Chala's Wood Fire Grill

Been twice. First time got the veggie melt, second time got the veggie tacos. Both were pretty bland and under seasoned. Both could use a sauce of some kind or if there was any, much, much more. It's unfortunate because unlike some places, they do add lots of good veggies, but it was just kinda boring and didn't have enough flavor. The second time I went my boyfriend got one of the "specials" with a Ribeye (medium rare), mashed potatoes and calabacitas. However it was more like a raw steak and he couldn't cut it at all because the steak knife was really dull. The calabacitas were chopped in all different sizes, there wasn't much consistency and bland as well. Once we got the bill, we found out the "special" was $35! We could have gone to Texas Roadhouse for a better steak and it be cheaper. I did heard the salads were good at Chalas, so I wish I'd have gotten one, but I really don't think I'll be back to give it another try. However the service was great and very attentive staff.

We had such an amazing experience, and it was all thanks to our server Sarah! From the moment we sat down, they were welcoming, attentive, and genuinely kind. They checked on us at just the right times, made great recommendations, and made us feel truly valued as customers. You can tell they really care about their job and about providing excellent service. We’ll definitely be coming back because of them!

We stopped by in a road trip and we're glad we did! The home made chips and fresh salsa was so good, I had to order more to go. I got the steak and eggs which were perfectly seasoned in the fire grill and was in heaven with each bite. Sarah was our server and she was attentive to our requests and all our kids asked for. She was quick and friendly! Ask for her! Thanks for making our Christmas road trip even better.

Absolutely incredible. The meat was tender, everything was fresh, the salsa a perfect spice that makes the mouth burn and you want more. Parking is limited, I had to wait a bit, but it was worth every penny and every minute. Quick service, very friendly, absolutely would go again.

Went here for brunch for the first time and it was excellent! The French toast is an absolute must 20/10. The Benedict was tasty but the cup was a little dry 8/10. If you’re in Las Cruces this is a must go to spot for brunch. Amazing service and delicious food makes for a fabulous morning.

We have eaten here in the past and really enjoyed our food and drinks, so we were eager to eat here again. We were seated quickly by a nice server, but when I went to order the margarita I remember being so good, I was told they weren't serving alcohol, but we're hoping to offer wine margaritas soon. I ordered the stacked enchiladas, which I remember had some delicious chicken in them, but this time they were just cheese and barely warm. The two sauces (red and green) were really good, though.

Had "The Pork Chop" ($26). Comes with Kayle and potatoes in an apricot puree and house-made BBQ sauce. Amazing Probably the best meal I had in Las Cruces. The New York Strip burrito was good too. Great service, thanks Connor. I'll be back for sure. Recommended to me by my son, Chris.

Friendly staff with incredible food. I got the Sausage Cemita and side salad with the chili citrus dressing. I often daydream about that sandwich and side salads. The salsa is delicious as well. Will be going back to try more of the menu.

Pretty sure the foodgasm made people feel uncomfortable! The sausage sandwich is, by far, the best thing I've put in my mouth, in a very long time! The fries are crispy and damn near perfect!!! Service is freaking ON POINT! I'm so happy my fellow Yelp peeps pointed me in this direction! Everyone has been so kind and amazing. I swear every single person here has stopped to chat and just been so freaking nice! I love when flying solo, people make time to chat! This is a must !

Oh ye gods and little fishes, do I recommend this place! I used to live in Las Cruces, and there were only two or three places we'd go for Mexican food. One closed (turned out it moved, but we haven't been to their new location), dropping our preferred places to two. Then my wife learned of Chala's and we tried it. Proverbial love at first bite. Excellent chips and salsa, then our food arrived. And it just got better from there. The salsa is perhaps a bit on the hot side for some tastes. I'm not going to talk about specific dishes, as everything we've had there was simply excellent. I will mention their burger, photo attached, which was amazing. I did speak with the owner/mother of the chef, we had a great conversation about how the restaurant operates and how everything is made fresh - including baking the burger buns in-house! Great food, we're semi-regulars - only semi as we live 90 minutes away. Do expect your food to take a little bit of time coming out, this is not a fast service restaurant.

