El Camino

Step back in time at this roadside diner.….We stopped here for breakfast on our way to Carrizozo several years ago and were happy to see it still in business. Authentic New Mexico food. Hatch Chili can’t be beat. Friendly people. Nothing fancy but great food! Our family loved it.

As I was driving through Socorro, New Mexico; I decided to try something different. I saw the sign and pulled in. It was definitely an older establishment. Didn’t know what to expect. Ordered the basic and traditional enchiladas with red chile. I’m glad I did. The food was super good and the prices were very reasonable. Plenty of food on the plate. I think the servers name was Nalina. She was very nice and polite. Even though they were short staffed, she was on it. If you’re ever driving through Socorro, NM; I would definitely recommend stopping in at this delicious place.. 👍

This restaurant has an extensive menu that includes burgers, Southwest selections, steaks and salads, to name only a few. I chose a platter that included a tamale, a chili relano, and a cheese enchilada. The platter was HUGE! The tamale was tasty and the chili relano was the best I have ever had. The cheese enchilada was adequate. The service was quick and efficient. The servers checked several times to be sure I had everything I needed. A fun thing about this restaurant is the mix of Southwest and mid century decor. It has a diner vibe that harkens back to the 50s or 60s.

Consistently excellent food. Been coming here for 20 years, always great food and great friendly service. For about the same price as day food you can get a home cooked meal that includes sides and home made tortillas. My go to order is the Mexican combo with a chili relation and an enchilada smothered in red or green chili or both! Comes with terrific beans, and rice, and a corn or flour tortilla, has fresh lettuce and tomato. Served in the cafe or to go. Super fast service either way. The Greek salad is also wonderful. Desserts are yummy. Old school diner NM route 66 vibe. American, NM, Mexican, and Greek food. Their breakfasts are too of the line as well. If you are over 60, so for the senior discount. Yesterday we had 2 Mexican combos as mentioned above for $22.50 total after the senior discount. The day before that we had an order for two at Sonic that cost $27.00. No comparison with the food, El Camino is the place to go.

An older restaurant, but it's really nice. Food is great. Highly recommend

Got the warrior steak and it was worth the name. Wife got the catfish and she gave me the two thumbs up. The kiddo got a cheese burger and he ate it all plus some hot fudge ice-cream. Great service and food.

I ate here twice once for dinner and once for breakfast. The food was outstanding! Dinner - I had pork tamales. First time I have seen real tamales in a restaurant. They were very good, and they were certainly authentic. I had the Christmas sauce in the side. The red chilies were very hot, and the green was very mild. Both had great flavors and made the dish even better. Next morning for breakfast, I had the two sausage breakfast burritos with Christmas sauce on the side. This time, the green was hotter than the red. The burritos were AWESOME. Here for both dishes they served beans on the side and I REALLY liked that. Service was an issue. For dinner, they never came and refilled my drink till I was ready to leave. Then the next morning the two waitresses did not do a good job and both argued, cussed and complained loudly about a myriad of different things.

I was expecting this to be a Mexican car themed restaurant but it is just a regular Mexican restaurant. I was looking for an authentic Mexican place since I've only been to New Mexico a few times. This place was authentic because they had real Hispanics working there so the Mexican food was great. Not the so called authentic Mexican food made by white folks. I had the sampler platter of things I couldnt pronounce and didnt even know what I was ordering but it was all good. Good service and reasonably priced.

Everything was great, as usual. food and Service were good and we always feel welcome.

I'm usually very supportive of this place because they've been pretty consistent but the last time, which was awhile back, we went it was bad and when we went today it wasn't any better. They went and made the burger patty on this plate small and the prices went up. If you're going to raise the prices at least keep the same amount of food. We also got a smothered burger plate and that had a short black hair in it. We didn't take it back we just gave it to the dog. They've also changed the size of the soup container that came with the smothered burger plate to a little 4oz cup where it was 12oz before. Hate to see my favorite place in town go to shit but that's what's happening there. The service? Forget it...

