14 Incredible Restaurants in Carlsbad, NM You Need to Try
Carlsbad sits on the Pecos River in southeastern New Mexico, about 20 miles from Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and most visitors eat here before or after a day underground. Downtown’s Canal Street holds the historic dining rooms, while National Parks Highway, the road out toward the caverns, is lined with taquerías and a brewery.
This guide covers 14 places, from a restored 1892 bank building and a 1928 bungalow to green chile breakfast burritos, birria from a food truck and a tamale shop that sells out most days. Ratings and review counts come from each restaurant’s Google listing in October 2026.
The Trinity Hotel & Restaurant
The Trinity Hotel & Restaurant fills a brick building at 201 S. Canal Street that opened in 1892 as the First National Bank. It later housed the town’s first newspaper and the headquarters of the Carlsbad Irrigation District. Three partners bought the decaying building in 2007 and restored it as a nine-suite hotel with a restaurant and coffee bar. The old irrigation office is now one of the guest rooms, and it still has its enormous safe.
Rated 4.5 stars from more than 1,200 Google reviews, the restaurant cooks traditional American Italian dishes at dinner, including lasagna, chicken parmigiana and chicken marsala. The local twist is Bolloco, fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and Hatch green chile, also baked into a lasagna. Start with goat cheese under a blackberry and habanero sauce. At breakfast and lunch, look for huevos rancheros and the green chile bacon cheeseburger on jalapeño cheese bread.
The website has a reservations page, which is smart for dinner or a weekend. Breakfast and lunch run Tuesday to Saturday, with Sunday brunch, and the restaurant is closed Monday and Sunday night, so check hours. In New Mexico, servers ask “red or green?” Green chile is the younger pod, red is the same pepper left to ripen, and “Christmas” gets you both. Free tastings of local wine run Tuesday to Saturday afternoons.
Address: 201 S Canal St, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Website: thetrinityhotel.com
Yellow Brix
Yellow Brix fills a yellow brick bungalow built in 1928 at 201 N. Canal Street, just down the street from the Trinity. The owners first planned a coffee shop, and they still roast their own beans. Today it is a full-service restaurant with a shaded patio, a full bar and live music most nights. The kitchen mixes in-house cut steaks, pastas and comfort food with New Mexico touches such as green chile.
With 4.1 stars from more than 3,000 Google reviews, Yellow Brix draws locals and travelers passing through. The kitchen cuts its ribeyes in house, and the chicken tortilla soup is a house favorite. Tacos al pastor come with marinated pork, grilled pineapple and salsa verde, and reviewers often mention the BRIX meatloaf and chicken cordon bleu. Finish with chocolate lava cake made with the house-roasted coffee.
Call for a reservation, or just walk in; large groups should phone ahead. Breakfast runs on weekdays and brunch on weekends, so it works before or after a day at the caverns. Try the huevos rancheros, served with one egg under red chile and one under green, or the green chile cheeseburger at lunch. Vegan and gluten-free menus are available, and the patio is dog-friendly. Steaks cost more, while lunch plates are moderate.
Address: 201 N Canal St, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Website: yellowbrixrestaurant.com
Lucky Bull Grill
Lucky Bull Grill is at 220 W. Fox Street in downtown Carlsbad, in what the Carlsbad Department of Development calls the Historic Old City Hall Building. Upstairs is a taproom for craft beer. Below, the menu is steaks and burgers with a New Mexico twist, from green chile cheese grits to catfish and chips with green chile tartar sauce. The restaurant is locally owned and also offers takeout, delivery and catering.
Its 4.3-star rating across more than 1,800 Google reviews rests on a long menu with several signatures. The shrimp and grits pair cajun shrimp with green chile cheese grits (grits are a creamy Southern corn porridge) and a spicy creole sauce. Pecos Valley poutine piles fries with gravy, bacon, green chile and cheddar. Burgers include El Jefe and the Jammin Bacon, and the hand-battered country fried steak is another regular.
The kitchen is open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday and for a shorter Sunday, so check hours. The website doesn’t mention reservations, and online ordering is available for takeout. Prices are mid-range, with burgers and sandwiches at the lower end and steaks at the top. It makes a good late lunch or early dinner after a trip to Carlsbad Caverns, which is about 20 miles southwest of town.
