Metate Room

This is a fine dining experience right in Mesa Verde. The staff was on point and friendly. I was concerned about this prior to our visit because several reviews complained about the service. In fact, there was a great vibe from the waitstaff, and all of the customers' visiting seemed pleased. So why only three stars? The food had excellent presentation but lacked in flavor. The chicken was very dry. The short ribs were fatty but very tasty. The vegetable of the day was broccoli rabe, and it seemed to have an odd flavor, as though it was sprayed with some oil or something. It was mostly warm but not hot. If you are looking for a sit-down meal at a comfortable table with air condition and spectacular scenery, you may like it here. Although we felt the food was ok, but not amazing. We did enjoy seeing a buck stop to enjoy his dinner right outside the restaurant.

The location is great, the view is wonderful, and the service was really good too. The food was alright, considering your limited options its probably the best option for the park. If you want a nice sit down dinner, for sure this is really the only option you have.

After an amazing day in the park, what better to end than a phenomenal meal with sweeping views. The food was outstanding, and our server, Javier, elevated our experience even more! Don't miss this opportunity. You won't regret it.

The Metate Room is great! The location is of course stunning, and the menu is a thoughtful mix of regional cuisine and standbys. I had the succotash and seasonal veggie (broccoli). Both were delicious and I had enough succotash leftover for breakfast. My server was very attentive. Overall, excellent experience and by far the best food in MVNP!

Based on the food and service received, there was no real value. The expensive food I received was a very small portion but the flavour was acceptable. We will not be back. The server tried but still was worse than an attendant at Chuckie Cheese. The restrooms at a McDonald's are better suited than what was provided. The view, through the window, was amazing.

Please don't complain about the cost of food here. Yes, it's expensive, but it costs money to deliver goods here in the national park. I mean, you can drive way the heck out to the nearest town for dinner or bring your own food. It's your choice. 1. We loved the food, ambience, and drinks so much that we came back the next evening. 2. The first time we came here, we shared the Ancient Grain Salad for an appetizer. The dressing is a sun-dried based. Very good. I'm picky about dressings, but this was delicious. 3. The sangria was not too sweet, but not too bitter either. It didn't give me a headache the next morning like some sangrias do. They probably use the good wine here. Husband got the Gold Rush. Good drink! 4. The best braised short rib I've ever had. So tender, you didn't need a knife. Husband had the ribeye. Cooked to his liking. We ate every single thing on our plate. 5. Second night I ordered the same dish. My husband got the the Ancient Salad again, but with chicken. Also ordered the Smoked Salmon Green Chili Mousse as an appetizer. It wasn't fishy tasty and he ate the whole thing. 6. Got the donuts for dessert. It's okay. Probably should've tried the chocolate truffle which we were going to order the second time, but we were stuffed. 7. The only thing I would recommend for this restaurant is to have bread service. Any kind of bread with soft butter would have been nice. We would have paid for the bread. If you're tired from hiking and sightseeing or you're staying at the lodge, get a reservation and come here for dinner at least one night.

Beautiful restaurant ( hence 1 star) but a very disappointing experience and service. Food lacked flavor, over baked chewy breads and just expensive for no reason. We were told that they had just opened for the season and had issues hiring staff. We were ready to accommodate with the food delays but there were certain things we just could not tolerate . We had a reservation for 7 pm but we were early so we decided to hang out at the bar upstairs. FYi the bar and this restaurant has the same drink menu. Bar tender was friendly and amazing. I had ordered Fireside and was nice. We were seated in at 7 pm per our reservation at the restaurant. Restaurant has a beautiful ambience and great view. Manager was sweet but something was very off with our server- super slow and did not care at all about serving people. Our server took the order for food and drinks at 7:15 pm . It took 45 mins for our server to prepare two drinks. I had ordered prickly pear margarita and guess what it was Fireside. I confirmed with her if she got me the right drink and she confirmed the upstairs bar tender gave me the wrong drink. We got our food an hour an half later at 8:30 pm and guess what the Pan seared Trout lacked flavor, the smoked salmon chili mouse had chewy bread . They were cold, tough and chewy to an extent they flew across another table. Only thing that was served hot was Mushroom Flatbread and it was nothing extraordinary. After all this we paid $85. They should have informed us that they are running this late- 1 hr 30 mins or should have cancelled other reservations or at the max after taking this long should have served good food.

My wife and I both got the salmon, which was delicious! Guy, our server, was amazing…excellent service! We brought our five kids to eat there, and Guy worked with us to order teenager friendly meals. The apple pie churro w/ ice cream was my favorite dessert! Meal was pricey, but not bad for being in the National Park and at the hotel.

