Despo’s — Restaurant in Ketchum

We are a group of three married couples (and one best friend) that have visited SV each Spring for 30 years.

Despo’s (including it’s predecessor) has been an important part of our annual SV tradition. Our dining experience this evening was no exception.

The Ahi Tuna Tacos and Ahi Burrito were perfectly seasoned, cooked and served.

My wife’s Chicken Enchilada was “the best she had ever eaten.”

The resident Chile Relleno expert in our group declared Despo’s the “Best Chile Relleno in the U.S.” Other top contenders were: “Red Iguana” (Salt Lake City), “MexiCasa” (Anaheim, CA) and “Morelia” (Midvale, UT).

Even though Despo’s food and service are consistently spectacular, what makes the restaurant truly unique is its amazing long-term staff. Not only do they excel at their culinary and service skills, but they genuinely love their clients and their jobs.

We look forward to more “Mexican Food with Attitude” in Spring 2024 as we drop-in to renew our friendship with Amy Harris (of Pocatello and ISU fame), Manuel/Whitney, Ethan, Victor and the rest of the Despo’s team!

Thank you for making our annual trip to Despo’s feel like we’re visiting...

We had lunch at Despo’s yesterday 7/20/23. I had the shredded chicken enchiladas and my husband had the tortilla soup. We also ordered chips, salsa and guacamole. My first comment was “This chicken with salsa verde is really good! The chicken is tender and the flavor is wonderful.” I tasted the tortilla soup which was also very good, as was the salsa and guacamole. We eat at Mexican restaurants wherever we travel and at home and we feel the food at Despo’s is at the top. We went back again today because we enjoyed the food, service and staff there so much. I had the chicken enchiladas again and my husband had the Chili Verde. Again we had excellent food and service. If we lived near Ketchum we would be regulars every week. We also liked the outdoor and indoor seating. It was very comfortable and relaxing and the owner and servers were so welcoming and friendly. I can highly recommend Despo’s with no qualms. Thank you Amy, Allen, Tucker, and Manuel! Keep up...

We were drawn to Despo's because their outdoor patio looked so inviting. But our experience was just ok. It started with a long wait to be seated. No one even acknowledged us for a long time as we stood there. The bartender looked at us several times but never greeted us or said someone would be right with us. I'm sure they are having labor issues like many in the industry. We were finally seated outside, and our server was quick to greet us and take our orders. I ordered the chimichanga and my husband ordered the Pacific cod burrito. We also ordered the chips and salsa, which we are not accustomed to having to pay for. Our experience has been that it's brought to the table at no extra charge. Our food came out pretty quickly. But it didn't wow us. There was nothing special about it. It's the same Tex-Mex you can get almost anywhere. It wasn't bad, but we definitely had better food and experiences at other restaurants...