Address: 220 W Fox St, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Website: luckybullcarlsbad.com
Aquino’s Deli
Aquino’s Deli is an Italian-style deli at 108 S. Canal Street in downtown Carlsbad, in a building that dates to 1896. Carlsbad native Aimee Aquino opened it on July 17, 2023, because she couldn’t find ingredients such as mortadella and burrata at local grocery stores. The shop is casual, with sandwiches made to order in an open kitchen.
A 4.9-star rating from more than 160 Google reviews rests on the sandwiches. The Godfather hero, a loaded sandwich on a long roll, stacks prosciutto, mortadella, capicola and soppressata with arugula, roasted red peppers and balsamic dressing. Burrata bombs wrap fresh mozzarella stuffed with stracciatella and cream in the meat of your choice, served on a fresh roll. The Calabrian focaccia adds spicy pepper aioli, and the cannoli and tiramisu finish the meal.
The deli is open for lunch and into the early evening Tuesday to Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday, so check hours before you go. The menu leans on hero sandwiches, paninis and focaccia sandwiches, with a few pizzas as well. Online ordering is available. It makes a quick lunch before the drive out to Carlsbad Caverns.
Address: 108 S Canal St, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Jilligans Kitchen
Jilligans Kitchen is an Italian food truck at 603 W. Pierce Street, parked behind Hot Shot Espresso. It opened in September 2023 and is run by Chris and Jill Ballard. Chris is a Carlsbad native, and Jill spent about 15 years dreaming of a food truck. The truck started with a different menu, then added Italian dishes because Carlsbad residents asked for them.
Jilligans has 4.8 stars from more than 60 Google reviews and keeps the menu short. Entrées include lasagna, pasta pomodoro, chicken Alfredo and spaghetti, each served with homemade rosemary garlic bread and a tossed green salad. Save room for cheesecake, which comes in rotating flavors such as lemon blueberry, key lime and banana pudding. Sauces and bread are made fresh each day.
Each order is prepared individually, which takes about 10 to 15 minutes, so plan for a short wait. You can order by phone at (575) 361-5406, and there is outdoor seating. The truck’s Facebook page lists weekday hours around lunch and dinner, but a 2024 article listed Wednesday to Saturday, so check hours first. Reviewers call the portions generous.
Address: 603 W Pierce St, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Website: facebook.com/p/Jilligans-kitchen-100095223653825
Guadalupe Mountain Brewing Co.
Guadalupe Mountain Brewing Co is a brewery and pizzeria at 3324 National Parks Highway, on the road between Carlsbad and the caverns. It is a simple, modern space with house-brewed beers, pizza and sandwiches, plus a patio with cornhole. There is covered outdoor seating, and the room is casual and kid-friendly, with live music on some nights.
It holds 4.3 stars from more than 900 Google reviews, mostly for thin-crust pizza and house beers. The 12-inch pies include the New Mexico Green Chile, with white sauce, chicken, green chile and bacon, plus a Margherita, a Buffalo chicken and a four-meat Meat pizza. Other regulars are garlic Parmesan wings, cheese curds and the Italian sub. Beers include a green chile blonde.
You order and pay at the counter. Listings show weekday lunch and dinner with an afternoon break, a Saturday evening and Sunday closed, so check hours before you drive out. Prices are moderate. It is a convenient stop on the way back from Carlsbad Caverns, and it works well for families.
Address: 3324 National Parks Hwy, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Website: facebook.com/guadalupemountainbrewing
Blue House Bakery & Cafe
Blue House Bakery & Cafe is a small blue bungalow at 609 N. Canyon Street, on a quiet residential street north of downtown. It has a front porch, a spacious side patio and plenty of outdoor seating, a pleasant place to sit on a warm morning. Inside, the kitchen turns out coffee drinks, pastries and hot breakfast dishes, and the menu leans heavily on green chile.
More than 800 Google reviews give Blue House 4.7 stars, and the praise comes down to baking and green chile. Try the breakfast sandwich or burrito with egg, cheese and green chile, the egg bowl with sausage and green chile, or a fluffy croissant. The cinnamon rolls are a regular order, and the menu also lists biscuits and gravy and French toast.