Stopped in after a long day of hiking, and rain deterred many from trying their luck in Cortez. Food was probably on the pricy side but considering you are in rural Colorado and an extra hour up the hill in a national park you are paying for reduced economy of scale and claiming back two hours of time to go back down the mountain and back up. Ambiance is kind of not "nouveau" but an effort is made to be slightly immersive to the environment, influencing menu, music choice and decor.

The ribeye steak was pretty good here and the view was fantastic. I would come back if I happen to be in Mesa Verde again! Thanks for the great service and a nice meal.

View 5 Beautiful views of Mesa Verde wherever you sit. Service 5 - thank you Guy and staff for the attentive, fast service. The young lady with the glasses was extra helpful during both our dining experiences. Food - Ribeye all cooked medium not to order, meat was extremely fatty and everything seemed to have too much added butter on it. I did like the 3 sister succotash.

Looking for some fancier food during our stay at Mesa Verde. Amazing view from the dining room, friendly wait staff, and pretty decent food that is not a sandwich.

We had the trout and it was excellent. Service was very good and the views are stunning. Nice bar on the upper floor with outdoor patio.

Prices were on the luxury side, which is to be expected inside a National Park, but the food was just average. We both got the ribeye and I can cook a better one at home. The butter on top of the steak was amazing! Made up for the mediocre steak. The veggies that accompanied the steak were phenomenal! Service was slow and slightly on the rude side, to be honest. Great view of the park and very classy dining room. The food and service just didn't live up to expectations.

Our server Lucky was great! Friendly positive attitude and probably the main reason we went back a second night. The food was pretty solid. We had the mushroom flatbread and added the elk burger patty to it. It was ok. The patty could have been seasoned some more. The apple churro was really good! The salmon was overcooked but the flavor was good. Pretty large place with great views. Don't worry about dress code. Didn't try the salads but the portions were huge.

My friend and I showed up to Metate after a couple of tours in the Mesa Verde National Park. The location is easy to get to given that it's right on the Far View Lodge area where there's plenty of signage bringing you there. And perhaps because we were also there offseason (late September) parking was also a a non-issue. Our seating at the venue itself was also pleasant: since there were only two of us, we were seated right by the windows giving us plenty of light and a view. Inside, the decor itself was simple -- almost reminiscent of that of a rustic home interior. Food-wise, we started with a roasted mushroom flatbread: which was absolutely fantastic. Not only did the food come quickly, the flavor combination on this flatbread worked really well. We finished this dish pretty quickly and got our respective main entrees shortly thereafter. My friend got the pan-seared rainbow trout and I got the black angus ribeye. The trout was a tad disappointing: especially since you didn't really get a lot of trout, the trout itself was a bit on the salty side, and the yukon potatoes were unfortunately too buttery for either of us. The ribeye, however, was a great cut and frankly more than I'd expected to get. It was pretty well-seasoned though I should note that I'd asked for a medium, and the steak itself was definitely closer to a medium-well. Either way, the steak tasted great and I finished my dish with little issue.

Along with other reviews; service was definitely lacking. We got asked 3 times if we wanted water refills(granted we had barely drank much water, annoying!) prior to our server stopping by. Food took awhile and one dish came out 10 minutes after the others. Then sat for about 15 minutes after out plates were cleared waiting for the check. View was great and food was definitely good but just not a great experience otherwise. Wouldn't recommend a cocktail either, none were good. For minimal options in the area, it's nice to be able to get a nice dinner but staff definitely needs some training.

Food came out cold 45min after ordering. The manager corrected the issue. Beautiful location but the restaurant needs some improvement.

A nice place to dine while you are in Mesa Verde park. We had two nights booked at the Far View Lodge and he decided to try the Metate Room on night two. Add it was a Monday night at the end of their session, I didn't think to make a reservation. But the hostess found us a table right by the window. Do try the elote cauliflower. It's amazing! My husband loved his burger and I had the flatbread as my entree, also delicious. The server was attentive and you can't beat the view.

Good food, run down location. This is such a great spot in Mesa Verde National Park. Reservations were easy to get. Service was really good and quick. Food was good. Small portions on veggies (3 spears of asparagus!?) but the fish portion was very generous. Overall a good meal. But the upkeep of the place. Very run down and not clean. We sat right near the window for the views, but the ledge was covered in dust and bugs. Disappointing

