Big Daddy's Diner

Want to say to the staff last night...AMAZING attitudes. To me that mainly what gives me the drive for better reviews. I've always told people the food can be mediocre and staff be super great and still enjoy the experience. Food can be a bad night for cooks or many reasons why, but for staff to be in a mood nope. Now to the food portion: 2nd best chicken fried steak I have ever had. Portions very good, gravy thick and creamy...mainly this place knows a difference between country fried steak( booooo) and a chicken fried steak( AMEN) to a west Texan that makes a HUGE difference. Atmosphere: homely small time diner. Gives a relax and eat vibe. The cheese curds..BOMB....long review I know but worth it.

We heard from a neighboring town that we should try Big Daddy's for lunch, we did and we are not sorry for it. Everything about it was exactly what we were wanting and Denise, Ryan, their daughter and staff delivered. Thank you guys. We didn't know we would meet such cool people.and make friends but honestly I believe if we didn't live 1700 miles we would definitely hang out. And of course the food was delish too.

Everything was good even super clean restrooms food fresh & seating accommodations & waitress well deserved of a tip, except if you compare their Mexican food to the TX/MX Border taste, well they're different. I had green chili cheeseburger forgot to ask them to cook it medium rare. No question i'd go back for late afternoon meal.

Big Daddy's was an unexpected surprise tonight. This town where big daddy's is located is an absolute hidden gem! The whole feel to Cloudcroft is this cozy, dreaming resort, ski town. The businesses all put their heads together to create a magical place where there are everything from sundry stores to acute log cabin church, to strip malls that are decorated in a log cabin style, feeling with rustic signage, Christmas lights everywhere and they even adorn the driving path with lit snow snowflakes. One thing that made me laugh was there is a hardware store with 101 Dalmatians decorating it out front! So back to big daddy's, you walk in and it is a wonderful local feel to this place, rustic design, super friendly staff, the foods brought out quickly, and it was hot and fresh a huge menu of items to choose from!! There is plenty of parking and lots of space to sit, including a bar area. We ordered the fried pickles - they were outstanding! I had the triple chicken tacos soft and hard shell they were homemade tortillas and shells and just delicious! The French dip was also ordered to our table and was huge order with onion rings. Soooo tasty! 5 stars!

Great place to eat in Cloudcroft. Decent sized restaurant and the kitchen still got our food out fairly quickly. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The food is mostly homestyle American food and some New Mexico favorite like the Green Chile Cheeseburger. I personally like that there's more options than fries (though the fries are good) such as tater tots.

The family owned diner is everything it should be for this rural mountain town - playing the best country music, plenty of variety on the menu, and the friendliest staff. We came in with a group of 8 and they weren’t phased! Portions are generous for the price, too. Definitely worth the stop.

Yikes. If you're visiting from out of town, I'd skip this place altogether. My family of four came in on 11-24 around 3pm while we were staying at a cabin up the mountain. We thought this diner would be a cute little stop but wow.... its been awhile since I've had service this bad. The older woman with the red hair and permanent scowl was just unbelievably rude. She literally slammed our plates of food on the table without a word and when I politely tried to ask for some tator sauce, she cut me off mid sentence to make it clear that she wasnt my server. Another couple walked in after us and I could hear her yelling across the restaurant at them for unknowingly seating themselves. She was just so rude and unpleasant we didnt even enjoy our meal. If youre trying to enjoy the peaceful scenery of Cloudcroft and what it has to offer, this place will definitely ruin the vibe. There was zero teamwork, zero warmth and from the moment we walked in we could feel the animosity and overall displeasure from the staff. Zero recommendations and save your $75 bucks like we wish we had. We ended up getting some extra food at a taco cantina down the street were the service and vibes were a total 180.

The food was absolutely amazing and tasted home cooked. Came here while driving through Cloudcroft and always wanted to try it. The food tasted amazing (We ordered chicken fried steak, a green chili burger, all you can eat catfish, fried zucchini, and fried mushrooms)! The service was awesome, super friendly and thoughtful. I definitely plan on coming back!

