Tequila's Pagosa — Restaurant in Pagosa Springs

Extremely disappointing visit tonight. The staff clearly have an issue with any and all dogs and minimally tolerate service animals per legal requirements. The hostess asked if it was a service animal, as if I didn't see their huge sign outside, and then actually instructed me that he has to be under the table... I'm well aware of service animal laws. I'm also a firm believer in giving people the chance to prove themselves. I mean... I gave this restaurant a chance to prove themselves... 🤣 BIG FAIL. I was hoping to enjoy a relaxing evening in this beautiful tourist town after a rough day and my waitress did absolutely everything she could to rush my dinner. I ordered a beer and two tacos. I am a petite female with eating disorders... I don't eat a lot in general. Twice the waitress asked me if everything was okay before I managed to eat even half a taco. Then, she brings the check without bothering to ask if I wanted anything else. I was stunned to see she brought the ticket and let her know I wanted another beer. She takes the ticket and leaves to get the beer. She clearly paid less attention to the salt on the rim for the second beer.Then, she proceeded to bring my ticket over again without asking if I would like anything else. Not once was I even asked if I'd like dessert... I started to pay attention to the other customers and no one was harassed nearly as much as me. And finally, she actually seemed shocked that I'd asked for a to-go box for my complimentary chips as Id planned to reward my dog outside of the restaurant for his excellent behavior while working inside the restaurant. She was too lazy to grab the box herself and instructed another gentleman. Never saw the waitress again. And well, extremely expensive for mediocre tacos and beer that everyone else serves. I regret spending money at the location and they lost out on at least an additional $15-20....

What a lucky surprise to stumble upon this restaurant! We stopped in Pagosa Springs for only one day & night, as we were traveling home to Santa Fe from a trip to Silverton. We walked along the lovely River Walk in the afternoon, then started thinking about dinner. The only restaurant we saw there along the river, except for the private resort, was Tequila's. We were reluctant to go to a Mexican restaurant because, being from New Mexico, we eat Mexican food all the time and it would be nice to have a change - and we snobbishly assumed we'd never find excellent Mexican food north of New Mexico. But there it was right in front of us, and we didn't know any other restaurants in Pagosa, so we decided what the heck, let's give it a try. Very glad we did! The food was divinely delicious. I had the fajita salad, and those were the best fajitas I've ever tasted. My partner ordered the shrimp and mushroom dish with rice and was equally delighted. Generous servings - more than we'd normally eat, yet we finished everything on our plates because it was all so tasty. The margaritas were excellent as well. And the prices were surprisingly reasonable, after we'd been spending much more for lower quality food at the restaurants in Silverton. (And of course, compared to Santa Fe, where almost nothing is affordable.) The atmosphere is charming, with hand carved and hand painted Mexican furniture in festive colors. We sat on the outdoor patio above the river overlooking the famous springs, and looking to the east we watched a thunderstorm form over the San Juan mountains in the direction of Wolf Creek Pass. It was quite dramatic with the sunset coloring the storm clouds. In sum, everything exceeded our hopes: the delicious food, the beautiful views, the festive decor, and the reasonable prices....

Simply not worth the view. This strikes me as the kind of family-owned restaurant where the service is what you’d expect from a staff that has no incentive to make improvements. If you’re ready to stop reading here, the short review is that I will not be returning, and I suggest you look elsewhere.

Wait Time: We waited quite awhile to be greeted, but once we were, a table was made ready quickly (table of 8). We then waited for almost 20 minutes before we were able to place an order with our server. We then waited another 20 minutes to get our drinks. The food hit the table another 20 minutes later. That is one hour after we sat down.

Drink Quality: Watered down, most of us didn’t finish drinking our pricey margaritas. At $10-13 each. Not even good enough for happy hour.

Food Quality: The chips and salsa were good. My veggie burrito made chimichanga-style was decent, with the flavor of the veggies being the best part. The guacamole had no salt or garlic in it at all. Tasteless. Others at my table quoted that their chimichangas were good, but that’s it.

Service: Our server and all other staff that we spoke with were polite, competent, and thankfully, wearing masks during this pandemic. However, this was a Sunday evening, and the restaurant was not very busy. So either they were short-staffed, or they simply don’t care that their customers have to wait too long for mediocre food.

Let’s hope that they read this and start making improvements. You’ll have to check it out yourself, because I certainly...