Being one of the few fast food establishments in the area, this was a happenin' place for a…read moreThursday afternoon. There were three people behind the counter, though, so that kept things moving. Everything looked fresh, as far as meats and veggies. There is a decent seating area and bathrooms. The bathrooms left much to be desired....

Their mobile ordering is a great app in a time crunch for lunch. They just need a full team during…read moretheir peak hours.

This was my first time trying fry bread. It was amazing. The food in this place was great. Service…read morewas good. They answered all of our questions before we ordered. The atmosphere was very chill, very welcoming.

Despite the name, I didn't think this hotel restaurant would be an actual cafeteria style…read moreestablishment! I haven't visited a cafeteria in maybe ten years, it's certainly a rare occurrence and a fun diversion for some food! In this case, we went for breakfast since we were staying at the Lodge and opted to share a stack of pancakes. The cafeteria is a bit unique in that there's both a traditional line to pick up prepared food, but there's also a menu that can be ordered from for freshly cooked food. Blue Corn Pancakes, 3 ($10) - These are plate sized pancakes, really fluffy, cooked perfectly moist on the griddle. There's only a really slight blue color and a tiny bit of grittiness from blue corn flour. There's a bit of corn flavor, but it's otherwise resembles a regular pancake more than anything. I'd guess the mix is more wheat flour than blue corn flour. Still, even for regular pancakes, this is pretty good. It comes with three tubes of maple flavored corn syrup and some salted butter on top. We decided to revisit for dinner, mostly for convenience since we were staying at the Lodge. Homemade Mutton Stew w/ Frybread ($15) - This is a pretty simple stew, filled with vegetables, including hand chopped canned tomatoes, carrots, celery, and potatoes. There's some, not a ton, of cubed mutton, which quite tender and is surprisingly not as gamey as the smell would indicate. It's all in a broth that's heavily vegetable forward, followed by a tomato umami, and then finishing with a slight mutton gaminess. It's very simple, hearty fare and similar to most other food in the Navajo Nation, isn't seasoned much, so it could be considered bland. The stew comes with a choice of frybread or tortilla. We went with both, paying an extra $2.85 for the tortilla ala carte. The frybread is fried pretty well, giving a nice crisp edge. It's puffy and chewy on the sides, flatter in the center - there's nothing wrong with the base mix, but unfortunately the amount of fry oil contained in the frybread is terrible. I mean, there was basically an entire puddle of soot-speckled dark-colored old fryer oil right soaking right in the center of the frybread in a pool. Bleh. Tortilla ($2.85) - I believe this is the same base used as the frybread, but then baked instead of fried. It's like a thicker/handmade Mexican flour tortilla. It's thick and chewy, a bit bready, and has a dry char taste. Thunderbird Lodge Cafeteria is a decent spot for food in the area. There honestly aren't many restaurants in general in Chinle; this place serves food that isn't special by any means, but also isn't unpalatable. Just be aware that they follow the more traditional method of Navajo seasoning - basically no salt or spices. Bathrooms - Two larger ones with multiple stalls

Exceptional food, warmest hospitality, and parked right next to Najavo Arts & Crafts Enterprise…read more Deano said this is his usual spot and if I lived here, I would be a customer every day! We had his signature brisket tacos and also the excellent spam fried rice. Both dishes were so flavorful, perfectly seasoned, colorful with crisp veggies and fresh herbs. Deano and his wife run this small business with pride you can taste in every bite!

Super clean food truck with amazing food and good company! Everything we have tried is delicious…read more Good portions and excellent flavor! You can order ahead online and pay if you are in a rush. Follow him on Facebook to find out the menu of the day and location!

Great little restaurant in the Holiday Inn. We see here for breakfast. Coffee was strong with a…read morenice variety of creamers/sugars/etc. the kids enjoyed their waffles w/ fruit, scrambled eggs, etc. The blue corn pancakes are a must. The build your own omelette was great for the price! The restaurant was very clean, but we were seated under a really loud fan. Our server was very attentive and everything came out fairly quickly.

