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The restaurant in the Chisos Basin Lodge is adequate for a national park dining facility. The service is better than average, and the soda fountain is the equivalent of a spring in the desert--cherry milk shakes are a specialty. Chicken fajitas, pork chops, baked perch, ribeye steak, and a bottomless cup of coffee highlight the limited menu. No alcohol is served. Service begins at seven in the morning with the last evening seating at a quarter to eight.
The Study Butte -- Terlingua Big Bendoplex has more options, including Gloria's, the closest liquor store to the park. The old reliable is La Kiva (371-2250), a wildly imaginative rock and cement cavelike edifice built into the side of Terlinqua Creek, with a subterranean entrance and a spacious patio, three miles east of the ghost town of Terlingua and one and one half miles west of Study Butte. The fare consists of decent barbecue plates, a sixteen-ounce T-bone, and an eight-ounce filet, all accompanied by the familiar sides of slaw and beans. Order at the counter upon arriving. The kitchen closes at ten. |
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 The new Starlight Theatre Restaurant and Bar (371-2326) in Terlingua has stolen much of La Kiva's thunder. An old movie theater remodeled into an airy adobe-walled eatery with a mesquite-topped bar as centerpiece, the Starlight boasts a menu with more choices and real green stuff on the side. Most entrees--a sixteen-ounce T-bone, lemon chicken breast, beef picadillo, and daily specials such as Shrimp Mexicana--come with a lettuce salad, parsley potatoes, beans, and tortillas. Live music is booked occasionally, beginning around eight. Food service ends at ten; the bar closes at midnight.
Also recommended: The Desert Deli Diner (a self-proclaimed "3-D Dining Experience"), a stone's throw from the Starlight, serving light breakfasts and lunches and evening blue plate specials for under $7; the Desert Opry, across from La Kiva, which specializes in vegetarian fare; the Badlands restaurant and bar in Lajitas; two cafes, Garcia's and Dos Amigos, that serve hearty Mexican meals for under $5 in Paso Lajitas across the Rio Grande, accessible by rowboat ferry; Boatman's Bar and Grill in Study Butte for hamburgers ($3) and live music at night; and the Roadrunner Deli, next to the Study Butte store, a bright, cheery eatery done in blond pine, with a selection of gourmet coffees, including a supercharged cup of Texpresso ($1.30), fresh baked muffins ($1.50), bagels with cream cheese ($1.25) or smoked salmon ($4.95), as well as picnic lunches (crab salad, even!) to go. |
