I hadn't eaten here in probably 15 years, but a friend said their chicken fried steak was good. The last time I ate here, it felt very dark and dingy. Now it's bright and clean inside. The chicken fried steak was very good with white gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans and a toasted biscuit. I always toast my biscuits at home, but this was the first time a restaurant toasted my biscuit and it was great. Service was prompt and coffee refills were provided when needed. I've decided this is my go-to restaurant for comfort food. Since my first visit to Rustic Cafe a month ago, I have eaten there three more times. I tried the hamburger steak with grilled onions and mushrooms on my second visit. It was very good too, but the mashed potatoes and mac & cheese sides were only Lukewarm. I guess I could have sent them back, but the steak and brown gravy was hot enough. The mac and cheese was nothing to get excited about. On my next visit I tried the BLT on Texas toast. It seemed a bit small for the $8.99 price and the mayo tasted a little weird to me (I only use Best Foods mayo at home.) It did include plenty of thin crisp bacon, but I had trouble biting through the tomato slices since my top and bottom front teeth don't quite touch. On my last visit, I had the Rustic Cheeseburger (medium) with onion rings as a side. The 1/3 lb. burger was very good, and I thought the quantity and quality of the onion rings was excellent. Only after I got home and looked at my receipt did I realize that I'd been charged a separate $1.49 for onion rings that were supposed to be included as side with the burger. I didn't really mind the extra charge since they had given me so many onion rings and they were the best I've eaten in many years. On one visit, the waitress gave me a 10% senior discount that I've not received on any other visit, so I don't know if this is a policy or just at the discretion of the wait staff. I know others have complained about slow service, but I'm retired and always bring my crossword puzzles with me to work on while I'm waiting, so I've not really noticed if the service is slow. Rustic Cafe is not advertised as a "fast food" joint, so I am happy with the speed of the service. My servers have always been pleasant and accommodating to any of my requests. Breakfast was always my favorite meal, and I'm pleased to find a place that offers breakfast all day. That'll have to be my next visit though. read more

Food is good, once last night and then today the same things happened. Didn't get something that was supposed to come with the dinner and no one came back to refill my beverage. I'll go down the street somewhere else,& see if a different restaurant will give what the dinner says on menu and see if they will refill my beverage. This restaurant needs to change or get different employees. Food was good,& the dining room was clean, but I can't continue to give you my business and I would have for two more days. I'm here for the weekend (truck driver parked here for four days) so now I'm going to walk down the street to a different place for the remainder of time I'm here,& I really shouldn't have to. read more

I ordered hamburger steak, no gravy, just grilled onions. First plate had gravy no onions. Sent back and 2nd plate had gravy and mushrooms. Pinto beans were all dried out. When I advised order still wrong waiter just shook his head. We have been traveling for three weeks eating out and this experience was very disappointing and the worse. Had to swat flies entire time of eating. I do not recommend this restaurant. Waiter did comp the meal. read more

Rustic Café - Dried pinto beans, okra, hamburger steak with mushroom gravy, and toast. - Cafes Near Me - Alamogordo, New Mexico

Food is good but service is slow. I placed my order before 2 other couples and they got there food first? I just had to ask why so long? I ordered eggs and bacon. I guess they had to wait till the chicken laid the egg someone to Bucher the pig for the bacon I guess. read more

What a delightful stop. Cara was prompt, and very friendly. Excellent service; The food was hot &.fresh. We enjoyed visiting with the locals that clearly enjoyed the ambiance. All that and a discount for Veterans. read more

If you don't know the place is there you'll miss it. We walked in and found the last table available. You can tell it was mostly full of locals. Server was very nice. Food took a while but the place was packed. I would say the food was good. Not great. Loved the French fries tho. The wall says made from scratch but it wasn't sadly. Saw a box on the counter from Sysco that was prepared pepper gravy. Plus you could tell there food we received was not made from scratch. Would we go back?? Not sure. It was definitely better than a Dennys. read more

What a gem in the food desert that is Alamogordo! Excellent Mexican and American cuisine, and don't pass up the delicious malted shake for dessert. Probably the best restaurant in town. read more

For our breakfast date, we chose the Rustic Cafe. It was busy with one server. She explained that even though it was busy, she would get to us right away. She did her best to continue to check on us. It was clean and roomy since they remodeled. Our food was delicious, and the portions are large, with reasonable prices. read more

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We tried the taco dinner and the breakfast burrito. We didn't like either. Way too many onions, greasy, non-flavorful taco meat. The server didn't wash hands between taking out the garbage, taking cash payments, dumping ice, and smoking cigarettes outside in between checking on tables. Most people were ordering the burgers, so that might be what they are known for. read more

I have stopped here a few times while working nearby. I'm a sucker for a good BLT and they did not disappoint. I did stray and order the steak sandwich in my last visit. Holy smokes!!!! I think I found a new favorite. It was delicious. Can't wait to get back there. read more

The food was really good. The red and green sauces were tasty. The service was pretty good too. Everyone was friendly to us.

