Chisos Mountains Lodge

Great location but rooms remind you of the 1970s when smoking on airplanes was still allowed. The location is impeccable and the parking lot and surrounding area makes for great views of the night sky. But the rooms are miserable and remind me of a college dorm room. See attached for proof. I am very glad this place is getting a full renovation. The rooms can get cold but heat works well. Showers give nice pressure and hot water. The beds are itchy and creaky and will wake you up at night when you turn. Floors are super dirty and seem to never get mopped. But the staff was nice and cordial- make sure you verify your registration and have your reservation number! I initially was handed someone else's reservation to pay and noted that the balance due was different than what I had on my email. Make sure you download all maps and consider printing your reservation before you get there because there is NO WIFI in the hotel grounds. At night, a group of us Millennials would huddle outside the NPS Visitor Center to grab the free wifi while shivering.

Stayed in the lodge's Rio Grande Village Motel, which is the most affordable option. The location in the middle of the park is great and the motel has a cool retro vibe, but the rooms are a little run-down. Never got any hot water during my stay and there are few electric plugs for charging. The heating/cooling unit was new and worked great. It was nice to be indoors rather than tent camping in January! Keep in mind you are paying for the location... a similar room along the interstate would be a quarter the price. Perhaps some repairs will be made during the upcoming long-term closure.

We spent 2 nights at the Chisos Mountain Lodge, specially in the Rio Grande Motel. We had a double room that was rustic but clean, comfy beds, hot shower and small fridge/freezer& great lil patio with an amazing view. Well worth the price and convenience to walk out your room and be so close to nature and some amazing hikes. Plus the stars at night were absolutely incredible & stunning- this international dark sky park did not disappoint. The store had basics, BBNP gifts, obviously due to the remote location prices were a little higher but that should be expected. We also had dinner at the food truck- mostly sandwiches & salads but our burger & tots were delicious. My only suggestion would be more red light versus regular white light on the exterior of the buildings.

You are definitely paying for the convenience and location. Big Bend was amazing! Staff was extremely helpful and very friendly. Rooms were comfortable and clean. A small table for eating or some picnic tables outside would be a welcome addition. The Basin Lodge currently has a Food Truck available. Our meal there was quite tasty and the cook was super nice. We visited the grocery in Alpine on the way in and took advantage of the fridge and microwave in our room to prepare most of our own meals. After reading some of the other reviews, I have to laugh because some of those complaining about lack of Internet connection clearly didn't use it to do some advance research on where they were going.

Amazing Stay! Amazing Staff! The location in the middle of Big Bend National Park was perfect. We saw roadrunner and deer on the property! Plus staying in the park allowed easier access to trails, hot springs and star gazing. Rooms are rustic and "outdated". Felt like staying off the grid and that is what my intended goal is. (And people planning to visit Big Bend should have that goal as well. Don't expect reliable cell service here.) Will definitely stay here again!

This lodge is AMAZING! We are traveling the US as a family and this place is in our top 5 so far! Yes, the rooms are dated, but it sounds as though they are soon to be renovated. Dated or not, our room was clean, spacious and have all the things we needed. The views from our room were spectacular. The store literally had anything one could want or need. The food truck offered breakfast, lunch and dinner, we had no complaints on food, service or atmosphere. The large restaurant was closed, but that was okay with the food truck option. The check-in process happens in the store, which was closed when we arrived. No issue however, our envelope with room information was available in the case at the door. Glad we did not need to use it, but there was an emergency radio to contact a manager overnight if needed, which I thought was a wise idea. We will definitely return after construction is complete in the Chisos Basin!

Hotel is old and run down - understanding they'll be tearing it down and remodeling it. Food was only available via a food truck - no restaurant available - and food quality was awful, and prices high. Beautiful location and centrally located for hikes - which is the primary plus for staying here.