It is rare that I issue a poor review on a place. Even if I have a bad experience, I try to chalk it off to circumstance. In this case, I can't simply walk it off - this may have been one of the 2-3 worst dining experiences I can recall having in the last decade, and I believe it's because Matate Room has a veritable monopoly due to the distance to other real restaurants around Mesa Verde. The meal started fine with cocktails, and we placed an order for the crispy cauliflower. The cocktails were average - my Old Fashioned was a bit diluted, but okay. The cauliflower tasted good. I also ordered the soup du jour, which was a red pepper Gouda bisque. On their own, the appetizer and bisque were meh, but we began dipping the cauliflower into the bisque, and it was great. Then everything went to crap. We were one of the only tables sat at the time prior to dinner rush flowing in and ordered straightaway, so you'd think we'd be out ahead on service. No such luck. After over an hour of waiting, the waiter came and apologized for the slow service, and we brushed it off saying we were enjoying our time. However, rather than expo the meal, we waited another 45 minutes, at which point, we asked for the check and started to leave. Finally, the food came, but that was not a good thing. Food quality: abysmal. The coffee-rubbed short ribs lacked any distinguishable flavor. The flavor of the beef had been cooked out altogether, and they were so underseasoned as to have no note of the coffee rub at all. The trout in chili-lime was over-salted to the point of lacking any of the citrus or spice notes, even drowning out the flavor of the trout. I'm still feeling the compulsion to hydrate due to the sheer concetration of salt they delivered. And my son's pork medallions very clearly say under the warming lamp for the better part of an hour. We each finished little more than a few bites after all that wait, and feel more dissatisfied for having eaten them than if we'd hung things up when we were first inclined. The service timing was terrible. The flavor profiles reflected an amateur chef. And the price for the experience was unconscionable - we'd have a more desirable dining experience at McDonald's. As I noted, I think the one thing Matate has going for it is a perceived monopoly within 30 minutes. It's a shame a restaurant can get away with such a shoddy product due to a captive audience. I'd recommend to anyone reading this that they plan for their meal outside the park rather than be handcuffed into this misery.

Ok, I have been on hiatus from reviews for over 18 months due to Covid. I have continued to eat out and explore and have had some amazing meals from Xcalak Mexico to Salt Lake City, Utah. I have chosen to just keep those places and reviews to myself as so many people have not been able to get out and I don't want to rub it in, or seem cavalier. But tonight at the Matate room, this meal quite literally raised the bar to other worldly! And that is not a hyperbole. I had heard it was good and expected it to be good, but Samantha, our server made a fairly bold recommendation in the braised short ribs, and I am here to tell you, these were the best short ribs I have ever had! When my wife said "are you kidding"? After her first bite, I was excited, but then when I had my first bite, my words to the server were..."this should be illegal"! It was a cut of short ribs that had been braised and slow cooked for over 8 hours, laid on a bed of wilted spinach and all placed on top of mashed Yukon gold potatoes with a perfectly seasoned garlic butter and au jus. The cut of meat had a sliver thin layer of fat, as short ribs do, but it melted into ever cut and added a level of succulent deliciousness that for me, literally raised the foodie bar to a whole new level. The salad to start with was great but wow, the main course was spectacular and the donut holes right out of the fryer in cinnamon sugar and raspberry and cream dip was the cherry on the cake of a meal that was totally fit for a 35 year anniversary dinner celebration. So, if you are ever in Cortez Colorado, or Mesa Verde National Park, get a reservation for this place, go and get the short ribs, and then enjoy one of the best meals you will ever have in your life! This is a place I will be coming back to for the short ribs!

Chef Jake has outdone himself with the salmon tamales! The view was beautiful and the staff friendly.

We were excited to try this restaurant while staying at the Fair View Lodge. Unfortunately it didn't live up to our expectations. For the price, you get beautiful window lined scenery to view. For a dinner course the minimum price was $25. The food was good but our experience was not. We had made reservations a day in advance and still ended up waiting 30 minutes for a table. (After my husband checked our place in line) Once seated, we noted several empty tables around us and were baffled why there were long lines to be sat. Our waiter took another 10 minutes to acknowledge us. So we immediately put in our drink, appetizer and dinner orders. Wine arrived another 10 minutes later. Our appetizer? It arrived 45 minutes later! Our dinner was another 20 minutes. We literally spent the majority of dinner waiting. For perspective, we arrived at 7:45 and left a little after 10 pm. Sad to say we were not the only ones dealing with the slow service. I understand if you are short staffed but there were more than 2 tables that arrived after us and got their food before us. I would hate for someone to drive all the way there and sit.

For the location and lack of options, it's a wonderful place to eat. I ate at the restaurant and I suggest not ordering take out, as it doesn't play to the restaurant's pluses. The food would be messed up in a take out box. There is a wonderful view of the park and beautiful windows to look out from. It's large but quiet at the same time which makes it very relaxing after a long day of exploring. Reservations are required which make trying to find a perfect time to eat difficult. I wasn't able to eat until 8:15 because I wasn't aware that a reservation was necessary until 4:40. Now to the interesting part, the food. The main dish of the entree were good, were they amazing... no. They exceeded my expectations but didn't make me drop my fork. The sides were extremely small. I ordered the braised short rib and my spinach and potatoes were crushed underneath my short rib. I suggest skipping dessert . I had some of the brownie and the Apple galette and both tasted like they were just heated up. You can most definitely forgo dessert. I'd say that's it's still a wonderful restaurant inside a wonderful park.

