6 Best Mexican Restaurants near Elephant Butte

“Was in the mood for some Nachos and stumbled upon this gem! Not only were the Nachos wonderful but the brisket tacos with hatch chilis were amazing as well! And to top it all off they had live music upstairs with Burt Ferguson who was absolutely amazing too!!! All in all a great evening and met some incredibly nice local folks…. Places and nights like this are what we look for as we travel our country….!!“

“We arrived at 1pm on a Thursday. The place was packed. There was only one table available. It only had two chairs, so we asked nearby diners for a chair they weren't using. No one seemed to mind. (It's a please seat yourself restaurant. ) There were two (or maybe three) tables outside in front of the restaurant; those tables were all occupied.The wait staff was super friendly. The woman who waited on us was upbeat and energetic, but apologized for taking a while to get to us. It was totally understandable as the place was packed and super busy.I ordered the cheese enchiladas. My friend ordered what I think was a burrito, smothered in queso. His friend ordered chicken enchiladas.Note: Enchiladas here are served stacked, not rolled. I guess that's a southern New Mexico thing. I knew about the custom, but my friend's friend didn't. After the waiter put her dish on the table and walked away, she began questioning if that was what she ordered. I realized she didn't know about stacked enchiladas, so I told her, "oh, they're stacked. That's how they do enchiladas in southern New Mexico." She didn't understand that "stacked" means the tortillas are laid flat, not rolled. She thought I meant the rolled tortillas would be stacked on top of each other. How would that even work? She was also confused because the chicken chunks were on top of the enchiladas, not in the tortillas. My friend and I started digging in to our plates, but the chicken enchilada lady waited until the waiter came back so she could question if this is what she actually ordered. I guess the waiter explained stacked enchiladas better than I had, because my friend's friend finally started eating her food.I got the cheese enchiladas plate. It was three stacked enchiladas with refried beans and rice on the side. The beans were grey. They did not look appetizing at all. The rice was tan. Neither had any flavor whatsoever. I hoped the enchiladas would be better. They were not. The only thing on the enchiladas that had any flavor were the raw onions sprinkled on top. If I hadn't been able to taste the onions, I wouldn't have worried that I had COVID. I could taste the onions fine though. It was just everything else that was bland. (Note: I ordered my enchiladas with green chile, and even that I couldn't taste.)No one at our table raved about their food or even said it was good. I didn't say anything about mine because I didn't want to be a downer. We did all clean our plates, so it wasn't that the food was disgusting.I know the locals love this place. Maybe other dishes are better than what I ordered. Maybe it was an off day for the kitchen. I don't know. My food wasn't bad, but it was blah.I would give 3.5 stars for the food and the crowded, noisy, squeezed in dining room, but the lady who waited on us was so charming and upbeat, I'm rounding up to 4 stars.Vegetarian options: I'm not sure if the beans and rice are vegetarian. I didn't ask. I had cheese enchiladas . I'm guessing they were vegetarian. Can you meat up cheese enchiladas?Parking: There is parking on the two sides of the building. There's street parking too, in front of the building, but that seems a little dangerous. We arrived at 1pm on a Thursday, and there were a few parking spaces available in the parking lot. I had to park where two children and a man had water from a hose sadly squirting into the air. Once I parked, the man sent one of the children to move the hose.Wheelchair accessibility: The dining room is tightly packed with tables and chairs, but a waiter was getting around in a wheelchair, so I guess it's possible.“

“After being gone from T or C for 2 1/2 years we were back last week for a vacation. Before we left my kids asked to eat at Johnny B's. The service was outstanding as always and the Food was just as good if not better. It's was if we had never moved. Great place to eat. we enjoyed everything we had. we have never got a bad meal while eating at Johnny B's. just outstanding.“

“As at most, Mexican-fare restaurants have unique tortilla chips and salsa, differing within a range of recipes. Here they are good, but just not my preferred flavor and style.The daily special of cheese enchiladas was very tasty. My lunch partner ordered the red sauce bowl of chili, again with likely a local flavor that was not so appealing. Otherwise, a great lunch destination.Parking: Local road improvements limit travel and parking locally. Otherwise very good.“

“Been coming here all my life, always great food and great family and amazing service, every time I’m in town I get my bean and cheese burrito, I also LOVE their milkshakes (more than sonic or McDonald’s) and their green chili cheeseburgers are a “

“Happy to help bump up this business rating on Google. My husband and I took our family visiting from Europe here for lunch yesterday after soaking in the hot springs. They carry local Tumbleroot spirits and we ordered margaritas. We were greeted by friendly servers, and presented with chips and salsa and guacamole to start. I had chile relleno which was the best I've ever had, taquitos, rice, beans, chile. My husband had the top sirloin steak which was cooked perfectly and had loaded mashed potatoes with side salad. Another person in our group ordered fajitas, enchiladas, chicken strips and fries. We had plenty of drinks, food, etc. and bill was very reasonable at $170. Clean and warm ambiance and a true New Mexican experience.“