I was recommended El Charro in Carlsbad, NM by some locals, and I'm so glad I listened…read more I'm a big fan of quesabirria and have been on a little quesabirria journey, and this has to be one of the top two best quesabirria tacos I've ever had. The taco was crispy and filled with delicious meat, and the consommé was rich and flavorful. If I hadn't been on the road, I probably would have ordered another one. The portion was generous, and the price was fair too. The service was quick, and the overall dining environment was bright and clean. Definitely a great local recommendation and a spot I'd happily come back to.

Ordered takeout and my husband said the whole experience went well…read more We ordered a few different tacos, but have a couple picky eaters, so they were able to separate the meats and toppings for us. We got carnitas, pastor, brisket, steak, and ground beef. (The pastor was my favorite! It came with pineapple. My husband's favorite was the carnitas.) Everything was hot and pretty tasty. The meal came with 4 sauces-- orange (spiciest), watery orange, watery green (my favorite), and the creamy green (least spicy.) After reading some reviews about slow service, I was a little apprehensive about ordering, but my husband went during lunch and said everything came out quickly, there was just a line to order. All in all, I'd definitely eat here 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.

Yellow Brix was great! The outdoor seating is lovely, they do a nice job with the patio. Even with…read morethe location by a main road, it feels like someone's back yard, really pleasant. And the live music was a nice touch for a Friday night. Service was also excellent, so friendly and on top of their game. I had the shrimp pomodoro dish and really enjoyed it. The shrimp were seasoned so well, and the pasta was al dente. There was also a nice, mild kick from the black pepper, and the fresh parmesan melted into the dish to create cheesy goodness. Maybe a touch heavy on the oil but it was still an excellent meal overall.

The ambience is very fancy. We arrived around 7 pm on a Sunday, and since the weather was nice, we…read moresat on the patio. We were a group of six. I ordered the veggie primavera pasta with red sauce. The vegetables were good, but there was too much tomato, so I could not finish the whole dish. The artichoke dip for the table was not very good. The service was friendly and attentive. The tiramisu was too sweet for my taste, but the portion size was generous.

Came here on vacation - this was near our hotel. We were impressed with the service times and…read moreportions. Drive-in experience is something to definitely try out at least once. Carlsbad is not exactly a diner's paradise (the other nights we ended up at Chilis) but this Sonic is very close to hotels.

1 star. I normally don't leave reviews, but this was one of the worst experiences we've had at a…read moreSonic. We ordered 3 burgers and every single bun was so hard it felt stale and old. The burgers had no lettuce, no tomatoes, nothing on them. The fries were hard and tasted old too. My kids' Wacky Pack burger looked like it had been sitting there forever with an old dried-out patty. On top of the food being terrible, the customer service was rude from start to finish. We were told they "didn't have ice cream," yet the girl working the window was literally eating ice cream while telling us that. That just made the whole experience even more frustrating and unprofessional. Very disappointing experience, especially spending money to feed a family and getting poor quality food and bad attitudes in return. I would not recommend this location to anyone until they improve their food quality and customer service.

Best Green chili burger in Carlsbad NM, it compares to all the other restaurants in town and it has…read morea more reasonable charge!

They had diet Dr Pepper which was a plus. Jesus was nice when he took our order. I wish they gave…read morediscounts to people named Blake (myself).....like why would they not with the franchise named Blake's. Otherwise, food was alright. Jesus made this review a 5 star. Thanks!

I'm glad we stopped in here on our way through town. The reviews weren't lying. Great food, and…read moregreat service. Cassidy was very nice and attentive. Definitely a place to come back to.

We loved this place. The staff were all very friendly, and the food was so good. We each had the…read moresmothered bean burrito, which is huge and very filling, with lots of green chiles. I had a side of sweet potato fries, which were light and crispy, not greasy. The coleslaw was fresh and creamy and delicious. The interior is clean and spacious, and had a pleasant music soundtrack of country oldies. We will definitely be back next time we're in town.

Been back a few times, the service had improved drastically!! Didn't have much of a wait, staff was…read morecordial and very different... might just be a different crew working.

Drive-thru on April 29, 2026. Wrong order, wrong charges, no receipt, and nobody fixed it even…read moreafter we asked twice. Food was also poorly made and barely edible. I paid for a correct order and semi decent food and got neither. Wrong charges, wrong order, and low effort food.

Great service. We are from Dallas, so Tex-Mex runs in our veins. This food surpassed my…read moreexpectations for Jalisco style and for food in Carlsbad. Yum! The salsa was spicy and great. Really loved the cheese on my burrito and the taco meat was red colored and had a great flavor. The plate was oven hot, the server said so as she put it in front on me wearing oven mits, but I insisted on touching it and I wear this blister in memory of a wonderful meal!

I had the El Jimador Fajitas, which as steak, chicken, and shrimp. Simply delicious. The service…read morewas excellent as well.

Look, I read the other reviews, too. And far be it from me to say that what I *believe* about…read moretheir experience, and what they *experienced* about their experience should even be in the same sentence... but I will offer that those folks made the biggest Tragic Error that can be made at Sonic: They ordered food. Sorry Charlie, there's no excuse. Sonic is a dessert place, and any attempts to purchase a burger or any iteration of a fried potato here is an exercise in frustration and futility. It doesn't matter if there's bacon or cheese or BBQ sauce or liquid Bitcoin on the food-- it just doesn't compare to pretty much every other fast food joint you could think of. So why the four star review? Three reasons: 1. This place does ice cream shakes well. They make a good Sonic Blast here, and they didn't skimp on the add-ins. Ordering ice cream on vacation for three kids and an ice-cream-loving bride can backfire in a hurry if you screw it up. Thankfully, this Sonic drive thru didn't. 2. Close to my motel. Like, across the street from the el Cheapo Holiday Inn Express we stayed at on our roadtrip to Carlsbad Caverns last New Years. I could have walked, but why? 3. Service was great. OK, so there was someone in front of me in line in a "classic 70s Aunt-Car" who must have ordered 65 ice cream cones or something, because the gal working the window literally walked out to my car while I was still second in line... and this was after she did the same thing to the car in front of me while I was third. Brought me my change, gave me my desserts, smiled, wished me a nice evening... what a doll! Whatever this place doesn't seem to do for the locals with the order stalls they more than made up for at at the Drive Thru line. And the next morning, when we were leaving for SoCal, that damned car was still at the order window! (OK, not really, but it just seemed like it would have been.) Anyway, what have we learned? Ice Cream: Good. Food: Bad. Now you know. And knowing is half the battle! Geeeee Ayyyy Joooooeeeeeee.

Really don't know where to begin, first no stalls are open anymore. Order ahead and wait in long…read moreline when you pull up to order there's all kinds of things listed that there out of. No where near what it use to be by any means. Maybe owner or manager don't care just poorly ran and sonic corporation should look into this total embarrassment and making a bad name.

Scheduled an order to be picked up at 6 pm. It wasn't ready until 7:50! There is absolutely no…read morereason a single pizza order should be TWO HOURS behind.

Not a family friendly restaurant, the worker that gave me my order was methed out and tweaking…read more Never eating here again!