Drinking Guide to Las Cruces

and Surrounding Environs

Updated whenever we go to a new bar or something changes. We call them as we see them. YMMV, etc.

COLOR CODE YELLOW is my (Joni's) opinion and anonymous opinions.
CYAN is for group members' opinions.
(See About Us for info on who 'the group' is, why we're doing this, and our picks for bars and restaurants.)
WHITE is for info on food and game availability.

The newest addition is marked with a symbol
Last modified September '11 Latest updates (except for closures) marked with an symbol Our favorite bar is marked with a chile
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Bars in or near Las Cruces

Aggie Room |  Bennigan's |  Blue Moon |  Brigid's Cross |  Chope's |  Club Azul |  Compass Rose |  Day's Inn Lounge |  De La Vega's Pecan Grill & Brewery |  Double Eagle |  Dublin's Irish Pub |  Eddie's Bar and Grill |  Farley's |  Gadsden's Purchase |  The Game |  Graham Central Station |  Guacamole's |  High Desert Brewery |  Hoot-n-Annie's |  Hotel Encanto |  Hooter's |  Hurricane Alley |  Jose Murphy's |  Luna Rossa |  My Brother's Place |  El Palacio |  El Patio |  Pizzeria Uno |  The Rain Forrest |  St. Clair Winery and Bistro |  Ump 88 |  Vintage Wines |  Welcome Inn | 

Bars south of the border

(P is for bars in Palomas, J is for Juarez) Pancho Villa Cafe and Bar (P) |  Palomas Bar (P) |  Pete's Bar (P) |  La Florida (J) |  Mr. Fog (J) |  Cafe Tlaquepaque (J) |  The Sports (Mariachi) Bar (J) |  Cafe Apolo (J) |  El Genio (J) |  Club El Recreo (J) |  Kentucky Club (J) | 

Bars in or near Las Cruces

Aggie Room: Located in the Ramada Inn (formerly the Holiday Inn), corner of University and Valley. 201 E. University. NOTE: WE HAVEN'T CHECKED IT OUT SINCE IT WENT FROM THE HOLIDAY INN TO THE RAMADA. From the ads, it seems that they're having live bands. Not sure what they have now but there is a restaurant in the hotel as well.

Bennigans: 1745 E. University See Dublin's

Blue Moon : In Radium Springs. Nice, kind of rugged bar. The inside is nothing special, though it's roomy. However, they had a huge outdoor patio, with a stage and a fireplace or two, and they have bands during the summer. That sounds interesting, so we'll return. The beer selection was okay: Coors, Coors Light and Shiner on tap, lots of other beers in bottles and cans, including the Blue Moon line of beers (no, not their own beer!) and Dos Equis. Happy Hour is 4-7 M-F, and features $4 pitchers. The jukebox looked interesting and varied, but wasn't on when we were there. 1 dart board, they don't have darts but said it's okay to bring your own. You need to move a table out of the way, though. 1 pool table, sign said "Children are not allowed to play pool." and "No gambling". Food = Very good Mexican food, also steaks and hamburgers. The green chiles had authority: whew!. The (new) owner also own's Dick's Cafe in Las Cruces. Good prices too. Tom's comment: Their food is better than Nellie's! (which is saying a LOT.)

Brew-ha-ha: 2500 S. Valley. CLOSED.

Brigid's Cross: 1338 Picacho Hills Drive. RENAMED AS UMP 88.

Chope's: In La Mesa. Just your basic bar. No beers on tap, but a minimal selection in bottles. One thing, though: they have BIG bottles of Bud, King Cobra, etc., for the quantity drinker. The crowd is a combination of bikers, residents of La Mesa, and people waiting to get into Chope's the cafe. Comfortable feel to it. Lots of typical joke bar signs on the walls. Food = Chope's the cafe nearby, plus it looked like you could order in food from there to the bar, if you don't mind being a bit cramped for table space.

Club Azul: See Hotel Encanto below.

Compass Rose: 2203 E. 1st St. in Alamagordo. CLOSED BUT WITH NEW BUSINESS IN LOCATION. It is now called Pizza Patio. It has a slightly better range of beers than the normal pizza place (Sam Addams' seasonals, New Belgium, etc.) Still a good place to go to avoid chain restaurants. Thanks to the reader in Alamogordo for the update! Food = selection of pizza, sandwiches, pasta, and so on.