We stayed in Oct 2025. Understanding that they will be undergoing renovations in 2026, we were not expecting much for facilities. The room was old, but very clean and had a patio off the back. So quiet in the evenings for stargazing and very close to all the trailheads. Would definitely recommend. Can't wait to see what it looks like after renovations are complete.

This is a great place to unwind at the end of a long day. This is an isolated area and the menu was out of numerous items when we were there due to the new year's crowd. Despite this, they made substitutions and the food was all great.

Reviewing my takeout experience as the wait for a seat was forever long. Even the takeout order line was long, but these are to be expected for being the only restaurant in the national park. I ordered the burger and fries, which came out to $16. The burger patty was dry and chewy. They were out of ketchup or any other condiment, so the dry burger had to be paired with stale, cold fries. Again, being the only option in the park, they can get away with anything short of poison. We had to go with this option as we were on a schedule, but I would recommend just bringing your own food to the park. Servers were friendly, however. The restaurant seemed nice on the inside. The floor to ceiling windows allow great views while dining. Hopefully they serve you better food when dining in. Again, I would only order from here if I had no other options.

Ordered steaks. Cooked properly; but lacked flavor. My ribeye was very chewy. My wife's tenderloin was extremely tender. Service was good. But, not worth the $$ for sub-par food...

Lots to consider here. First, it's Government owned and manned by a company that was probably the lowest bidder aka Aramark. View considered because you're sitting in an ancient caldera. You have to factor in your "insert your entree here" literally was trucked 250 miles for you to eat it. With all that said I can tell you I ate the Black Jack Burger. Menu describes it coming with cheddar and bacon jalapeno jam. Truth is it looked like grey goo and that's a generous explanation. Buddy had the Alligator Po' Boy and yes he is still alive and well a few weeks after. Service was fine; drinks were refilled. I guess the one thing that pissed me off was the ENTIRE lunch and dinner menu was available togo but not for dine in. Makes zero sense; except I think it spared me from trying mediocre Butternut Squash Ravioli, Venison, and Trout. Burger is the safest option here.

It was way too windy to try and cool at our campsite, so we made the drive up to the lodge restaurant for dinner. This was our first time to try the restaurant despite having come to Big Ben NP several times. Service was excellent and there were plenty of tables; no wait at 7pm on a Thursday night. We felt the menu seemed lacking give some of the photos we've see. Mostly burgers, salads and sandwiches. Saying that, our food was delicious and hit the spot. When we do come back, we plan on trying it again.

This restaurant is contracted out to Aramark (which also ran my college cafeteria), but it's a lot better than cafeteria food.  The fries are super crispy, the burgers are big and well cooked, and the servers do a great job. There is also a lovely view of the sunset! You will pay the cost of it being the only restaurant in Big Bend though. The kids menu is $10 and the cheapest item on the adult menu is a $13 burger (with prices ranging all the way up to the high $30s).

Context is everything. I went back to this restaurant 4 times during my trip to Big Bend. Within the park, this is the only restaurant around, but they don't crush you on prices while maintaining a pretty high quality standard. So I happily ate many of my meals here and enjoyed the company of other hikers (whom you commonly see on the same trails anyway) and staff. A place like this could easily burn anyone with a terrible experience as there's no competition for ~30 miles, but it does well. The location itself is around the north end of the park, with excellent views from the dining area. There's ample seating, and the staff is on top of everything (which from my experience was mainly just one server handling most things -- impressive). Breakfast Buffet - An easy way to get a lot of your nutrients in before a hike, the breakfast buffet was good. If I had to compare it to a typical chain hotel breakfast buffet, I would say it is much better. I had the buffet on two occasions and had coffee, eggs, potatoes, sausage, and bacon, all of which were tasty. For $10, I'll take it! Just a Burger - A simple burger done well, with lettuce, pickles, onions, and tomato slices. Not much to say here -- pretty juicy and flavorful. If you're looking for a safe, solid item, this is a good one for lunch. Also comes with crispy fries. Trail Boss (Chicken Fried Steak) - Of my meals, this was the most disappointing, mainly due to the quantity. As you can see in the photo, it's a pretty small dish for $28. I expected much more here. In terms of flavor, it was a pretty good dish -- the gravy was mild and complemented the meat and potatoes nicely. I would avoid this one in the future as it's just not worth the price. Value: 4/5 Quality: 4/5 Quantity: 3/5 Service: 5/5 Atmosphere: 5/5