We stopped here for a rest from the road. It's nifty little mountain café. We ordered a plate of fries, coffee and pie. The fries were salty and delicious. The coffee was hot and the pie was sweet and silky. The service was excellent. The ambience was what you would expect to find in a small mountain town simple and warm.

Big Daddy's was an unexpected surprise tonight. This town where big daddy's is located is an absolute hidden gem! The whole feel to Cloudcroft is this cozy, dreaming resort, ski town. The businesses all put their heads together to create a magical place where there are everything from sundry stores to acute log cabin church, to strip malls that are decorated in a log cabin style, feeling with rustic signage, Christmas lights everywhere and they even adorn the driving path with lit snow snowflakes. One thing that made me laugh was there is a hardware store with 101 Dalmatians decorating it out front! So back to big daddy's, you walk in and it is a wonderful local feel to this place, rustic design, super friendly staff, the foods brought out quickly, and it was hot and fresh a huge menu of items to choose from!! There is plenty of parking and lots of space to sit, including a bar area. We ordered the fried pickles - they were outstanding! I had the triple chicken tacos soft and hard shell they were homemade tortillas and shells and just delicious! The French dip was also ordered to our table and was huge order with onion rings. Soooo tasty! 5 stars!

We brought the family here our first night in Cloudcroft. The restaurant was mostly full and the staff were busy; unfortunately nobody said a word to us for ten minutes when we walked in. We were just about to leave when a waitress ran up to us and said she could seat us right then. But then she also said we wouldn't get any food for at least an hour and a half, and very rudely as well. No apologies, no explanation, no nothing but an attitude of "I can't help you". Need less to say we left and won't be back.

Went in for my 65th Birthday ordered a chicken fried steak, mash potatoes and broccoli. The wait for even water was 15 minutes. I could deal with that. But the chicken fried steak took 45 - an hour. Sadly it was burnt and swimming in gravy! My husband laid a twenty on the table, and took the plate to the cashier/waitress. So she could see it. Sadly we left.... I understand a busy season, but the meal wasn't edible.

Love this place. Been coming here ever since discovering cloudcroft 5 years ago. I seem to always get the Henny Penny fried chicken. My wife got the fried chicken salad and a half basket of fried okra. I almost couldn't finish, but I powered through. I know they have great desserts but I was done! The dinner odds nestled in the valley fit outside of cloudcroft. Come early if you are here on the weekend. We came at five and when we left the dining room was almost full as was the parking lot.

It saddens me to write this as I've loved coming here on my way home from Timberon. On Aug 30 2025 at approx 7:30 pm my family and I had a substandard meal, except mine I very much enjoyed my "Phil-up burrito". The cheese curds and the chicken strips on the other hand were over cooked. The cheese curds tasted so different than the many times we had them before. Basically so over Cooked they hardly had any cheese in them. The chicken fingers my wife had were super crunchy and dry. I write this in hopes a manager or owner reads this and this, hopefully, isolated incident gets corrected. I want my family to want to come here and eat, because this is my favorite place to eat in cloudcroft.

Great find! Friendly service,excellent food, cozy atmosphere. Perfect stop before hitting the food desert on the way back to Texas. We'll be back again!

Location in a small town on the outskirts. It's a little hidden gem. Usually busy as I drive by it when in Cloudcroft from Round Rock Texas. I first visited in 2021 during the height of Covid when all restaurants were struggling trying to figure out how to survive. Mind you, it's cold up in higher elevations of the mountains. Tent's and tables were placed outside on limited parking lot. Rather than cook, I told the BF, we have to eat out and help support the community. Not a-lot to choose from in a small town either and I'd been eyeing Big Daddy's for some time. It was a no brainier when I saw the tents, where I was going. It was a little chilly, but darn it, they were trying to survive so I could suck it up. Ordered chicken fried chicken and it was great. Nice and crisp. Fast forward to 2024 and visiting the town i told myself. Been in town several other times and i have yet to see the inside of Big Daddy's so this is where we are going since the White Sands balloon fest was canceled. No eating down in Alamogordo going back up the mtn. to support the the town. Not sure what I was expecting but it was both table & booth, seat yourself with another side section where you can bring your pup. Staff are very nice and willing to accommodate. Don't see that in the big city! Went bold and ordered enchiladas, daughter ordered breakfast (after brkfst hrs), son ordered fried chicken sandwich and BF ordered huevos rancheros. ALL looked & tasted yummy and cook was nice in allowing us to order pancakes still. Even asked if we wanted bacon!!! YES PLEASE! (And bigger tip is in order) Wasn't sure on my enchiladas but I was pleasantly surprised but only ate a little. (Practicing portion control :/). Others scarfed food down:) oh the enchiladas were not going to waste. These babies are traveling with me, as I text, back to Austin Tx. Long story long... go eat there. Their food is as good as big city food but small town feel Big Daddy's, we will be back. You can count on that! Thks for a wonderful experience. Oh we were so excited that the cook allowed the breakfast order. I totally forgot to take my customary pics

