Some of the newest places to eat in and around Taos, New Mexico, are opening where you might not expect a menu, from Taos Pueblo to a former roadside farm stand. If you’re planning a Southwest food trip, the people cooking in these kitchens give you a reason to add Taos to the route.
Michelin has arrived in New Mexico, and its first Southwest guide, released in August, is bringing fresh national attention to the state’s food. The newest spots in Taos aren’t trading traditional New Mexican cooking for fine dining. They draw on Indigenous and Hispanic food traditions and on the local farms around them.
3 New Places To Eat Since May
The Taos area has gained three places to eat since May. Old Martinez Hall reopened that month in Ranchos de Taos, Rio Lucero Farms opened in June in nearby El Prado and Dawn Butterfly opened this summer at Taos Pueblo. Add the unassuming Highway 150 Bistro, and you have four places to try.
Michelin’s first New Mexico picks went to restaurants in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas. None of them is in Taos.
Taos Pueblo Gets Its First Full-Service Restaurant
Dawn Butterfly is Taos Pueblo’s first full-service restaurant, according to the news release. Chef CJ Bernal works with Indigenous and seasonal New Mexico ingredients. You’ll find dishes like savory blue corn crepes with andouille sausage.
A family runs both the restaurant and a cafe in the pueblo’s historic village, according to the Dawn Butterfly website. The restaurant sits on Veteran’s Highway in Taos.
A Farm Stand Cafe and a Chef Who Raises His Own Beef
Rio Lucero Farms started as a longtime family farm stand by the road in El Prado. Now it’s a market and cafe, and the cafe’s menu follows the harvest. Taos locals have been lining up out the door, according to the release.
Over at Highway 150 Bistro, the chef grows ingredients on his own farm and raises beef on his ranch. Steak frites is one of the dishes he serves.
A Historic Hall Reopens in Ranchos de Taos
Old Martinez Hall, a historic community hall in Ranchos de Taos, has reopened. Its kitchen serves comfort food like Frito pies and fries dusted with red chile. The hall’s website calls it “Too Cool to be Nuevo.”
Save room for something sweet before you leave town. You’ll find homemade biscochitos, New Mexico’s state cookie, at Old Martinez Hall, and Highway 150 Bistro’s dishes run all the way to Velarde peach pie. If you’re driving through northern New Mexico this fall, leave space in your schedule and your appetite for both.