Day's Inn Lounge: 2600 S. Valley. Tom's comment: Microscopic bar, limited selection. Not worth your time. Food = Restaurant attached

De La Vega's Pecan Grill & Brewery: 500 S. Telshor Blvd., phone (575)521-1099, URL. For people who have been in Las Cruces for awhile, this is the old Garduno's location. They have done an excellent job on the interior. One of the (many) things I disliked about Garduno's was the acoustics. It was so echo-y and noisy inside that we would come out with our ears ringing as if we'd been to a rock concert. The changes they made have cut down the noise and made a large space into something much more intimate feeling, with curved padded booths and sofas in the bar area. There is also a seating area outside with a firepit. We had conflicting answers when we asked about that. One server said that it required reservations, just like a dinner table, to sit there, but another server just said that it was open to whoever got there first. Chalk it up to opening week issues. One major quibble. Despite the name, this is NOT a brewery. 'Brewery' implies that they make the beer on the premises. They don't. They contract brew with Sierra Blanca. That being said, the beer selection was enough to keep us happy. There were 8 "brewery" beers at $3 a pint, and they had 22 ounce beers as well. There were 3 or 4 other beers on tap, including Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, at $4 a pint. They now have a Happy Hour(s) from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Pints of their beer are $2, and there are assorted drink and food specials. Comment from the peanut gallery: why do they serve their craft beers at sub-zero temperatures encrusted with liquid nitrogen? (I have to agree with that. Only bad-tasting beers should be served that cold.) There were also bottled beers and a wide selection of mixed drink specialties. The cucumber margarita was tasty, served in a pint mug, but cost $8.50. NOTE ADDED AFTER NEXT VISIT: I don't know if it was just a bad bartender or if they're already starting to cut corners, but the cucumber margarita this time was awful, just sweet-n-sour mix with some slices of cucumber stuck in. The person who ordered it sent it back because it was so awful. They also have the somewhat trendy nastiness of candy liqueurs. Rather than Skittles (TM), they dissolved Jolly Ranchers (TM) in vodka, resulting in a veritable rainbow behind the bar. The bar food was good. Artichoke dips, mini green chile cheeseburgers, and other upscale nibbles. A glance at the menu showed a selection of pastas, burgers, dinner salads and so on. On our return, we ate from the full menu. It was mixed. We were in a large group so I hope that explains why my salmon was so awful. It was hard as a rock and tepid, like it had been sitting under a warming lamp for a half hour (which it probably had). On the other hand, the steaks and burgers were judged to be decent. Food = Full restaurant, plus a separate bar menu. Food options tended toward the steak side, but there were big salads, soups, etc. Prices were a little on the high side.

Double Eagle: 308 Calle de Guadalupe in Mesilla. Beer is a little expensive, but the atmosphere is great. Old Victorian furnishings and a very comfy lounge area. Like drinking in some rich person's house. Beer selection is generally quite good, a wide variety of different microbrews. Selection usually includes seasonals. They have recently enlarged their selection of martinis and margaritas to include ones made with their infused liqueurs. Recent examples are green chile tequila and black cherry bourbon. They sometimes have beer and wine dinners, ask the server for information. Tom's comment: The sitting room is groovy. The specialty margaritas are usually delicious. Food = Restaurant (Peppers and Double Eagle) attached. Both have excellent food.

Dublin's Irish Pub: 1745 E. University. They took over Bennigan's. Not much changed. They have a couple of decent beers on tap, like Longhammer IPA which will do in a pinch. The only thing it really has going for it is that it's so close to campus. Food = just like any other chain.

Eddie's Bar and Grill: 901 Avenida de Mesilla (just off of Valley), in the Mesilla Valley Inn. It's about what you'd expect from a motel bar. The beer was outrageously expensive. They had Miller, Miller Lite and Shiner on tap. We chose Shiner but then found out that it's considered an import because it's "dark" said the waitress. Hmmm. I guess Texas really *is* like a whole other country. So we first get a big glass of Shiner, then had to settle for a small glass of it. Prices: big glass was $5, little glass (and I do mean little) was $3.75! Clientele was mostly over 60 yrs old, or the type of people that thought that a motel bar was a great place to celebrate a birthday. No jukebox, and a very mixed tape was playing. They couldn't settle on the type of music to play so the music would go from Garth Brooks to ABBA to Oasis. There was an amazing free food spread for Happy Hour though. However, given the high price of the beer, we won't be back. Ever. Food = Aforementioned free food at Happy Hour, which included chicken 'fingers', buffalo wings, chips, queso dip, veggies, and a very nice hot salsa. They also had 1/2 pound (?) of shrimp for $4.95.