We stayed at the Far View Lodge for 2 nights, and ate in the Lodge Dining Room both nights. Note - we made our dinner reservations by calling the lodge a week in advance. Although the lodge was sold out both nights, we were able to get seats by the window for our 7:30 reservation. Because of the expansive views, the large windows and the way they have the tables staggered, there really isn't a bad seat in the house. We saw deer wander by the first night, and an excellent rain storm the second night. Good selection of Colorado brews on tap here. We enjoyed the Modus Hoperandi from Ska Brewing! The second evening I selected a Cab from their list of Colorado wines. Also, very nice. The first night, I had the Elk Wellington and hubby had the Cold Smoked Lamb T-bones. (We had also ordered the sausage appetizer, but the server forgot to put the order in). The Elk Wellington was phenomenal. Excellent flavor, perfectly cooked to medium rare with a nice flaky "crust". Served with green chili mashed potatoes, that had great flavor with a little kick, but had a bit too much salt. Hubby's lamb was a different story. The lamb is cold-smoked then "finished" on the grill. He asked for medium rare. They absolutely KILLED (not in a good way) the lamb - it was charred to black, with not a tiny bit of pink anywhere. That's too bad, because he said it would have been GREAT if just briefly seared on the grill. The second night, we ordered the rattlesnake/pheasant sausage appetizer, and this time it was delivered. And it was great!! Very nicely seasoned and very lean. Served with coarse ground mustard, as well as some sort of poppy seed dressing. I tried a little of the mustard on a bite - it was good, but the sausage really didn't need any help! For entrees, hubby wasn't that hungry so had the flatbread - nothing special - salami, tomato, cheese and basil with pesto sauce. He likes it just fine. I had the pork chop, with is served bone-in with a pomegranate demi glace. Oh, my goodness!!! It was spectacular. Served with simple roasted veggies. Everything was great, as was the service. After dinner we went upstairs to the lounge and had a Porter as we watched darkness creep over the canyons in the distance.

Very good place to eat. Limited menu but lots of delicious choices. Great daily soups. We started with a tasty Southwest Chicken soup. We split a grilled spare rib and double cheese grilled sandwich with fries and split a house salad with grilled salmon and blue cheese on the side. Staff is limited but friendly- come relaxed and have a leisurely meal. Some excellent specialty drinks, wine and beer.

We ate here both nights we stayed in the park. That is certainly a rarity for me; I can't readily recall the last time I had dinner at the same restaurant two nights in a row. However, if you are staying in the park's lodge (and cannot cook for yourself), then the only option you have is the Metate Room. Actually, there are 2 options. They have some sort of bar/lounge upstairs with a scaled down menu (i.e., you can get burgers/sandwiches which are slightly cheaper). If we had stayed a 3rd night, I'd have checked that out. For the main dining room, you'd be wise to stop by the hotel lobby area early and make some sort of reservation for dinner. They tend to book up (given the lack of other options) so planning ahead is definitely advisable. We made reservations the first day around noon; we reserved the 2nd night's slot after our first dinner. Tables for 2 by the large windows are the most popular, but as we had a party of 3 we had to sit a bit back from the windows. As for the food, it was good. There was no hint of it not being fresh. I ended up with a tortellini and beef dish both nights, which I enjoyed. Others had fish, chicken, or the pasta over the 2 meals. We split a vanilla dessert one evening, which was also good. They have a full bar service also. Service was fairly good; when the place fills up, the servers can be stretched a little thin, but then again you likely don't have a long drive (or a drive at all) afterwards, so a relaxed pace isn't a bad thing.

I really love this restaurant that just located inside Mesa Verda National Park, while outside is cold and it keeps me warm. However, we waited long time for them to serve the meals, not sure if they were trying to time it against the sunset. If so, they were bit early ( just waited quite a while tho and I was hungry)

Very good food, with a stellar view. The ribeye and the tequila-lime shrimp were both delicious. Everything on the dessert menu was fantastic. The more casual upstairs lounge/bar has the same dessert menu and excellent food, with great rooftop seating.

I don't like writing negative reviews, however our experience definitely constitutes for this. We arrived 15 minutes earlier than our reservation and weren't seated until 20 minutes after our reservation time. In addition, our water tasted like it came out of a septic tank and none of us could drink it. Our server had an attitude, which didn't help our already bad experience. The food was okay, but did not make up for how slow the service was. The highlight was me finding a hair in my burger which grossed me out more than I already was. I understand that this is the only option for food if you come to Mesa Verde, but I would recommend anyone planning on coming here to stock up on food to last for their stay and steer away from this place.

