided to order a chicken burrito without any chili or toppings on the outside and only cheese with the chicken on the inside. Again, this was specified so she could grab the burrito with her hands to eat it with some dignity. A burrito was brought to her with hot melted cheese on top that prevented her from eating it the way she wanted. We told the waitress the burrito was not made as requested so my aunt could eat it with her hands. We asked the waitress to replace it with another one containing the cheese on the inside as originally requested. The waitress, who was young and seemed to be a new employee, hesitated to correct the error and said she would confer with the owner about what could be done. She returned saying the owner said we could have the burrito replaced but would charge us for the second burrito as well. I reminded her the establishment made the mistake, and it was only fair to make it right. She went to confer with the owner again, only to return with the same response. The rest of us had already had our meals brought to the table and began eating, thinking the establishment would do the right thing. In disbelief, I was ready to have us walk out. However, my aunt didn't want to make a scene, saying she would settle for the first burrito as is. I left the situation alone for the moment while my aunt struggled to eat her burrito with a fork. She gave up after a few bites, leaving three-fourths of the burrito uneaten. Toward the end of finishing our food, the owner emerged from the kitchen and sat at a table close by. She made no effort to come to our table to address the problem. Therefore, I got up from our table and went to her. I explained the situation thoroughly, emphasizing the need to have the burrito made as requested to allow my aunt to eat it with her hands since she would struggle using a fork. Despite my effort to see if the owner would make restitution in some manner, she refused to budge on the matter, only providing what seemed like an obligatory apology to me. I informed her it was my first and last time in her establishment. The owner never attempted to go to our table to apologize to my aunt. Such service concerning my aunt was inexcusable! What made it worse was the owner was familiar with my mom who ate there on occasion and was there with our group at the time. I still can't get over what we experienced! By the way, I gave a score of only one star only because I was unsure how to indicate zero stars. read more

The food is absolutely amazing, and the service is always so great! Everyone who works there always tries to make people feel welcome and satisfied! I love these folks so much!! read more

Cute. Local. And they care. That's all that matters. But more so, the good feeling one gets walking in and leaving is even better. read more

Heading to Santa Fe via 285 and once you leave Almosa there is nothing for miles. But wait take a pause and pull in here for some Southwest SAN LUIS food. Don't come here excepting Mexican Food or New Mexican food because this....this is Southwest CO food and it is good. I ordered a beef burrito and hubby had the breakfast burrito. Both were just right. The beef is well..well cooked ground beef with the favor of the grill not covered up in red Chile spices. Just good old fashion ground beef. I normally don't like lettuce and tomato on my burrito. I feel lettuce from a package well tastes like the package it came in. Here the lettuce was crispy and fresh testing. And the prices great. So pause and pull over. Just remember this is a saloon with a cafe environment right when you enter. And it is good from the San Luis not Mexican. Enjoy read more

Wagon Wheel Saloon - Burrito beef Merry Christmas - New American Near Me - La Jara, Colorado

Ok I came back the next day for the chili burger covered in red. It was solid. Open faced burger, fries smothered in this awesome red chili. My new favorite in the area. read more

I wasn't happy with my order I ordered steaks spent a lot of money for it two people and the steaks wasn't very good The servings was not worth it Wouldn't recommend anybody going there! But it's up to you!!!?? too risky, and the pace look like for bikers rowdy bikers read more

We went to Sanford Co to see my Aunt and Uncle and my cousins were there from Denver. we all went to eat and didn't feel like driving into Alamosa so we stopped at the Wagon Wheel. awful Mexican food, don't bother to stop. go to Alamosa. I had Chimichangas smothered in what was supposed to be red chili. it looked like a Little Juan frozen Chimichanga and was smothered in chili beans that tasted like it came out of a can and not even close to red chili. our family is from the SLV and I've never had bad food down there. this is by far SLV Mexican food. The owner needs to go eat at Nino's and The Campus Cafe to taste real Mexican food and learn what red chili is. my Aunts beef enchilada was the same, she didn't even eat it and i barely touched mine. NEVER NEVER AGAIN WILL I STEP FOOT IN THAT PLACE. if you go look at your bill, the Tip is already added to it so don't leave one on the table. read more

