Martin's Capitol Cafe — Restaurant in Roswell

I really wanted to like this place. I know the owner from interacting with him often at my work and he is very kind, personable, and down to earth.

My first impression ever with this establishment was wonderful, however it was an order for carryout so I didn't experience anything else. The first four consecutive times I ordered their green chili stew which is fantastic! Eventually this past weekend I decided to break out of the norm and stopped in for breakfast with my kids after the farmers market. First time going in sitting down and being waited on and really taking a look at the choices on the menu. Granted, this was only the breakfast menu. I was underwhelmed with the choices and the prices seemed high for breakfast items. When we got the ticket it said $26.50 at the bottom, I think anyone would assume that would be the total. I think most customers would look for, appreciate, and assume the total sum of the ticket would be at the bottom. So I left $31.50 cash to include a tip. I watched her take it to the register to close it out and they were counting and discussing for a moment. When she passed back by our table I asked her if she got a five for her tip and asked if I calculated it correctly. She said no. It was actually a lot more than that but someone else covered it. I was confused and mentioned the total I saw at the bottom. She said no that wasn't the total and gave some explanation that didn't make sense to me. I then gave her an additional $5 bill for a tip, leaving confused.

Now as for what we had: 2 pancakes ($6.50 I believe), a side of bacon ($4 for 3 slices), 2 eggs ($2 each)-- all a la carte because they didn't really have any set meals including those items for my two children. They each had a chocolate milk as well. I ordered the huevos rancheros with a coffee and water for myself. The cubed potatoes/hash browns were inedible. They tasted solely like flour and something else unpleasant I couldn't quite put my finger on. I tried putting Cholula on them to help but it didn't make a difference. So for those items it cost $40+ (since I don't know what the actual total ever was) with a tip which is outrageous.

We were seated promptly but the staff seemed a bit brash and hurried, not only my waitress in particular, but observing the rest of the staff (other waitresses and cooks in the back since we sat near that area) with it not being above average busy at all. Maybe we'll try for lunch sometime but I can't imagine it will be much different. In-person first impression left much to be desired. I will at least be a returning customer for the stew, as an order ahead...

Fresh food, great service, friendly staff!

While in town for the night in Roswell, we stopped in for dinner as my husband said they have great sopapillas. They were delish. They are served with local honey and that makes it extra special.

Before we arrived I called to make sure it wasn't too late to come in since it was within 30 minutes of closing. They were friendly answering the phone as well as when we arrived. Another table arrived right after we did. They too had called just in case. You'd think they just opened, they were so nice and hospitable.

Our waitress, Susan was friendly, helpful, patient, and checked on us frequently. We received our drinks, chips, food, and dessert timely. We took care of us and we tipped her well as a result.

Our food was delicious. The chips as well as the salsa were served warm and were fresh.

I had chille rellenos, our daughter had a stuffed sopapilla, and my husband had the huevos rancheros topped with green chili stew. Susan told us that the green chili stew was once named the best in the country, that's impressive. Martin's makes their own red chili in house straight from the pod.

Overall we had a great experience at Martin's highly recommend it...

During the eclipse, we met someone who had gotten a recommendation from a Roswell local that Martin's Capitol Cafe was the "best New Mexican food in town". The décor felt like a bit of a throwback and kind of cool at the same time. The menu had too many selections but but hubby ordered the chile relleno plate al caballo and I had the stuffed sopapilla. There was sooooo much food and the prices were extremely reasonable. The food was fresh and delicious, very different from the options readily available in the SF East Bay area..

Our server was very friendly, made us feel welcome and had a great sense of humour. There were, however, some diners that were, uhm, a little odd ... like outer space alien odd

We could not finish our meals, so our leftovers were packed up and they included extra order chips to go with.

Note: the booth we sat in was was not terribly comfortable. The covers were cracked and the springs have given up I suspect they are all that way. You might be better off sitting in the middle of the dining room with the hard, straight-backed chairs.

I would definitely stop here again on my way through to infinity...