Yesterday: After a filling breakfast in Alpine, TX in the morning, we headed for home located in Las Cruces, NM. Our lunch for the day consisted of snacking on nuts. So, when we arrived in Cloudcroft, we were hungry. We decided to eat at Big Daddy's Diner. We had previously dined there before I began Yelping. My wife had a patty melt with a salad and I had the special of the day, chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy and corn. Our meals were very good. The chicken fried steak was not overly breaded. We took a small bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies along for the ride home. Service was good. read more

Over priced. We stopped by this afternoon and got a plain hamburger and a bacon cheeseburger and two soft drinks. Total cost was $29+. Way too much for diner food. Burgers were good, not the best, but not worth the cost. We have eaten here a couple of times before and I don't remember the prices being so high. New ownership new menus maybe? read more

Super delicious food and sweet people, they were so welcoming and the food was top tier would 100% go back and recommend to anyone in the area. read more

Love taking a drive up the mountain and stoping at Big Daddys. Every single time we have been seated almost immediately. The atmosphere is great as well as the staff. I have tried many things on the menu to include the chef salad, burger, and grilled cheese and have been satisfied everytime. read more

We have been here three times before this and it was always ok. Nothing to write home about but decent food and ok service. That fell apart this weekend when we went to breakfast Saturday morning. They had ONE waitress for the whole restaurant. She did her best but whoever owns this place, shame on you! A Saturday morning when there's a big event in town? If you couldn't find someone then you should've been there yourself. She had huge parties and she really busted her butt and tried hard. Your cook was a jerk to her and maybe you should explain to him that weirdly chopped potatoes are NOT hash browns no matter what he thinks. read more

We were pleasantly surprised by this diner. My husband and elder son enjoyed the all-you-can-eat catfish, my 6-year-old twins found options they liked on the kids' menu, and my burger (mushroom Swiss) was juicy and delicious. My daughter chose the fried pickle appetizer and we all thought they were excellent (I usually don't care for fried pickles). Several reviews mentioned long wait times, but we received our food very quickly (it wasn't packed when we were there but it was fairly busy). Prices were fair; not a great value, but not too expensive. We'll probably visit the diner again while we're in Cloudcroft. read more

Great and friendly staff and the food is amazing also love the view of the woods you can get!! Would come here again!!!

Great service and awesome food!!! All homemade. Went there for breakfast and dinner twice during our 4 day stay in Cloudcroft.

If your looking for great home cooked comfort food - this is the place to stop. They had such a variety and did it all well! Our group had the BBQ brisket, chicken fried steak, chicken sandwich, pisole, chips and salsa, pecan pie and chocolate layer cake - all was good. I was surprised cause when a place has so much to choose from they typically don't do it all well and they did! Service was friendly and atmosphere was casual. There are a lot of hunting pictures on the wall that may not be for everyone but we enjoyed them. It was an impromptu road trip from Las Cruces with friends and this was a nice find! read more

What an amazing place to relax and eat. We have been here many times and the food is always on point. The best part is the employees. They work so hard, always with a smile and an 'I'll be with you in a minute' when the restaurant is overflowing with guests. Great place to eat, passionate staff, great food!! read more

Ordered the beef burrito. Guess I am to Far East and expected a roast beef burro. But it was ground beef no seasoning at all. Never even heard of anyone using ground beef for a burro. When traveling east and they start calling them burritos don't order it! read more

Good food but price is not relayed. Example. Asked for jalapeño. Not told extra then charged 1.50 ! For 1. ! Then told special is the henny penny again no mention of price. Well discount is only 49cents all im saying is learned my lesson. Get price ask if extra etc... read more

The drive up in our little Toyota was pretty harrowing. Which is totally irrelevant to the review other than to set up the fact that after hearing our engine complain for miles on the hills and feeling a little whoopsy from the sharp turns we were ready to just sit down and relax for a bit. My expectations were recently lowered after our Meers Burger experience, so I wasn't on the edge of my seat waiting for an amazing meal. I thought, standard diner quality and I'll be just fine. But it was better than standard. Much better. We each had a cup of soup to start, and though the Green Chili Stew looked a bit brothy it was surprisingly delicious, with big chunks of beef and potato. The broth though was so yummy I would have been happy with a cup of just that (like good Miso soup with practically nothing in it other than really good Miso). For lunch we had the patty melt and the beef brisket. Both were solid, the rye especially on the patty was really great- thick-cut bread with the kind of grilled resilience that made it seem like good pizza dough. A perfect vehicle for the dripping onions and cheese and medium rare meat. Yum! I'd eat there again, no question. Fast and friendly service too. read more