Best restaurant we went to in Santa Fe! Burger with green chile is tops! Will visit again every time we are in Santa Fe!

A hole in the wall; hidden gem outside of Cloudcroft. Food was good and at a good price. The fried mushrooms were so good and I hate mushrooms but I could eat those all day. Cozy atmosphere with excellent service and friendly staff.

I stopped for lunch and I came home with a whole apple pie. The service was exceptional, the menu is diverse enough to appeal to many pallets. I ordered the green chile burger and my server recommended to add a slice of Jack. It was perfect! The flavors just mingled in the most pleasant way and the crispness of the fresh French fries added to the experience. For dessert, I had the blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Perfection! Since I was on my way home, I ordered an apple pie to take home. The crust was flaky and buttery, the filling was dancing in cinnamon. It just made me smile with each bite. I will be returning with a large group in April and I cannot wait to try the French dip, which I've heard is divine. Highly recommend!

Unfortunately, our breakfast experience here was not a good one. There was only one waitstaff, and she was overwhelmed by one table of six. The food was cooked poorly, and we saw why when the cook came out to the front in his grimy clothing. The coffee was basically colored water. We love a local restaurant, and are willing to overlook some foibles. Maybe since we were here off-season (end of February) they just weren't on top of their game. We still talk about how memorable this breakfast experience was - but definitely not in a good way. Truly hope it was just a one-time glitch but we won't be back to find out.

My friend and I decided to eat our last dinner in Cloudcroft before driving over to Carlsbad. We came upon Big Daddy's Diner because some stores had already closed by the time it came around to 7pm and this spot had fairly good reviews. So, we decided to give it a try. When my friend and I sat down and read the menu, we were both immediately drawn to okra and cheese curds for appetizers. We couldn't decide between the both of them, so we asked the server if we could possibly do half okra and cheese curds to which she responded "Yes" - you can opt for half servings. LET ME TELL YOU... this half serving of okra and cheese curds is way more than we bargained for! When we got the dish, we were both in shock by how big the "half" servings were - they were like 20-30+ pieces each. Both the okra and cheese curds were really good. It totally hit the spot. We kept on eating, but still couldn't finish because it was too much food, too filling with the cheese and too much fried food in one dish. I would rate these appetizers 5/5! We also opted to `share an order of Fried Chicken with a side of mac & cheese & cole slaw. I honestly was unimpressed by the chicken - 3/5. We decided to share, but I let my friend take more than half of the chicken (if not most) because I was quite full with the appetizer and the chicken wasn't as juicy as I would have preferred. Also, the mac & cheese was okay. The cole slaw was a good balance for all the fried foods we had. But it was also okay. I've had better... All in all, we left very full. I rate it 4 because the prices were very reasonable. I'm glad that the pricing of the food wasn't so expensive which is always a plus when traveling. The server was also very attentive/nice. Also, the most memorable part of the whole meal was probably the half serving of fried okra & cheese curds - which left a good first impression.

Horrible food but was only place open to eat when we arrived in town. Service wasn't great either. Server actually asked my daughter if she had a spare tampon.... Just weird.

