Orlando's — Restaurant in Taos

🌶️ Orlando’s in Taos – Where the Food Winks at You and the Service Hugs Your Soul 🌶️

Orlando’s came highly recommended, and for once, the hype was mostly justified. We rolled in hungry, skeptical, and slightly sunburned, and were greeted like long-lost cousins returning from a tortilla-less land. The service? Exceptional. Our server was the kind of person who makes you feel like you picked the right place before you even look at the menu—friendly, attentive, and somehow always there exactly when you need them but never hovering like a well-meaning ghost.

Now, onto the food.

We ordered the Tres Colores enchiladas, the chile relleno (accompanied by a dashing little shrimp skewer), and the beef chimichanga. And folks—let’s not bury the lede—the beef chimi and the chile relleno were chef’s kiss fantastic. The chimichanga was golden and crispy like it had just emerged from a spa day in a deep fryer and was ready for its close-up. Inside? Beefy, seasoned, flavorful joy. As for the chile relleno, it was a beautiful, gooey, roasted green chile masterpiece—no frills, no unnecessary drama, just solid, comforting deliciousness. The shrimp skewer was a bonus act that didn’t overstay its welcome. A nice little surf to go with our turf.

Now, the Tres Colores enchiladas. Look, we wanted to love them. Three colors. Three sauces. Sounds like a party. But honestly? They were the food equivalent of a movie trailer that gives away all the best parts. Attractive on the outside, but once you get into it, you realize the plot’s a bit thin. They weren’t bad, just the kind of dish that makes you go, “Well, now I know for next time.”

In the end, we left full, happy, and already plotting our return for more chimi and relleno magic. Between the welcoming staff and the dishes that really hit, Orlando’s is definitely worth a stop—but maybe save the enchiladas for someone who enjoys mild...

Disclaimer: I've lived in Taos my whole life and am very close to a lot of the owners and workers of all the restaurants that have stuck around. So I have a very good perception of good and bad service at each local restaurant.

I love Orlando's and the food is pretty decent. However, one of the managers that also serves there seems to have an attitude problem. This is the second time this has happened where she picks up the phone for to go orders and she sighs loudly before placing me on hold and hanging up. When I try to call back, the phone is obviously off the line because it goes straight to voicemail and won't answer. I've heard so many people complain about this employee and it's horrible that such a great place gets a bad rep because of her. Haven't been able to place an order the last two times because of her. Please talk to her because it's not fair to the owners.

I'm almost 100% sure the lady's name is Felicia. Go to all the bad reviews of this place and the vast majority of them are critical because of this woman. It's not just the terrible service. She's a huge reason why a lot of people have quit working there and stopped dining there. I know for a fact that she's so infamous in town that no other restaurants would hire her, unless they're brand new and haven't heard of her, yet. This isn't a teenager we're talking about. It's an older woman with zero manners and zero respect for...

We thought we got there early. It opens at 5 pm and we got there at 5:30 🕠 pm and there was a 40 min wait! You got it! We waited by the fire 🔥 ( we wish we brought something warm to drink) you can wait by the fire or a little outpost on the left side of the restaurant.

Once we finally got inside the ambiance, the waiters, the food !!! It was well worth it!! (I would do it again and maybe bring some mommy juice for the wait 😉)

They had a nice selection of cocktails 🍸 and we’ll as wine 🍷 I prefer white wine and the had a nice Pinot Grigio to enjoy while waiting for the food.

We order chips and salsa and guacamole 🥑 it was delicious so good that I ordered an additional side!! The chips were of three colors, red, blue and the traditional yellow chips.

For the entree we order the colores ( or was it Los Colores) it’s their signature dish. It’s three enchiladas, cheese, chicken and beef wrap in blue corn tortillas and each had it’s one salsa on top ( red, green and extra red) it was delicious 😋

We had no room for desert!!

The wait was worth it! Since we went in February, just be prepared to keep yourself warm...