This place was a local find while in town. Very homey feel inside with cute flowers decorating the table. Our server was well versed on all the menu options and informed us on the specials. I got a strawberry marg which was good but a bit sweet for me. We also got the mimosa flight which was great and refreshing. The loaded fries were great for an appetizer (we got a half order). The cuban sandwich was smokey with a great depth of flavor from the mustard. My hubby got the pork chop with grilled kale which was insane. So tender and juicy and smokey at the same time. Also took some tres leches to go, the salted caramel combination was fabulous.

Service was great and the food was absolutely amazing! We did their specials pork chop- Mahi Mahi and smoked brisket. Would definitely recommend and we will be back!

Hard to rate when you find something in your food that shouldn't be there! Stepping inside I was put off by the strong smell of cleaner like Lysol. Place was clean but I'd rather not smell such a strong chemical smell in a restaurant. I stayed because the reviews are high. I got a burrito with chorizo, chile and potato and it was very tasty. I was planning to come again but then found something inside my burrito that isn't food! See photo. Yesterday was Halloween and it looks like something from Halloween that melted. Ugh! Coffee was not good. Service was good.

Chala's was recommended by our hotel staff so we decided to try it. We ordered their pork chop special. It was very thick-cut bone in pork chop, very juicy and delicious. It came with potatoes and vegetables. Their steak fajita was really tasty too. Very juicy cut of steak with all the fixings; perfect with flour tortilla. Save room for dessert because their tres leches cake was really tasty and it was big enough to share between the two of us and then have leftover. Enjoy! Highly highly recommend!! We will be back when we're back in town.

Awesome service, good drinks and tasty (if unspectacular) food. Very clean and well run. Nice spot for a meal.

The Green Chile Smoked Sausage Burritos was, literally, the single best sausage I have eaten in my 63 years. And that includes touring through Germany. They are made/smoked in-house.

A Mesilla hidden gem, Genuinely top notch spot Class & casual Prices too low to Believe it's true, cocktails for $6, full tap. The food was phenom Came w/ chips & salsa, Choices are A la cart-a Decor was tasteful, Modern & minimalist, Staff was attentive.

This place was well worth the stop. I was interested in several items off the menu, yet after taking the waiters advice I was stoked!!! Seriously this pork chop was unbelievably delicious!! It's brined and smoked and then seared and is full of flavor. It was cooked to perfection and absolutely a delight to eat!! I licked that damn plate clean!! I will stop here the next time I am driving through!

The food is delicious, service great and most of the ingredients are prepared there, the bacon was so good we even purchased 1lb to take home.

We were in Las Cruces for the night and chose at Chala's for dinner. It took a minute or two to be greeted, but once we sat down, our server was attentive. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating, but it was too hot for outdoor this time. The exterior windows all have iron bars across them, and the interior has wood accents throughout. The kitchen is visible through multiple interior windows, which is something I appreciate. Chala's offers a nice serving of chips and salsa while you peruse the menu. The chips were cold, but the salsa had a nice (spice) heat to it. I ordered a bean and cheese burrito with green chile queso, and my partner ordered vegetable tacos. My burrito was amply sized and filled with refried beans and cheese. It would have been bland without the chile queso and salsa. While still warm, it likely stood a few minutes before being delivered to the table. My partner enjoyed his vegetable soft shell tacos, but did not eat his beans (warm, not hot). Overall, our experience was ok. If we try it again when we're next in town, we'll try other menu items.

We had a bad experience here before but wanted to give a second chance. Well.......It was simply put, bad. Our server acted like she wanted to be any where but at work. She answered questions sarcastically, never refilled drinks (not once) and to be specific the only time we saw her is when she took our order and brought our drinks initially. The carnitas I ordered were awful I maybe had 3 bites. There wasn't a manager to attempt to speak to. This was our last visit. Very disappointing experience.

Went to Chala's for dinner. Arrived at 6:01. At 6:15 we left without having been acknowledged. I don't mind waiting a little if at least they acknowledge me and notice that I am there. Sorry, but won't go back nor would I recommend.

