I was wondering if any of you beer leggers have recommendations for food (Mexican of course) and sights in the Silver City and Alamogordo NM areas. In early January we're flying to a cousin's wedding in the west Texas town of El Paso and then visiting my brother in Alamogordo and also spending some time in Silver City to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings and the Catwalk Recreation Area. Any and all recommendations are appreciated. We went to Alamogordo and White Sands in 1993 for my brothers third wedding but other than that, this is all new country to explore for us.
I've heard Rosa's Cantina and a Mexican girl named Felina can be hard on a guys health.
Oh yeah, I've heard tell that Felina is bad news and should be avoided at all costs. Rosa's Cantina, on the other hand, sounds like my kind of place.
For those not familiar with Marty Robbins.
That's a favorite song of mine!
If youre heading to Alamogordo, unless you go WAY north to Sorcorro and over to Carizzozo and back down, or Fly over the WSMR( not recommended) Stop into Las Cruces. Lots of small places that will defy logic on the quality of the food, and avoid the bigger tourist looking places at all costs. And know Spanish. Es Muy importante hablandes espanol por comida bueno, y conversacion intellegente!
i left in '21 but my visit in '23 seemed the same great objective, real mexican food, not tex-mex, but there is that too if youre really dying to have the lesser of the two imho.
in fact go here:
Welcome Inn Cafe
126 E Amador Ave, Las Cruces, NM 88001
its name isnt great but the food is legit. I used to work just north of there for the city.
I'll buy it if you dont like it. Tengas una buena Comida!
yes, dear sweet Felina
@jitterboogie - Thanks for the recommendation. We'll pass through Las Cruces on the trip so I'll make sure it's at lunch time. Not a fan of Tex-Mex... no chimichangas or ranch style beans need apply. I've always been gob smacked by the Mexican joints in NM. The all time best chile verde I've ever had was at a little café (now defunct) in Tularosa in 1989. I still think of that chile verde. Likewise for a place in downtown Roswell when I worked there for a couple weeks doing seismic surveying in 1982. The crew ate dinner there every night. Some of the lines we ran were just a short 5 miles from town so we'd pack it up and drive in for lunch also.
Hatch chilis are the big thing in NM. There's something about the soil and climate that seem to make them more flavorful than when grown in other regions. Hatch Valley is just outside of Las Cruces and southern NM is more known for their green sauce (a gravy like sauce made with fresh hatch chilis) so get yourself a breakfast burrito with the green hatch chili sauce but be sure to try the red sauce (same thing as green but with ripened and dried hatch chilis). The burrito to get will be described something like, "A jumbo flour tortilla stuffed with 2 scrambled eggs, your choice of hash browns or beans, ham, bacon, sausage, turkey bacon, or chorizo and smothered in our homemade red or green sauce and topped with melted cheddar cheese."
I hiked the Mineral Creek Trail with my wife and young daughters in 2023. It was hands down the best flat hike I've ever done as it'll take you through a breathtakingly beautiful canyon. It was desert wet when we were there so the getting our feet soaked was unavoidable with the numerous creek crossings. In January, it might be too icy but if the weather is warm enough you will not be disappointed.
Here's a copy and paste from my notes:
Near Alma and Glenwood
Mineral Creek Trailhead, Glenwood, NM 88039: This is one of the best hikes in Gila National Forest and in the Gila Wilderness. As soon as it begins, hikers will pass through some beautiful canyon narrows requiring sure footing as you traverse over slickrock. Further along the trail you will arrive upon some historic mining ruins including the Cooney mining camp. The trail continues on farther past the mines and along the creek but it is much less maintained and harder to follow.
Silver City
Gila Dragonfly Loop Trail #720 – 3.6 mile loop
Dragonfly Trail is most known for the petroglyphs located approximately 2 miles from the trailhead. Here visitors can see petroglyphs, enjoy the many live dragonflies during the right months and take in the breathtaking scenery. Located about 2 miles NE or Silver City
Las Cruces
Zuhl Museum at NMSU 12pm-4pm Tues-Friday
Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument
Museum of Nature & Science Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Free) has space, desert, and dinosaur exhibit. Seems geared toward kids.
Old Mesilla Village is a small historic town of Las Cruces
New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum
Alamogordo
D.H. LESCOMBES WINERY & BISTRO (affordable fine casual. Menu looks great)
Rizo’s Mexican Restaurant 11am-8pm (no frills Mexican)
Waffle and Pancake Shoppe 7am-1pm (high ratings greasy spoon diner)
City of Rocks State Park located SE of Silver City is a very neat place to visit.
There was a good restaurant in the town north of Silver City, Pino's Altos. Might be the Buckhorn, but I am not sure. It's been 20 years since I've been there. Been to Alamogordo, but never found anything.
@scotland Yes, the Buckhorn is the place. Pretty cool to check out.
@mike-berry Jalisco's is my recommendation for Silver City
@murphy - Thanks for all the info! The Mineral Creek Trail is just a half hour drive from the Catwalk trails, so we will hit the mineral trail too. Ditto the Gila Dragonfly. Our motel in Alamagordo is right across the street from Waffle and Pancake joint so that's a given.