I had been driving all day and was tired and hungry. Going through the previous town, there were lots of places to eat but nothing looked appetizing. La Jara is not a big town and I almost blew past it until I noticed all the cars parked out front. I knew that had to be a good sign. Very friendly place. Good Service. Good food I had the chicken enchiladas (stacked rather than rolled) and they were delicious. The iced tea was perfect. Fresh and well iced. (Iced tea is one of my pet peeves. It is easy to get right but so many restaurants don't take the time to do so.) Their clientele appeared to be a good mix of locals and travelers, just passing through. I would definitely stop there again. read more

I love this place. It's a pretty divey tavern owned by a very nice family. Food is decent and drinks are cheap. I've been there several times to watch soccer and eat Mexican food. Always a good time. read more

We were passing through on our way to Platoro and we stopped for lunch.I had a stuffed sopapilla and my husband had the hamburger steak! It was so yummy! We had a super nice waitress also. I would recommend this restaurant! read more

Wagon Wheel Saloon - Hamburger Steak - New American Near Me - La Jara, Colorado

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Great place for good comfort San Luis Valley style food, drink, and friendly company. A must stop for the best chili burger in Colorado. The hamburger is fresh not frozen. Try the red chili, the green chili, or hell try them both with the half n half combo. The burger goes well with fresh cut French fries and an ice cold beer, iced tea, or bottomless sodas. You will notice that this is a favorite among the locals, because everyone knows one another. If you are a newcomer you will immediately make new acquaintances as everyone is kind and friendly. read more

Wagon Wheel Saloon - Full chili burger. With half n half. Half red chili, half green chili. Delicious! - New American Near Me - La Jara, Colorado

Great place for San Luis Valley style red chile! The red is definitely hotter than the green and is great on anything you order. The first time I was there I had the 1/2 (1patty) half green/half red chile plate and it rocked. The patty was fresh, seasoned well and was a pretty good size single. The second time I had the red chile frito pie bowl and it was even better. They have homemade fries, fresh made chile, hand cut lettuce, tomato, onions etc. You even get a small chocolate pudding dessert included with your meal. Don't hesitate to stop by this place - it's between La Jara and Alamosa. They have happy hour M-F, a $1 taco day, and are reasonably priced. Oh, they also have 2 large screen TV's for football games. read more

We had lunch here while on our way through to Albuquerque. Seriously disappointed with the food, restaurant cleanliness and service. We ordered the brisket special and the meat was super dry. The baked beans were good and potato salad was edible. We usually have good luck with following the YELP reviews but this one wasn't close to the 3.5 stars reported by customers. The server was very pleasant and took our order timely but when her coworker came in she got distracted with chatting and we had to go to the bar to get the check and pay out. read more

Cruising Highway 285 just east of La Jara, CO, and saw this roadhouse restaurant with lots of cars parked in front- an old school good sign. This was around 1:30pm. Stopped in for lunch, my wife had the tostada side dish and a Margarita in a glass boot. I had the sloppy joe special with fries and salad. Everything was very good, the food, service, and funky ambience. read more

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It took forty- five minutes to get bad Mexican food. There was only one other party in the restaurant at the time. Although there are not many choices of eating places in this area, I would avoid this one. read more

We stopped in the Wagon Wheel Saloon for a late lunch on our drive from Santa Fe to Denver. I'm always nervous about food options in small towns, but we were pleased with our meal here. My husband said his patty melt was legit and my bean and beef burrito was good. The restaurant seemed pretty clean, the service was fast, and the waitress was nice. They have great deals for happy hour, but we were continuing our drive so we didn't get to partake in it. I would recommend eating here. read more

Yum! Found Wagon Wheel driving from Vail to Santa Fe and am so glad we did! It's pretty rustic and run down looking, but that's definitely part of the charm. Posole was very good, but the sopapilla that came with it was AMAZING!!! Husband said his patty melt was one of the best he's ever had. Our server, RiRi was so friendly and attentive. Great food and experience here! read more

I was passing through and decided to stop. So glad I did. Service was outstanding and friendly. Cheeseburger with fries and a side salad hit the spot. Watermelon served for dessert. read more

I love this place. Great food, great country atmosphere. The burgers and French fries are the best. Top it off with a margarita or a nice cold beer. :). read more