Disappointing. Flavorless rice and beans. "Vinaigrette" for the salad was mostly oil and flavorless as well. However, the service was very good.

Wanted to find a good place to eat for lunch and went to Chala's. Got there and was seated quickly. Our server Amber was very friendly and answered questions we had. I recommend going there. Atmosphere was nice, staff very friendly and so were the customers sitting at their tables. I had the best hamburger(pictured) and my husband had the carnitas tacos (also pictured) a bit dried, but overall was delicious. Pictured are the desserts we took to go.. Biscochos and German Chocolate Cake!!!!

Smoked carnitas hash with a galleta and green chile jam, smothered Christmas is the best breakfast in the world.

We went to this location for dinner while visiting some friends in Las Cruces. The place was busy, but not crowded. Originally, we were going to sit outside, but one of the bussers suggested we go inside as the mosquitoes were getting bad. Our server was named Connor and he did a terrific job! I personally ordered the steak salad which offered both the rabbit food and some steak the restaurant was famous for. The citrus vinegrette dressing was spectacular, as was the Brown Ale. Most of the other parties had steaks, some big enough to share and the overall experience was excellent. We were the last people to leave the the restaurant. I would definately recommend to anyone!

Our server was pretty nice. The host (maybe the owner) wasn't that friendly and looked annoyed. Food wasn't good. We ordered guacamole (plain but salty), grilled veggie (the best dish of all we ordered), cheese burger with green chili and side salad (nothing special), sausage burger (recommended, but so salty and fries were burned)

Went for dinner, everything was excellent!! Flavors were phenomenal with the perfect amount of heat in the salsa and queso. Hats off to Vange who did a wonderful job and even took time to chat.

When I first visited Chala's Wood Fire Grill both the food and service were exemplary. My last two visits were to pickup food. We order chicken tacos today. They were dry, not warm, and simple radishes hardly give them any flavor. They need a little sauce with Cilantro, Sour Cream, Garlic, and pinch of Peppers. Also we called in our order and was told 20 minutes. We arrived on time. My friend went in and told me the waiter kept walking past her or taking other people who arrived later to tables. When she asked if he could help her, he ignored her and then finally got the order. She was told they were out of rice and substituted french fries. Mine had 2 servings of refried beans. The website listed the tacos at $8. They charged $12 each and should have reduced the price on the one without rice and also told us the rice and beans were extra. Disappointing! Don't believe I'll return.

We were staying the night, driving cross country and stopped at Chala's. Lots of people dining there locally and we loved the sopes/ chicalas and the steak salad. Both were excellent. We ate city folk so good food is a high bar for us!

The tacos al pastor are excellent, as are the calabacitas. This was my first visit. I'll be back soon.

On the eighth of August I stopped in at Chala's Wood Fire Grill. I found the restaurant clean and orderly and the service was just fine. The waitress was pleasant and accommodating. I sampled the Cuban Sandwich with fries and the Green Chile Burrito. The Cuban Sandwich was quite good with quality ham and pork. The house bacon was thick and tasty if a bit salty, dry, and hard to bite into in places. The fries were greasy and not good...actually poor. The burrito was not good either: it was mostly mushy refried beans with little meat or chile. See my more in depth review below for more detail.

Chala's is a small local spot in Mesilla. The staff was super helpful and friendly! Two highlights from the menu were the bizcochito cookies and the spicy margarita. I really enjoyed that the spicy marg was made with local chiles . I'll be back, but I need to try brunch next time!

Excellent food, phenomenal taste! Chips and salas were fantastic. I got the steak salad and my husband got the ribeye special. My 2 year old son had a small plate of beans, everyone left with full and happy bellies! Service was great and atmosphere is very bright and welcoming.

These were the best tacos and chips we've had since we ate at a hole-in-the-wall place in Dallas, so glad we stopped here!