I have eaten at a lot of national parks, and I thought the Lodge restaurant here was above average. I got chili, and a side salad with grilled chicken. The chili was tasty, with just a tiny bit of kick, and the salad was really good. Everything was fresh and well seasoned. My server was also friendly and very efficient. And honestly, you could feed me almost anything with that amazing view, and I would love it. So the fact that the food was pretty good was a bonus.

Typical National Park hotel. Old plumbing noisy air conditioning. And no WiFi in the rooms. Aramark food is unspectacular. But staying in the park makes up for all of that.

Burger and fries are cooked well and hit the spot. Much better than what we dined on at Starlight Theatre. Great service and view!

First night I went there was amazing. Didn't even mind the wait because there was one server waiting tables to the whole room. Ordered The Chisos Chicken sandwich and enjoyed it along with the crinkle cut fries. Even got the fried cheesecake with the Mexican vanilla bean ice cream which was ok. I was just happy not to eat the same old meal prep. This is where it takes a turn. They're not consistent. The next day I decided to go back in and order the same thing to only get disappointed by the fact The Chisos Chicken sandwich wasn't seasoned or salted like it was yesterday. I think the most hair raising part of my second experience here was the fact I found a small hair that didn't belong to me. It had gray at the root. I would hope staff in the kitchen wear hairnets to avoid contamination of food. Also, slightly perturbed by finding a piece of hair inside of the salt shaker at the table I sat at. The music played in the background was great and I hope they continue to use the A/C because without transition glass or tinted windows it can get hot and uncomfortable inside there.

Captive audience. This restaurant has never excited me but it's your only sit down option in the park so you might have to eat there every night for a week while you're visiting the park. The service is good but slow. The ambience is uncomfortable with bright lighting and sometimes no music. There are great views of the chisos basin so come for sunset. Nothing on the menu is outstanding. However things are MUCH better now than during COVID when there were only a few options for meals at the restaurant. I've learned that in a restaurant like this you're best off sticking to a burger or a steak. The more adventurous you get the higher the risk of disappointment. My recommendation is to sit in the bar area. It's much more cozy and lively and you feel less rush to turn the tables for the next guests. There is bar seating and high tops. There are also outlets at some of the tables and a TV. The wine selection is surprisingly decent for the menu being 5 or 6 house wine options. The Cabernet Sauvignon was good. Pinot Noir was decent too. The beers are also decent with at least one local IPA on draft. Currently the restaurant is first come first served and they don't take reservations. If you show up an hour or more before close you shouldn't have issues. It seems that the staff is aware that you don't really have other options so they won't just turn you away.

This place gets points just for being available within Big Bend National Park! It's just handy to having something else to eat other than trail mix and granola bars. It was busy but the service was fast. Ordered a turkey and avocado sandwich of some sort and had them change the swiss cheese to smoked cheddar. It was pretty good. The fries were pretty tasty. Views are great! It's expensive but also, you have to remember you're in the middle of a giant national park - be lucky there's even a restaurant for you to sit down and eat at!

Restaurant opens for dinner at 4:30. We had to wait for a little bit, but it's nice to have a restaurant so close to the campground. Views of the mountains are very nice. We had the barbecue plate with sausage and pulled pork plus the bacon wrapped fillet mignon with mashed potatoes and veggies. Sopapillas with ice cream for dessert. Everything tasted good and the service was fast and server was very nice.