We were in Cloudcroft and it was almost 7pm. We checked Yelp and there weren't a lot of choices. Big Daddy's got more good reviews than bad, so we gave it a shot. Being from California, we got a kick out of the ambience with all the cowboy stuff and crosses. It felt like wandering into someone's living room. We had a slab of ribs and the chicken enchiladas. The BBQ sauce that came with the ribs wasn't really our taste. But the ribs were great even without any sauce, they had a great smokey flavor. P had the chicken enchiladas with green sauce and raved about how great it was. I'd say it was a hit. Best thing of all was the service. The food came out promptly and the waitress was super nice. We never had an empty glass and the dirty dishes were removed as soon as we were done. We told the woman at the register we came in based on Yelp and she had never heard of it (!?). I told her what Yelp was and she said she'd check it out. Since we'll be in town for the next few days, I have a feeling we'll be back. read more

Good food, friendly staff and OPEN for dinner! This town closes early! read more

Big Daddy's Diner - Iced tea redneck style - American Near Me - Cloudcroft, New Mexico

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Comfort food and great service. We had a cheeseburger and sweet potato fries, a hamburger steak, a chicken fried steak, catfish, chicken fried chicken and a fried chicken wrap. They were slammed (Labor Day weekend Sunday) and the wait for food was 45 minutes from order time (which they told us when we ordered) but our waitress comped us chips and salsa for both tables and was terrifically attentive. Great little mom and pop restaurant with an expansive menu including BBQ and Mexican food. Nothing fancy but tasty, generous portions, great service and reasonable prices. read more

3.5 Stars. A decent place with a homely, country atmosphere. My party of three shared two catfish platters, one of which came with some pretty tasty sweet potato fries. The breaded catfish itself was just OK and a bit on the chewy side. The service is fine but unremarkable. Of the half dozen restaurants I've tried in Cloudcroft so far, this is one of three that I'll probably try again at some point. read more

We stopped in here for a late(ish) dinner on our way into Cloudcroft. It's seat yourself and we got ourselves a booth by the window. We were immediately greeted and helped once we sat down. We ordered a lot of food, way more than our stomachs could handle. They are known for their bbq so we got the pulled pork and also the fajita tacos. We started off with a side salad and delicious corn fritters. The staff was friendly and attentive. We got our food quickly and it was delicious! The price was also a plus. So for the food, the service, and the price I would absolutely recommend this place! read more

Big Daddy's Diner - Corn fritters are a must! - American Near Me - Cloudcroft, New Mexico

Great place great food great staff I recommend that to anybody Big Daddy's the best I've had the chicken fried steak I've had hamburgers I've had the breakfast it was all delicious read more

Very good steak fingers and gravy. We ate here for lunch and got a lot of good food. Worth the drive from Ruidoso to eat.

Love this place, very busy, great service from our waitress, very friendly young girl....if you go be prepared to wait for a clean table, but it only takes s few minutes and it is worth the wait....only complaint was cold fries....I recommend this place to eat!! read more

Big Daddy's Diner - American Near Me - Cloudcroft, New Mexico

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I wasn't really all that hungry but we were ready for a snack so we stopped. We had eaten here several years ago and had been pleased. I got the steak fingers and my wife got the fried chicken wings. Everything was delicious. Supreme home cooked comfort food. Will stop in again before we leave. read more

A busy Friday night with fast service and a comfy booth. The plate was petite and still filling. The BBQ was a tad bit dry, probably the biggest disappointment. My husband and I shared a dessert. The fried cheesecake was large and satisfying with some whipped cream. Miliary discount was nice, but the prices still seemed high due to the smaller sandwich portion. read more

We waited for an hour and never got any food. Took 10 minutes to get our waters. Took another 20 minutes to get our orders taken. Waited another 30 minutes and never got our appetizer much less our meals. When the table next to us, that was seated 40 minutes after us, got their appetizers we opted to walk out. They have plenty of people working there. There were only people sitting at 6 or 7 tables so they weren't slammed. There was just no time management and no one seemed to be concerned with customer service. Super disappointed. read more

Fried catfish is the best! My hubby and I love this place. Brisket is amazing as well. Scenery is beautiful. read more

Big Daddy's Diner - Sweet tea yum. This place is the best ! - American Near Me - Cloudcroft, New Mexico

I stopped in one very dark, rainy night last September. I was a tourist exploring NM for my 50th birthday. I was lost and nearly out of gas (no street lights on that stretch of road.) I arrived 30 minutes before they closed. I had fried chicken which was solidly good and pie. I hadn't planned on spending my 50th birthday in Cloudcroft, but was thankful to see their light on. It was a unique way to spend my birthday and I'll always remember Big Daddy's for that. read more

The food was wonderful, i had steak fingers and they were great and then blackberry cobbler and loved it. The service was great also

The journey here was the best part, coming from Alamogordo. It's very much comfort food and lots of Americana decor. I loved the green chile stoup I had, though it was a bit salty. I got the codfish but it didn't have much flavor. The green beans are great. Everything is pretty heavy on the salt here. It's definitely a locals hangout. read more