Amazing Pork Chops and Chili Margarita! Salsas and verbena selections were perfect as well

The only reason I gave Charla's 5 stars is because the app won't let me give 6. Food was simply outstanding. They had 3 features and I chose the 12oz ribeye. Seasoned and Chargrilled to perfection. Served with creamed potatoes and a squash, corn, tomato, onion dish topped with cheese. Both were delicious. My wife had smothered beef burrito plate and was equally pleased. Service was great. Prices were reasonable as well.

Food was all homemade and very delicious. Service was fast and customer service was great! I recommend this place!! You will not be disappointed *****

Ordered an assorted of food to go having never tried the place before. Two stars for the Green Chile Burger. ZERO for the rest of the food. The rice, the beans, the gorditas, the tacos--LOADED with salt. Inedible. We threw it out. It wasn't just heavy-handed salty. It was disgusting. So, be safe, order the burger. Waste of $50.00.

I had someone that knew the area take me here, and it was absolutely phenomenal. The entire staff was welcoming. The place was clean. Everything tasted fresh. Food was cooked perfect, I will definitely be back to try more.

We eat at Chala's Grill whenever we come down from Santa Fe, sometimes several visits in a week. The last time I came, I tried their Green Chile Cheese Burger (GCCB) and was just blown away. This time I had the Bruch version (Brunch Burger, weekends only) and it is similar and just as good as the original. The difference is instead of Green Chile, it comes with a Green Chile Jam and the addition of an egg, cooked to order. Both versions of the burger are amazing and after eating GCCB's for 30 years in New Mexico, I can state this is my favorite. I should add, in addition to eating nearly weekly at the original Bobcat Bite (for decades) and 8 or 9 years attending the Green Chile Cheeseburger Smack-Down, I've tried dozens of GCCBs in the state. We tried Sparky's on our way down this trip, it was good but not close to Chala's version. So what makes Chalas so amazing? The meat. Cooked perfectly to order (Med Rare for me) but over mesquite wood which produces a char and flavor that few others can match. The bun is made in-house and is perfection. They add homemade bacon which is super thick, smokey, and the perfect crispness. The burger is just the best GCCB I've ever had. With the Chile Jam and Egg or without, either version. The fries are also amazing: crispy with a great seasoning. But the optional side salad with red chile dressing is delicious so you might want to try that option. On this visit, my wife had the Brisket Hash (instead of pork) and it was fantastic. The brisket has a great smoky taste and a delicious bark. Absolutely consider this variation of the Hash. Our superb server on this visit was Turi. We ate at Chala on the 2nd day and I had their Turkey sandwich which was very yummy. The turkey breast was smoked, tender, and moist. Great homemade bread topped with lettuce, tomato, and that awesome green chile jam. My wife had the Sausage Cemita which is house-made green chile sausage with onions on their bun, and a healthy dose of Gauc. Unusual and super delicious. Don't forget to try the Chala Tea, it is SOOOO good. Our excellent server on this visit was Errek. We can't wait to return to Chala Grill in early March when we return to the area.

I will never understand people going here. Food is usually good, I've only had one bad experience with the food but bad service and rude people will never be something I'd deal with anywhere no matter how good the food is. Rude and mean servers or staff just isn't the vibe and this wouldn't be the first time staff seemed more into hanging out than doing their jobs. The people next to us weren't impressed with their service either and told my table they won't be back either.

The smoked carnitas hash breakfast was the best I've had EVER. The flavors were out of this world good.

Well I was actually looking forward to a Woodfire Grill; and we ordered fajitas. They came off a flat top I'm almost sure because there was nothing wood fire in the flavor. Very nice service but just marginal food. Well actually the service was not that great in that we only ordered one dish to share and we ended up getting to dishes. Usually fajitas are so large in quantity that we thought we would have more than enough food. But rather than argue with the waitress we just want to head and kept our order as is. I will definitely tell you this is just average. There was no flair or definition to the spice. Just salt and pepper. At least it was fresh but it certainly didn't taste like a Woodfire grill and I certainly wouldn't be craving any more to come back to. It'll do in a pinch but that's about it.

