La Cueva Cafe

We love La Cueva! Albeit the dining room is very small in the winter they make up for the close quarters with wonderful food with vibrant flavors and good prices. In the summer they have great patio seating. Love eating here.

Friendly staff, very fast service! Chips, salsa and guacamole were excellent. Chips were crispy and fresh, salsa was not too hot, and guacamole creamy. I had the shrimp with veggies and rice. Shrimp tasted excellent, cooked perfectly, no fishy flavor. Veggies were a nice variety including squash, potato, sweet potato, etc. Normally I don’t like Spanish rice but it was flavored well and I ate all of it. Overall excellent experience. My boyfriend had the combo plate and liked it. I recommend this place.

It’s crazy to me that the reviews for this place are so high! We got takeout and my cheese enchilada was too tough to cut through with a knife. The key lime pie was leaking something mysterious. Wouldn’t go back.

What a crappy review from Jason R. He mostly reviews a completely different restaurant then dishes one of the very best Mexican restaurants in Northern New Mexico. He needs to get a life and quit trying to be a restaurant critic. La Cueva is superb! Everything is very well made here. Nothing fast-​food or pre-​made in this tiny but charming little place.
Please disregard everything that dumb ass Jason R. has to say. He is an idiot.

I am gluten-​free and dairy-​free and this restaurant makes it easy to make choices regarding my dietary restrictions. They even have gluten-​free burritos! I tend to gravitate towards their frito pies, which are the best in town, but every option on the menu is not likely to disappoint. While there is a bit of flour in the mole, I do tend to order that every so often because it’s so flippin delicious. Their breakfast is KILLER and reasonably priced.

Wonderful local restaurant, small and family own and run. Big plates, good guac. Nice back room for larger groups. Excellent chocolate chili cake and great chili rellenos.
A nice respite from big chain restaurants

Amazing gluten free options, including tamales and chile rellenos! One of our kids had the garlic salmon, which was delicious and a generous portion. We all had smoothies, shared flan for dessert and had excellent service. The quaint, authentic atmosphere was our favorite aspect of the meal.

La Cueva is cute, if not a bit gritty and the service is wonderful! Our server was not only attentive and kind, but he smiled the whole time. We were definitely touched by the thoughtfulness of another server who brought water for a pup at a nearby table (without being asked) and spent some time giving the little guy some love.
The food was pretty good-​spicy salsa, fresh guacamole and great shredded beef tacos. My other half got shrimp tacos and commented on how the chipotle complimented the flavors of the shrimp well. If this review were based on those items and the service alone, I could easily go with a 4 – 5.
The one thing missing for me was that the rice was a touch dry and the pinto beans didn’t have much flavor, and I love the sides (on the occasions I order them) as much as the mains in a Mexican meal.
We did not try the vegetarian offerings, which other reviewers say are quite tasty, so I’d definitely go back for more and try something new next time.

Solid but not nearly as good or as authentic as I hoped. More TexMex than anything.
I grew up visiting taos from nearby angel fire. We came once or twice a year for a long time. We always ate at oglevies in the Plaza before going to buy shitty pocket knives and plastic bows and arrows. I liked the buttered noodles at oglevies. Then I didn’t go to taos for about 8 years and when I returned I was an adult. Oglevies had closed and I was aware that my taste, as with most children, had not been very good. I did not want to go to whatever oglevies is called now. I am sure it is different but probably equally touristy and shitty.
I wanted to find something different. I had heard there were great restaurants in taos and went on Unilocal to look at the ones with 4.5 stars. Sometimes this is a good barometer and other times it is not. I feel like there are some restaurants that fly under the radar and get a lot of 5 stars from people who don’t get out much or don’t know what they are talking about. I know I sound concieted but as with all things it is difficult to have an informed opinion if you don’t try a lot of things. The 4.5 star disappointment happens to me in Denver a fair amount too and it happened to me in taos a few weeks ago at this restaurant.
I was excited when we parked and sat down, but then I saw the menu and realized it was not authentic as the many advertisements said, it wasn’t even unusual. It’s just chicken and shrimp and tex mex. Sides of rice and beans. Pretty good tex mex at that but as boring as can be.
Try somewhere else if you are feeling adventurous.

I discovered La Cueva via the Unilocal app. It was a good find. Small dining room, cool outside seating. We Simple menu. I had a tortilla soup and my girl had some tacos. The food was amazing. Service was prompt. Fun environment. Would definitely eat again.

Good food, maybe not typical for mexican but tasty. Ambiance is great, small, dynamic joviales.
Give a 5 star for the Smiley service .
Like the homemade juice.

VEGAN & VEGETARIAN REVIEW:
This is by far the best place I have found in Taos for those seeking Vegan or Vegetarian New Mexican food.
I lived in Taos for 3 years, have now lived in Los Angeles for about 3 years, and come back to Taos often. This restaurant compares with or beats any vegan Mexican food in Los Angeles, including the much more expensive Gracias Madre in West Hollywood.
Oddly, La Cueva does not advertise anywere about doing vegan or vegetarian. But, ask the server or one of the family members that run the restaurant, and they can do it.
I’ve had the vegan fajitas with mole sauce and the vegan burrito with red and green chile. Both are absolutely delicious. And, they can make much more. But, the vegan fajita with mole sauce and gluten free tortilla wraps steals my heart each time I go there!
So, if you’re vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-​free and seeking some seriously great New Mexican food while living or visiting Taos, be sure to check out this unassuming gem in town!

La Cueva is a great newer addition to Taos. It is steady in my rotation of Mante’s and Guad. Chips, salsa and guac = amazing. I had the chili relleno, so good. The server recommend that we try the key lime pie and it is legit!

Went here while we were in Taos and I was super excited to have several vegetarian options! I got a veggie chimichanga because, well quite frankly I’ve never seen them anywhere else. Can’t really go wrong with deep fried anything so of course this was yummy. My husband got a platter and said most of it was just okay but he really liked the beef taco a lot.
We also got the chocolate chili cake which wasn’t really my style, but my husband loved it. I think you either enjoy that combination or you don’t and I just don’t. To each their own of course.
Service was great. We sat on the patio which was nice, especially since the weather was perfect. Parking was a bit of an issue, but I’d imagine parking in Taos is always a bit of an issue.

This tiny hole in the wall is definitely worth a visit. I’ll definitely be back the next time I’m in Taos. They don’t have a taco salad on the menu, but they made one for me to order anyway! Great service, delicious food with gluten free chile, and great music playing to boot. I saw a gentleman eating what looked like some awesome ceviche, so I’ll definitely have to try that next time! It is tiny, and an older establishment, but they’ve got cute outdoor seating, a small area inside and really, really good food! Don’t pass this place by!

La Cueva is a great Taos local spot. We sat outside in awesome early spring weather. Very small inside area — glad it wasn’t raining.
My son and I shared the special — it was a steak fajita with bits of bacon. It was plenty of food for two big guys. The salsa was fantastic. Too spicy for my daughter but bold flavor and truly not too spicy.
The kids loved it and said they want to come back– that’s high praise. Overall, very good food on a great day sitting outside in the sun after a long winter! The food was good.