Hotel El Capitan Restaurant & Bar

Stayed one night, great hotel and staff. Very clean and comfortable. Had a great time at the bar and breakfast was really good. Only bad thing was the constant very loud trains right outside our window. All.night. Not a good thing when sleep is much needed. Only reason we wouldn't stay here again.

I love the Hotel El Capitan it's one of America's finest and stayed here in January 2017 on a photo trip to Guadalupe Mountains NP. It is the sister design of the Hotel Paisano in Marfa to the south, minus the pool. In July 2019 I stopped again for a few more photo opportunities on the way back from Utah gathering material for my book "TEXAS BADLANDS: The Ultimate Black and Journey" (available on Amazon) which Hotel El Capitan is featured exclusively in Chapter 5 "El Capitan." It is one of the 3 top iconic hotels built by Henry C. Trost. The rooms are quite awesome I enjoyed them very much and they are quite similar to the rooms of the Menger Hotel in San Antonio if I could make a contrast.The Gopher Hole Bar in the dining room is quite cool with the former bank vault (the hotel was converted to a bank for some years before being commissioned back to its original design as a hotel) being the liquor storage for the bar. I highly recommend this splendid hotel for any ambitious traveler going along I-10 east or west or those visiting Guadalupe Mountains NP, you won't be disapointed as no journey to GUMO is complete without a stay at the Hotel El Capitan!!!

Checked in on 9/2 wonderful ladies working the evening shift. All rooms were sold out and I had been wondering about this place! Just so happens I get to stop in! Clean quite tidy love the towel animals extra stars for that for sure! The walls and this building could tell such a story I’m sure! I’ll have more pictures tomorrow 9/3 to take in the daylight!

Beautiful place, rooms are great, every one so nice. I will be back soon, so much better than the chain hotels, so personal and quite, the patio area is beautiful! Please try it you will not be disappointed ?

Stopped to gas up and find a room on Orbitz for night, all booked and this hotel had 2 available ....I was in for an surprise of the life!! I felt like I was in (hotel California Santana song) We got in and I rarely got stunned by hotel since I have been all around the globe, But I will NEVER forget this gem in Van Horn Tx !! Thank you for a great night and a great service!! To you all ....this is a must see !!

Really nice hotel with so much character! Rooms are on the small side but really quaint. The restaurant attached is also really good. Definitely must stay here if you're visiting Van Horn.

A diamond in the desert?!! If your looking for a lovely relaxing night in a beautiful Historic hotel with a restaurant and nice bar this place is just exceptional!! The bar was great, we had the West Texas Margarita, spicy???!! And several Micheladas, the girls made two different versions and the first girls was better but we still loved em! The staff is Extraordinary ??⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!! The inside is really Kool, Buffalo heads, old original tile, waterfall in the middle and live music!! Victor was great! I talked to everyone I met, a lot of People from California and made lots of new friends ?! Food was really good, could have used a little more seasoning on the pasta but still great!! I highly recommend stopping by for the night!! ????Food & drinks: Fabulous

This historic hotel is absolutely charming. Our room was beautifully decorated and had a large private patio. It is dog friendly and we dined in their lovely courtyard with our two dogs. The staff was so friendly and suggestions for fun things to do nearby. We will be coming back!Food & drinks: The best restaurant in town is at the hotel— great food and cocktails.

I recently had a terrible encounter with an employee from El Capitan. I was making a waffle during breakfast when the employee approached me and asked me if I sprayed the pan then shook his head at me for about two minutes. (I sprayed it several times). I asked “Is there something wrong” and he replied “If you didn’t spray I have to clean up after your mess”. He then pointed to a sticker that read “Adult Supervision” and said that it says “Authorized personnel only”. I was so confused because the sticker said “Adult Supervision” and I’m 22??? He admitted to misreading it then told us he can deny my family service. We told him we didn’t do anything to him and that he came and harassed us to begin with. He stood there and watched me make the waffle and I felt very uncomfortable. He waited till the waffle was done and it was perfect, didn’t leave a mess. He then shut the doors and ended breakfast 10 min early while we were in there. Everyone else was very polite. Disappointed to have an encounter like this.

Great room, beautiful historic building from the 30s lovingly restored. Great service, the kind of neat place you could return to many times and find new things to love. Food was also exquisite, nice courtyard with fountain, dog

This is such an amazing hotel in a little town we needed to stop at for our road trip from Arizona to Florida.The architecture is beautiful, the outdoor patio is absolutely gorgeous. We got to have dinner on the patio, the food was great, they had a cute little market place and quaint little sitting areas. I wish we could have stayed another night to use all those cute sitting areas to sit and have a drink with my husband for a a date night.The beds were so comfy! I wish they had Netflix or Amazon prime because the movies that were on TV had commercials. I haven't watched commercials in years, so it was a little annoying.The servers at dinner and breakfast were so nice and personable. The only thing I would say is, I wish they had scrambled eggs for breakfast, or even just some type of eggs that are hot. They had sausage links, waffles, bagels, cereal, coffee, fruit... they had eggs but they were boiled eggs. But to be honest, it's OK there was enough to fill the belly.Rooms: Clean and comfy and modern.Food & drinks: The dinner and drinks were very good!

Really good hotel, the food was amazing. The beds were comfortable, the only complaint I have isn't something they can do anything about, and that was the train. I couldn't sleep because the train came every other hour in the night blaring it's loud horn. The train didn't bother my family though. Other than that, the hotel was really good.

I go there every year, and this time it was different. The room was nice and clean and Jenna was amazing at the front desk. However the fountain was still not working in the room in your patio and full of dirt. I ordered a $45 steak that was dry and then with a $4 two-piece asparagus. I would stay away from that. Breakfast buffet had changed not even scrambled eggs or hard boiled eggs. Had one piece of cheese because everything was a carbohydrate and I am diabetic. Couldn't have the fruit because the oranges were shriveled and the bananas were green. Had to go to another place to eat. I was told that well the mean manager was away that her Temporaries had cut back on the quality and the amount and type of food there was in the restaurant. Sadly I probably won't be back now and we'll find a new hotel to do my yearly stop at.

The rooms are basic and small, but the service and charm of this hotel is ?! I love the historical charm and vintage details of this hotel. While the rooms are basic and small, they have everything you need for a peaceful stay. The restaurant and courtyard live music is fabulous. The food is actually super tasty. The check in staff were excellent and the bell hop who assisted us with bags was kind.

Loved this gem in the west Texas desert. The staff are so welcoming and make you feel at home. The rooms were beautifully restored and you feel like you stepped back in time. Breakfast over the weekend for the many travelers to Big Bend, Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains is very hearty and they even put out extra hiking snacks for you to take! Robert every morning was a delight and set the mood for our day ahead. Perfect location for various day trips around west Texas.Nearby activities: Carlsbad Caverns and the Guadalupe Mountains are less than 2 hours north, we were able to day trip to both in one day. We also spent a day south toward Marfa and Ft. Davis. Loved the scenery and even found a hidden winery, Château Wright, off of TX 166.Food & drinks: Love the dinner at El Capitan. The roasted chicken and pork chop were delicious!