Blue House opens early and closes around midday, and it is closed on Sundays, so check hours. The kitchen can stop serving before the cafe closes, so go in the morning. It is an easy breakfast stop before the drive out to Carlsbad Caverns, and it is the kind of place where regulars gather.
Address: 609 N Canyon St, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Website: facebook.com/BlueHouseBakeryAndCafe
PJ & B’s Rio Cafe
PJ & B’s Rio Cafe has served Carlsbad since 2019 and now has two locations, one at 711 Muscatel Avenue and one on W. Church Street. The owners cook Southwestern and Mexican-inspired food, and the kitchen smokes its barbecue over mesquite. This location opens before dawn on weekdays, so it suits early risers, and you order at the counter. A catering arm, K & P Catering, handles events around southeast New Mexico.
PJ & B’s earned 4.5 stars from more than 300 Google reviews, with breakfast burritos leading the praise, especially the Sabertooth, which the menu lists as a build-your-own favorite. Also try huevos rancheros (eggs on a corn tortilla smothered in red or green chile), country fried steak and eggs, or French toast. At lunch, look for the mesquite smoked brisket, the green chile cheeseburger and carne asada fries.
Weekday hours start very early and end by early afternoon, with a shorter Saturday and no Sunday service, so check hours before you go. The official site stresses generous portions, and prices are modest for the amount of food. Online ordering is available. The Church Street location keeps longer weekday hours. It is an easy stop before the drive out to Carlsbad Caverns.
Address: 711 Muscatel Ave, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Website: pjandbriocafe.com
Roque Burrito’s and Restaurant
Roque Burrito’s and Restaurant is a small Mexican restaurant at 1401 W. Mermod Street, west of downtown Carlsbad. Listings show it opening very early, which makes it a natural breakfast stop for anyone heading to the caverns. The menu mixes breakfast burritos and eggs with tortillas, New Mexican plates such as green enchiladas, and Mexican soups. Diners describe the food as authentic and the portions as large.
Roque’s 4.7-star average from more than 500 Google reviews reflects big plates and a long menu. Breakfast favorites include the breakfast burrito and country ham and eggs with tortillas. Later in the day, order the carnitas plate with green salsa, green enchiladas, birria tacos or caldo de res, a beef soup. Pozole, a hominy and pork stew, and the chile relleno (a stuffed roasted pepper) are also popular.
The dining room is small, so go early at busy times. Listings show Monday to Saturday hours from before sunrise to mid-afternoon and Sunday closed, but there is no official site to confirm them, so check hours or call (575) 725-5933. Prices are fair for the portion sizes, and the horchata, a sweet rice drink, gets praise.
Address: 1401 W Mermod St, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Fernando’s Tamales
Fernando’s Tamales is a small shop at 903 W. Lea Street, Suite B, west of downtown Carlsbad. It sells tamales, steamed corn dough wrapped around a filling, and it is a Latino-owned business. The shop makes a limited number each day, and once they sell out, you wait until the next morning. That makes it a good early errand rather than a late-afternoon plan.
With 4.7 stars from more than 170 Google reviews, Fernando’s is built around the classics. Red chile with pork is the one to start with. Chicken in green chile and green chile with cheese are also popular. The shop also serves tacos and burritos, including a chile relleno burrito, which wraps a roasted, cheese-stuffed pepper in a tortilla. Reviewers also praise the salsas.
Plan on takeout, and go early. Listings show weekday mornings through early afternoon and a short Saturday, but hours are not confirmed on an official site, so check the shop’s Facebook page or call (575) 361-4931 first. Tamales travel well, so they work for a picnic or a hotel breakfast before a day at the caverns.
Address: 903 W Lea St Ste B, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Website: facebook.com/fernandostamales
El Charro
El Charro is a family-run Mexican restaurant at 1302 S. Canal Street, started in 2016. It is a simple, no-frills spot where you order at the counter and help yourself at the salsa bar. An ice cream shop shares the building, so there is dessert on the way out. The owners say their goal is an enjoyable, affordable Mexican meal for Carlsbad.