Farley's: Back behind the Hilton, off Telshor on Foothills. For a bar of its kind, it's very good. It was cutesie but done humorously. It had a nice selection of beer on tap (37) but nothing outstandingly great. The beer ranged from the Bud crowd to Bass, Watney's and Anchor Steam. Prices for pints also ranged from $2 to $4. Ask what they have as their "Cheap-ass beer" of the day, you may find a hidden gem. At $1.95 a pint, it may be a good buy for you. They also had a *very* nice selection of tequilas, 18 in all, and a good number of anejo tequilas. Price ranged from $3.50 to $7.95 for a shot. They had NTN trivia, a huge number of tables inside and an outdoor seating area from which it is still possible to see the Organs. Our favorite part of the decor was a mural over the bar of a mushroom cloud over the Organs with a clock set at 5 minutes to midnight. We were very amused. We were also impressed with the service of Arlo the waiter who was very attentive and had the sense of humor that makes for a good dining experience. UPDATE: On future visits we were less impressed. The staff borders on rude, and not in the cute style sometimes favored. They also tried to pass off tequila-less margaritas on us made with a noxious green mix. Food = good-sized menu of pub-food: pizzas, sandwiches, finger foods. I liked the green chile wontons, especially. Prices were quite reasonable, much cheaper than Bennigan's, for instance. All but one item (rib eye) was under $10. Two (at least?) pool tables, lots of video games. We didn't see a dart board but it was too crowded to check.

Gadsden's Purchase: CLOSED

The Game: 2605 S. Espina (just off University Ave., behind Taste of India). For those who have been in Las Cruces for awhile, this is the place where the Hacienda used to be. Some of the interior is the same, like the tiny bar area and the back restaurant area, but the front area has been opened up and redone as a sports bar, with TVs and sports memorabilia on the wall. There's also a nice big outdoor seating area, which, despite the traffic noise, is still quieter than the sports bar section. They have a good number of beers on tap. They were relatively cheap: a 23 ounce beer was $6. The Guinness was nitrogen-charged, which was a nice touch. They have a full liquor license and you could even get the fake absinthe, Lucid, if you so chose. One cute touch: the 16 ounce glasses have footballs, baseballs, or basketballs on their stems. Even though the beer selection wasn't quite "there", we'll be back because it's close to the university, and the food was good. UPDATE: The beer selection is much better, including Stone IPA and Marble IPA. The outdoor patio is just wonderful, with shade cloth and overhead fans. They have a nice happy hour, too. Food = menu of burgers and sandwiches and finger foods. Prices were decent, and I certainly liked my sandwich ("the Scorcher"). Looked like they had a video game in the bar area but I didn't see anything else.

Graham Central Station: Corner of Main and El Paseo, Loretto Town Center. They have a web page. The layout is four separate clubs: Alley Cats for Karaoke; Denim and Diamonds for country/tejano (though last Friday it changed to pop music at 10); a salsa etc. dance place; and South Beach as a Miami-style nightclub. It is a HUGE place, but no sound really leaks from one club to the other. South Beach opens at 8:30 or 9, so we didn't really see much of it. (It plays techno, hip-hop dance music, not too bad). There are 4 cages in South Beach, 2 in the salsa one, and men are NOT ALLOWED in any of the cages, which seems rather sexist to us. The karaoke place was packed, with 2 (maybe more) professionals helping people out. It looked very well set-up in there and everyone was having fun. Our main complaint was the lack of beer selection. They had the normal Bud, Bud Light, etc., but as far as "import" beers go, they had Shiner Bock and Amber Bock (imports? snort) and Heineken. These cost $3.50. UPDATE: They also now have Fat Tire, which is somewhat okay. Tom asked for a Maker's Mark, but the shot was very small, especially for $4.25. Maybe the staff isn't sure yet how big a drink is supposed to be. Since they closed the Bellbottoms section, I doubt we'll go back. UPDATE: We haven't been back in a long time, because the last couple of times, it just wasn't fun any more. The crowd has changed and the whole "vibe" is so-so. Food = they had a buffet table of veggies, dip, and chicken wings that looked like a Happy Hour thing. It was there when we got there and they took it away about 7:00. I don't know if they have chips for sale, The Denim and Diamonds sections had several (5 maybe?) pool tables.

