Dragonfly Cafe & Bakery

Southwestern adobe atmosphere infused with a little French country is incredibly welcoming and comfortable. The food was unique and amazing. Loved the poached eggs over cornbread with Swiss chard, black-​eyed peas and roasted red pepper sauce. Bake goods and coffees were delish!

This place is well located off the main drag in Taos. Its a little hard to find since it is not right on the street and has patio seating in the front. We actually drove by it once before finding on the way back. The place is very charming inside but there is not a ton of seating but we had no problems getting a table.
The staff was very friendly and even let us bring our two little dogs inside because it was cold. The service was attentive throughout the entire experience and they took their time explaining everything including the specials.
The food was relatively simple but outstandings. The bison burger was one of the best burgers I have ever had. I think it is a regular menu item but the toppings change by the day. The desert was also very good.

Carnitas, carnitas, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… I could see myself having a bad romance with this dish. One where I’m calling in the middle of the night and hanging up and finally leading to a restraining order. It was not at all what I expected and left me feeling enamored and wanting to swim in it. This dish will keep me up at night, plotting. It was like putting the needle in the vein of the addict. I MUST have more!

The food here is AMAZING. We went on Monday night which is Indian food evening. I cannot say enough that this was the BEST food I have ever had. Apparently each Monday the menu varies. I would give them 5 stars except our bread pudding dessert (which is all hand made in house) was heated and but the center was cold. It had to be sent back to be reheated in the oven. They served the bread pudding with a hand made whipped cream, very delicious.

This is a quaint and hospitable place to dine in Taos. We came by it largely by accident. We were staying one evening at the motel next door. The front street signage is very modest, so you could easily drive by without noticing it.
I had a flat iron steak salad. My wife ate a chicken entrée. Both were made with fresh ingredients and portions were generous. My salad had raw French cut green beans mixed in with leafy greens. Fine with me, but the beans were somewhat woody and hard to chew. The steak was done perfectly. The salad dressing was nicely balanced and didn’t overwhelm the plate. For dessert we shared a chocolate delight that can best be described as other-​worldly. Five stars there.
Service from our wait person was excellent and the kitchen put out our meal in a reasonable amount of time. The restaurant is not air conditioned. No problem later in the evening, but I’d guess it gets pretty warm inside during lunch. Also, as other customers have noted, the establishment has no parking lot and on-​street parking appears limited. Plus, the road can be crowded with local rush hour traffic. So, as nice as this café may be, I doubt it can grow into a landmark Tao restaurant without the addition of adjacent parking for the convenience of its patrons.
Finally, even though the Dragonfly touts itself as a café and bakery, it’s pricing is moderately high.

Ambience: Nothing special. Bare essentials for layout and facilities.
Service: This was the highlight. Very pleasant and helpful staff.
Food: Average. Most likely vegans and organ-​fetishers will love their selection of eco-​friendly fare, but it simply wasn’t cooked well. I had a form of eggs Benedict which was average at best. The Hollandaise was way too thick and had an odd taste. I found it hard to finish. Pity, since I found out there was a much better place downtown that was cheaper too.
Price: Expensive even for Taos. The organic eggs were extra $$ too.
In short, not likely to go back.

I absolutely love this restaurant! Try the granola and desserts. Sooo good!

Like Alice Waters moves to Taos, but she doesn’t quite get the details right, or maybe she can’t find skilled chefs to make it happen. The ambiance is exactly right, and the menu is inspired. Some dishes, like the mushroom pâté or lemon risotto were nearly perfect. The buffalo burger (I’m sad to report) was like a thin, dry, hockey puck (I can’t believe they asked me how I wanted it cooked («medium,» I requested), then they brought a ½ inch thick patty that was nothing if not well-​done! And the greens weren’t completely fresh (Alice Waters would never do that)
Why did I love this place anyway? The «hockey puck» was on a homemade bun with delicious cheese. The zucchini biscuits were fresh out of the oven, and the mushroom pâté came with a generous wedge of blue cheese. Also, my wife’s sangria was terrific. Not everything was just right, but it was made with care, and the place was cozy and tastefully decorated. I’ll be back!

When an establishment has this high a rating after 50+ reviews I am immediately curious. Rare indeed is the place that can obtain such levels of acclaim without tipping over at least a little. But, brave Unilocalers, let me assuage you, this place lives up to the hype.
It is a hippy-​run place. Expect skirts, pigtails, patchouli smells. Also expect some of the best food around. These hippies love their food, and they take pride in sourcing things locally and organic. They also take care in preparing things fresh, and making sure you’re satisfied with your food.
I had the bison burger, it was delicious. The eggs Dragonfly are also delicious, a unique spin on eggs Benedict. If you’re into sweets this place will not disappoint, as they have a nice assortment of pastries to choose from. Cakes, tarts, cookies, you’ll have something to satisfy your sweet tooth.
From what I gather, the locals love this place. I was seated on the patio and there were more than a few people that rolled up and hugged a server or two. A good sign, if ever there was one.

