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    La Cocina Restaurant

    3.3 (133 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    LA COCINA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - La Cocina Restaurant

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    Reviews With Photos

    Sopapillas
    Emily J.

    While visiting family in town, we all decided to go out for a late lunch. Grama loves this restaurant so we all piled in the car and headed out! We arrived around 1:30pm which was perfect- the restaurant wasn't too crowded, and we were able to sit on the patio outside. Our server, Chloe, was awesome!! She gave great suggestions for food, and did her best to get things out to us quickly. Across the table we had- chicken quesadillas, chile rellenos, beef fajitas (the special that day), tamales, guacamole, and several combo meals along with some deeeelicious sopapillas! All of our food came out nice and fresh, and everything tasted amazing!

    Beer battered cod
    Amanda F.

    This was actually my third time to this restaurant. I travel down south for work, quite often and this has become one of my go to's. It's very clean, the food is excellent, and the waitstaff and hostess are kind, helpful, and very professional. I decided to stray away from my normal New Mexican food choices and try their beer battered cod. It started with a lovely side salad, that was simple, but well-made and very fresh. Excellent dressing. When they brought the meal, I was pleasantly surprised, because typically, I hate cod loin. When not cooked correctly, it becomes tough. This was not the case with this entrée. It was cooked to perfection. The batter was crispy, and the fish was well cooked. Jeanette, my waitress was attentive, friendly, and great to deal with. The hostess was very sweet and accommodating. It's a really cute restaurant, with very kitschy decor and a real home setting. It's a nice respite from a long drive. I didn't sit on the patio this time, but it was open and well served. I highly recommend you give this a try, whether you are going down to Elephant Butte Lake or just on your way farther south on I 25, like I was.

    Live music.
    Anita B.

    Came to have lunch and a bloodie! All good. Cute patio which we had to ourselves. Chile relleno. and bloodie were perfect!

    Sopapillaa
    Jessica L.

    We had a nice handmade dinner of chili relleno and chicken tacos last night. Our server, John was exceptional. We also tried their sopapilla for desert- they are huge (and delicious).

    Live music in the patio nice jams
    Sharon H.

    is was a Saturday evening with a dining room filled with patrons and a live band performing in the patio, the service was amazing the server John was polite and on point. drinks were great and the food was delicious. the chile was hot and the staff was great. will return upon visiting T or C. Lovely experience overall. highly recommended

    Sopaipillas
    jessie a.

    With dining being limited, we were suggested la Cocina. When we got there, the host didn't greet us There was another couple waiting as well. I had to ask if we signed in or what. 3 more couples came in.. same treatment. I had to tell them to sign in. The host kept doodling on her eraseboard. After about 15 minutes, 2 out of the 3 couples left. Then I asked after about 25 mins what the hold up was. I was told ( only after I asked ) that there was only one server for 3 areas. After hearing that, my bf knew we wouldn't be getting good service, and we too left, followed by another couple. The 2 hostesses seemed unbothered at the site of the mass exodus. No, so much a look up. 6 hrs later, we returned for a dessert phone in order. I got an order of sopapillas, which were huge. Literally 2 pillows the size of my hands. Just blah. The chocolate rasberry cheesecake was too sweet. Overall, I was very disappointed in both food and service.

    Steak
    Vinnie C.

    The best steak I have ever had the baked potato was amazing the chili the queso and chips salsa all perfect and the price amazing quality

    Numero 3 - Cheddar Cheese Enchilada and Ground Beef Taco
    Sylvain K.

    We were desperately looking for a decent outdoor dinner, Los Arcos was first on our list but 1) they only serve food indoor (outdoor is only for drinks) 2) there was a 1h30 wait time for dinner. This was a no-go for us. We arrived a Los Arcos at 7:00PM and were promptly seated. They have an inside court that shielded us from the wind. They have heaters but won't turn them on unless you ask, so be sure to ask if needed :-) The hostess was very friendly. Our waiter was also extremely friendly. Service was not quick but we were not in a rush so we did not mind. The food was good, not extraordinary but I was not expecting anything crazy considering the price and type of restaurant. I had the "numero 3" which is their special and my friend had the "numero 12" which is their largest plate on their menu. We had hiked during the day and we finished everything. It was satisfying. We also ordered a pitcher of Blue Moon, the pitcher is small in size. We spent a good evening and would come back if I do another road trip around here.

    Beef flautas
    Karen B.

