Casita de Rivera has taken the place of Val's Place in Manassa and offers similar fare. They have…read moreadded a breakfast menu and expanded the hours that the restaurant is open. The appearance and atmosphere is almost identical to Val's. If you liked Val's you will be happy to know they seem to have kept the best of Val's. I had the Taco Plate as I almost always did at Val's and, with the exception of the chips and salsa, it was just as good as Val's. Unfortunately, they have gone with the traditional chips found in most Mexican restaurants instead of the extra thick and crunchy ones Val's was known for. Definitely want to get over and try their breakfast.

From the owner: Family owned. Come in for some amazing street tacos and Enchiladas, are huge stuffed sopapillas as…read morewell, or come grab a burger and homemade fries.

OVERALL The Wagon Wheel with its country charm, American…read morefare and full bar is a good place for a warm dinner or supper. Note I did not say Mexican food because this ain't the kind I'm used to! RATING BREAKDOWN Food: 4 | Service: 4 | Ambiance: 4 | Price: 3 PARKING Ample free parking out front. LOCATION/AMBIANCE At the north end of town leaving La Jara, CO. It's got cowboy & country vibes with older decor and saddles all around. The bar is a good size. Good dining area for small groups and larger families. Not a fan of CNN (or any news outlet for that matter) on the TV, but it wasn't blaring and they had other music playing. THE GRUB - margaritas - I watched our waitress make it using a pre-mix. Wasn't a big fan of the taste, but she put a little extra tequila in my first round + 1/2 chili burger with green chile - the green chile wasn't all that prevalent, but this was a good choice recommended to me by more than one local. It was an open-face burger with a single patty with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion layered on top with fries all around and green chile somewhere in there. Good, hearty lunch. SERVICE Kind of standoffish until you talk to them more. After that, the older lady who served us was friendly. MY FAVORITE PART... My lunch dates, my fiancé & his aunt whom we stumbled upon when we walked in (3/21/2024). It was nice to be there for her the moment she found out her best friend died (almost expectedly). NOT SO FAVORITE PART... No purse hooks at the hightop tables! TIP - plastic accepted

On 06/01/2025 I went to the Wagon Wheel Saloon with family to celebrate my birthday. It was my…read morefirst time visiting the establishment. I had heard good comments about the food and was looking forward to the experience. Unfortunately, it would be my last. My aunt, who is 90 years old and blind, was with us. Because of her inability to see what she would eat, she wanted to order something she could handle with her hands. She asked for the chicken tenders, but they were out. She decided to order a chicken burrito without any chili or toppings on the outside and only cheese with the chicken on the inside. Again, this was specified so she could grab the burrito with her hands to eat it with some dignity. A burrito was brought to her with hot melted cheese on top that prevented her from eating it the way she wanted. We told the waitress the burrito was not made as requested so my aunt could eat it with her hands. We asked the waitress to replace it with another one containing the cheese on the inside as originally requested. The waitress, who was young and seemed to be a new employee, hesitated to correct the error and said she would confer with the owner about what could be done. She returned saying the owner said we could have the burrito replaced but would charge us for the second burrito as well. I reminded her the establishment made the mistake, and it was only fair to make it right. She went to confer with the owner again, only to return with the same response. The rest of us had already had our meals brought to the table and began eating, thinking the establishment would do the right thing. In disbelief, I was ready to have us walk out. However, my aunt didn't want to make a scene, saying she would settle for the first burrito as is. I left the situation alone for the moment while my aunt struggled to eat her burrito with a fork. She gave up after a few bites, leaving three-fourths of the burrito uneaten. Toward the end of finishing our food, the owner emerged from the kitchen and sat at a table close by. She made no effort to come to our table to address the problem. Therefore, I got up from our table and went to her. I explained the situation thoroughly, emphasizing the need to have the burrito made as requested to allow my aunt to eat it with her hands since she would struggle using a fork. Despite my effort to see if the owner would make restitution in some manner, she refused to budge on the matter, only providing what seemed like an obligatory apology to me. I informed her it was my first and last time in her establishment. The owner never attempted to go to our table to apologize to my aunt. Such service concerning my aunt was inexcusable! What made it worse was the owner was familiar with my mom who ate there on occasion and was there with our group at the time. I still can't get over what we experienced! By the way, I gave a score of only one star only because I was unsure how to indicate zero stars.

This was disappointing for the "best voted Mexican Restaurant in the valley." I love chips and dip…read moreso when I saw it was five dollars, I was a little surprised but decided to up to the "queso" too since it was only a dollar more. Y'all- the "queso" is just nacho cheese, maybe slightly done up. 3/5 because the entrees were good. Service was a little slow too. Might be back, unsure.