We ate at Garcia's for breakfast as it was located in the Holiday Inn Canyon De Chelly, the hotel…read morewe were staying in. Since we had a long day ahead of us on the road, we needed to grab breakfast and didn't want to waste time finding a place around, which is few and far between! Therefore, here we were at Garcia's. The menu featured a handful of basic breakfast items. My partner had an omelette, which came with hash browns while I had the blue corn pancakes. When our plates arrived, I had no idea the pancakes were gigantic and there was a stack of three of them! I barely made a dent in them, so we took the pancakes for leftovers, which we snacked on for our road trip! For the pancakes, they provided packaged syrup, which I wasn't a fan of. But I actually liked the pancakes on their own, as I could really taste the blue corn. Overall, this is a fine restaurant for breakfast. It's here to primarily serve the hotel guests and perhaps those visiting Canyon De Chelly. But there's nothing special here. It's your standard fare.

We had a great experience at the Corn House for breakfast along our route. We stopped in because it…read morewas along our route and rated the best out of a few other options and we were glad we did! The owner personally came and checked on us several times and our waitress kept our coffees full. We have unfortunately had several bad dining experiences on our cross country road trip so we were very pleased with this stop! The food was cooked fresh and the staff was very welcoming to us outsiders. Really enjoyed this restaurant.

Naa Daa Bighan (The Corn House Café)…read more This is a quite little café located near the Hubbell Trading Post (a National Historic site), on a side street surrounded by a neighborhood and farmland. Once you go up the steps to the wooden porch you will enter a small café that has been open for only about 6 months and primarily serving the locals and the occasional tourist such as my wife and me. We were just looking for a light lunch, so we split one of their Navajo Tacos with a side of fries. I have had a number of Navajo tacos in my lifetime and I would have to say that this was one of the best. Another item that I saw on their list that looked like it would be really good was a lamb sandwich with fry bread. Our waitress was very attentive and fun to talk to about the restaurant and local activities. The manager stopped by and also very pleasant to talk to. Not a Fancy dining location, but very clean dining area and kitchen. If you are ever out and around the Hubbel Trading Post or just traveling through this little town, this is a must stop location for a meal.

Finally made it to the Burrito Lady Food Trailer in Chinle. Located on the road to the Chinle…read moreHospital. Easy to locate now based upon the trailer. Had a very good roast mutton sandwich on fry bread with lettuce, tomato, green onion and chili slice. The mutton strips were cooked on a grill. The fry bread was freshly made. Excellent flavors. The mutton was not as tender as others I have had but all good. There are no tables or chairs so it is tailgate time. Visited by many locals. You need pay correct cash. Will stop by again when in the area.

It was lunch time on Thursday, and we are in Chinle, Arizona. So my brother in law ask me, 'what…read moreare you up for lunch?, so I answered, 'let go to the Burrito Lady'. So we took a drive to the road that takes you to the Chinle Hospital. Just as you turn at the light, just to your right is a small food truck like place where the Burrito Lady has her business. We walk up to the trailer, looked at the menu that sits right next to where you order. I saw the Roasted Mutton Sandwich, so we both ordered it. She asked us if we wanted it on a tortilla and fry bread, so we both said fry bread, and ordered our drink as well. The Roasted Mutton Sandwich is comes folded like a taco on Indian fry bread, stuffed with the Roasted Mutton, long slices of green chili, green onion, and tomato. What made this sandwich taste so good is the flavor of the Roasted Mutton, and of course the Indian fry bread. For those of you that have never had Mutton, you have to understand that it is fully cooked, and is an acquired taste. I first had Mutton in Tuba City at their daily swap meet at noon. It was grilled and was filled with similar like this one in Chinle. The way they cook it makes it real tasty. This is my story on my special lunch in Chinle. Hope some day you have an eating experience like mine.