Food at this restaurant is not bad but service can be lacking due to staff shortages, which might improve when park is on winter schedule starting November. Tables in the dining room are still quite distanced, which is good, but that reduces the number of seatings contributing to the wait at peak times. For dinner the last seating is 6:30 pm, we got there about 6 and there were quite a few groups of diners still waiting for a table ahead of us. We were finally seated at 7 and it took forever to get someone over to take our orders. We had the burger, chili and small salad. The chili was delicious. Salad not bad either. But the slowness pretty much discouraged us from trying the lunch or breakfast. Second day had dinner at around 5 and there was no wait. Chili not as good as the first time also lukewarm and they didn't bring saltine crackers until asked. French fries - which were sold out the first time - were good. A good option to waiting for seating in the restaurant is to order take out, which we did one night. Very good wraps, took just 15 minutes - although I didn't get the kind I ordered - they somehow got the order wrong. But it was ok, no point in trying to swap and wait anymore for that. There is an outdoor terrace area in front of the restaurant - a perfect spot to enjoy your take outs.

Great views, fresh salad, & reasonable prices! Great lunch after morning hiking on the trails...

Before making any constructive comments about food at the Chisos Mountains Lodge main restaurant in Big Bend NP, I must say that the Aramark employees who staff the concession facilities in the park are generally friendly, customer oriented people who do their jobs well. The food quality in the restaurant has suffered since Aramark purchased the park concession several years ago. The food quality is spotty, sometimes OK and other times mediocre and sometimes downright disappointing. The prices are consistently high, which is to be expected for a remote location. Plan to bring your own food for most meals. There are better dining options in nearby Marathon, Study Butte and Terlingua at better prices. Aramark plans to begin reconstruction and remodeling of the Chisos Basin facilities and restaurant in 2025 and construction will continue for two years. One can hope that the reopening in 2027 will treat customers to better food quality and a greater commitment from Aramark to customer satisfaction.

Most beautiful place to visit in Texas! The lodge is fantastic and the views are breathtaking.

We had dinner there twice during our stay at the Chisos Mountain Lodge. Yes, they are the only restaurant in the park but I did not feel like they abused their super powers. We did have to wait for a table each night, but it was easy to find a seat in. the bar. The bartender was great and knew how to make a cosmopolitan. Didn't have time to drink it all before we were seated. Our servers were both very good. I ended up ordering the chicken fried steak both nights because it was that good and I could see no reason not to. It was served with mashed potatoes and gravy and asparagus. I had the brownie with ice cream for dessert. No complaints really. The view from the dining room is awesome and there is a nice roomy patio that you can sit on to watch the sun set. Breakfast was a little weak. Mostly just cereal and muffins, no eggs or bacon, but the coffee was good and they had real half and half. Prices are a little high but good grief, they have to have everything trucked up that mountain. Trust me, you will need a drink after you make that drive. It is a bit harrowing well but worth it. Glad we went there and super glad that we stayed in the park so that we had all day to see the sights.

Buffet breakfast, and full service dinner. $18 full breakfast with sopaipillas (fried dough served with agave syrup) and all the usual fare. Dinner is a bit pricey, but where else are you going to go? Good cocktails at bar. Great view looking out over the Window of the Chisos Basin, especially at sunset. The steak wrapped in bacon was tender, cooked perfectly, and served with delicious sides. The restaurant fills up, so there were folks waiting on the patio with drinks. The quality of food is excellent, especially considering the remote mountain location.

Not good at all very long wait and prices are a joke because they are the only restaurant open in that part of the park! You'd be better off making your own food and saving money! We did get a great view of sunset and deer though!

