Pretty disappointed considering the reviews. We had an Italian and it was just a notch above…read morefrozen pizza. Lack of ingredients - crust just ok. Considering the isolated location perhaps expected but this was a miss for us....

We went for lunch and had some issue finding the location using online maps. However worth the…read moreeffort. The pizza was perfect and service was very fast and friendly.

If you find yourself in the Terlingua Ghost Town, a meal at the Starlight Theater is an absolute…read morenon-negotiable. It is easily the heartbeat of the area, offering a dining experience that perfectly captures the eclectic, rugged, and friendly spirit of West Texas. Be prepared this place is popular for a reason. Wait times can easily reach the two-hour mark, but don't let that deter you. The trick is to put your name in first, then immediately pivot to "vacation mode." Grab a drink and an appetizer from the bar and head outside. The porch and the surrounding area become a lively social hub where locals and tourists mix seamlessly. The atmosphere is what truly sets Starlight apart. While we were waiting for our table, a couple of locals claimed the large bench right outside and broke into a spontaneous, spirited rendition of The Jungle Book theme songs! It was pure magic. My kids were completely enthralled by the performance, which turned a long wait into one of the highlights of our trip. It gave my husband and me the perfect window to relax with our drinks and soak in the desert air. The food lived up to the hype of the setting: Smoked Brisket Queso: This is an absolute must-order. It's rich, smoky, and the perfect fuel for a Ghost Town evening. Prickly Pear Margarita: Vibrant, delicious, and refreshing it's the quintessential West Texas cocktail. The Main Course: We ordered a variety of kid-friendly items and the Brisket Tacos. While everything we ate was delicious, be aware that their famous Texas Mesquite Smoked Brisket is in high demand they had unfortunately run out by the time we were seated, so get there early if that's your primary goal! The Starlight Theater isn't just a restaurant; it's an event. Between the incredible live local interactions, the "only-in-Terlingua" scenery, and the solid food and drink, it is a 5-star experience. Just remember: arrive early, bring your patience, and keep an ear out for the music!

The Starlight is the "it" spot in Terlingua. An old school theatre turned into restaurant/…read morebar/music venue. The place doesn't open until 5 pm and on 3 separate days when I drove by at 4:30, there was a line to get in. On the 3rd day we decided to wait in said line. It moves fast. We ordered a few Boquillas Scorpion Margaritas to start. This is basically a normal margarita on the rocks but with a paper clip like mini scorpion placed on the side. This is named after the little art pieces found near the Boquillas area. Cool souvenir! We also got some chili as appetizers that was delicious. I wanted to order the chicken friend antelope as an entree but chickened out and got an antelope burger instead. It was great. I wanted to see some live music, but we ended up here on comedy night. Comedy night was fine, but I wanted to feel the vibe of the area and hear some honky tonk type music. So, if you go check the schedule for live music nights to get the whole experience.

Foods Good, server was sweet and attentive, We love the murals on the walls, the place is nice…read more And, we don't have to cook!

Unless there is another restaurant hidden in the dessert somewhere, this is the only place within…read moreat least 25-30 miles of civilization. And, fortunately, it's pretty good! My father and I stayed for a few days at the Terlingua Ranch Lodge (a separate review), and the restaurant was just steps away from our cabin. We ate three dinners and a breakfast here with wonderful, friendly service in a quaint atmosphere. Breakfast: Dad and I had the "Texas size" pancake. It was more "Oklahoma size," despite that the manager said it would fill the plate (see photo). Still, it was a marvelous pancake, served with whipped butter and a small (2 TB) container of real maple syrup. Dad and I each needed one more container of syrup, which would have cost 75 cents, had the manager remembered to charge us. (He mentioned that after we already paid.) I totally recommend this pancake. Dinner: The Frito Pie here is wonderful. They use a ton of Fritos, which isn't really necessary, but this was still one of the best Frito pies I've experienced. -- The burger here is also a standout. I wasn't impressed with the fries, as they weren't really crispy and had very little flavor. -- Finally, the chicken fried steak was as tough as leather. I took two bites of it, along with a couple bites of corn and potatoes and pushed it to the side to finish my beer. The server offered to take it off the bill, but I felt guilty and declined. (He gave me an employee discount instead.) Bottom line: The manager here, at the time of my visit, had been in the position for about two months. He let me know that he's switching ingredients to include tallow (instead of seed oils), real maple syrup (opposed to syrup containing high fructose syrup) and other stuff that includes avocado oils instead of cottonseed/canola. I applaud him for those efforts., and I would eat here again in a heartbeat.

