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.

*** the Zia Latte was fire ***…read more My daughter and I stopped by Kith + Kin Roasting before a long afternoon with a doctor's appointment in Roswell back on April 8, 2026. This hip cafe is located in downtown Artesia, NM near the Veteran's Memorial. The service was nice enough and very efficient in getting orders out. Lots of seating and I liked the lighting inside... not too bright, not too dim. They sure know how to make a good latte here. The Zia Latte ($5.90 for a 16 oz) consisted of "cayenne + cinnamon + cloves + cardamom + ginger + nutmeg + honey." It's so heartwarming and delicious. One of my favorite lattes in all of New Mexico! My daughter opted for a hot cocoa ($3.60 for 12 oz) and a house-made blueberry jam muffin ($3.80). I did not try the cocoa but she said it was "so good" and they made it to her liking, kid's temperature. The muffin was fantastic. Order at the counter. Pay. Take a number. They'll bring your items out to you. Check them out along with their hours before you stop by: https://www.kithandkinroastingco.com/

Best ambiance, coffee and quick breakfast in Artesia. Only thing I would change is being open on…read moreSunday and off on a weekday. But I get it- gotta rest on Sunday.

stopped here on a road trip from new mexico to texas, amazing place to have lunch! service was…read moreamazing and so was the food! we got the southwest sandwich, club sandwich, okra, and fries! large portion sizes as well!

Cool old-school place with good food and friendly service. Sit down or drive through…read more We had steak fingers and a mango piineapple salad with chicken. Both good, especially the steak fingers. They sell alcohol but the waitress said she couldn't serve it to us because she was underage. It was funny and we didn't really want alcohol anyway. Ice cream machine was broken but we sure wanted to try one of the interesting flavors. Worth a stop in a little West Texas town.

Delicious food, amazing desserts, friendly staff, nice open building, nice decor, and comfortable…read moreseating area while waiting for to go order. Orange Dream Pie is out of this world. You're truly missing out if you've never tried it.

This was a surprise find and one that we were thrilled to stumble into. The staff was lovely and it…read morequickly became clear that they were supporters of a greater cause. The food was just what was needed after a long drive. The location is interesting, certainly not a normal restaurant, but this is due to their mission. The family will return when we are next passing through.

Best burrito in town!!! Big Boss was amazing!! My hubby also ordered Big Boss and added chorizo,…read morehad great spicy flavor!

Neat little spot in Artesia. I got the Boss and it was really good! I do wish they would give…read moreextra salsa, but what they put in the burrito is hot, and it's really good!

I was recommended El Charro in Carlsbad, NM by some locals, and I'm so glad I listened…read more I'm a big fan of quesabirria and have been on a little quesabirria journey, and this has to be one of the top two best quesabirria tacos I've ever had. The taco was crispy and filled with delicious meat, and the consommé was rich and flavorful. If I hadn't been on the road, I probably would have ordered another one. The portion was generous, and the price was fair too. The service was quick, and the overall dining environment was bright and clean. Definitely a great local recommendation and a spot I'd happily come back to.

Ordered takeout and my husband said the whole experience went well…read more We ordered a few different tacos, but have a couple picky eaters, so they were able to separate the meats and toppings for us. We got carnitas, pastor, brisket, steak, and ground beef. (The pastor was my favorite! It came with pineapple. My husband's favorite was the carnitas.) Everything was hot and pretty tasty. The meal came with 4 sauces-- orange (spiciest), watery orange, watery green (my favorite), and the creamy green (least spicy.) After reading some reviews about slow service, I was a little apprehensive about ordering, but my husband went during lunch and said everything came out quickly, there was just a line to order. All in all, I'd definitely eat here again.

Two foodies from Houston on a road trip to Roswell, NM. On day two, we decided on Taqueria Jalisco…read morefor lunch/brunch. Restaurant is located in an old Burger King which is a great use of an empty building. The restaurant is clean and well maintained. We were told to pick our seat and were attended to promptly. While looking around, it appeared that locals dine here. We ordered breakfast and lunch. Foodie number two ordered the Breakfast Tacos plate (egg, potato, and bacon on flour tortillas). Also, we ordered two Gorditas (1- tripas and 1-shredded beef). We washed it down with Mexican Coke Cola (made with real sugar NOT corn syrup). Our food was served hot and fresh. As always, we encourage you to stop by Taqueria Jalisco to give it a try for yourself.

I was craving soup and the reviews were pointing me to this restaurant. I am glad that I came here…read more The soup and the sopapilla were amazing. The beef soup/stew had big chunks of meat, lots of veggies and came with a kick! I never had sopapilla before and it did not disappoint. If you want to try something new and different from tacos or burritos . Get you some sopapillas. The service was great and the place has plenty of seating even when there is an aviation event in town. The restaurant was clean and with a very traditional feel and spacious. They can accommodate large parties for sure.

Gave our order to the person in front of us, then when we got our order which took awhile, they…read moregave us a small frappe instead of a large. Also forgot our side of Mac sauce. Not coming back here again .

Another pitiful experience...when ordering cashier was rude and disrespectful. Was told to pull…read morearound in front for a normal order of McMuffins while another customer was parked in front of us...I asked politely why the delay. Was scoffed at and and manager wanted to refund order rather than explain why a small order or McMuffins was going to take so long. Worst place in town. Maybe the one by Walmart is better but the one on first street is pitiful.

Found this gas station had really great price on premium fuel…read more Some of the pumps were not working. They just opened 2 hours before. I was told to move to another pump and it worked fine. When I first entered all the employees greeted me. Everything was brand new and the whole place was fully stocked. I hope to stop by again when I'm in the area.

Gas was a decent price for the last convenience store leaving town headed to the mountains. Out of…read moreall the convenient stores on our long track up here. This one has the best fountain drinks. They also have Dr Pepper zero on tap. This is where you want to make sure you are have what you need as it is the last stop before headed up.

What can I say? I love Whataburger and this was the pretty standard experience, which is always…read moregood. The wait was a bit long as I ordered online and still had to wait a while after getting there, but they were VERY busy and I imagine they were one of the only places open late on a Tuesday night. We noticed a lot of the local restaurants were closed on Tuesdays. Food was delicious as expected. Service was very good as well.

Disappointing Curbside Experience - Not Worth the Wait…read more I placed a curbside order at 8:13 PM and didn't leave until 8:56 PM--a 43-minute wait for a to-go meal. I even called the store at 8:45 and was told my food would be brought out. It wasn't. Another customer who arrived after me got their food first. Only then did a staff member ask if I was still waiting and finally brought my order. Turns out my food had been sitting under the heat lamp the entire time. The Dr Pepper Blackberry Shake had to be remade on the spot because it was no longer presentable (on the plus side, my wife loved the shake). Unfortunately, the rest was a mess: Cold burgers Terrible fries (I had to reheat them in my air fryer) One burger was supposed to have everything except mustard, but came completely plain A manager (I believe named Dan) spoke with me but said there was nothing they could do about a refund because it was an online order. I spent $44 for what was supposed to be a quick meal. For that price and time, I could've sat down at Applebee's, ordered three full-size burgers with drinks and fries, tipped 20%, and still spent less money for better service and food. Chili's and BWW offer similar deals. Really disappointed this time. Hopefully they can improve the curbside process, because this was not Whataburger's best. At least, I hope it's not.