Alley Cantina the Taos Plaza

Love this place. A favorite for many locals for years, a must visit for travelers. Enjoy the food, at times the live music. A great place to dine, or just rest your feet and have a drink with friends, or make some new ones.

Food and service was good when we had lunch there yesterday. Not sure why it’s a cantina, most of the food is traditional American fare. I had the pork tamale platter that comes with retried beans and Posole. The Posole was nothing more than seasoned hominy served on the plate rather than in a soup cup. Posole IS a soup! Big fail on the so called Posole.

We didn’t have any good here, but the drinks are stiff and the servers were amazing! We brought our dogs and sat on the patio. The history of this building is really neat too. Seems like more of a local place, but tourists should definitely check it out!

If it’s not broken don’t fix it. It’s been there forever, largely unchanged, and most people like it that way. If you go to the Alley Cantina expecting a five star, five diamond dining experience you are probably already drunk. This is a lively and important bar. It’s one of a kind and you almost have to go here if you are in Taos.

Some of the BEST brisket, yes you read correctly, that I have ever eaten! So tender and juicy. The sauce was amazing! My margarita was strong and well mixed!
The owner came over and spoke to us. Very professional and nice. Great place to visit, if you are ever in Taos!

This place is what all of Taos should be. Good food and service in an authentic atmosphere.

We were only in town for 4 days and we enjoyed this place 2 – 3 times! The margaritas, atmosphere, food and music were lively and fun! The waitstaff was attentive and we thoroughly enjoyed catching Katy P as the live band last Saturday night. We were a group of 2 couples in town from DFW to skiing for my birthday (Valentines Day) and this place did not disappoint! Kudos and cheers the owner and staff. Thank you for a great time (several times.)

Loved this place! Divey, awesome, (haunted?) — great live music, great bar food, great happy hour with awesome margs! We love to jump in here for a cocktail or nightcap (as most other places in Taos close at 9 or 10pm). Shout-​out to Shah-​leen!

Awesome place! Food was delicious. Locals were fun. Owner tended bar and entertained us with stories. Great night. Can’t wait to go back!

Food and service was good. The music and patrons dancing was definitely entertaining.

There’s only a few night time spots in Taos, and the Alley is the persistent chief of them all. Whiskey, green chile, and live music.
The spirit of old Taos lives here. Literally…
Ghosts.
Don’t worry, they’re friendly.
So are most locals. …
(Be respectful).

Came here since it was one of the few places open on Christmad Day. Honestly was quite wary of the 3.5 rating but this place delighted! New Mexican preparations of traditional chili relleno, and a spicy, not overly tomato-​ey red chili steak. Friendly and very considerate staff. A wonderful Taos treat!

This place was awesome! Great ambiance and the food was awesome. My son and I had a blast playing pool. The margaritas were excellent! I had the chicken wrap and asked for more of their chipotle mayo! Yum! My husband had the cheese enchiladas and I got a taste! Definite must have! My son had the cheese quesadillas for kids and he loved them. Nice and crispy on the outside. The salsa was good but not free. Posole was excellent too! We will return!

We had a fantastic lunch experience. Great wait staff, delicious food, cool ambiance, and it was not crowded at all. The chicken tortilla soup was amazing on a cold Nov day — warm, spicy, and totally delicious, as was the chile relleno. The kids got cheese quesadillas which were chock full of gooey melted cheese. Very flavorful food. Great service. We’ll definitely go back if we are in Taos again.

We read reviews on local media saying this place was great. Wrong. The food was overpriced and it was not good at all. My friends ordered the ribs and they were swimming in plain ol’ bbq sauce, possibly intended to disguise the dubious smell the meat had. They ate it anyway but regretted it later that night when they felt sick. My other friend had a salad and he woke up nauseated and throwing up a couple of hours later. Eating here was a terrible idea altogether.

The patio is filthy. Even the menus have food stuck on them. The tables are not wiped down, and the concrete has never seen a hose. Too bad, it’s a great location downtown near the Plaza. Food is typical bar food.

This was pretty good for the price — 4 adults, 2 kids, and a few good adult beverages only set us back $ 100. The food was on par and the waitress was great — none of the bad customer service other Unilocalers discussed. The best part was the kids toy store and play area right next door called Twirl. I highly recommend this restaurant and location for families.

Stopped here thinking it looked good and hearing it was a nice place to stop. Bad decision. What followed was an understaffed nightmare and a near hour wait for a basic and very average meal. It was so bad I asked the waitress if the food had even been started and in a condescending way as if saying to be patient it’s on it’s way.
A few seconds later the food arrive by being thrown on the table not a anything else you need not a how is everything jot any service at all.
Had to go to the bar to get refills and bus the old drinks alone since the waitress did not once stop and see if anything was needed.
Hands down one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had.
Update: part owner bought lunch and apologized and that went a long way but the waitress was still seemingly disinterested in customer service while saying the bill was paid. It was paid because of your poor service. Way to prove the right decision was made. Appreciate the management response but the waitress lost them a customer or recommendation for life.

We stopped in for the open mic/​jam, and it was just what we were looking for, a local friendly watering hole with music and good drinks. It was (mostly) very good music, quite varied, from latin to punk to blues to rock, with some jazz.
The two guys running the open-​mic/​jam were extremely adept at supporting the players, and/​or getting out of their way. And that’s what jams and open mics are about, different strokes, etc. The staff was on the ball, the place was clean and the people were friendly! We’d go back any time.

This is literally the ONLY place open for drinks after like 10pm in the entire town lol. It’s usually a bit packed after 10 because the entire town has no where else to sip some libations and party. Have nere tried the food but it always looks good while I’m catching a buzz. Only downside I’ve experienced is service takes a bit, but with no where else to go late night, you better just get used to it