Stopped in for dinner 2 times while visiting Big Bend. Ribs and brisket were tender and delicious…read more I had the street tacos with brisket and had slaw, beans and fries as sides and they were all wonderful! I added the slaw to my street tacos and I enjoyed them even more! Great rustic atmosphere!

Loved the barbecue brisket sandwich. The brisket was moist, tender and had a great bark with a…read morewonderful Smoky flavor. If you're in Terlingua you'll be missing great barbecue if you don't go to Rustic Iron BBQ. And if you're in Big Bend it's worth the drive.

Great experience here. The service was awesome from the start. The woman who took my order was…read morefriendly and we had some small conversation and laughs while I ordered. I sat at the bar and had a beer while waiting on my to-go order, and they had about five TVs going with different sports on, which made the wait enjoyable. The place has a really nice, welcoming feel and the staff was extremely friendly the whole time. The pizza was really good too. We ordered the Six Shooter, which is basically a supreme pizza, and it did not disappoint. Definitely a spot I'd come back to.

Swung in here to grab a drink and a pie on a very busy evening. These guys had it together. I…read morealways respect a place that is fully staffed and prepared for business. Terlingua is a busy area in March with all The spring breakers. Ordered a house salad and a Terlingua Spur pizza. The salad was the usual crisp Iceberg with tomatoes and carrots. The ranch was tasty. The pizza had a good crust and nice, generous toppings ( chicken, jalapeños, sauce, bbq, cheddar, onions) The staff was super friendly and very efficient. I totally recommend this place if you're in the area.

Stopped for dinner on our way to Big Bend. We arrived after 8:00pm and there were a few groups…read moreeating. The server greeted us immediately and took our drink order. The beer selection was limited. We ordered enchiladas with Christmas tree sauce. The red and green sauce were both very good. The veggie enchiladas were loaded with veggies. The meat enchiladas were good however they weren't that hot temperature wise. The rice and beans were okay. Server was friendly and we enjoyed our meal!

**This is a 3.5 star review.**…read more This joint is divey in all the best ways. First, the kitschy decor and screened in porch are real, and not meant to bring in tourists. Second, they charge for chips and salsa, which I saw them deliver to one table during our lunch. That tells me, that someone either really loves the stuff, or that someone from way north thinks this is a normal thing. Hell, they don't even bring a check to the table here. (You or your server tell them what you order, and bam! They give you your total. Finally, most of the patrons during our visit were well known to Crow (the dude who took care of us), which assures me that this is a place where the locals eat. The food here is good when compared with the other trillion Tex-Mex joints that I've patronized over the years. Because two of us were heading to Big Bend National Park and didn't want to get overly full, we split the Mexican Plate. -- The tamale was fine, served in the husk (with no chili or sauce). Decent bite to it. -- Cheese enchilada was delicious; beef enchilada was OK, as the beef was barely seasoned. -- The hard taco was decent. Again, barely seasoned meat. -- Refried beans were run of the mill; the rice was 'wet,' sort of like the stuff you make at home from a package. I'm used to Mexican rice that is dry. This might be a Terlingua thing. Either way, it was OK. -- Salsa gets points for being served cold and having some spice to it. I must give these folks credit as well for not watering it down like so many joints do. -- Good bottled beer selection. They even had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, which is quirky in a wonderful kind of way! The folks who live in these parts probably aren't reading Yelp for restaurant reviews, as there are only a handful to begin with. For the many people passing through, be it for the World Chili Cook-off Championships, or for Big Bend National Park, this is a nice, friendly little dive to stop at and have a good Tex-Mex meal.

Reviewing my takeout experience as the wait for a seat was forever long. Even the takeout order…read moreline was long, but these are to be expected for being the only restaurant in the national park. I ordered the burger and fries, which came out to $16. The burger patty was dry and chewy. They were out of ketchup or any other condiment, so the dry burger had to be paired with stale, cold fries. Again, being the only option in the park, they can get away with anything short of poison. We had to go with this option as we were on a schedule, but I would recommend just bringing your own food to the park. Servers were friendly, however. The restaurant seemed nice on the inside. The floor to ceiling windows allow great views while dining. Hopefully they serve you better food when dining in. Again, I would only order from here if I had no other options.