On a road trip on my way to El Paso, TX. A girl has to eat. My brother and sister and I stopped for breakfast at this great local establishment. I had never been here. I loved my first impression of a bar and chairs (diner feel) . That's where we sat. You could tell there were lots of locals and while staff was busy and regulars needed coffee they'd come to the counter for more. The wait staff knew their names. Great service! I ordered pancakes with hash browns, eggs and sausage links. And of course coffee. The staff was awesome! Pleasant and on top of everything we needed. Sure wished I had room for the cinnamon roll because a few people ordered it warm and buttery. Next time.

We ended up eating here twice over a long weekend. Heading to and back from Cloudcroft. This is the real deal diner experience and I applaud the ownership for not changing a thing. When you got perfection, why change it? Huge menu of tasty delights. Go for the guacamole and chips. We enjoyed lunch time salads and killer huevos racheros for breakfast. Service is personal and professional. Check out the bar/lounge next door. Looks like a great place to escape the heat and enjoy a cocktail. Nicely done, El Camino.

The food and service is worth stopping by. Take a quick detour off the freeway and stop by this iconic place in Socorro, NM. Their Navajo tacos are sooo good, well let's just say all their traditional diner items are good.

We were served by probably the worst servers I've ever had. The kitchen didn't have any of the sides I wanted so the girls promised to "take care of me". I got steamed veggies. When I went to pay they apparently forgot to add on one of the appetizers (which wasn't great anyways), and for this they chased me into the parking lot as I was pulling away to ask me to come back in and pay for it. I've been all over and never encountered such ditzy service in my life.

Not open at 6am on Saturday like Yelp says on its website. Now I am just trying to get to 85 characters.

So the college greasy spoon of New Mexico Tech. 20+ years ago this place was open 24 hours a day and smoking was permitted. We used to spend many nights here cramming for exams or doing homework. The food here is very good dinner food. Definitely check this place out if you're in Socorro.

Easily accessible off the highway, this place was hopping. Luckily for us the wait staff were attentive and quick and the food was tasty. I opted for the huevos rancheros and my eggs were perfectly over easy. Plus, it came with a side of hash browns which tasted especially good in the salsa. My husband enjoyed his burger as well which he could add chilis onto.

Hats off to the crew here! They were so pleasant and very efficient, worked together well as a team! We stopped in for breakfast. Everything was great except the hash browns. Not sure what was going on, but they were not very brown and had a strange taste. Convenient location if traveling through Socorro, to or from Bosque del Apache. We have stopped by a couple of times after eat morning bird watching.

My coworker would give it one or two stars. The staff was great and attentive but the food was subpar by far. I had a cheeseburger and no complaints, but this review is for the steak fajita plate. I tried them and it tasted like greasy meat with no flavor and the rice tasted like microwaveable instant rice. I could have made better fajitas and I'm not a great cook. Maybe breakfast is better. So three stars for the kind staff.

Only good thing about this place is that you won't be tempted to overeat. The food is just bad tasting. Also slow as heck. After 45 minutes, one plate of hard spaghetti came out with a Wolf Brand chili-like sauce on top. Ten minutes later 2 more plates came out, a grisly steak and a bland chicken fried steak. Ten minutes later the last 2 plates: chicken strips and a funky smelling lemon chicken. Baked potatoes were hard, even the butter tasted old. Something is wrong in that kitchen and the poor wait staff have to concoct elaborate lies to cover for them. Weird experience. Even if you can't cook, you can do better than this place.