Guacamole's: Way out at 3995 Picacho/Highway 70 in Fairacres (just past the Rio Grande, on the south side of the road) This is a very unusual bar and restaurant, but in a good way. Mostly. There's an attached liquor store which means they have a decent selection of beers. Sometimes. Seating is mostly outdoors but they do have a covered area and a small indoor restaurant. They have fireplaces to take the chill off come winter. It's a beautiful patio with a fountain, hanging plants, and fairly comfortable wooden benches. Beer selection varies. Imported/premium beer was $4.00 a bottle, domestics I think were $2 or $3. They now have a respectable, if small, selection of draught beers. Mixed drinks and wine available as well. They have live music some nights. Now for the not-so-good part: opening hours are a movable feature. On Fridays in the fall they are open until 9. Summer hours are longer, and they are closed when it gets too cold out (Though with the new management, this may be changing!). I recommend calling them at 525-9115 to find out the current hours. The last time we were there (Aug. 12, 2011), they opened at 5 (sort of: they took food orders shortly after 5) but the bar didn't open until 5:30. We were not happy. We love the place, and wish it were a little closer in to town. And that they opened when they were supposed to be. Very nice atmosphere! Food = limited menu, but what we had was good. The guacamole burger is delicious. Other items on the menu included kebabs and quesadillas. They FINALLY have the wood-fired pizzas, after 17 years of hearing about this coming "really soon now". Prices were about average.

High Desert Brewery: 1201 W. Hadley. The brewpub in town. (actually, currently it's the only one, since De La Vega's isn't a real brewery.) As seen in the 2003 365 Bottles of Beer calendar. Note, though, that it is in the front of the apartment building, not in back. You could upset the tenants in back if you barge in and demand a scotch ale. Now with their own homepage. Located across the street from Nellie's. We love this place. My personal favorites are the IPA and the Steam Beer. They also usually have an oktoberfest, a stout, a dark bock, a peach wheat, an amber ale, amber lager, a pilsener, a porter, brown ale and a wheat. The stout was a somewhat smoky one. Other beers that appear on occassion are a very nice Scottish Ale and a wonderful barley wine. They sometimes have an imperial stout that is very good, and they'll make a beer float for you if you ask them nicely. The current beer list of what's on tap can be found on the official High Desert webpage. Note as well that this is a brewpub: they don't have Budwesier, they can't serve wine or mixed drinks. Just their own beer. A very relaxed atmosphere, a friendly set of people pouring and making beers, plus good pub food and you have a spot that makes us very happy. They also have growlers (with $3 deposit) and several sizes of kegs. This remains our favorite place to gather on a Friday afternoon after work. Live music on Thursdays and Saturdays nights. If you go to High Desert because of this webpage, tell them! You won't get a free beer or anything, but you'll make me happy. Food = Menu is varied, from fancy quesadillas, to fried raviolis, to veggies, to hamburgers and fries to traditional New Mexico favorites like green chile stew. For those who like hot foods, we recommend their chipotle quesadillas and the green chile stew which sometimes makes even the hot food afficianados in our group break a sweat. The chipotle-honey dipping sauce with the quesadilla is eye-opening. Lately they've been having specials, including sushi, tuna steaks, portabello pot pies, and other taste treats. Yay, cooks!

Hoot-n-Annies: 120 E. Madrid. This place reminded a lot of us of Brew-Ha-Ha in terms of decor, roomie and industrial. The ceiling fans were very colorful and could be hypnotic after too many pitchers. The beer selection was the basics: Miller, Bud, Shiner, and Honey Brown. They're attached to a Liquor Co., so maybe the bottle beer selection is more varied. We were there on a Friday night, and they had 3 bands for $3. They had peanuts in the shell in a barrel! One of the guys in the 2nd band pointed out to us that peanuts give you the shits and an itchy butthole. Um, thank you. They had a very good jukebox, we ran out of money before running out of songs to play. The women's restroom was a little minimal: 2 stalls and only one had a door. The men's was better I heard. Alan called this a great Saturday night bar. Pretty good assesment. Good crowd and tolerable bands, lots of room. We'll keep an eye on this place for future bands. Food = peanuts. Probably other things like chips, but not sure. 3 pool tables, 2 dart boards but these were blocked by the band.

