Where do you get dinner in Ranchos de Taos on a Tuesday night now? Since Sept. 26, nowhere in the village. Until then the Trading Post Market and Deli handled most of those nights. Taos News described it as open until 8 or 8:30 p.m. most nights of the week. Its stretch of NM-68 now has three kitchens that cook on weekends and one that closes at 2 p.m.
Ranchos still has good places to eat. They just all serve dinner on the same few days.
What closed on Sept. 26, and where it went
Taos News reported that chef Ky Quintanilla closed the Trading Post Market and Deli after more than three years in business. He's putting his energy into Jackalope Bistro, which he opened at the former Burger Stand at Taos Ale House. The paper listed several reasons for the decision. The building needed maintenance, parking was tight, and running two restaurants was a lot of work. Sales also fell after a low-snow winter and a dry summer.
Much of the Trading Post moved with him. About 90 percent of its staff followed Quintanilla to Jackalope, and he expanded the menu there to include dishes from the Ranchos kitchen. He also explained to Taos News where his regulars have been eating since the move:
"We've been really busy since we made the move. I think a lot of my loyal clientele from the Trading Post came over here, even though it's four more miles, then we're growing our clientele here on the north side."
Those four miles are the main change for anyone in Ranchos. The cooks, the menu and the late hours are all still around, just farther up the highway.
The Ranchos food week, day by day
Here is the week as the businesses list it this fall. Jackalope Bistro is included because it's now the closest place still serving dinner on every night the village is dark.
| Day |
Ranchos Plaza Grill |
Old Martinez Hall |
The Stakeout |
Jackalope Bistro, 4 miles north |
| Monday |
Closed |
Closed |
Closed |
11 a.m.–8:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday |
Closed |
Closed |
Closed |
11 a.m.–8:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday |
8 a.m.–2 p.m. |
Closed |
Closed |
11 a.m.–8:30 p.m. |
| Thursday |
8 a.m.–2 p.m. |
Closed |
Closed |
11 a.m.–8:30 p.m. |
| Friday |
8 a.m.–2 p.m. |
3–8 p.m. |
4–10 p.m. |
11 a.m.–8:30 p.m. |
| Saturday |
8 a.m.–2 p.m. |
3–8 p.m. |
Closed through Nov. 14, then 4–10 p.m. |
Breakfast 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m., then 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m. |
| Sunday |
8 a.m.–2 p.m. |
11 a.m.–8 p.m. |
4–10 p.m. |
Breakfast 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m., then 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m. |
On Monday and Tuesday, none of these Ranchos kitchens is open. Wednesday and Thursday offer breakfast and lunch on the plaza, and that's all. From Friday afternoon through Sunday night you can choose among three places within a short drive of the church. Before Sept. 26, the Trading Post covered most of the empty evenings in this table. Now the only possible weeknight dinner in the village is a Wednesday at the Terrace at Taos Country Club, covered below.
Friday through Sunday, Ranchos has more options than it's had in years
The weekend is full because of what came back this year. Old Martinez Hall at 4140 NM-68 reopened May 1 after a long dormancy and a change in ownership. It's operated by Heritage Hotels & Resorts, the company that owns El Monte Sagrado. When it reopened, Taos News called its menu "elevated pub food": burgers, fish and chips and salads, with wine, beer and cocktails overseen by Chef Cristina Martinez. The paper also noted the hall has plenty of parking. At that point, Heritage founder Jim Long said the hall would add hours if demand warranted. Its own site still lists Friday and Saturday, 3 to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The rest of the weekend fills in like this:
- Sunday afternoons at Old Martinez Hall. Live Taos lists Live Music Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. every Sunday through Dec. 27, 2026. That makes Sunday the only day of the week with lunch, live music and dinner under one roof in Ranchos.
- Fridays at The Stakeout. The restaurant at 101 Stake Out Dr. calls itself "fine-ish" dining and runs an oyster and martini happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. on Fridays. Its own notice says it's closed Saturdays through Nov. 14 for fall wedding season and open Fridays and Sundays, 4 to 10 p.m., until then. Its regular schedule is Friday through Sunday.
- Mornings on the plaza. Ranchos Plaza Grill at 8 Ranchos Plaza Rd. serves breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Taos.org's breakfast guide recommends its traditional Northern New Mexican breakfast. The schedule above comes from listings that may be out of date, so call the Grill before you plan a winter morning around it.
Before May, the Grill was the only restaurant in this group open most days. Taos News described Ranchos then as lacking a steady sit-down place with drinks. The paper also noted that the Trading Post served food until 8 or 8:30 most nights, and that for food, drinks and entertainment together south of Taos, the option was The Stakeout on select nights. The weekend got better in May. The Trading Post closure then took away the weeknights. Ranchos has more places to eat than it did a year ago, but its dinners now fall between Friday and Sunday.
Monday through Thursday, dinner means driving north
The two halves of the week are lopsided. On weekends Ranchos has three places to choose from. On the four weeknights, the only possible dinner in the village is Wednesday at the Terrace, and that takes a phone call to confirm.
Jackalope Bistro is the obvious fallback, and it's set up for that role. Closing the Trading Post let Quintanilla open Jackalope seven days a week. It serves lunch and dinner daily from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with breakfast on weekends. The menu has New Mexican and American dishes, including Trading Post favorites, plus additions like flat-iron steak and Scottish salmon. The restaurant got a beer and wine license in May. Quintanilla told Taos News he wants it to be a family-friendly restaurant, not a bar, and plans to add family open-mic nights and more live music.
One possible weeknight option is still in Ranchos, but call before you go. The Terrace at Taos Country Club, on Golf Course Drive, advertises New Mexican plates, sandwiches and burgers, with views from Santa Fe to southern Colorado. Its page announces Wednesday evening dinners starting in May. Nothing on the page says whether they continue into November, so call (575) 758-7300 to check.
For a Ranchos household, the week now works out roughly like this:
- Monday and Tuesday, cook at home or drive north.
- Wednesday and Thursday, plan to eat out at breakfast or lunch on the plaza, unless the Terrace confirms its Wednesday dinners are still running.
- Friday through Sunday, eat out close to home, and remember The Stakeout is closed Saturdays until Nov. 14.
The building on NM-68 is waiting
The Trading Post building is now empty. Quintanilla told Taos News the landlord is trying to sell it. As of late October, no buyer, tenant or new restaurant has been announced.
Printed guides haven't caught up yet. The Taos News Discover Taos Summer/Fall 2026 guide still tells visitors to stop at Trading Post Market for lunch while touring the plaza. If you have family or guests visiting this fall with that guide, point them to Ranchos Plaza Grill for a weekday lunch and to Old Martinez Hall on a Sunday afternoon.
Every business on NM-68 shapes the daily routine of the homes around it, and the next tenant of the Trading Post building will too. Debbie Friday Jagers grew up in Taos and keeps track of what opens and closes between the plaza and the edge of town. She works with Ranchos homeowners and with buyers of commercial property. If you'd like to talk about what changes like this mean for a Ranchos home or storefront, let's connect. Request a free home valuation or consultation.