We ordered two plates - a "sizzling" chicken fajitas plate and a combination plate with one chili rellenos and one beef enchiladas.both were under the "New Mexican" entrees on the menu. The chicken fajitas was not sizzling and was simply put on a dish with rice and beans. It ranks in the worst chicken I've ever had - dry and no flavor to it, like rubber. I would definitely not recommend this dish because it was awful. The only thing I really liked here was the chili rellenos - the chili was crunchy and not too spicy and had a good amount of cheese around it. The beef enchiladas was kind of similar to Taco Bell, though I realize that it's probably new Mexican fare. The bathrooms were pretty filthy and I had to unclog the sink of paper towels (why are guests so inconsiderate?) I guess what bothered me was seeing a few things with signs: one sign said that they were short-staffed due to people not wanting to work hung prominently on the front doors (the size of 20 posters). Another were two Covid vaccine signs by the county that were not hung up but put on the cookie stand as if to hide it even though they were useful signs of where to get the shots. If I had noticed these signs walking in, I probably would not have supported this place. It's unfortunate that the environment felt like there was an agenda when all I wanted was to eat my food. It is clear that this is a busy place with locals who frequent this place - just wish it were more family friendly with the signs.

Got into town Sunday afternoon and almost everywhere to eat was closed. El Camino was open and so our group gave it a try. The food was typical diner food not exceptional but good and filling. The service was good. The only downside was the food for our group came out one then another then two more then another one. It was too long in between so we didn't all eat at the same time. But in Socorro Sunday evening it is what it is

I have eaten here 3 times in the last 2 years, when I am on my stopover during a road trip- I love the cod fried fish dinner so much that I haven't even tried anything else! I also eat in the bar/lounge, I love the booths and decor in there and it's awesome to get out of the sun and heat. The staff I've had are great, and the most impressive thing to me is that I get so much food that I always have lunch or dinner for the next day! The tartar sauce is The Best! I will be back as always

I thought this place was really good. When we first got here, the restaurant was full, so we ended up eating in the bar area, which was a pretty cool old school looking western bar. There was hardly anyone in there and the atmosphere was kind of dark and bar like. I ordered the combo plate with an enchilada and taco. It didn't take long for us to get our food once the waitress took our order. The enchiladas were very cheesy and the green Chile was hot but not super hot..very good.. it also came with beans and rice. I would definitely come here again if in Socorro. The only reason for 4 stars was because the service was very slow. That might be due to perhaps being short staffed due to Covid...

We were in Socorro for a family reunion. We stayed nearby so the location was perfect. Long story short, We ate 3 meals in 2 days here with anywhere from 5 to 14 in our group. They were super accommodating for us and everyone raged about their meals and how good they were. If I am ever back in Socorro, I can promise you I will be eating at El Camino

Another bell banging, yelling at the servers experience. The food here is as good as it gets in small town NM. A must stop for reflection of the good old days.

Tonight we wanted to dine in at this place. We found seats. Waitresses never acknowledged us. They saw us walking in. They made eye contact. However not one smiled and greeted. The host got our drinks. The waitress waited on a couple which came in afterwards. I think this was very rude to discriminate us. Yes I felt ignored and was given poor service.

Sorry, I rarely left a one star but it is that bad. I ordered a medium rare top sirloin steak with popcorn shrimps, and guacamole w/ chips. The lady told me it will be about 20 minutes. First, the food didn't come out until 1 hour later. Second, the steak is very dry, way overcooked and very rough. It is definitely one of the worst piece of steak I had for as far as my memory goes. Terrible! See the pictures. Third, the chip is also hard and stale, the they ran out of shrimps (they refunded me). It was a Sunday and the restaurant was busy. But sorry, It is just so terrible that I wish I can trade the food with MacDonald's.

I could easily write a novel about El Can. It was a mainstay in college, we'd study here, eat here after a night out, and just meet up here because it always felt like home. Food is good and plenty here, the price is right, and they provide WiFi along with a college discount. Try the green chile cheese fries, they are always delicious. The breakfast with two burritos is an awesome deal too. It's never a disappointing experience here, the food is always consistent.

I always look for older, hole in the wall places because I feel they have the best food most of the time. This time, no! There is not one redeeming quality about this place. Everything looked dirty, the booths, seats, bathrooms, floor, windows, even the staff, I am sorry to say. The food was bland, weird, and not authentic New Mexican food! I was afraid to get sick so I didn't eat much. Don't go to this restaurant!

I've had the their food on a fire assignment once. Finally stopped in. The ambiance is definitely a diner. It's quite cool. Burger was meaty and good. I should have put green chile on it.