Restaurant located in Mesa Verde at Far View Lodge. This and the Lounge are the only 2 places to eat dinner in the area. Highly recommend Metate Room since it is more spacious and prices are reasonable. Same drink and appetizer menu as the Far View Lodge but a much larger selection for main entrees. Far View Lounge is more sandwiches and Burgers. Those looked good too if that's more what you're looking for. We made a reservation but ended up being seated earlier per our request. Food was good but the views were incredible!! Had a seat right next to the window, also recommend making a reservation around sunset. Those views were the best! Beer selection wasn't the greatest and our favorite wines were sold out since it's the end of the season... so I tried the Peach Mule and it was delicious.

We had a reservation for 7:15 at the Metate on Friday night. When we arrived there had been some large party ahead of us and they hadn't even seated the 7:00 folks yet. So, we headed upstairs to the Far View Lounge instead. This was a good move! The food at the Lounge was well above your average bar food. Service was a bit slow, but wow, so worth it. In our party we had a burger, a short rib grilled cheese with parmesan crust (that was mine, YUM), and a flatbread with pancetta and mushrooms. Really flavorful stuff! We all enjoyed our meals immensely, and the view was spectacular. Sometimes when you eat at a restaurant where you are a captive audience it can be mediocre at best, but you could tell the food at the Lounge was really well thought out and prepared with care. Saturday night we finally made it to the Metate Room. I cringe at spending money on expensive meals because I'm cheap, but again, the food was way worth it. I had an incredible pork chop with pancetta and fennel that was completely delicious. My parents both had a trout dish that they loved. A nice touch is that my Dad has a pretty severe allergy to black pepper (which makes dining out tough) and the chef came out not just once, but twice, to get more details and to make sure he served my Dad something that wouldn't make him sick. It was really kind. In any case, the food was way better than what I've had in the past at the North Rim or Monument Valley or any other place where you are pretty much stuck eating at the one restaurant around. I would actually go to the restaurants (both the Lounge and the Metate) even if they were here in town and there were other options.

Hoo-boy, where do I start. We were staying at the Far View lodge. Metate Room was pitched by the desk clerk as the best dining option there, so we figured "we're on vacation, expense shouldn't be an option!" We got ourselves a reservation, then went on with the day's activities. We show up in time for our reservation, and there's a line. That's fine, but immediately the host is telling one person without a reservation that she can't give him any sort of estimate because she has no idea if people are showing up or not. That, undoubtedly, is the truth, but it's also completely not what someone wants to hear. Give an average, then communicate with that person if that changes. Give a worst-case estimate, then surprise them when they get a table sooner! Basic customer service. At any rate, we wait in the line and then are seated. Nice table, great view. The restaurant looks lovely. Everything's laid out nicely, furnishings are nice, big, beautiful views out over the mesa via the massive windows. Though, there were an alarming number of paintings of roosters. Our server came up and then asked if we or the table next to us had sat first. We told her the table next to us were already seated when we arrived, so she then excused herself to tend to them. She took their order, then came over to us. We placed some drink orders, my wife asking to try a wine, and I ordered a beer. She came back very quickly with my beer and her taster, which she thought better of and ordered a different wine. And then we waited. For a while. Got ahold of our server and asked about the wine, which appeared to startle her, and then she came back with it. This was over, I would guess, about 25 minutes. She then took our orders for food. We ordered, and she committed it to memory rather than writing it down and headed off to the corner where there appeared to be a computer where she could put in orders. She then came back to the table as she could not remember parts of the order, and we reminded her. I noticed that she then did this to other tables as well. I'm not sure if it's restaurant policy that she's expected to remember the orders or if it's her own thing to not write them down, but she should be writing them down. I'm unclear at this point whether its her to blame or the kitchen staff, but she would repeatedly show up with a platter of 5-6 salads that were identical except for the dressing, then have to go ask multiple tables which one they had. I don't know if it's that they weren't saying "these salads are for table n, while these are for table x", or that she wasn't keeping track of the orders and couldn't decipher that for herself, but nonetheless, she would show up with a pile of salads and then start discreetly asking each table who was supposed to get what. Eventually, our entrees arrived. I had trout with fried capers and my wife had "seared" salmon. My trout was quite nice. Flavors were good, nice bit of lemon with some good capers, and the fish was cooked well. Presentation was questionable - if I had to describe it, it'd be "meat flaps", but that's me. My wife's salmon was anything but seared. If I had to guess, it was boiled. No browning on the outside, and overcooked all the way through. She'd asked for it to be rare, on the edge of being raw inside, and it was cooked to death. Sent it back, got another one that was bordering on stepping out of "well done" territory, but just accepted it and moved on. In the meantime, our server was becoming visibly and audibly agitated. Cursing the kitchen staff, angrily muttering to herself. Again, not sure how much of this was her and how much of this was the rest of the staff not supporting her the way she needed, but she was close to a meltdown and handling it in about as bad a way as possible. I do want to point out one of the staff, who appeared to mostly be bussing tables. I wish I'd gotten his name, but he was a guy who had come from Romania and was the most professional and responsive person working there. This restaurant is one of the reasons that now, when I tell my friends what an incredible experience Mesa Verde is, I tell them to bring their own food. The whole thing looks very nice, but all the details fall down. It's like aliens came to earth and read a book on how to make a nice restaurant, nailed the basics, and then just decided to wing it from there on out. It also isn't cheap. Our bill came out to about 30% more than the best meal we had in Colorado, at a great place in Boulder. Way too expensive, confused and bewildered service, hit-or-miss food, and an incredible view.

