Mante's Chow Cart

Visit: August 2026

This is a few-times-a-week place, not a once-in-a-while one, and that's the best endorsement a restaurant can get. Everything here is good, consistently, which is a harder thing to pull off than one great dish ever is. The breakfast burritos are outstanding. The Trujillo is a standing favorite. The Suzie is right behind it. And the cheeseburgers have no business being this good at a place known for its New Mexican plates.

Prices are genuinely fair for what you get, which matters more than it should in a town where tourist pricing creeps into everything.

The one real catch: it's popular enough that wait times can stretch, especially at peak hours. Worth it every time, but budget for it if you're in a hurry.

Worth noting for anyone who knew the original spot: this is a full restaurant now, not a cart. The upgrade is good and the food hasn't lost a step, but longtime regulars still miss the old chow cart a little. That's nostalgia, not a real complaint.

If someone's in Taos for the first time and wants one meal that actually represents the place, this is where to send them. 5/5. No notes.