Hotel Encanto: 705 S. Telshor, across from the mall. Formerly the Hilton. The bar, Club Azul, has been relocated to be in the space of the former restaurant. Very spacious and has access to the patio (yay!). The redesigned bar is very posh, with comfy chairs and sofas, a pearlized mosaic behind the bar, and subdued lighting. Obviously it's setting itself up to be a high-end nightclub, with martinis and cosmopolitans galore. The prices, unfortunately, are also high-end. The aged scotch and tequila we had came to a total of $18, which is much higher than the Hilton would have been. If we need an "elegant fix", I think we'll go to Double Eagle instead. The adjoining restaurant has a very fine menu. Try the coffee-roasted beef. Not sure if the bar itself has food .

Hooters: Yes, we finally made it to Hooter's. We went during Friday Happy Hour so it was of course busy but the beers were cheap (around $3 for a pint of Fat Tire). Their one asset is a great patio with a nice view of the mountains (you know, I shouldn't have said that in a review of Hooter's). Of course, if you're male, there are other assets. It wasn't really a bad bar, all in all, but I doubt I'll go back. Besides the Fat Tire, they had Shiner Bock, and the usual assortment of Buds, Coors, etc. Food = bar food. I had their "911" chicken strips and was unimpressed. Certainly hot enough but with no flavor at all. Boring. I can't recall if they had a pool table or not, we passed through on the way to the patio very quickly.

Hurricane Alley: In Solano Square, 1490 Missouri, right behind Baskin-Robbins. We recently revisited this bar. Nothing special on the inside, but the beer selection is decent. On tap, they had the Budweiser family (of course) but also Sierra Nevada, Sam Addams, some NM beers like Roswell Alien, and a few others. The pitchers were $9.50, which seems way too high, especially since the beer tasted watered-down. Prices were $2.25 to $3.75 for the bottles. They do have specials, like $2 pints on Tuesday nights. They also had a big-screen TV and other TVs showing sports. They have bands on Fridays and Saturdays, most of the time. During Happy Hour they had free pizza, which covers a multitude of sins. They've expanded into the store next door, so it's roughly 3 times the size now from when it began. Much better lit, too. Most times, they only have one section open, but will expand at night and for special events. The jukebox kicks butt. It had 2 Tool albums on it when we went! They had 2 pool tables on the open side, and two real dart boards. Food = nothing except pretzels and popcorn generally, but the waitress used to order pizza for you. On Friday nights they have free food, nominally from 5-7 p.m. BUT really from 5 until the food runs out.

Jose Murphy's/Sun Lanes: 1201 E. Amador. We were actually at the bowling alley portion. It was during the 'Rock&Bowl' that they have on Friday nights. The beer selection was the standard Bud and Miller products and Shiner Bock. Some people want to return for more bowling so I'll add further comments then. UPDATE: It's now a pool hall. Besides the bowling, there were also 2 or 3 pool tables. Food = ???

Luna Rossa: 1321 Avenida de Mesilla. Phone: (575) 526-2484. They used to be just a tasting room (and a fine one at that) located down in the Mesilla Mercado. But they didn't have enough visibility so they moved to their new location. The wines are still the wonderful Luna Rossa wines, from the pinot grigio to the tempranillo and port. But now they have food as well! They have a spectacular outdoor patio and the inside is gorgeous as well. There's still a bar for tasting the wines but there are also tables for dining and lingering. I suspect that we shall be making this part of our normal Friday rounds, once the initial rush dies down. Hours (currently): 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Food = pizzas, cheese platters, and other nibbles. We need to investigate further, once the crowd dies down. They make their own mozarella every day for their pizza. 'Nuff said. We had the cheese plate, which was great, except for the crunchy 'sticks' that came with it. Crackers or even small slices of bread would have worked much better, but they told us that was in the works. On our second visit, I had a pizza and Tom had a calzone. Both were excellent. My pizza had one of the best crusts I've ever had, and the toppings were flavorful. This is Italian-style pizza, of course, so don't expect to find a deep-dish style on the menu.