When you walk in to the Metate Room for breakfast, the breakfast menu is placed at the host's station for guests to review before they are seated. This menu is also available on the Metate Room website. However, the menu that they advertise is not what is available. There is no table service, just a breakfast buffet. I no longer eat at buffets due to concerns about cross-contamination, and had to beg the server to allow me to order off of the menu rather than risk the buffet. What they brought me was unpalatable and not what I had ordered-- my eggs were supposed to be over medium but were scrambled, not entirely mixed, cold, and oily. The hash browns were deep fried potato cubes which were very cold and stale. Our dinner from the night before was fine, again, cold, but the flavor was pretty good. The wine list here is the worst I've ever seen. Stick to cocktails and beer here. The only saving grace for this place is the staff. They are attentive, kind, and very accommodating.

Better than Tom Colicchio, blew away Thomas Keller. We were driving back from Vegas where we were doing the foodie tour of our favorite chefs's restaurants. This review isn't about those places, but the Metate Room was the best meal we had on the entire trip. As brilliantly executed as the classic steakhouse experience was in Vegas the Metate Room brought real creativity and a modern twist to the entrees. A perfect approach to traditional ingredients with just the right amount of southwest flair. The service struggled a bit, but I understand why. It's the Far View Lodge and everyone wants to camp out until the fantastic sunset. It's not their fault that they were overloaded, but they always stayed polite and the food was fantastic. From Vegas to Flagstaff it was the best meal of a great trip.

The Metate Room has beautiful views and a nice atmosphere. The support staff were great and kept our water glasses full. The food was very good as we had the Ribeye steak and lemon chicken and a house salad. The problem we had was that our waiter James disappeared for long periods of time. It is evident they are under staffed but it took 2 hrs to have two drinks, a salad and two entrees. We would have liked desert but we did not want to wait any longer. There were a few tables near us that also experienced problems and delays.

Terrible, we stayed at lodge and ordered take out because we could not get a reservation. They were to call when our order was ready, after an hour and 15 minutes we showed up because we never received a call, no one apologized, they just gave us our order which we paid over $50 for a dinner for two and it was slopped together and cold. We should have stopped at Wendy's!! No respectable restaurant would let food leave like that!

A very nice restaurant in Mesa Verde park. The food was delicious, and the staff friendly.

If you're not staying at the lodge, the view is interesting. Food is okay. Service is slow. Only one of us got food poisoning.

The food here is unique and one of a kind, though pricey. We stayed the night in the park and the restaurant was conveniently located close to our accommodations. I enjoyed the South Western and Native American twist on the food and the preparations. The specials and the options were flavorful and delicious. We had a stuffed poblano pepper that has prickly pear salsa and pork green chile. We also had fresh fish that was awesome. My children enjoyed the food and especially loved the bread and dipping oils. The views here and the setting cannot be beat. Really, a special place to dine and enjoy the vast expanse. Reservations here are a must. Do not expect to get into the main restaurant without one. As this is one of the only dinning options in the park.

I wish I could be more positive about this restaurant which is basically the only allegedly "fine dining" restaurant inside Mesa Verde National Park. We were very fortunate to spend 3 nights at Far View Lodge which is typically spartan as per national park standard. But after a long day exploring and hiking, we had hopes that dinner would be a fine capstone. Alas, after dinners, 1,2 &3, nothing on the menu was even remotely "good" although tolerable would be an appropriate choice since there is no other choice within 25 miles. The menu descriptions are typically dramatic but the actual product is not even close. I visited here as a teen, 60 years ago and it seems they saved the food for my re-visit. Ribs were a poor excuse for a hockey puck, chicken with a caper something or other had no capers and tasted like country gravy for breakfast. Brussel sprouts were grilled to raw. So out of three nights, the hamburger which is only served well done was the best choice for $18 or there about. I asked for a "dirty vodka martini" and got vodka in a glass with the 2 olives I requested. Be sure to ask for bread - it isn't offered! Oh and even if you have a reservation - don't plan on a window table - had reservations a month in advance, never even got close. Luck of the draw. Okay - so what's the bottom line? Don't miss Mesa Verde National Park. It is a wonderful experience and if you can get the best Far View Lodge rooms with a balcony unobstructed, primitive but go for it! Just stop in Cortez and load up with fast food that will last your stay - bring your own booze and wallow in the peace and wonder of this archeological treasure.

