We came here on 4.22.24 after a long 12-mile hike ready to throw down. Our server was quick and…read morefriendly in taking care of us. Chips and salsa have to be ordered and you are charged for them - but trust me when I say you get ALOT of salsa and chips - and both are house made and delicious. There is also a very well-stocked salsa bar here with a diverse selection of salsas, taco toppings, and pickled jalapeños. You have got to try the jalapeños that taste like they were marinated in soy sauce. I had the cheese enchiladas dinner - I ordered them Xmas style with half and half red and green salsas. My very tired hiking partner restored her energy with a delicious dinner entree of flautas. We each really loved our meals and not just because we were operating on starvation mode! My enchiladas were stuffed full of Mexican cheese and were well covered with tasty red and green salsas. The refried beans were SO good and the rice tasted even better with a nice dose of pico de gallo. Pay cash if you want to avoid a CC fee. Come here for a great meal in a super clean establishment with quality service. You won't be disappointed.

OVERALL Not favorite Mexican restaurant in Carlsbad, New…read moreMexico, but Pancho's was good. RATING BREAKDOWN Food: 4 | Service: 4 | Ambiance: 4 | Price: 3 PARKING Limited spaces out front. LOCATION/AMBIANCE It's about a 25-minute drive from Carlsbad Caverns on the northwest side of town. THE GRUB + Modelo especial ($5.25) + chile relleno plate ($12.99) - this was enjoyable with the brighter green sauce from the salsa bar. Served with salad, beans, rice & your choice or 2 flour or corn tortillas. + gordita ($3.99) - my daughter liked this with asada. + guacamole ($4.99) - my 10-year-old ordered this with her gordita & there was plenty left over. Pretty good! + shrimp tacos ($13.99) - my 9-year-old devoured all three of them + Mexican Coke ($2.75) + small fountain drink in Styrofoam ($1.99) LITTLE YELPER'S CLUB There were some kids menu items, but nothing my kids liked. SERVICE It helps if you know a little Spanish. Our waitress was Spanish only speaker. She didn't tell me I had to go up front to pay so we sat there for a while until I figured that out. MY FAVORITE PART... The chile relleno. NOT SO FAVORITE PART... - Chips & salsa are not complimentary. - The soy-sauce drenched jalapeños at the salsa bar! Nope. Never again. TIP Beer is served. Cocktails are not.

Oh my god! The food is AMAZING. And the portions are huge. Try the fired ice cream! You will not be…read moredisappointed

Premade shells and beans I think. Was just ok. Nothing fresh or special. Had the combination, taco…read more, chili relleno enchilada beans rice.

Everything went great! From the chips and spicy delicious salsa to the birria tacos to my friends 3…read moreenchiladas and even the refried beans were exceptional! Would definitely go back! Friendly and pleasant staff and comfortable booths for many great spot close to RV park.

Food: The chips and salsa are very good. Salsa has a good kick, but it's addicting…read more The chicken tacos weren't bad, meat was a bit bland, but it did come with a lot of meat Crispy taco had an interesting taste. Couldn't tell if it was the meat, or the shell Service: not bad. Friendly staff, just a busy night, & didn't get to see her much Ambiance: a bit loud. Crowded, & music was up a bit, making people talk louder haha Prices are a bit high, but for the portion sizes, it's not bad. About $15 and up per plate

Don't bother going anywhere else to eat and just do yourself a favor and come here!…read more After spending a few days in New Mexico with disappointing food, this place has been the highlight foodwise. The food is amazing, the service is amazing. The restaurant is clean and has plenty of seating. Try the tacos al pastor! Some of the best tacos Ive ever had. Everything is made in house. It's also a carniceria so the meat is good quality and fresh. If I could give it more stars, I would!

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.

This place isn't really mexicand it says that it is, but it's not. The waitress is really nice. The…read morefood wasn't that great chips were stale Their sauce saw was just haljapeno Salt in garlic The restaurant looked really clean, though. They really keep up on that part. I would not really recommend But overall I have to say is it was really nice and clean in there, and customer service was excellent.

Had lunch there yesterday and since the. My husband, baby and myself have had the worst case of…read morefood poisoning.. baby ate off my plate and my best guess is it was the pork. We have literally been in the bathroom Sick all night/day. The service was wonderful though, that's why I gave the 3 stars.

Great food, snow cones and service. The location is right…read moreon the main road making it easy to get here.

This is practically a little shack on the side of a busy road. The great thing is that it is super…read moreaffordable. There was a stream of cars coming up to the two windows on either side for to-go orders. We ended up ordering from the lesser used front walk up window. Had burgers and iced snow things. All very good. There are just a couple of tables to sit at if you want to eat there, and both outside. There is no inside dining options, but for a quick and tasty meal, great option!

The birria ramen was very flavorful and filling hands down the best ive had, the quesabirria tacos…read morewas also very good with it the consome was very good, actually drank it when it leftover after polishing off the tacos. Lol. The barbacoa tacos were very good as well. I'd ordered the food through doordash so i didnt stop in and ate at their food truck location. Rolled the dice on them and im happy i did. Definitely recommend El Nopal, keep up the good work y'all.

Delicious Mexican-New Mexican food in Nob Hill! These folks sold the shop down in Carlsbad and…read moremoved it up to Albuquerque, leveraging the awesome old Brickyard spot. Same interior, same bar, same TVs, new food options. The chips and salsa were particularly winning, homemade and so fresh and delicious!! The chips were thick and crunchy without being greasy, and the salsa was a verde variety with avocado floaters and lots of big cilantro chunks. Absolutely fabulous! I had the rellenos, which were served dry, strangely. And this is why I said Mexican-New Mexican... no chile sauce?? They were nevertheless quite up to standard. Companions had a burrito each and shared the chicken tacos, which come four to a plate for the reasonable price of $11. They were "legit," apparently. Two soft drinks added to the meal, and our bill was $37 and change after the 15% UNM discount. That's a pretty reasonable ticket for three, these days. It's an order at the counter kinda place, but the server does keep your chips and sodas full. The menu isn't large but includes variety enough. The place is still a secret, so it's not too busy yet. Go on in and make 'em a hit!

Very authentic. Great service. Will come again. Tortas, tacos, enchiladas, menudo, hamburguesas,…read morecaldos, burritos, molletes, quesadillas, aguas frescas Loved it.

Stopped by the other day to buy sweet bread got three pieces and they were hard as a rock. Not a…read morefan.