Starlight Theatre — Restaurant in Manuel Benavides

3.5 stars from us. review based on one experience on a specific day. All staff wearing masks and tables well-spaced apart. a local institution anyone in the area should experience, even if just visiting the porch or gift store. This place was actually once a working movie theater when the town was thriving. Reopened as a restaurant and it’s really the best choice for a quality non-mexican dinner in the area. We had attempted to eat here the night before (Monday) and were told it was a two hour wait. Deciding against that we ate elsewhere. Turns out almost all other nearby restaurants are closed on Monday-for sure part of the wait issue. Planned accordingly on Tuesday and were in line about 20 minutes before opening. Even then we were about 30th in line. The infamous porch crowd wasn’t really much this night as almost all were part of the line. Many chose to pick up drinks at the cantina next door and wait for the doors to open one young man playing guitar for a bit. I heard the real scene on the porch is on the weekend. Once the line began to move, we really hoped we would get in on first seating and no wait more. And luckily for us we made it as the last pair to get in before they began to fill a waiting list. Very unique, eclectic décor and lighting with desert colors, high ceilings, and cattle skulls hanging from the ceiling. Like nothing we’d ever seen before. And the area once occupied by the movie screen now turned into a stage for the live music, which was not going on during our visit. Once seated, we decided to go crazy and order drinks (not our norm). on advice from the waitress-who was friendly enough but not overly so-we both chose the locally famous Prickly Pear margarita. There are pictures throughout the web of this drink. It’s a bright pink drink made with the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. You can actually by pre made syrup should you want to try this. The drink was quite sweet and made with a generous amount of tequila. We enjoyed them very much. Onto the house app of salsa and chips and they both were very good. The salsa heat just on the edge of what we thought was too hot. My wife chose the shrimp taco plate and I could not pass up starting with a cup of the famous chili or the chicken fried antelope entrée. DW enjoyed her tacos for the most part but the combo of the Chipotle crema and the raw jalapenos in the mango salsa was more than her tastebuds could do. So a little plucking out of the peppers and only eating two (of three) she was ok. The shrimp were very nicely grilled. I felt the no bean chili was delicious, though I would have enjoyed a dollop of sour cream on top to temper the heat. It was just fine without though. The antelope was a bit of a miss I’m afraid. The veggies were good, the mashers better, especially with the gravy, but the meat was really pretty flavorless and the breading very mushy. In fact, the meat was just mushy all around to my taste. Good enough but not spectacular. One of the menu items that caught my eye before we arrived was the dessert of homemade Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie. My first question to our server was “Do you have Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie right now?” Fortunately, the answer was yes. Unfortunately, it was very different than any other similar pie I have enjoyed elsewhere. Instead of your typical southern style pecan pie it was more like a chocolate chip pie with pecans in it and on it. Topped with whipped cream and Hershey’s syrup. It was a delicious dessert just not quite what was expected. Our time here was very enjoyable in a unique atmosphere. It should be on your list if you like a good drink and a...

Upon hearing from several people and reading positive reviews, my wife and I decided to try the Starlight Theater for a late dinner with the kids. The website shows that they are open until 1 a.m. good for us since it was already 9 p.m. on a Saturday night. We arrived at the Starlight and approached the hostess at the door. She promptly asked for our name, which we provided. She checked a list and said “I don’t see your name on the list so I’m afraid we can’t serve you tonight.” She then followed it up with “we have to have all food served by 10 p.m.” So as we proceeded to leave I asked her if we needed a reservation. She said only for parties of 10 or more. There were only 4 of us which only caused me more confusion. I then mentioned to her that your website shows you’re open until 1 a.m. but doesn’t state you only serve food until 10 p.m. she said “sorry” in a get out of here kid, you bother me sort of way and demeanor. Certainly not the type of service I expected. It’s ultimately disappointing to me since we frequent Terlingua from the Austin area and just purchased property here. No problem though, they obviously stay busy enough not to need anymore customers so we will be happy to eat at one of the many other establishments that appreciate our patronage. I know Venga doesn’t stay open that late but is top notch. Taqueria El Milagro is also a very good place to go. Both places have good food, good service and...

By far the best restaurant in Terlingua. This is a must for anyone going to Big Bend. We ordered the Chicken Fried Antelope and the Tequila Marinated Texas Quail. The Antelope was so soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and tasted delicious. The gravy it goes with added a ton of flavor. The Quail was also delicious. My husband preferred the Antelope over the Quail but it was still really good. They just had very different flavor profiles since the Quail had a yummy blueberry balsamic reduction. It came with green beans and mashed potatoes. They tasted so fresh and were flavored perfectly. Never had such good green beans before. We finished our dinner with the Homemade Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie and Root Beer Float. I usually hate pecan pie due to the overwhelming sweetness, but it was incredible. The chocolate bourbon flavor sold it for me. While I didn’t add ice cream to my pie due to lactose intolerance, I did sneak a taste from my husband’s root beer float. It was a very unique tasting ice cream. Never had an ice cream like that before and next time I’m down here, I’m definitely having just a bowl of ice cream. Our waitress was so kind and she was there when we needed her, and gave us our space during our meal. The entertainment was good. We usually don’t like live entertainment due to the high volume, but they only sang a few songs and gave us a break. Great atmosphere. This restaurant is a must if you...