Our meal started with a huge bowl of fresh made chunky chips and salsa that had a nice kick. We had the smoked pork chop garnished with a kale and chard mix on roasted potatoes. It was very moist and tender and had a spice rub. The chicken fajitas were also perfectly cooked and moist. The side of beans were nice and thick and the tortillas were hot. We came early just before the 5:00 dinner menu and shortly after that the restaurant started to fill up even though it was only a Thursday. I would definitely come back when we are in town again.

I came over to visit NMSU and had a friend who was willing to catch up over dinner. I wasn't super hungry so I decided to move with the bean burrito while my buddy got the gorditas. Immediately, the salsa and chips were super good. The spice was very bold but still flavorful. Almost ate my weight in that. The atmosphere was very off. The restaurant almost looked like the lights were off inside because the overhead lights were so weak compared to the natural light coming into the place. Not to mention the bathrooms are in a separate building outside. Seemed like a mom and pop style spot but lacked the mom and pop taste. The bean burrito was very bland. I even got it smothered and i was met with a lukewarm cheesy topping that added no flavor. I was honestly super underwhelmed with it but my buddy said the gorditas were pretty good. I will hopefully try again with something they are known for but this serving makes me give a 3 star.

I drive by this place almost everyday and this morning I decided to pop in for some breakfast. I liked the ambiance, somewhere between small cafe and overdone restaurant. Has a great local feel. Staff was very friendly and service was good. The food is typical Southern NM. Lots of flavor. I would recommend this place and plan to visit again soon.

Although they close at 2pm on Sunday, don't know. My daughter and I were welcomed and not rushed.

I always appreciate the wait staff and Chala's small deck for outdoor dining. Food was good, not great, presentation was weak. Service and support staff were exceptional as always. Credit Card Surcharge: Hidden in the receipt is a credit card surcharge. I find this hidden charge annoying and it discourages me from returning. Personally, I appreciate transparency not "hidden fees" added to my bill without my knowledge or permission.

Great tacos, burgers and whatever the special is for that day! Had awesome smoked pork chops! The desserts are homemade, and are very good without being overpoweringly sweet.

Terrific service, great food. We enjoyed the ambiance and the fire grilled flavors. We will return soon!

We ordered the veggie taco and green sausage burrito to go and ate in the park across the street (playground and picnic tables). We were told 15-20 minutes and it took 20 minutes which is good since they are made to order. The kitchen smoke smells wonderful. My wife said it's the best taco she's had and my burrito was up there and had a mild kick. We went back the next day and the taco's had no melted cheese.

Excellent food, best sweet tea in town. Great service! Warm ambience and friendly staff!

I am giving this place 1 star because the service and food were both subpar. I came in for brunch (at 10:30) and had lunch instead (food arrived at 11:45). I saw the reviews for this place and was very hopeful. It was also busy which can be a good sign (this case not so much). My friend and I ordered mimosas to drink. They were served in the wrong glass (no biggie) but weren't chilled. They were okay, but my friend found a bug swimming in his (see photo). Our waitress was REALLY busy and we hardly saw her. She was nice and clearly overwhelmed. I sent the mimosa back and a new one was made. Strike 2 was the the wait. We were there for over an hour! That's not usually a problem, but some people who came in after us were served before us. I know because we sat right in the same area. The food was not worth the wait. My first burger was burned. I ordered medium. So I sent it back. I didn't want to wait longer, but our waitress said she grabbed the wrong order. Well the second burger brought out was raw. Not medium (see photo). I couldn't finish the burger. We got a $5 discount for all the trouble. I will not be back. I recommend avoiding this place on Sunday's during brunch.

my family and I were passing through the town and decided to stop at this place right here. That was one of the best decisions we ever made on our family road trip. Everything is fresh homemade and the staff is super friendly. Their chips and salsa is amazing. I'm about to be having fight of my life later if you know what I'm saying. Their food is amazing. I would definitely come back if I ever drive this town again.

The best meal we have had in a long time! Definitely we are customers who will be regulars excellent food in all areas doesn't matter what you order it's good food!

Amazing place, great food and service. Passing through town and so glad we stopped here