Ate here twice while visiting and loved it. The chicken soup is all that and more. My hubby enjoyed the green chile burger, and we both had the grilled chicken dinner and it was great! Good pie also! Comfy atmosphere & good service.

Absolutely enjoy this place. Great service and food! I love their country fried steak. They have an amazing chicken noodle soup that soothes your soul. Their Hot Beef Dip Sandwich is my favorite in town, it's my go to. My husband is particularly fond of the chicken fingers and chicken strip baskets, they are hearty. Sure to satisfy your appetite. During the colder months they have Pozole and although it has a bit of a kick, it's so delicious and has great flavor. This place is good for breakfast or lunch, they have a variety of options. They also have some tasty dessert options like pecan pie and peach cobbler. Yummy. Give this place a try before you head out to explore the beautiful scenery. The prices, service, and food are good. They do have a fried chicken family meal you can pick up and take home. *No alcohol is served though.

This place has homemade everything including their tortilla chips! It was unexpectedly wonderful surprise to venture into this quaint restaurant.

Staff was friendly. The chicken strips were delicious! Definitely homemade. I would come here again.

Been here several times. We much prefer Dave's, but when it is busy, we head over here. Don't think we'll do that anymore. In an earlier visit, I asked if the lemonade was made fresh. The wait person did not know. My response was, that if she didn't know, then it likely wasn't. I didn't want to get a soda, so I got the "lemonade" anyway. Upon first sip, yep, not freshly made lemonade. Some store bought stuff. On at least one visit, I had the fried mushrooms and they were a soggy mess - obviously, and you could taste it as well, a frozen store bought brand. On the latest visit, chicken was rubbery, bloody, and inedible. I don't know if it was rubbery from pure fat, or microwaved, or both. It was disgusting. Burger was dry, pink and not cooked in the middle. The chile on the chicken and burger was bland and tasteless with no heat to it. This is what you will find with poblanos rather than local Sandia or Big Jim chile that they grow in Hatch. Could also just be a super mild chile, but it didn't add anything to the meal. (On a side note, we got green chile bacon burgers at Jack in the Box later in the day. 100x better and almost half the price. $15.99 for a single green chile burger here vs JnB bacon double green chile smash burger at $8.99. js - try it, you'll thank me! The chile they use at the Las Cruces location is Hatch GC, and it's got a little bite to it). Won't be going here for awhile. On a positive note, however, the tea was good.

A Hilariously Pricey Piece of Cake at Big Daddy's Diner! Oh, Big Daddy's Diner, you sure know how to make a mountain out of a molehill, or in this case, a piece of cake! I recently had the pleasure (and slight shock) of trying your famous chocolate cake, and boy, did it leave a lasting impression on my taste buds and my wallet! Let's start with the cake itself. It was a slice of chocolate heaven, so moist and rich that it made my taste buds dance the tango. With each bite, I could almost hear the chorus of angels singing in sweet synchrony. It was like a love affair between my mouth and the cocoa gods. Bravo, Big Daddy's, bravo! But then, reality hit me like a lightning bolt when the bill arrived. Ten dollars and ninety-nine cents for a single piece of cake? I had to suppress my laughter and check if the decimal point had somehow gone astray. Alas, it hadn't. Big Daddy's must have a top-secret recipe guarded by a mythical creature or sprinkled with gold dust to justify such a price tag! Now, I understand that your establishment is nestled in the mountains, where the air is crisp and the views are breathtaking. But does the elevation affect the cost of ingredients? Is there an elusive chocolate mountain nearby that produces rare, magical cocoa beans? I'm genuinely curious! You know, Big Daddy's, I can think of a few things I could purchase with $10.99. I could buy a small mountain of groceries, a couple of movie tickets, or maybe even a small country (okay, maybe not). But spending that amount on a single piece of cake takes guts, my friend. You've got audacity, I'll give you that! Despite the jaw-dropping price, I have to admit that your chocolate cake was worth every penny in taste. It was like a slice of happiness, a brief escape from the worries of the world. My taste buds were in ecstasy, even if my wallet was crying out for mercy. So, to all the daring, deep-pocketed dessert enthusiasts out there, if you're ready to embark on a culinary adventure that will challenge not only your taste buds but also your financial sensibilities, head on over to Big Daddy's Diner. Just make sure you bring some extra cash and maybe a financial advisor for moral support! Bon appétit, my fellow chocolate enthusiasts, and may your bank accounts recover swiftly! Note: This review is meant to be lighthearted and humorous. Prices may vary, and the value of a dessert is subjective. Enjoy life, cake, and laughter responsibly!