El Charro holds 4.5 stars across more than 1,500 Google reviews and is best known for quesabirria, tacos filled with slow-cooked, chile-braised beef and cheese, served with consomé (the cooking broth) for dipping. Brisket tacos are another favorite. The menu also lists four-taco plates, tortas (Mexican sandwiches), burritos and enchiladas covered in red or green chile, or both, which locals call “Christmas.”
Prices are low and portions are generous, so it is an easy budget meal. Pozole, a hominy stew, is listed as a limited-time item. You can dine in or take food to go. Hours are not consistent across sources, with the website showing mid-morning to evening and Sunday closed while other listings show earlier openings, so check hours before you drive over.
Address: 1302 S Canal St, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Website: elcharrobusiness.wixsite.com/website-3
El Jimador
El Jimador is a Mexican restaurant at 509 S. Canal Street with a spacious, colorful dining room and a bar area where you can wait for a table. It is a cheery, low-key place for the Mexican classics and a hearty breakfast, and it opens early. Chips arrive with three salsas, including pico de gallo, and the plates that follow are large.
El Jimador’s 4.2 stars across more than 2,900 Google reviews come with a very long menu. Popular orders include camarones a la diabla (shrimp in a spicy sauce), fish fillet a la plancha (griddled), fajitas, tacos de carne asada, enchiladas verdes in green sauce and vegetarian quesadillas. The plates carrying the restaurant’s own name, the Jimador Special and the Molcajete Jimador, also draw attention. At breakfast, look for omelets and menudo, a traditional tripe soup.
Food is cooked to order, so the kitchen can take a while at busy times. Listings show it open daily from early morning to about 9 p.m., so check hours. Portions are large and prices are fair. It sits on S. Canal Street, close to downtown, and it opens early enough to work as a breakfast stop.
Address: 509 S Canal St, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Taquería Jalisco
Taquería Jalisco is a full-service Mexican restaurant at 4103 National Parks Highway, on the road toward Carlsbad Caverns. From the outside it looks modest, but the menu is long and the dining room has table service, margaritas and a drive-through window. It opens early for breakfast and keeps going through dinner, which makes it flexible for travelers.
Across more than 700 Google reviews, Taquería Jalisco holds 4.3 stars and is known for quesabirria tacos, served with consomé (the cooking broth) for dipping, and for birria tacos. Also popular are enchiladas verdes, which are enchiladas in green sauce, the street taco plate, carne adobada (pork marinated in red chile) and pozole, a hominy stew. The salsa and queso get praise, and the menu also has breakfast plates and a chimichanga, a fried burrito.
Listings show hours from early morning to about 9 p.m. daily, so check hours before you go. Prices are moderate for the portions. There is also a drive-through window for takeout. It is a convenient meal on the way out to the caverns or on the way back.
Address: 4103 National Parks Hwy, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Website: facebook.com/people/Taqueria-Jalisco-Carlsbad/100090584112130
Birriería Leo’s
Birriería Leo’s is a food truck at 3817 National Parks Highway, the road that runs southwest out of Carlsbad toward the caverns. It specializes in birria, meat slow-cooked in a chile-based broth, and it opens in the evening. Beyond the classic tacos, the truck also makes birria ramen and birria pizza, both of which reviewers mention often.
The truck’s 4.9 stars from more than 200 Google reviews come mostly from its birria tacos, served with a cup of consomé (the rich cooking broth) for dipping. Also order the quesabirria, which adds melted cheese, or the birria ramen. The birria pizza is a standout, reviewers like the orange hot sauce, and portions are large.
Evenings are the time to go. Listings show it opening around 5 p.m. most days, which suits a post-caverns dinner. Listings disagree on details, and one shows a different address on S. Canal Street, so check hours and location before you drive out. It costs more than a typical food truck, but the portions make up for it.
Address: 3817 National Parks Hwy, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Final Thoughts
Eat early in Carlsbad. Many of the best kitchens open before sunrise and close by mid-afternoon, which suits a morning at the caverns, and several small spots sell out or keep short hours, so check before you drive over. Wherever you go, you’ll be asked “red or green?” and “Christmas” is always an option.
Planning your visit? See our guide to the best things to do in Carlsbad, NM.
Main photo, from left: Daniel Lloyd Blunk-Fernández, Jeswin Thomas and Gonzalo Mendiola / Unsplash