    If 2.5 stars were an option, that would be my rating. But, I digress... We stopped in for dinner on a Saturday night after there was an hour wait at a place down the road. We were seated right away and our waitress was attentive. We were served chips and salsa right off the bat and the salsa was frozen... my husband thought I was exaggerating until he tried it and confirmed it was frozen... we're not off to a great start. We also ordered margaritas and they had a heavy pour of triple sec, ugh. The food came out timely and was mediocre. I ordered flautas and they were overcooked. The rice and beans were delicious. My husband was unimpressed with his beef fajitas. Next time we're in town, we'll probably wait the hour at the unnamed place down the road. It's a shame T or C doesn't have more options.

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    3 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Delicious food great service highly recommended great chicken fried steak will eat here again soon

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    2 years ago

    Nothing to write home about but the food is alright. The staff definitely don't care about presentation. Weird seeing servers in pajamas.

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    8 years ago

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    Tony's

    Tony's

    4.6
    (128 reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $

    Love the tacos here. The service is spot on and perhaps the best part of this place. The chili is…read morehuge - please don't underestimate it. The atmosphere is no frills. Highly recommend if Mexican food is what you want. Best Mexican food I've had in TorC.

    If you're looking for outdoor seating because you're traveling with a dog, don't stop here. I have…read morenever heard so many bizarre reasons as to why a dog cannot even be on the premises; first one was because of a "code," second one was because there is a bad dog next door that might hurt or kill my dog and the third one was their liability insurance. Not sure if I believed any of those reasons but I ordered food to go because of the Yelp. After looking into the New Mexico restaurant liability insurance explanation, I now know that this place just flat out doesn't like dogs anywhere. I feel like "dog friendly" should be another option on Yelp since so many people now travel with their pets. I should have left because it was very hot and windy and the owners were extremely rude but, against my husbands wishes, I ordered to go based on the food reviews and also based on nostalgia (because the location was the exact location for great Mexican food in the 1980's. Now to the food: I ordered the large combo. It was good but not the best New Mexico Mexican food. The cheese enchiladas were okay. The taco was not crispy, probably because it was squeezed into a styrofoam container, and was made with hamburger meat. I was hoping for shredded beef. Oh well. The chile relleno was good, not the best. Overall, the food was good but I've had better. The green chile sauce was better than good. I honestly think that if we had been allowed to dine outdoors on the premises, the food would have been served on a bigger plate and I would have been able to distinguish what I was eating better. Would I eat here again...that's a big fat nope. Nor would they want me to, probably. The owner(s) were rude. The food was mediocre at best. I loved raising my girls and living in T or C back in the 80's, but I will never stop there again to eat because the people at Tony's.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Large combination plate...
    Large combination plate...
    Mexican Coca Cola

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    Mexican Coca Cola
    Desert Diamond

    Desert Diamond

    4.2
    (21 reviews)
    65.2 mi

    I had a work trip to New Mexico over the summer, and my colleagues and I stopped in Socorro for a…read moremeeting on our drive back to Albuquerque from Las Cruces. What an interesting pit stop! One of my colleagues used to work in Socorro, so she was happy to be our tour guide for that segment of the trip, sharing personal anecdotes, fun facts, local insights, and other background on Socorro County. After our meeting and brief windshield tour, we ended up at Desert Diamond for lunch, and it did not disappoint. The restaurant is a no-frills mom and pop that specializes in New Mexican cuisine. There was a decent crowd in the restaurant for the lunch rush, and all signs indicated that this place would be solid. Once we were seated, and I had a chance to scan the menu, I quickly landed on the stuffed sopaipillas since I had never had that particular dish before. About ten minutes later, our meals were expertly delivered to our table in perfect unison. The stuffed sopaipilla came out piping hot and extremely well-seasoned. I decided to enjoy the moment and indulge, effortlessly reinstating my membership in the Clean Plate Club!

    A bit disappointed in both food and service. The waitress was spunky and yet forgot to take our…read moreorder. I think her sarcasm was meant as a joke but couldn't be sure. I had the chicken burrito plate with green chili on the side. The chili was spicy for sure and absolutely had to go on the burrito because it was otherwise entirely bland. The rice was dry, beans were ok. The highlight of the meal was the sopaipilla with honey. Very tasty. Hard rock from the 70s and 80s was playing. Interesting vibe, not what I expected.

    Photos
    Hard Shell Tacos
    Hard Shell Tacos
    4 item combo in front, chile relleno plates hit in rear. Delicioso!
    4 item combo in front, chile relleno plates hit in rear. Delicioso!
    Reasonable prices!

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    Reasonable prices!

    La Cocina Restaurant - mexican - Updated August 2026

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