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.

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.

Food was delicious. We had torta asado, burrito de chicken fajita and the carnitas plate. Food…read morewas hot, taste was great, home cooked flavor. Their salsa verse was best I've tasted. Would highly recommend.

Amazing food!! Loved the spice level. Service was great and the ambiance was nice. We had…read moreenchiladas, burgers, and tacos.

Hello, I take my time to testing the food. Food it's good. Real Mexican flavors. Great parking and…read morethe services was very good. The guy there super friendly and great services. Prices average. The only bad :waiting time, 1 hr for food to go. Very busy. Today Wednesday 8pm. If you hungry go with time. I order: Arrachera, Enchiladas, Tacos y Albondigas. Total around $97 with tips. Ambience loud as every other busy restaurant.

This little Mexican spot came recommended by a friend of a friend, and we stopped here for dinner…read moreafter visiting the caverns. We called ahead and warned them about our larger group, but they are definitely equipped for large groups. They had a good variety and the cocktails were strong. I got the sangria which was filled with fruits as well as the shrimp fajitas. Everything was very good. Their guac was spectacular.

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.

*** outstanding tamales in Southeastern New Mexico ***…read more I popped into Fernando's Tamales in Carlsbad, NM hoping to take home at least two dozen in my cooler. Just before 11 AM I learned that they were completely out of red pork. I could have waited a half hour for a batch, but I didn't. I already had obligations to which I was en route. So I settled for a half dozen green chile cheese and a half dozen chicken with green chile ($26). They were delicious - even reheated! Make sure to get change if you pay cash. I handed a young lady $40 and she closed the drawer and started to walk off. Lol. RATING BREAKDOWN Food: 5 | Service: 3 | Ambiance: 4 | Price: 4

Nice spot for breakfast. Had horchata, hot chocolate and tamale. Come early because they run outread more

This was some of the best Mexican food I ever had. My brother and I were driving cross-country from…read moreNew Jersey to Los Angeles, and this was one of our favorite meals during the entire trip. Maria was incredibly kind, and the food came out quickly. I got the Chiles Rellenos burrito and loved every bite. Plus the side salsa was delicious too. I highly recommend coming to Maria's Mexican Food truck!

Stayed in Carlsbad on a Tuesday night during my trip to the Caverns and needed to find a place to…read moreeat at that was open past 9pm. Boy was I glad I chose Maria's. It's a food truck stand with a few picnic tables in front and a full bathroom to the side. When I arrived around 10pm, besides the group leaving, my party was the only one there. There's also another food truck serving Mexican food in that same area. I ordered the carne asada burrito and it was so gooood! The meat had so much flavor and wasn't chewy. There isn't any rice in the burrito which I'm not used to, but given the plentiful meat portions, I was still very full. The salsa in the container was also delicious, even asked for extra. It's spicy though (gave me acid reflux haha). Highly recommend going to Maria's if you're craving Mexican food!! There are times where I want to drive back three hours just for that burrito again

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.

Carnicería San Juan de los Lagos - Worth the Detour, Even Years Later…read more Some places stay with you. So much so that five years later, on a completely different road trip, you find yourself checking the map and thinking... "we're kind of close." Back in 2021, while exploring nearby national parks, we stumbled across Carnicería San Juan de los Lagos and loved it. This time, on our way to White Sands National Park, we made a small detour to see if it still held up. First surprise... I barely recognized the area. What used to feel like the middle of nowhere has filled in. Suburban life has arrived. Growth happened. But the place? Still there. Still good. Inside, it keeps that same warm, easy charm. Cute wood, farm-style Mexican decor, nothing fancy, just welcoming. The space has grown too, now clearly divided into restaurant, carnicería, and panadería, which means more reasons to linger. And the smell when you walk in? That alone could convince you to stay. Service was just as we remembered, sweet, friendly, and genuine. The kind that makes you feel like a regular even if you've been gone for five years. We went with pozole and shrimp tacos, and both delivered. Flavorful, comforting, exactly what we were hoping for. It's always a bit of a gamble revisiting a place you loved years ago. This one paid off. Still a favorite. Still worth the stop.