Something Different Grill

This place is really something different! Sitting in the middle of the small town of Portales, NM, you would not expect them to have the diverse menu that they have. I tried several dishes including the Super Bowl, which has rice, vegetables, Teriyaki beef, schrimp and chicken. They are famous for the baked potatoes. The varieties are plenty and these potatoes are huge! They also offer a large breakfast menu, too.
The service is decent. Most of the waitresses are in their early 20’s, probably from nearby college, WT. All of them were nice and polite, which give the hometown feel to your meal. I have eaten here several times and have not been disappointed yet!

This is such a cozy little mom n’ pop restaurant in the middle of Portales, NM. They have an… Interesting variety of foods to say the least. Salads, burgers. The traditional American fare (accompanied with famous New Mexico green chile). And then they have a small selection of Asian stir fry? My breakfast burrito was totally great so I would be down to try the Asian food as random as it was.

Love the delivery service in the mornings, the food is pretty good, not brilliant but better than most fast food, great place for breakfast.

For the area, Something Different Grill is a perfect place for a quick and filling meal. I first tried Something Different Grill when one of my classmates ordered chips and salsa from them for one of our group meetings. It was delivered to the house and we devoured that spicy salsa with those crisp tortilla chips in no time. It was delicious!
My second time trying Something Different Grill was with a friend of mine after we had worked out. We were craving something «healthy» but didn’t want a Subway sandwich. So we ventured to Something Different. Inside, the restaurant is large enough to accommodate about 20 – 25 tables for four. Decent sized and you won’t feel cramped sitting next to other people. The wait staff was kind and greeted us as we walked through the door and told us to sit anywhere.
I ordered an appetizer of chips and salsa (which I’m not sure where it was located on the menu but they have it if you ask for it), and debated between a baked potato or a salad. I chose the zesty ranch salad. The portions are pretty large, but I was surprised to see my chicken all cut into cubes already, I usually see a whole chicken breast atop a bed of salad but not here… it wasn’t bad, it was just «something different»… lol The flavor of the sauce on the chicken could have been enough for me to have dressed my salad with! I didn’t even have to pour salad dressing over my salad because the «zesty» sauce on the chicken made the salad taste so sweet, savory, and spicy. I’d totally order this salad again.
On a separate occasion, I ordered the cheesy steak sandwich with a side salad. The cheesy steak sandwich is indeed, very cheesy. I could only finish about ¾ of the sandwich and all of the salad before having to call it quits. It was so tasty though and filled with thinly sliced beef.

It was «ok» … really truly just ok — well actually I think I might need some tums.
I asked the staff what they are known for & enjoy best on the menu and they said: Bowls and Spuds. So my friend got the Chx & Beef bowl and I got the Chx Fajita Spud.
Thankfully I ate less than half of my meal. It came out and I immediately asked for a spare plate to scrape the thick mound of icky looking vibrant yellow cheese-​goo from the top on this monstrous single potato. I just couldn’t eat it. Once scraped almost completely clean I started to eat and it was «ok»… I mean it was a potato — not too hard to cook a potato. Unfortunately all the crap on top that caused it to be almost $ 7 was the gnarly unsatisfactory culprit. My friend later told me he has seen better potatoes at county fairs — I mean this is a restaurant… You would think it would be better.
Yet I would’ve been «ok» with that… I mean I ordered a potato — I got a potato… Service was slow but ok as well.
But what I couldn’t stand were the FLIES. Ugh shoo fly shoo… Every few bites /​moments it felt like either myself or my friend were shooing away yet another pesky fly.
Nope — won’t be going back. I mean I was just passing thru to begin with but if I had a choice I would absolutely choose some place else.

Tried this place today after touring the University and at the recommendation of the tour guide. Ordered the Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich and was pleasantly surprised. It was very good.
The server was very good as well
I will go there again the future.

This is a bit of a tale of two meals. First of all, please note that our server was great: friendly and attentive. Now, I ordered the Southwest Spaghetti. It was good. Green chile in the sauce. Nice! As for my daughter the vegetarian/​pescetarian not so much luck. We perused the menu and found a few reasonable options. We asked our server for suggestions. We made it clear that she doesn’t eat meat. She ordered the shrimp Alfredo with veggies. She started in on the dish when it arrived only to pull out a chunk of what looked like chicken. I tasted it, and I’m pretty sure it was chicken. We told a server about it, and we were assured that the chicken was kept across the kitchen from the shrimp so it was unlikely to be chicken, but they would make another plate. Yes, please! The new plate came out and she confidently started in… and found more chicken. We talked to the manager. We’ll likely try a different restaurant next time.

I have been going to this place for the past 4 years and I can definitely say it’s my go-​to place to eat when I don’t want to get McDonalds, Dominoes, or drive to Clovis for food. They have a nice selection (I stick to my usual which is the crispy zesty ranch salad) and very good prices. The wait staff is amazing and takes care of you. I’m a big tipper, even though i’m a college student, and I especially tip these servers really well because of just how awesome they are!
If you are not sure what to try there, definitely get the mozarella sticks (hand battered there not pre-​frozen) and Chef salad. The ham is not the watered down fake ham either on that salad.
Good food, good price, great service.
P. S. for a change of pace, they serve breakfast now! :P

Passing through town great place and really good fresh food.

best baked potato ever!!!,!

Cute DIY ambience and busy-​Mom style cooking techniques for a range of simple foods. The baked potatoes are why you’d come here. They don’t have a load-​it yourself potato bar (darn!), instead there are named options. We got the «Jacked-​up Spud» with jack cheese and green chills. Presentation was a mess, but the potato was Huge, cooked just right, and had a good amount of toppings.
When you’re pulling in off the highway from a road trip you might want what I’m looking for: 1. Sanitary kitchen 2. Fresh ingredients 3. Good prices. They have that here!

We ate at Something Different Grill today. A nice visit.
The salads were pretty good.
Our granddaughters ordered the baked potatoes. They were wonderful. Very large, cooked perfectly, and stuffed with toppings.
Best of all, the waitress was very friendly. If she worked at a nicer place, she would make a killing on tips.

Friendly staff. Quick service. Large portions for a reasonable price. Limited selections. Not sure if I’d go back. But certainly a place to go if you like to people watch, especially on a Sunday afternoon.

It’s only something different for the first ferw times they eat there because, seriously, their menu hasn’t changed in years. Something Different does indeed have something different to offer, but it is all very familiar food.
Giant baked potatoes with all sorts of toppings, philly cheese steaks, ginormous salads (their honey mustard dressing is awesome), pasta dishes, cheesecake. I’m just firing off random things I’ve eaten there in the past.
The service is always pretty good too. The waitstaff is usually comprised of a few pretty local gals. Dine in, carry out, or have it delivered to your house, but whatever you do, remember to tip (yes, even you college students who think you’re broke).