It's not bad for being in the middle of nowhere and it's your only restaurant choice in Big Bend Park. They are only open for dinner from 5pm to 9pm. Breakfast and lunch hours are different, so check their website. Only nine entrees on the menu and most of them seem like Sysco frozen foods. I don't want to knock them too much, because as I said, you really have no other choices - they also have a full bar. Marinated portabella mushroom ($18.95) topped with bell peppers, spinach, and parmesan cheese. Wild rice and asparagus on the side. The grilled mushroom cap was fresh, extremely juicy and went well with the combination of the spinach and chopped bell peppers. The asparagus was tender and perfectly cooked without being too mushy. The 12 oz ribeye ($21.95) was more of a let down. Just not a good quality cut of meat. Yes, I know ribeye is supposed to be marbled and a bit fatty (that's what give it the great flavor after all), but this one had more grisle than fat or marbling. It was served with a scoop of mashed taters and asparagus. Mashed taters are just "ok." Not bad mind you, just "ok." Penne pasta with alfredo sauce ($11.95) and added portabella mushrooms for an extra $5. The portabella 'shrooms were marinated just like they were in the portabella mushroom entree mentioned above. The menu said the pasta was linguini, but it was penne pasta instead, so ask before ordering. Chicken Fried Steak with green beans, toast, and a dollop of mashed taters. ($12.95) CFS was good, not overly breaded, and not full of gristle - but it was obviously pre-prepared. Gravy was decent and so were the green beans. Again, the mashed taters were just "ok." The dining area is mostly glass and it faces directly west, so it gets pretty warm when the sun starts going down - BUT it provides an awesome view of "The Window" trail and you can see the sun set. The bar area is separate and it's a lot cooler in there, so you might want to see if you can dine in the bar area to stay cooler. There are a couple of tables in there, so who knows? The bottom line is, although it's not the best food in the world, you should at least have one meal while here, to give yourself a break from campground or hotel room food.

The Lodge Restaurant had a fair number of problems when we were there for an extended stay that ended recently. It appears that they have a hard time getting and keeping good staff. They cut out table service and did take-out only, between 2 pm and 7 pm.. It took an hour to get food - including waiting to have our order taken. There was no breakfast or lunch service. The bar shut down while we were there, too. Portion sizes decreased over the time we spent there. When we first arrived, the plates were filled with food, but after several days, the amount of food on the plate decreased - and stayed that way. The issue was with the sides. Unfortunately, the stores in the park have a very small variety of food items, and they ran out of some items several times while we were there. We found ourselves making trips to Terlingua to the small grocery store there. I recommend A) Calling the lodge to get the current status of and plans for food service, and B) No matter what they say, bring plenty of your own canned/dried food - and beverages. The website was outdated, still saying they had table service with longer hours, even after they changed it. No notice was given to guests that the restaurant was going to change format or hours. I say this with mixed feelings, because the Park is a fabulous place and I believe that most of the workers who remain there are decent. I guess I'm trying to say, "know what you're getting into."

A very nice restaurant by national park standards. Place is clean. Service is slow but friendly. Decent beer list. Incredibly views. Food was edible at a reasonable price. Worth checking out if in park.

Tasty food, but pretty pricey. On the other hand, there is no where else to eat. Service was very good. And the view was great.

Been 11 years since we visited this restaurant but have been to Big Bend National Park more times than I can remember. We need to visit the restaurant more often. It's a great oasis with incredible views of Casa Grande and The Window. Food is great, we enjoyed the black bean burger on a gluten free bun, grilled vegetables, starter salads and iced tea. Service was friendly and prompt. The decor is humble and somewhat old school, which makes the dining experience feel like you are right at home. Can't wait to visit again.

Unless we wanted to drive 30 miles away to Terlingua for dinner this was the only game in town. We ate dinner here three nights in a row and on average it was just OK. The staff was friendly but the food was lacking - not a big surprise. It ranged from poor - the dry and overcooked trout and below average salad bar one night to the tacos which were all very good (fish with mango/ pork tacos / chorizo tacos). The french onion soup was good one night as was the Texas toothpick appetizer. Quesadillas and the grilled cheese were pretty standard. Again it was great to have this option but it really was our only choice unless we wanted to eat microwaved food in our room.