Hello, my husband and I go into your diner at least two or three times a week, however going in today was some what disappointing, my husband ordered the rustic club,and I ordered fish and chips, Julie the manager was very slow,the cook needs to know how to prepare and cook properly, Julie knows nothing about being a manager Needs more training,I mean we sat there at least 40 min,waiting for our food while the others that came in after us,got their food before us,my fish was not cooked It was mushy on the inside,not having dentures I ordered it so it was easy for me to bite into, if you want people to stay away than leave Julie in charge. There has to be anther waitress there besides Julie, someone that knows what they are doing,because the food service was terrible. Not at all happy with the service Julie is sloppy,there were dirty dishes on tables,after people left, Also my fish was still somewhat on the cold side, Jim,julieDoiron. Today's rating** read more

Rustic cafe was pretty good. We ordered 2 chicken enchiladas. The servers were extremely busy and overwhelmed but very kind. The enchiladas were fine and the side of rice and beans were over done. I would say you get what you pay for. read more

Rustic Café - Chicken enchiladas - Cafes Near Me - Alamogordo, New Mexico

Poor service. I think they were just understaffed. We didn't get drinks or any food or anything. Had to wait over 20 minutes just sitting there and left. read more

The food was very tasty. The staff was friendly and attentive to our needs, coffee refills were frequent. Loved the pancakes.

Wouldn't expect to find a great burger and fries in a gas station but this place exceeded my expectations. The staff were extremely welcoming and attentive. I am visiting from out of state and when I return, I plan on coming back. read more

Quick service, quick food time. Waitress was friendly. Catfish was delicious. Would definitely return again. Husband says his burrito was good. read more

My Wife and I stopped there today hoping to get a nice lunch. I noticed that the manager was the only one working. We sat down at our usual table. Order 2 coffees. Then we ordered our food. We were there about 40 minutes when we saw people who came in 20 minutes after we did getting their food first. We finally got our food and my wife's fish was somewhat in the frozen state. She asked not to overcook it but it wasn't far from burnt. The lettuce on my sandwich was old because it was mushy. The cooks need some hands on guardians. When we left noticed six tables still had dirty dishes on the tables. One patron came in and moved the dishes aside so he had room to eat. 15 minutes later he got up and left from not being waited on. The ketchup bottles on the table was empty and I got one from another table and noticed the Ketchup was watered down. I know the difference. I'm not satisfied. We go there 4 times a week. Maybe we need to regroup. read more

IF YOU'RE GOING HERE BECAUSE THE MENU LOOKS GOOD, DON'T. THAT'S NOT THEIR MENU. The server explained to us that there's a Rustic Cafe somewhere in Arizona that has all those things. If somebody from Yelp sees this, please fix it. Some of the food is probably OK based on other reviews here, but we wanted the fried green beans and the really nice looking salads and maybe a black bean burger. They have none of those things. My wife had a grilled cheese that looked OK but tasted terrible, and I had cheese enchiladas one of which was filled with ground beef. The only sort of saving grace was the enchilada sauce. Others have seemed surprised that such a place would be attached to a truck stop. Don't be surprised. It's exactly what you'd expect. Nice enough server who tried hard to make amends, but there was nothing she could do to fix the real problem that they had literally none of the things we wanted, and at this time of night in this town, there aren't really any alternatives besides fast food. read more

Looks are deceiving here. The food is great & will exceed your expectations. Enjoy!

Take a pass on this place. Ordered the enchilada plate. I think it was "cooked" by setting it on the counter in the general vicinity of a microwave that was in a different part of the building. The cheese inside was not even melted. What they called "rice" was a cold clump of something that at one time may have been individual grains of rice but had somehow transformed into the consistency of cold oatmeal. Just gross. The waitress (funky gal, cute as a button) didn't seem to have any help, and looked a little like she would've appreciated some. She got a nice tip...it wasn't her fault the food was badly made. read more

A fun and tasty challenge I like to make on all my road trips is to eat local. How else are you going to find these gems? After a long day of hiking at The White Sands National Monument (that lasted long into the night), my boyfriend and I were bummed to discover that all the local eateries in Alamogordo close fairly early. There were plenty fast food places open, but we begrudgingly stuck to the plan and decided to make the long and hungry drive back to the mountains to cook at the cabin. Then we saw it: glorious neon lights in the distance. (We actually thought it might be a strip club...which, don't get me wrong, that could have counted as local food too.) But it turned out to be a 24hr truck stop with the Rustic Café attached to it. I thought I might die of happiness when the waitress brought out our food, which easily could have fed at least two more hungry hikers: -Biscuits and Gravy All Covered Up: We're talking two fluffy biscuits smothered in generous slices of sausage, hash browns, sausage gravy, cheese, and fried eggs... with a side of sausage patties! Food baby. -Giant Breakfast burrito: I honestly can't remember much about the burrito because I was too enamored with my biscuits to care, but my boyfriend seemed to be satisfied on his side of the table too. The fast summary: -Cheap prices -Fast service -Clean restrooms (showers & laundry available too) -Good local food -Most importantly: Biscuits and gravy to dream about. read more