I ordered seared salmon and it was delicious. They take sometime to prepare it but in the end it is worth the wait. You may want to reserve the place before going there. The place is located near far view inside the far view lodge. If you are around Mesa Verde, it is a must visit place.

This place is amazing!!! Beautiful views, excellent service, relaxing music and the food is amazing. We had the salmon, pork chop, burger and ancient grains salad and everyone was super happy with their meal. Had the chocolate torte for dessert which was decadent!! Come to Mesa verde and stay for dinner at the Metate Room.

Made reservation for the Metate room during visit to MVNP. Only sit down place. My expectations were way low. I hate the way Aramark and Xanterra control so much of the NP business. Always expensive and usually shoddy. And some reviews here were not glowing. Well I have to say I was quite pleasantly surprised. Elk Wellington cooked perfectly and quite tasty. My daughter had the chili relleno and loved it. Prices were steep, but I expect nothing less from Aramark.

After reading the yelp reviews, we were going into Cortez for dinner after checking in at the lodge. After the drive up, decided we didn't want to make the drive again! Ate upstairs at the lounge which is a more casual version of the main restaurant. The view is spectacular and our waiter was very accommodating and attentive. Four stars for that part. We had elk quesadilla. They were just ok, kind of elky tasting with prickly pear jelly and some pepper flakes. We tried to stay somewhat conservative, having the fried chicken sandwich, which was fine with the same jelly. Nice bread. Wife had grilled chicken sandwich, overcooked but edible after adding mayo. Fries were good but skimpy. Beer was cold and helped the meal. Eat before arriving if you can, if not, it's workable. Lodge was great and views outstanding.

First time at the Metate Room at the Far View Lodge at Mesa Verde. Beautiful inside and great views! Excellent food: very inventive, very flavorful, and generous portions. I had the mushroom soup with truffle drizzle and the chopped salad. Both were delicious! The salad was huge with mixed greens, avocado, edamame, tomatoes, cukes, carrots, etc. BF had the tortellini with truffle cream sauce, wild mushrooms and short rib meat. Again huge and delicious! Chef came to all tables to check in and found out he's a fellow Johnson and Wales alum - and it shows! Highly recommended!

food was average ... nothing special Best service Wonderful view Should have gone back to Durango

So definitely the best food *setting* in the park, conveniently located, with a gorgeous view out the window. The menu was admirably ambitious, but beyond the chef to actually execute against. The window seats are the most desirable, but be careful you don't get seated atop an air conditioning register. After the first night, we ate from the reduced menu up a the bar and enjoyed it a lot more.

Terrible service. Not crowded at all, but the server just couldn't seem to get it together.Service was extreeeemly slow. She brought bread with a bottle of olive oil. Great, but could you bring some balsamic vinegar. She said yes and after waiting 20 minutes, we finally had to ask a different server. Soup finally came and it was so salty we couldn't eat it. Sent it back. Then waited for a menu so we could order something different. Meanwhile order more bread and it took 20 minutes. Ordered a dinner salad listed as having heirloom tomatoes. It had 1 cherry tomato sliced in half. Ordered braised short ribs and what I got was pot roast. An unpleasant two hour ordeal. Never again. Apparently ARAMARK has the National Park concession and this experience was very reminiscent of a 2 hour dinner with terrible service in Yosemite last year. Aramark again. Tightwads need to hire some bus people or more waitresses.

Metate Room Restaurant is the 3rd out of 3 eateries offered in Mesa Verde National Park. Located inside the Far View Lodge, this is the more "upscale" restaurant of the bunch but I'd judge that by price over anything else ....well, maybe b/c it's also a real sit-down restaurant w/ real menus Props for offering a couple veggie options in your lineup but have to say my choice was mediocre at best Veggie dish (Three Sisters Harvest) consisted of: Yellow Squash, Zucchini, undercooked Potatoes, a few Black Beans & a few Corn Kernels .....lots of cheese & a dry / stale puff pastry sitting on top. The sauce was good & I was loving the abundance of cheese - just wished there were more beans & corn & that the taters had been fully cooked Buddy got the Chicken & said it was dry - not a lot of sauce came with it. Plate wasn't cleaned Too tired & too full for dessert - they looked tempting but given our average meal, we didn't want to take the chance Would also like to point out that offer a very nice wine list & they had a particularly yummy CA zin. Prices for their glasses were what I'd find here in SF Didn't see a beer list, yet as we were leaving, there was someone w/ a bottle of beer....hmmmm Price for 2 dinner entrees & 1 glass of wine? $42 (before tip)

The food was good overall. But we had an appetizer of truffle oil potato chips with smoked onion dip. The dip was under the chips which made it awkward to eat. The restaurant didn't seem particularly clean and our table was sticky.