I give the staff an A for effort at serving large amounts of visitors quickly and efficiently. We were in and out from dinner in about 45 minutes. The waiter had drinks on the table within minutes, and the food came very soon after that!. My hamburger was clearly precooked, not large and mediocre in taste. The fries were okay. My wife had a spinach ravioli with red sauce and an unusual medley of frozen vegetables with some bread. Again, not inspiring for what one pays, but it's March 1 and a long distance away from anywhere. (The only alternative is cooking some vittles you bring from home in the lodge microwave if you are staying there.) We finished dinner, took 10 steps toward door and the busboy had already cleared the table and was setting up for the next waiting guests. Like I said, the staff gets an A for effort!

Great food, service, and views! This was such an awesome option after a long day of hiking. Everyone who works here is friendly and hospitable. Also, the prices are really quite reasonable--especially considering that it's the only restaurant in the park. There's a full bar too if you want a cocktail!

We had lunch while visiting The Park. I had the french dip and it was delicious!! Will come again on our next trip BBNP.

Food was ok and pricey and the scenery was great! Overall the place is cool I'd definitely go again soon

It's extremely hard to write big statements about extremely mediocre/average food. However, I will try my best. Big bend was fun, but unfortunately, this is the sole restaurant in the park. You can probably already extrapolate from the statement the quality of the food. It was overpriced for the portions it gave. There was a good variety of things to pick from the salad bar, but each ingredient wasn't the best of quality. This is a quote from my friend: "I can't believe Americans live like this. This is why no one wants to eat greens over here." I got the pasta with marinara sauce with the ribeye steak on the side. When the pasta first came out, I was like "Wow, this tiny bowl looks so sad." The ribeye tasted like it was frozen/cooked straight from the fridge, so even if it wasn't, it says a lot about the kitchen there. The pasta sauce tasted super generic, like it was straight from a jar of Ragu. I have no problem with Ragu, but from a restaurant, I would like it to taste more homemade. I would say that the nachos, surprisingly, were the most palatable part of the meal. And even then, it was just okay. Overall, if you gotta eat, then you gotta eat. 2/5 stars.

One star for great staff and service, but absolutely nothing else about this place is worth your time. It's a real shame that an establishment in one of America's most beautiful National Parks could be this bad. Lots of places do a fairly decent service with frozen food, think Applebee's or Chile's, but whatever this place is serving reminded me more of a middle school cafeteria, but with a glass of flat beer.

If you're going to have a website with hours posted, go with them. Otherwise take them down and say "call for hours." How hard is that? Avoid eating here as it probably won't be open and you'll be stuck eating food from the convenient store.

Two stars, because the information we had said that they opened for dinner at 4 pm. When we arrived at 4, they were closed. The sign said that they opened at 5 pm. An employee cheerfully told us we could "chill" on the patio Haha. The patio was drenched in hot sun.

We ate dinner here twice. Seating starts at 5pm. The first day we got there around 5:45pm and there was a 30min wait. Got there at 4:45pm the next day and still weren't seated until 5:30. Both times we got the pork chop, which was excellent. The side dishes weren't great. Liked the mashed potatoes. I'd skip the white gravy. The vegetables were inedible. The mac n cheese came out ice cold in the middle, sent back to microwave again. Refried beans were straight from a can, and heated up. The cobbler was excellent, as was the prickly pear margaritas. The crew working there were great and friendly. Great view of "the Window" and sunset.

OK, let's get real. Looking for fine dining experiences in a National Park restaurant is sort of like looking for great Chinese food in an airport. Your mileage may vary. That said, the staff here is usually polite and courteous, and I have half a dozen visits over the past three years to base that on. There's a cozy little bar... maybe a bit too little for thirsty hikers looking to belly up in the evening, but they have some good local Texas micros on tap like Bend Brewing Company, a fav. Still, don't get too excited about the food choices. My quesadillas had an unusual odor of stale cooking grease on them this time around. Eewww. But overall, as compared to dozens of other national park restaurants, this place is solid enough, the portions large, and the prices reasonable for food that has to travel a hell of a long way to get there.