Lots to consider here. First, it's Government owned and manned by a company that was probably the…read morelowest bidder aka Aramark. View considered because you're sitting in an ancient caldera. You have to factor in your "insert your entree here" literally was trucked 250 miles for you to eat it. With all that said I can tell you I ate the Black Jack Burger. Menu describes it coming with cheddar and bacon jalapeno jam. Truth is it looked like grey goo and that's a generous explanation. Buddy had the Alligator Po' Boy and yes he is still alive and well a few weeks after. Service was fine; drinks were refilled. I guess the one thing that pissed me off was the ENTIRE lunch and dinner menu was available togo but not for dine in. Makes zero sense; except I think it spared me from trying mediocre Butternut Squash Ravioli, Venison, and Trout. Burger is the safest option here.

Although I was only in the area for 4 days, Venga became a morning ritual. Sunrise, coffee and…read morebreakfast at Venga, run my day, sleep and repeat. The coffee is fine, speciality but pretty simple, and the food works, but I'm confident this spot is so popular for their other offering. The aesthetic pet friendly patio, spacious interior, variety of plants, and purchasable local artwork set it apart for anything and everything you'll find in the area. In fact, if you have a couple minutes to spare, it's worth stopping in, grabbing a drink, and treating the spot like a museum/local store. From tshirts, to hiking gear, to small local products, cacti and more, there's a little something for everyone, Protip: visit them at sunrise for an unrivaled majestic experience. :)

What a fun little spot!…read more Celebrated my wife's birthday with some glamping nearby and hit this joint on our way out of town. It's a fun mix of art studio meets gift shop meets outdoor store meets coffee shop meets restaurant. The vibe was something that would totally work even in the biggest city. My wife opted for the avocado toast, which was huge and piled high with all the goodness you'd expect. I opted for the breakfast burrito. The food was great, the salsa served with the burrito was so flavorful and not overly spicy. The food was maybe a little too expensive, but we're in the middle of nowhere, so I get it. Cannot complain one iota about the food or vibe. Some of y'all will probably roll your eyes for the reason for my one missing star. They don't have an espresso machine. I mean, call me a big city guy, but when I see a place advertising COFFEE, I assume they run the gamut: lattes, espressos, etc. Nope, this joint just offers black coffee, which disappointed my fru fru coffee drinking wife. Had to stop in Alpine for her fix. I'd be interested to know why they don't sell espresso drinks because I think they'd sell ... Overall: definitely worth a visit.

The food is delicious! We've been twice for breakfast. We had the crescent roll breakfast sandwich…read moreand breakfast burritos and both were eggcelent. The burritos are old school Mexican style. Open on both ends and about half as big as the American versions. It was just the right size before hitting the trails! The ladies behind the counter were as friendly as I'd expect anyone to be, moving like they were and dealing with entitled tourists. It's a tiny spot and the lines can get long. Be patient and enjoy the views!

The service was awful, slow and flat out rude! We ordered and asked for water with our food and…read moredrinks and they said they were too busy to fill up their water jug, there were only a couple people behind us. Menu is not labeled with allergens and when we requested a minor substitution (no meat, just extra avocado) they said no. The food was okay and the outdoor seating area is beautiful!

Great food and service but the view .... Fantastic ... best…read morein Terlingua . Has a marvelous time with our students

12 years later and The High Sierra ain't what she used to be. The lady friend and I came in for an…read moreearly dinner since The Starlight wasn't opening until 5, and we were starving from our full day in the park. I ordered a cup of chili and some Buffalo wings, and the lady friend ordered some chicken tacos. The chili was good, apparently they use the recipe from the award-winning cookout each year. The wings were weird; the flats were good and crispy but the drumettes were flimsy. The ladyfriend's tacos were horrible. They seemed to use the bagged Tyson precooked chicken breast strips that were all rubbery in texture. They gave here just a few pieces of cilantro and onion on top. These were not street tacos and needed some toppings to mask the crappy meat. I still gave them 3 stars because it's Terlingua, the beer was cold, the chili was good and the waiter was very nice.