This cowboy diner welcomes you with a warm patriotic and love of country theme. Our server was an Spartan and Shield veteran named Boby at the tail end of the war. Super cool and dedicated he gave us some recommendations from their new menu. The food is home cooking comfort at its best! Lots of fried shrimps, fried chicken; fried catfish you name it a fried bonanza! The chili burger are solid and everything comes in large portions. The corn poppers was very good with a rich 20 pieces portion. The service was super friendly. Not your fancy restaurant but a great and solid All American dinner with great value.

Great service. Although my patty melt was pretty dry. Fries and onion rings were a little overcooked. My husband asked for no cheese on his sandwich and he had to pick It off.

They are short staffed and were very busy for a Tuesday. The two servers were doing all they could to keep up, but the tables were mostly full so they didn't stand a chance. I'm not factoring in our nearly 2 hour long dinner into this rating--giving them the benefit of the doubt since it's a small town family owned restaurant and they were so apologetic and nice. They have a huge menu with everything from chicken fried steak to Mexican. Everything we had was great. Large portions and reasonably priced.

Diner is the operative word. Alot of fried offerings but the portions are large but I'd go just for the hospitality.

Brought our dog for a late breakfast while in Cloudcroft on vacation. We informed waitress our dog was not a service dog so we were totally fine being sent to the "heated" patio, where she said she would come to us shortly. We proceeded to wait on the patio for almost 30 minutes with no heater on, no menus, and no one came to check on us. We made eye contact with the waitress after we decided to leave and she said nothing as we walked out.

Except hot chocolate every thing else was not good. We ended up going there during winter break and this was the only diner open in town. Staff was okey.

Waiters not good with people food over priced and the green chili stow is mostly water

There was no wait time to be seated. I got the pork chops with mashed potatoes and broccoli. We are from Louisiana and used to alot of seasonings. The pork chops just had pepper for seasoning, but they were ok. My husband had the Henny Penny fried chicken. Said it was good batter on the chicken. The wait staff was very nice and the restaurant was clean.

Our first visit to Cloudcroft. Visited Big Daddy's Diner, on the recommendation of our hotel staff (Grand Cloudcroft Hotel). The entrance and ambiance was rustic and nice. We're greeted promptly and seated. The food was good, served without time wasting, by a very efficient and hard working server Liz. A good experience and recommended.

We had the best experience at Big Daddy's! The service was absolutely top notch and the food was fantastic as well! Just wish we would have had room to try the dessert!! It is definitely a place we will return to when we are in the area again!

There isn't anything not to love about this place! The staff is fantastic & kind! The mountain woman breakfast was more than enough!

07/25/2022. Monday 7:00. Well it has been about 6 years. I swore I would be back sooner but Covid. Tonight we had the grilled chicken with green chile sandwich. It was very good. Just plain comfort food. Not gourmet but good. The server was attentive. The place was clean. We came in on a Monday so the town is pretty quiet. The opened the hiking trails a few weeks ago everything was closed down due to the severe drought.

Excellent food and service- would highly recommend and return! Hubby had the Henny Penny Fried Chicken and I had sweet potato fries, corn fritters and posole soup- all very good!!!

Best food ever ! Love the rueban , drive from artesia roughly every month or so just to eat here ! Awesome service and great atmosphere! Love the down home cooking !

We eat here pretty often, and always enjoy the food. The waitresses and manager are always friendly. The atmosphere here just says small country town and I love it!