Rustic Café - Mmm. Get in my belly. - Cafes Near Me - Alamogordo, New Mexico

Alright, so our experience here was less than satisfactory, to say the least. Our orders were taken and drinks delivered in a timely manner, but afterward, that's where the ball was dropped. Nearing the hour and a half mark, we were really starting to wonder where our order was. I mean, we only had five plates and it wasn't busy at all. Our waitress was absolutely NOT to blame. She was attentive and polite, and checked on us often. Clearly the problem was in the kitchen. But what really ticked me off was when the manager verbally berated our waitress for the delay when it wasn't her fault at all! I've never seen such unprofessionalism in restaurant management before, and I've worked at several myself. To reiterate, the server was not at fault. That lies entirely on the kitchen and the management. read more

I'm thrilled to discover that good truck stop chow is alive and well in the U.S. We tried the green chile stew and Xmas enchiladas with beef. The stew was very good, nice hot green chile flavor and chunks of pork and potatoes. The enchiladas were great. I'd be happy to find enchiladas that good anywhere, let alone in the only place open this late on a Sunday. read more

Rustic Cafe used to be one of my favorite places to eat but then I moved and when I came back and visited Rustic Cafe for the first time in a while, the menu had completely changed and the food was terrible, so I will not be coming back read more

Got the Tuesday Special again. This is the second time trying the cheese burger and fry special - and the fries are not cooked again. This time, it was a takeout order so it was not discovered until back at work. Disappointed in the lack of quality control. read more

Rustic Café - Weekday lunchtime is busy at the Rustic Cafe! - Cafes Near Me - Alamogordo, New Mexico

This is for all you snowflakes, be glad it's a real sit down type of restaurant and not some fast food shit!! I just had lunch here and I was pleasantly surprised!!! Been by here several times over the years never stopped. Glad I did, most "truck stops" back in the day were something like this! Too bad the tree huggers can't get past that!! read more

What a grand experience it was eating at this place on a Saturday afternoon when I was done cherry picking. I can honestly say this place has that aesthetic vibe that people look for in a local café. I wasn't too hungry so I got the mushroom swiss burger with fries and the portion sizes were perfect. 10/10 would recommend. read more

Went here because others recommended it. I understand they are short staffed. They have only 9 tables. So we ordered and the meals came at different time (10 minutes apart) for the three of us, not to mention we waited 30 minutes for first meal to be delivered. Then my breakfast were horrible. The hash browns were like they were from yesterday, the toast stale and eggs were not as order. I definitely would not recommend this place. read more

Everything you get here is great, and both the red and green chile are on point! Service is always great. We come back every time we come home read more

Terrible customer service. They never answer their phone and when I pull up to place the order I see Everyone that works there talks drama outside smoking a cigarette instead of serving customers. read more

Well, it's a truck stop place so you know what's on the menu. The dining area was tidy but not really clean. I was there for a quick breakfast before a long drive home. Ordered french toast with bacon which was fine but only lukewarm. The best part was the crispy bacon but, it's bacon so what's not to like? read more

Nice place. The servers were nice and the food was good, I was there for breakfast. I had the western omelet and it was good and it came with hash browns and they were ok. The restaurant was clean and nice, I was surprised it is attached to a gas station/truck stop. Nice place to stop for a quick breakfast. read more

Sat for 10 minutes without anyone acknowledging we were there despite several waitresses walking by multiple times. Umm nope....

Great food marred by terrible service. It's a cafe add-on to a gas station. Small place, which is not a bad thing. Just couch your expectations, has a small hometown feel to it. Mostly older crowd that attends. My son and I went there for lunch on Sunday. They hand form their burgers. We had the half-pound. The flavor is real good for the burger and the fries were ok, if nothing special. Relatively ok pricing. The service was horrendous this day, we ended up waiting over 10 minutes to order and at least 30 before our food arrived after the order was taken. The cutlery they had was also not clean (was wrapped in a napkin and not sure the last time it was cleaned, had spots all over it). So, went with fingers. read more

They don't answer the phone, I went In to the location only to be told theyre closed. Sign on the door says not open nights. At least change your voicemail to say you're no longer in business. read more

Foods great n Alamogordo. Could be a lot cleaner and you can never call in a take out order because they won't answer the phone

Mmm... This place was so good. We both had pancakes, eggs, and bacon. The pancakes hit the spot! I have had eggs at all kinds of restaurants but I got to say my over easy eggs here were the best! Wow, and the bacon tasted so good, like it was right off a pigs back! Yummy! The price is reasonable, and there is plenty of seating! You can also fill up on gas for you car, after you fuel up your body! read more

Rustic Café - A cozy nook in the cafe - Cafes Near Me - Alamogordo, New Mexico

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Super gals, friendly. The food is great at very reasonable prices. Im there 2 or 3 times a week.

Long before I started working at the Rustic Cafe my friend and I would eat there. Once I got a job there I have to say I love the place even more. This is the best company I have ever worked for. The Kent Co. really takes good care of their employees. The food is really good. I love me some comfort food and we have it. Thank you Kent Company and Rustic Cafe. You have a fan for life! read more