My Brother's Place: 336 S. Main. Lots of space, divided into different sections. Two sections have lots of pool tables, there's a restaurant section, and there's an upstairs bar area as well. Very good jukebox selections, everything from mariachi to country to Tool. Beer choices are the normal stuff on tap, but a decent bottle beer selection. Prices were good, as was the service. About 15 pool tables, one dart board (which I didn't look for this last time, so I don't know if it's still there.) Food = restaurant attached, can order in. They have a pretty full menu now downstairs, including huevos rancheros, enchiladas and so on. The upstairs bar has a free taco bar on Fridays, with $1.50 margaritas.

El Palacio: Avenida de Mesilla. Very much a neighborhood kind of bar. They stop and stare at you because they *know* you're not a regular. They have all the beers: Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, etc. Nick's comment: Make it clear that's all they have. But they have a very nice patio in the back, and live music. Located on the corner of Avenida de Mesilla and Calle de Colon. They now have *poetry readings* every third Tuesday, courtesy of SPLAT. We can't even imagine what this is like so we have to go sometime. Food = peanuts, chips.

El Patio: Calle de Parian, Mesilla. Decent selection of beer in bottle and on tap. Usually Pete's or Sam Adams on tap, and both import and microbrews in the bottle. Pitchers of Sam Adams were $7. Not much of a crowd during happy hour on Friday, which was a nice change. Live music, occasionally quite good. Worth a visit. Since this is an actual bar, children are not allowed. 2 pool tables, 3 oddly placed dart boards. Food = Don't know anymore, since the restaurant closed.

Pizzeria Uno: Telshor near the new movie theatre. This is primarily a restaurant (of course!) but has an attached bar. Beer selection was okay, Fat Tire and Sam Adams, including a 'special' Sam Adams for Pizzeria Uno (it was really just the Boston Ale or one of their usual ones). Prices were somewhat expensive but about what you'd expect for a chain. Food = pizza (again of course) and other things like sandwiches, pasta, etc. What we had was very good though I couldn't even finish the small pizaa by myself.

Rain Forrest: It's been updated, to some extent. It's not a half-bad place. The beer selection has been upgraded, can now get Sierra Nevada, and they had Steamworks (?) IPA from Colorado. Maybe it was Steam Engine. The clientale were a cross-section of Las Cruces that one doesn't normally see at the same time at the same bar. In fact, we decided that the nachos were a good representation of the people: mostly normal items/people (chips/bar flies) but also weird bits (green peppers/ranchers). There is a sunken dance floor in front of where they have the bands, and there is seating all the way around. There were also some seriously comfy chairs in one corner that were so comfy, they were hard to get out of. All in all, I wouldn't mind going back. I just wish the music started earlier. And that the bartenders were better at service. Food = Appetizer menu, plus you can order from the full restaurant menu. I think we need to investigate the free food situation at some point. They also have 2 pool tables.

St. Clair Winery and Bistro: 1800 Avenida de Mesilla. This combines the former Blue Teal Tasting Room as well as a bistro serving very good food. As far as the wine tasting portion, they have about 10 seats along the bar. There you can get glasses of Blue Teal, St. Clair and Lescombes wines. Whether your taste runs to delicate whites, robust reds, or sparkling wines, they have it. If you're not sure what you want, they offer a Wine Tour sampler. For 6 dollars, you get 6 one ounce tastes of whatever wines you want to try. Once you've decided, a nice-sized glass will cost $5 to $7, though the ports can go for $8. You can also buy bottles of wine to take home or give as gifts. The restaurant is attractive, with ample seating, including an outdoor patio facing the mountains. I suspect there will be many spring nights that will find us seated on the patio, sipping a cabernet. UPDATE: They will soon be moving to the old Way Out West/Blue Teal Tasting room location. And there shall be much rejoicing. Menu features some very nice dishes, many featuring their wines (such as the cabernet pot roast). The main courses themselves are usually around $13, so not bad for a nice place. My main quibble is that the appetizers are *way* over-priced for what you get. The Italian 'nosh' platter was $13, for example, and was not very satisfying. If nothing else, they could have had more than 2 small slices of Italian bread per person. The fried cheese was also too expensive for the three pieces on the plate. Best bet is to look around and see what other people are eating for an appetizer. The desserts are at the other extreme, and are HUGE and wonderful.