A good diner. Had chick burrito and the combo mexican platter. Red sauce is chili powder based and has some spice to it. Portions were very large. The beef taco was my favorite by far. Cd of had three of those and been happy. Tostada was good but was placed on top of the enchiladas so shell was kinda soggy. Beans were decent. Rice was good w green and red chilis in it so not trad mex style. Enchiladas we pretty full of beef and i thought the beef had really good flavor like it had been stewing together all day. Chips n salsa were pretty good. Big bag of brownies are a great price and very tasty. Cheesecake was still frozen so cant comment except it was a small piece for the price.

My favorite place for breakfast and lunch. Great service, friendly and prompt. The chef/cook is good sending our meals out correctly cooked and savory.

Go for the ambiance...no, scratch that, there wasn't any unless listening to the kitchen staff talk about video games and the total lack of music counts as ambiance. Go for the coffee...no, it was like warm brown water. Go for the speedy kitchen...no, it was pretty slow considering there was only an order from a two-top in front of my breakfast order. Go for the service. The waitress was very nice. The food was fine.

Listen, this place is a little off the beaten path but you can not go wrong eating here cause everything is good. The hatch green chili cheese fries are freaking amazing ! Do not sleep on these! Chicken fried chicken was on point, I got hatch chilies on it and it just made it the best chicken fried chicken I ever had. The brownies, hand of God, the best brownies I've ever had in my life.

Lovely Mountain Family Restaurant. No cocktails, beer or wine but friendly service and good food.

Super friendly service, cozy, homey atmosphere and huge fluffy biscuits under a tasty blanket of plenty of gravy with sausage. These guys clearly know how to make Texans Happy!

This restaurant has good food. The service is good also. The building is right off the road, which is very convenient. It is definitely a home cooking restaurant. The pies are fantastic. Have always enjoyed going to big daddy's whenever we are in Cloudcroft. Highly recommend the fried okra. Great hamburgers.

Great roadside diner in Cloudcroft. Food was good but the staff really make the place shine. Just had a simple club sandwich and a ham and cheese, but both were well made, good ingredients that tasted fresh. Fries and tots for sides and a couple of sweet teas to wash it all down. Service was excellent and swift. Highly recommend.

Cloudcroft is a small town and the restaurants on highway 82 are all on the main road. It's a cozy diner with a fireplace inside to warm you up. There's plenty of seating available and they have an area in the back for large groups. I ordered the chicken fried chicken and it came with a choice of two sides (corn and chicken noodle soup). It was definitely a very hearty meal and the portions were generous. We also ordered the chef salad and a cup of pozole. We all got a cup of hot cider as it was really cold outside to warm us up. Service was friendly and we got our food quickly. It seemed like there were some regulars having dinner here and knew the staff very well. They're also famous for their BBQ but it wasn't available that evening we were there.

The atmosphere is so cozy and feels like home, all the waitresses are very nice & attentive. The food was pretty homey and good too! We had the Ruben and Monterey chicken!

I have eaten at Big Daddy's on 3 occasions. 1st two occasions had the burgers and fries, both my wife and I enjoyed our meals. Portions are large and very good. My only wish is for the buns to be a bit smaller. Third visit I had the pizza, this I did not care for, can't put my finger on it, but had a weird taste I didn't care for. My wife had the fish and chips. She enjoyed hers and again large portions. We will make Bad Daddy's a regular stop when we are in the area.

Was in town for the day last year and after a nice, refreshing hike, I decided to find some food. Have passed by Big Daddy's before, and decided to give it a try. Parking is a little tight, but I managed to find a space. Then I headed in to get seated. Service was ok but not very attentive. Server seemed a bit busy, so I think that is understandable. It was steady, on a weekday. Ordered a burger and side. Food came out fairly promptly and was pretty tasty, as I recall. This place was alright for a hot meal. Ambience is a little sparse. Seemed to be a lot of locals there at the other tables. Not amazing, but not awful either, honestly.

Great restaurant. My favorite one in Cloudcroft. New owners carrying on the tradition and even some improvements. Unique menu items you can't find anywhere else. Accommodates big parties and solo travelers.

We came with a large group, which normally is an issue at other places. They sat us right down with no problems. The service was quick and the food was great. It's a wonderful down home cooking kind of place. Our waitress was amazing and handled our group so well. We will be back.