Great green chili cheeseburger! We had a very large party and the service was suitable. We moved a table and were scolded, but nobody said anything after that. Our serving staff worked hard to make sure we taken care of. If you are in the area, I'd check it out. I'd most definitely return. read more

Service was very slow with medium crowd, ran out of sausage 10 minutes after ordering, and then still charged me more (menu price) for substitution that I really didn't even want. 2 hr start to finish. Also, BBQ wasn't that great either. The appetizer we ordered never came, and we didn't even bring it up. Apparently, we were there the same day another review was made (New Years day night), and there wasn't but maybe 35 people across 7 tables at the time. read more

I stop here every time I get a chance. Service is very friendly, and fast. Even when it's packed (usually is). I've only ever got the smoked ribs here, there so good. I can't get anything else. read more

Big Daddy's Diner - Rack of ribs, cowboy beans, and tater salad! Delicious!!! - American Near Me - Cloudcroft, New Mexico

Bad!!! Do yourself a favor and don't stop here. The restaurant is full of flies. Our bread was hard and stale and the food tasted horribly. Honestly it deserves no stars. Don't be fooled by the other good reviews. read more

We heard so much about the "fried chicken", in this place, so we made a special trip here. I guess I should have seen red flags when, on the menu, it had "chicken fried chicken". The chicken was a little on the small side - could have been a larger piece - but was pretty good. The chicken and mashed potatoes were swimming in gravy. It ruined the fried chicken affect. My husband had a tossed salad, and I came close to asking him not to eat it because it looked older than me. Not a good thing when it comes to salad. To add insult to injury, the two meals were really overpriced - I would never return!! By the way, I was worried because the menus looked dirty, and I do not feel the restaurant was not practicing good Covid procedures (e.g., common salt and pepper shakers, dirty menus). read more

We drove past Big Daddy's after we had eaten and decided, based on the number of vehicles parked in front, that we'd go the next day for breakfast. Good coffee, good huevos rancheros, good service. Definitely will visit when I make it back to Cloudcroft. read more

Well speaking from a feller that has tracked all over the USA and a large part of this ole planet. I can just start by saying a few things you ain't supposed to do. First never eat at a cafe called mom's. Second never ever play cards with a man named Doc. Last but not least never ever have any doings with a gal that's got more problems than you do. With that being said this is what you have to do. GO to Big Daddy's and try ya some of those ouevo rancheros. Now thems some groceries that will say everything ya need to know about this place. Now I could go on a whoin and a hawin about this and that about other places I've broke bread and talk about all them places that carry on about how it's home cookin and it's as they say to die for. Well the way I see it those places I've seen that say that in other parts of the country ain't never wrapped a lip around some of those refried beans and sopped up a perfectly over easy egg with a warm tortilla like those folks throw in front of ya at BIG DADDYS ! No sir. And them hash browns. We're some of the best dang tatters you ever raked through that red sauce that comes with those cackle berries. I reckon ever thang I ate in there was made there. I really do. The help was right there tending to ya like an ole grandma. The cook was a young feller and it didn't seem like know time when he said order up. The atmosphere was better than I had imagined. Had my favorite singers and pickers right there on the wall. I ain't never figured I'd be lookiin at Mr George Straits guitar a posen right there with Mr Alan Jackson. Well done Big Daddy well done. I could keep a writin about how great this place is but my suggestion is hop in your pickup and go taste it fer yourselves. Thank y'all for some fine vettels read more

My hyspanic husband and i got turned away this morning. We, Married 23 years, both Veterans and were told that they stopped serving breakfast. We stay in NM because its a safe place for couples like us.....but i guess we were wrong. read more

I'm honestly confused as to why this place doesn't have better reviews!! The green Chile cheese fries are probably some of the best fries I've had in my life, they are a must have. My parents are usually really picky but they loved this place! I got the chicken fried chicken with fries and a salad and it was fresh and delicious! Our only complaint was the Mac and cheese was just okay. Other than that we had amazing service(better than we got at Cloudcroft Brewing Co), great food, and a great time. If you're in Cloudcroft try it! read more

Slow as molasses in getting our meal! One hour total time. Finally eating sub par food. Not coming back again!

This place has a great country family feel to it. Couldn't stop looking at the guitars autographed by Alan Jackson and George Strait. The food was spectacular, had the catfish, the queso dip and the chicken strips. The service was very friendly, efficient and timely. Highly recommend. read more

We had a party of five and they were short staffed so i don't blame them for the long service. But multiple times our waitress forgot simple things like straws and mustard after we asked multiple times. Two of our plates were ice cold by the time we got our food so we had to send it back, and our tacos, which we asked for no tomato, were filled to the brim with tomato. And at the end when we had to go up to the counter and pay, our bill came out to a whopping $110, for 5 people. Ridiculously overpriced and cold food. Do not recommend. read more