This was a good spot. They have alcohol on the menu but no prices ..prices range from 7 to 14…read moredollars. I got a lg mango margarita it wasn't strong at all. The food was good and so was the service. We had a mixup with our order but they fixed it up quick. The ambiance was Halloween mixed with Native American decor. The one thing that I did not like is that they asked you if you wanted chips and salsa when you walk in BUT they charge you for them...usually if they ask at arrival its complementary....

Went there with a group of 20 and was sat down. Immediately service was absolutely amazing…read moreextremely friendly staff couldn't complain one bit as far as the food goes wow it was amazing. It's a buffet style Mexican food, but you can also order from a menu flavorful and every single item I ate I would definitely come to this place and try it for yourself.

Went to Sand dunes for the day and great place to stop near by with authentic food. Really large…read morelocation- one of us did buffet and other normal dishes. THIS place had HUGE drinks and food- but overall great. Very affordable and food was really good. Buffet quality (some might be sitting a little) but street tacos section and most of the food was fresh. Buffet gave availability for tons of options and to try new dishes. Really enjoyed trying everything and loved the churros. Recommend

The service was excellent. Nice, friendly waitress. The…read moredining room and restrooms were both very clean. Wonderful art work on the walls The food was served quickly and correctly. The chips and salsa were fresh and tasty. The only negative I have is I like my Mexican food a bit more spicy, not necessarily hot spicy, but more cumin, coriander, garlic etc. The prices are very reasonable.

Love this place. Great to stop when driving from Albuquerque to Denver and vice versa. Tasty…read morechips & salsa. Friendly servers. Pleasant outdoor eating.

Really tasty breakfast burritos. Reasonable prices. Clean place. Good service. We'll be back.read more

First time here. The spinach breakfast burrito was amazing! A tasty vegetarian burrito with…read morepotatoes, eggs, a healthy portion of spinach and a side of tomatillo salsa. Nicely spiced. I'll be back!

Fantastic!! Fast, friendly, and totally delicious! Right next to Dunes motel which is also awesome…read more Alamosa was a great surprise!

Delicious! Fast service…read more Totally recommend! They have all the condiments and the pickled carrots were a treat.

My significant other claims Juanito's Mexican Kitchen in Alamosa, CO, to be the best in the area…read more I haven't eaten much Mexican food in these parts, but I relied on my trusty rating breakdown (further below) for guidance with this matter. FOOD There was complimentary chips and salsa. It was okay. I started craving a stuffed sopapilla ($17.99) as soon as I saw it on the menu. The pork was so tender and the green sauce I requested was full of flavor. Highly recommend this meal. My daughter asked for the quesadillas ($12.49) from the appetizers. It was strange that in the middle of the triangular goodies with requested ground beef was a huge pool of red sauce. She enjoyed the side of guacomole ($1.99). My SO had the steak Mexicana ($17.99) which he seemed to enjoy. My other daughter had the shrimp Mexicana ($17.99). She gobbled the shrimp. I tried her beans and rice which I didn't have with my own meal. They were pretty good. SERVICE I really enjoyed meeting the owner. He came to our table and helped clean up some water my daughter accidentally spilled. The only thing I wish that had happened that evening was that all of our meals would have been served all at once. They were spread out minutes apart. AMBIANCE The parking lot was in construction as of 5/26/2023. Inside, the place may be small, yet, there were large and small tables and booths. It's a seat yourself type of place. There were vibrant colors everywhere. A white board with their daily specials was on the wall near the kitchen. I wish I had seen it earlier. Finally, no background music, yet, there was a flat screen with some kid-friendly movies playing. MY RATING BREAKDOWN Food: 4 | Service: 4 | Ambiance: 4 | Price: 3

Stands the test of time. Food is still excellent. Service great…read more Typical Colorado Mexican restaurant. Food is hot with heat. Very important. Vegetarian enchiladas are fantastic!

On our way to Cortez we stopped at Emma's for lunch. It was absolutely yummy. Amazing Authentic…read moreMexican Food. We ate smothered fries with Green Chili. Tacos and enchiladas. Not one negative thing to say about this place. Their bottled coke is made with real cane sugar. No HFCS. The gentleman who took care of us was super friendly and brought our food to us in a timely manner.

Great atmosphere, food was good. Town of Alamosa was pretty quiet on Friday afternoon in November…read morebut food was still good!