I'm going to round up on this one. When I took my first bite of my enchilada, I said, 'Not bad.' I ordered the ground beef version and asked them to add onions and for double rice instead of the normal rice and whole beans. The red chile I asked for on the side had a little kick to it, but not too hot. The consistency was a little different... a little thicker than I'm used to but fine. Almost like ketchup consistency. My dinner companion had the meatloaf and mashed potatoes. He thought it was ok but I noticed he ate every last bit. It came with a salad. I quickly asked the waitress for an extra plate before I even asked if he would share. The lettuce was cold and crisp. The 1000 Island dressing was good. I haven't seen bacon bits in a while but I liked the crunch. The restaurant was clean, though a little chilly this Nov evening. We should have chosen a booth away from the big windows...burr! I rounded up in my rating because the staff was attentive and it was a big plus that they had electric outlets at the booths by the windows! Great for travelers to charge up while they eat.

After driving cross country all day across beautiful New Mexico it was difficult to pick a place to eat / we were pleased with El Camino/ the Place was clean / staff helpful with great recommendations / food was good / chef did a great job with grilled steak and chicken fajitas / would definitely eat here again

In Socorro for a short visit, two meals at El Camino both were outstanding. Service was provided by servers who knew their jobs, crazy efficient. Loved the 50s/60s decor, it only complimented the whole experience. Don't miss the Hollywood Cool lounge. Great drinks and service.

The service is great but the wait not so much. The kids food is ish and the adult food is amazing.The ambiance is amazing.

We came to eat here after being kicked out of the Brewery down the street because we told the server she was rude. We asked about drinks and of course they do have anything you might want. The menu is huge. Lots of options. I ordered a build your own Mexican plate. My husband had breakfast and the others had Steak. Everything was amazing. The place is old and very cool. I love old place that can still rock it. The service is what I really want to brag on. Barbie was our servers name. She knows the menu very well. She was on top of our drinks, they never got empty. Even when the place was full she never missed a beat. My brother cut up with her and she gave it right back. This girl is definitely a keeper. She know how to do her job well. The only place in town we will eat when we are back here.

Me and my boyfriend came across this nice restaurant on our road trip and it's was so good I didn't care for the fries and ranch but overall the food was amazing and so were the drinks! Also the food came out fast! The service was amazing also everyone was so nice and welcoming! The atmosphere is chill and relaxing, they have two sides of the restaurant also which was cool! Also they no longer are 24/7 so beware of the time you go! I went around 8pm by 9 it seemed like they were wrapping up!

Not sure how to rate this one. Food was good. Service was good. I ordered the huevos rancheros w beef patty Added jalapeños to the hash browns and mushrooms to the eggs. All items piled atop one another, all was great. Got the red and green chili on the side to add as needed. More food than I could eat in one setting I got a to-go box so I could try the cinnamon roll I'd seen on Yelp It was "ok". Nice size and covered w butter-I requested a drizzle of chocolate-got a deluge But still ate it all. It was "just ok"-I've had better, and worse The coffee was unimpressive So overall it wasn't a bad experience until.... It apparently didn't set well w my tummy. Had to stop twice before making it back to hotel. Unsure if it was anything individually, or piling everything together. But I've had the red and green chili sauce at other places. And eggs/hash browns and cheese aren't foreign to me, neither is coffee nor pintos. But whatever happened, happened. And I won't go back "just to find out" what didn't agree with me May not be you're story, but I tend to share my experiences jic

Holy crap, this place was beyond terrible. Ordered a Reuben sandwich and it came with chopped bare cabbage instead of sauerkraut. And plain bread instead of the described marble rye. The corned beef was shoe leather. Seriously, it really was shoe leather. There was no biting thru it. Disgusting. Had asked for my fries extra crispy and they came extra soggy. Not a complicated order, folks. Do better! They were the only sit down place open, which is why we went there. Huge regret. Should have just done one of the fast food places in town. At least there would be some modicum of standard and expectation of mediocrity...which would have been much better. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this place at all costs.