I spent over 20 on a meal of reheated chicken strips the meal wasn't good and extremely overpriced. They are taking advantage of people due being only place to eat. I would recommend bring own food and not waste your money.

I will say that our group enjoyed this dining experience for various reasons. We stayed at the Lodge for three nights, so we had plenty of opportunities to eat at the Restaurant. If you're staying in the park, this is literally the only restaurant available to you. We ate there five times to be exact and the food was hit or miss for me. The pork chop, which was recommended by our bartender, was great. If I yelped solely on the chop, this would have been an easy 5-Star review. I also got the chicken wings (5), trout (4), black bean burger (3) and chicken tacos (1). The salad bar is really good too. You can do a single visit for $4 or the all-you-can-eat for $9. I was also told the chicken fried steak was good, but I didn't try it. The servers were nice and the view was wonderful. Go with the chop, chicken wings and trout if you're eating there on multiple trips and this will be 5-Star visit.

It's great to have a bar and restaurant in the park for after a long hike. They offer the convenience of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Staff was friendly. Really can't ask for too much more being that you're so far from it all. I can recommend the Texas Toothpicks...4 stars because you can't beat that view!

Totally serviceable. Burgers good, gluten free bun available! Views are what tip it from 3 to 4 star.

This place offers surprisingly good dining experience which I totally didn't expect since this is also the only dining option you have got in the basin. I was very surprised to see fresh strawberries and blueberries (different fruits everyday) in the breakfast buffet! Since you don't even get them in high-end hotels. Coffee was not included in the breakfast buffet and I was fine with the quality vs the price. All the dinners I have had there turned out well, which was very satisfying after long days of hiking. Would definitely go back to stay at the lodge and eat in the restaurant. Thank you for providing non-camping travelers with such convenience, good service and plenty dishes to choose from.

Found this lodge restaurant in the middle of Big Bend to be extremely convenient. They had a variety of menu items that were accommodating to many diets. Furthermore, the staff was very friendly and above all food was good! Will definitely return here on our next trip to Big Bend National Park.

I don't know what previous reviews are talking about. This was very good. Service was Quick, Friendly and excellent. The food was delicious was very reasonably priced. I would highly recommend stopping in.

I'd recommend bringing your own food to the park, rather than dining here. The food was overpriced and extremely disappointing. My chicken fried steak was both soggy and chewy, as if it were made days ago and then microwaved. Fountain drinks were flat, and the burger one of us got was nothing to write home about.

Thank goodness for this place. I tent camped and did my share of hiking in the Chisos Mountains, and I needed a place like this to carb up. I had the linguini pasta at the bar after the South Rim hike, and a large lunch burrito before I headed to Santa Elena Canyon and it didn't disappoint. Inside is very clean with seasonal servers. Know the hours before you come here because they are closed for an hour between breakfast - lunch and lunch - dinner. They also have a souvenir and tackle shop that sells ice across the parking lot.

A group of us, visiting the area from San Antonio and College Station, stopped in here the Sunday before Labor Day to watch the sunset, have some drinks, and eat. The fee to get on the National park is $25. If you're 62 or older, you can buy a Senior Pass, which gets you free entry to all national parks. The drive to the mountain is beautiful, especially when you get into the foothills on your way up. The lodge area is gorgeous, as was the sunset. The food was decent and the service was great. I got the soup/salad bar because I'd been a big ol' porker the previous two days and thought I'd slow down a bit. Everyone else was pleased with their food. They serve beer, wine, and liquor, though their selection of liquor is limited, but acceptable. Again - the drive and sunset are gorgeous. It's also about 15 degrees cooler than the desert below.

The staff at the chisos mountain lodge get the job done! Especially Sam behind the bar. She poured killer drinks and kept us entertained when we were delirious after our hike. The aloha burger, fish tacos, and chicken wings really hit the spot! Will definitely be back for our next big bend adventure soon!

Whatever you do, do not miss the pecan Cobbler if they have it the menu the day you eat here. I am not a cobbler lover but the pecan cobbler here is exceptional!