Ump 88: Formerly Brigid's Cross. The decor is the same, more or less, but pretty much a shadow of its former self. Not really worth the drive out there (unless you live on the West Mesa) but it sure does have a nice view of the Organs.

Vintage Wines: 2461 Calle de Principal, Mesilla. Phone: (575)523-WINE (9463). This is located about a half block behind El Patio, just off the plaza. The addition of this place is very welcome, if only to shut up the people who complain about the lack of a good wine bar in town. And this is a good wine bar indeed. It specializes in New Mexican wines, but what makes it a bit different is that Vintage Wines also carries more of the northern wines, which we tend not to see as much. So if you're craving a glass of La Chiripada Vintner's Reserve, this is the place! She also had some wines from Milagro Vineyard, which was a new one to me. Inside it's all dark wood tables and adobe walls and wine bottles, very cozy. Outside, there's a nice courtyard with a view of the Fountain Theater, with cheerful flowers and seating for small groups. It faces east, which makes it a nice spot to while away a late afternoon. I suspect that we shall be making this a regular part of our rounds on Friday afternoons! Hours are: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday thru Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Prices for individual glasses range from $5 to $8, bottles are $12 and upwards. They serve nibbles: cheese and olive trays, fruit trays, mixed nuts, etc. The menu is written on a blackboard near the front, as it will change depending on what looks good to them at the grocery store.

The Welcome Inn: 127 E. Amador. CLOSED. THANKFULLY. REVIEW LEFT IN FOR HISTORICAL REASONS. We stumbled in here purely by accident, but it had been one of our goals to go here. The inside was a bit scummy, but well-lit, a lot of people playing pool. No place to sit and we milled around a bit, then a guy at the bar said "You guys want the other side." We do? We looked over there and saw two empty pool tables and went over. Cheap but nasty beer: $4.50 for a pitcher of Coors light. Band setting up, $1 cover charge. Two HUGE security guards were turning a lot of people away. We have had several people tell us that this is the "worst bar in town" or the best one if you want to get beat up. We think this may be an exaggeration. Apparently they open at 7 a.m. to get your day started right. The jukebox was curious: 2/3 was Mexican music, most of the other 1/3 was country, but some odd exceptions, including Berlin's song "Sex", which I have *never* seen on a jukebox. The bathrooms were bad though. No doors on the stalls, and the toilet tanks were chained down. Eh? Tom's comment: The pool table smelled like piss. Chris's comment: The sax interfered with "Sex"! 2 pool tables on the band side, 2 or 3 on the other. Didn't notice if there was a dart board or not. Food = chips, etc.

These are to be taken with several grains of salt, and a lime.
Palomas South of Deming, across the border from Columbus, NM

Pancho Villa Cafe and Bar: aka 'The Pink Place'. The cafe itself makes *great* margaritas. 3 of them will more than likely make you very very relaxed for the rest of the day. Upstairs is the bar which is a good place from which to watch the main road. Food = quite good Mexican food. I liked the General Zapata tacos best. It is both comforting and disconcerting (at least at first) to see "All our vegetables and silverware are washed in sterilized water."

Palomas Bar: Tom's comments: A small, very dark bar across the road from the Pink Store, and slightly further from the border. All drinks are one price ($1.50). The only beer they have is Tecate. They have Hornitos. There is a puking/pissing trough at the bar. Now I've been there, and I have to say that if that *is* a puking/pissing trough, it's very decorative and clean. It's a very dusty bar inside, but had an interesting selection of hard liquor. The 50 yr old 'working women' will give you a full body massage for $25. No, none of us tried it. At least, not that I know of.

Pete's bar: Tom's comments: Next to the Palomas Bar. A twelve yr old bartender who could just see above the bar. No English--but all you need to know is "Hornitos con limon". Pool tables lean badly to one side. The toilet is a hole in the floor. This place has very odd hours (like it has been open only twice on twelve visits!). Pool table with a pronounced tilt.