Thank you from Florida. Stopped in for breakfast and was amazing. The Farmhouse coffee was the best I have had in a few days. The waitress staff was friendly and attentive. The food was cooked perfect to the way we asked. If ever in the area, stop and enjoy.

Real beef an great meal, wonderful service. Can't tell if you miss it , and don't be in a hurry

The decor is stuck in the 60s, but it's charming. The service has that old time diner vibe too, but the ladies are friendly and hustling. There are lots to choose between on the menu, We had the green chili burger, rellono and enchiladas. It was all good and filling!

Oh, El Cam. I love you so. You taste like the days of college, back when I was at NMT and a plate of green chile cheese fries with garnish could solve the problems of the world! Tonight I had the opportunity to stop in with my father-in-law for dinner on our long drive home from Las Cruces to Albuquerque. It was his first time but I was thrilled to see that the booths and decor was still the same. It was like I was 19 again. Too bad no one told my wrinkles and thighs! We both had breakfast and everything was as fresh and delicious as I remembered. My pigs in a blanket were fantastic and the hashbrowns were easily twice as big as I remembered. Or maybe that is just because I'm no longer a broke, hungry college kid? My husband was bummed that he missed out on the fun so I grabbed a green chile cheese fries to go for him. However, it was without garnish because he can't quite hang like he thinks he can.

Old fashioned diner with decor from the 1960s is what sets this place apart. Nice large booths to accommodate groups. I ordered the frito pie. The chili tasted flavorless as if it was just grey ground beef. It was plenty spicy with the green chili's but no other flavors than that.

It's very basic and if you just want a hot plate of food fast, come here. Everything tastes conventional and processed. Dingy and dirty atmosphere. Lots of flys flying around. The waitress almost seemed out of a movie. While nice as they were, just speedy and to the point. Probably won't return unless it's out of necessity.

I've been wanting to try authentic and spicy, real Mew Mexico green chili and the folks at El Camino say that I have. I believe them. I had the famous Juevos Rancheros smothered in green chili. The rest of the family had the spaghetti. The spice and flavor was as I had imagined and also observed on an Anthony Bourdain NM special. The atmosphere of the place is great. The matador lounge Next door looks even cooler but we have the kids with us. Maybe next time! Muchisimo Gracias El Camino!

decent meal. hash browns could've gone on longer and chicken was a bit dry and not very seasoned. Don't let this scare you though, it was a good meal

Oh my god! I didn't want to stop here, but nothing else was open. I ordered chili rellenos, and he ordered chicken fried steak. I've never seen beef a taupe color! We also ordered chicken takitos. The chicken was the consistency of gum or paste! The red sauce they doused everything in was terrible! I wouldn't feed this food to my dog! I'm fearful of how are bodies are going to react! We did leave with most of the food on our plates! I just couldn't!

Great food with a variety of delicious selections. Had the best Chile Rellenos and Beef Tacos around. The Chile Rellenos had the crispiest batter I have ever had and the beef in the tacos had wonderful flavor! We ordered and our food was done in 6 minutes! No joke! Their hostess Stephanie is the sweetest young lady and between her and the lovely gentleman that talked to us they checked on us four times. Lovely staff, fast delicious food, highly recommend this restaurant!

El Camino is a hidden gem. In business since 1963 and definitely has that 60s roadside attraction charm. Amazing food, great staff and kitschy spot!

I ate Thanksgiving dinner here. They were the only sit down restaurant I could find in Socorro that was open. I didn't have high expectations but was pleasantly surprised. Service was good given how busy the place was. The Thanksgiving menu included all the traditional foods. The food was delivered in a timely manner, was hot, was accurate to my order and most importantly, it was very tasty and flavorful. Oh yeah, and it was very affordable. I appreciate the service they offer the community by being open on Thanksgiving and I plan to make it part of my holiday tradition.

Wait staff was annoyed the whole time, and rude. Food was blahhh. Not tasty at all. Too bad I was really hungry when we stopped here.