Since we spent a night in the Mesa Verde National Park we visited the Metate Room for dinner. We were seated by a polite employee and welcomed by our waiter who introduced himself in an friendly and courteous manner. We were served a bread basket and olive oil with herbs. The oil was very delicious, the basket contained two kinds of bread. Both the bread and the oil were very delicious disregarding that one of the pieces of bread might have been a bit older. We chose Chili Rellano (Roasted Poblano, Cilantro Rice, Currants, wal- nuts, Local Cheese, Green Chili & Asadero Polenta Cakes, Mole Sauce) and Half Roasted Chicken (Achiote marinated, Hatch chili Whipped Pota- toes, Grilled Vegetables). The Rellano was tasty, with a crispy coating and a spicy chili sauce. The chicken consisted of a leg and a breast with a crispy crust. It was served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. For my taste, the chicken could have been spicier. The main shortcoming of the dish was the fact that the asparagus was partly burnt, even black. The waiter apologized for the burnt asparagus and offered a discount. He thanked us for being his guests and politely said goodbye.

We had dinner here recently while staying at the Far View Lodge in the park. As others have noted, it's one of only 3 options (the other two being cafeteria style) and is therefore maybe slightly overpriced. We arrived in a short window between two bus tours and luckily didn't have to wait long for a table. Our service was great. The focaccia they serve with black bean hummus when you are seated was delicious. The menu offered several interesting/unusual options - I ordered a white sauce pasta dish with chicken, mushrooms and dried cherries. It was delicious - I have never seen dried cherries served in a pasta dish before (cranberries yes, cherries no). The portion was large and I took some back to the room for dinner the next evening. I would definitely eat here again if I were visiting Mesa Verde, just to try another interesting item from the menu.

The amazing view and the delicious rattlesnake pheasant sausage are the only reasons this place gets 2. Bread was hard and all tasted the same. Corn lobster bisque was not good. Elk Wellington was mushy and weird though the elk itself was perfectly cooked. Brussels sprouts were not cooked through and the cauliflower mash was goopy. The ribeye was slightly overcooked, roasted potatoes were dry and the asparagus was mushy. Overpriced mediocre food. Go upstairs instead.

WOW!!! The MOST impressive National Park food I have ever had. If you have time for a nice, romantic, authentic and well-prepared meal...come here!!! Sadly, no reservations are taken here. Yes, the prices are on the higher side (remember the tax is only approximately 2%), but the quality of the finished dishes, service and atmosphere (darkened room, less small children, linen tableclothes, Mesa vistas) is totally worth it. I do not think the prices are unreasonable or unfair. The meal starts with the most amazing basket of bread ranging from pita to corn bread and local pinto/black bean spread. I had the quail- 2 well seasoned quails, a healthy scoop of polenta and sauteed squash. The birds were cooked medium and still very juicy. The side dishes were particularly impressive because corn and squash are native Mesa Verde ingredients, as is quail. I loved the modern twist on the Native American ingredients. My husband had the Elk Sheppard's pie. The dish was HUGE and had a bit of a kick. We took some home as a snack for the next day. The elk had a taste of game, but well done. The quality of the food is in line with major city fine dinning...think NYC, Miami, etc. The service was spot-on; our waitress was very cute, chatty and earnest. She was more casual, which gave the entire experience the perfect, classy national park vibe. Overall, with two glasses of wine, a salad, two entrees, tax and tip our bill was $85. Bottomline: Splurge for the nice dinner- it is totally worth it after "roughing" all day on the Mesa.

I'm surprised at the mixed reviews here. My husband and I had an outstanding meal here in October 2014. I had fairly low expectations - it being our only food option unless we wanted a 30-odd mile round trip - but was so surprised how good the food was considering the monopoly they have. I had Masa Chicken Asadero - delicious! Flavourful and a subtle hint of chili. I fully recommend this one. My husband had the market mixed grill which was Elk, Quail and sausage. Pricey but worth it. Desert selection was good and we enjoyed a delicious tres leche. Good wine selection (including lots by the glass) although my first choice wasn't available as they were running down stocks at the end of the season, which was understandable. Service was excellent and the view was wonderful.