Juarez Across from El Paso (as if you didn't know)

La Florida: CLOSED. Sniff. On the main drag, Avenida Juarez, 4 blocks from the bridge. The cross-street is Ignacio. This was an exceedingly nice bar/restaurant. Pretty cheap, too: 3 shots of excellent tequila, one margarita, 4 cokes came to $7. Wonderfully comfortable chairs, big screen TV, fresh roasted peanuts. We shall return! Food = attached restaurant. Very good food, good prices too. Bathroom = *****

Mr. Fog: Avenida de Juarez. "Ladies piano bar". Pretty nice place, a little shabby but clean. Looked like a dance floor in the back. Tequila selection was not great, but good enough. 5 shots of tequila plus one margarita came to $8. On our 2nd visit (3/22/97) they had a band, one guy on guitar, the other on accordian. Very fun. After several visits to Juarez, we have come to the conclusion that they make the best margaritas in Juarez. Food = chips and beef jerky. Bathroom = **

Cafe Tlaquepaque: CLOSED. Sniff again.

The Sports Bar: Avenida Juarez. Has a name change, and isn't open before sunset. On the southwest corner, about 3 or 4 blocks in. Large place inside, lots of room. Kind of dusty and dingy, but okay. They gave you little straw hats with little woven ponchos with your order. I couldn't get the guy to give me the Herredura Reposado, even though the bottle was right there, but we did get Hornitos. 4 shots, 5 beers, and one coke came to $15. A little more expensive than usual. Tom: The furniture and lights are straight from the 60s. Chris: Point out the sled on the wall. Food = chips(?) behind the bar. Bathroom = *** (about the same as any bar bathroom in the US).

The Kentucky Club: Avenida de Juarez, right-hand side of the street, about 3 blocks in. We've seen this place many times, never got around to going in since Cafe Tlaquepaque is right across the street basically. Inside there's a lot of very old carved wood, high ceilings, very dusty in the corners but the bar and tables areas were nice and clean. Prices were good, $2 for a margarita and they were very good. Not Mr. Fog good but decent. Apparently Hemingway, Kerouac, etc. used to come through there in the old days. Food = chips(?) behind the bar. I think they may have a real menu, too, but not sure about that. Bathroom = *** (about the same as any bar bathroom in the US).

Cafe Apolo: 16 de Septiembre (sp?), a street perpendicular to Avenida Juarez. The basilica is on the right of this street, but we went left. This place was actually a cafe, part of a group of cafes, but it had sort of a bar feel to it. I think the area is called El Mercado. Mariachi band playing, people selling everything from cigarettes to very nice lace tablecloths. Only beer here, and I don't know how much it cost (not my round). Nice atmosphere. We'll be back. One of the few places we saw where you could drink outside. Food = full menu. Tasty and cheap, though some of the items looked a bit suspicious. Bathroom = ?

El Genio: 16 de Septiembre as well, but closer to Avenida Juarez than El Mercado. It was closed last time we went to Juarez, hope it re-opens!

Club el Recreo: 16 de Septiembre across from the Cine. This wasn't a well-marked bar. The owner told us he tried to *not* get the tourist types in, the guys who would come down at night and get in fights. An all-local bar, we were the only gringos and got the 'once over' many times. It was a very old, very gorgeous bar, with ornate carved wooden doors. The white-haired owner told us it is one of the oldest in Juarez, about 85 yrs old. He showed us a bunch of things, like an old bull-fighting poster with his name on it, but it wasn't really him. Also a *wonderful* flask made out of a bull's leg, hoof at the bottom. I want one! The jukebox had American tunes (of the Frank Sinatra variety) that the owner put on for us, but I put in my quarters to play mariachi music. Prices were pretty good: $14 for 7 margaritas. But Mr. Fog *still* makes the best margaritas. This bar isn't for everyone, but we enjoyed it. Food = nothing. One pool table, 25 cents a play. Bathroom = *** but muy pequeno! at least the women's one. Barely had room to sit straight on the pot. The men's apparently was *****. No, I didn't check myself.

If you know of any more bars that are worth a look, please e-mail me at xoxohnso@charon.nmsu.edu
(Replace the x's with j's in order to e-mail me. This is to foil the webcrawlers that grab 'mail to' bits for junk e-mailing lists. I hope.)


I'm sure some people will disagree with our opinions, but these are strictly our opinions and are not intended to be the definitive guide. Start your own page and I'll link to it.

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