You cannot beat the experience! It's an Edward Hopper experience. Small town, locals drinking coffee and solving the problems of the world in the same booth for past 20+ years, breakfast counter, booths, all the plastic turquoise upholstery and Mexican AM radio in the kitchen. The food was good, I had the #3 eggs and Chorizo. However, it's not the food you stop by for, its purely to step into the Edward Hopper Nighthawk painting.

We were traveling out of Albuquerque to tour the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Preserve. Our guide, Patti, was hungry and wanted to stop at Taco Bell - she was certain there was a TB in Socorro. Fortunately for us, she was wrong. And better still, as it was Easter, the only restaurant open that day was El Camino. We ordered the Chile Rellenos. We were positive we had died and gone to heaven!! The Spanish rice actually had delicious flavor as well. I have never found decent Spanish rice at any Tex-Mex or Mexican restaurant until visiting this place. On my trip to the ladies room, I took note of all the filled tables and their bountiful plates. Many patrons were having breakfast. I have never seen larger, beautifully browned hash brown potatoes in my lifetime! One gentleman was having biscuits and gravy - I desperately wanted to taste them, but refrained. Danged great food. FAST, efficient service. The place was busy, busy, BUSY, but the servers and busers all moved about the place with grace and ease. I failed to get our lovely servers name. She was tiny, with beautiful, highlights in her ponytail. A couple of tasteful tattoos. She was sweet and super pleasant. Another note on the delightful staff - it was fun and pleasurable to see so many guests greeted by name and hugged on parting. We will definitely and gladly eat here again!!!

Pumpkin and Hunny Bunny would feel right at home at this diner and lounge that appears to have been built somewhere between 1955 and 1970 and was never renovated. You probably won't be pulling up in a '66 T-bird, but you'll wish you were. The food is standard Mexican with green chili as a nice local touch in addition to the usual lone red sauce option. The fajitas are served all on one plate with soft fresh tortillas on the side. The avocado salad is a large portion with a full avocado sliced and laid atop a generous bed of lettuce, green peppers, tomatoes, and finished off with cheese and a hard boiled egg. The 3 item combo runs everything together on the plate, an effect made worse by the slightly watery green sauce that serves as a unifying force. In this case, the tamale and chili relleno--normally two very distinct menu items-- could be distinguished mostly by texture. Portions in general, and in particular for salad and pie, are large. Pies at dessert time are excellent and did not show any telltale warning signs of coming from a freezer. (I'm guessing they're made fresh locally or in-house). Coffee is good, moderately strong, and served in small brown thick-walled mugs that almost certainly date back to restaurant's inception. The service was fast, cheerful, and attentive. The waiters and servers are literally running at times. As another reviewer has noted, the men's room is not somewhere you want to linger. It's kept clean, but after a few decades of use it could stand to be stripped down and rebuilt. The women's room does not appear to have the same well-worn feel, according a woman who used it.

If you are like me and just dropping through Socorro, you're probably here out of necessity more than anything else. Still, I feel my experience was subpar. I ordered three dishes to-go: the roast beef dinner, a two item combination plate (chicken enchilada, pork tamale), and the chicken fajita salad. The roast beef dinner was probably the most underwhelming. It came with 3 slices of bland beef, a small side salad, a baked potato, and corn. For $12.49, I was expecting a lot more, or at least a bit of flavor from the food I did get. The chicken fajita salad wasn't much better. It contained lettuce, green bell peppers, a few pieces of cold chicken, mushroom, and salsa. Basically a fajita but uncooked, pretty much salvaged only because of the salsa. The two item combination plate was actually pretty good; it was flavorful and the only dish I ordered that came out warm. I loved the pork tamale, and the fact that it was blanketed by beans and rice- yum!! If there's anything to be learned from this experience, it's to stick with items off the 'New Mexican Entrees' section of the menu while in New Mexico.

I ordered take out and missed the atmosphere vibe inside. 4 item combo, pork tamale, chile relleno, chicken enchilada and beef taco, with a side of guac and chips. I really enjoyed the relleno and enchilada. The green sauce added extra flavor. Yum!