This is one of those hippy-​run restaurants that replenishes one’s soul.
«Raw» (actually massaged) Kale salad with grilled pear slabs, house-​made ricotta, toasted hazelnuts with a minimalistic dressing fully recharged us after our long drive.
Then we took our waitresses recommendation on the beef stew. I grew up in Wisconsin and have traveled the world and I have never had a better beef stew than this. It had this lucid thickness and the depth of flavor almost made you close your eyes to fully appreciate it. All the vegetables were not over cooked and still maintained a proper texture and it was plated nicely.
This was all served with house-​made bread that was earthy and delicious.
We were lucky enough to get this secluded window seating that had tons of pillows and a great view of their stone garden.

Our last night before we head back home & decided to have dinner with my wife. We picked the Dragonfly because of all the reviews. We were not disappointed at all.
We arrived at 5:30 pm & the restaurant was nearly full. This restaurant has limited seating, maybe seating 30. It has a quaint feeling which is special. Now onto the food. We ordered a kale salad, the risotto & the mahi mahi special. The food must be the best in Taos. It is well presented & the texture & taste is exquisit. The owner, Karen, came out & walked the restaurant & greeted her guests. Nice touch. We will be back when we return to Taos.

Been back several times and never fails to impress :-)
Fabulous, freshly made, delicious food — what’s not to like :-)

Good and unusal food. The Beet and goat cheese salad thing was DELICIOUS! We ate outside under the tree and they accept dogs on the patio. Friendly service and I’ll be back when we come to Taos again.

This place is totally worth the stop and weird parking situation. They have a small, but excellent menu that changes seasonally. This is not a get-​ranch-​with-​my-​salad kind of place. We had a large party and we were immediately seated upon arrival.
The food varied from a lovely beet and goat cheese terrine to a delicious soup of the day (ham and bean when we went) to fantastic bison burgers and curry chicken salad sandwiches on croissant. The bun for the bison burgers was a delicious, homemade rosemary foccacia, the croissant was home made, the soup was served with homemade bread slices. Prices were average for the area tourist restaurants, but the quality was unparalleled. I love that they clearly had local farmers from whom they regularly purchased their ingredients and the service was as delightful as the food.
Try this place out! It’s slightly hippie and pure deliciousness!
PS – try a dessert! We grabbed some cookies on the way out and it was totally worth it!

This place is really cute and nice. The menu is full of variety and exciting, unique dishes (goat cheese, white bean enchiladas were great). The bakery is very good and fresh (coconut cream pie was too).
However, we were there for 2 hours. My mom’s sister was getting married the very next day and we both had nothing to wear (you don’t pack for surprise out of nowhere weddings when you travel, ya know?). The service was miserably slow, we saw our waitress 3 times during those 2 hours, and other waitresses had to fill our waters since she was so busy off doing other things (who knows what!). It was the worst service I have ever had in my life, and that’s saying something.
This should have been a 5 star review, but our experience was honestly horrible beyond the food. My mom even disliked her meal because she ordered it without the goat cheese, which made it extremely bland and spicy. I recommend going here, but maybe tell your waitress you’re in a hurry or something because 2 hours is ridiculous.

Lunch last week here. Sat outside, it’s near the road but the two fountains drown out the traffic sounds (and really, it’s Taos, there’s not much traffic). They had pretty wind wheels up and outdoor ambiance was very nice.
Service was friendly and casual– they had a wine list with average prices, $ 10/​glass
I had Bi Bim Bop, which was not authentic but still healthy and good (the kimchee was authentic and spiced well, it was just not served in the cauldron which crisps up the rice so well). To be fair, we lived in San Jose for a few years so I was eating some serious Korean food there and realize this was a local version of that. It had cauliflower, brocolli, brown rice, carrots, just tons of veggies. I cleared my plate so can’t complain :)
We got a chocolate ganache cupcake to go along with a chocolate éclair and a lemon tart that was AMAZING. This is a good find.

We just stopped in for an afternoon snack and coffee. My friend had peanut butter cookies that she said were amazing. I had an almond croissant which was also wonderful. It was actually split and filled with an almond paste that just added that extra something. The table near us was raving over the soup of the day, so we asked for a sample. The waiter actually brought us a small bowl. The next table was so right. It was delicious. If we had another day, we would have returned for lunch.

After our lunch and a stroll through ‘downtown’ Taos, we had a serious sweet tooth. I had spied Dragonfly while we were driving by and really wanted to stop and visit, so we moseyed on over that way. When we walked into the renovated house, you could tell this was a place that the locals frequented. People were hanging out and chatting over their lunches, a fantastic atmosphere.
We headed to the back where the bakery display was. My sis-​in-​law and I drooled over the offerings, sampled a couple and finally decided to get the salted de leche chocolate tart, ancho raspberry jam filled baked chocolate mousse tart and the lemon tart. A pretty penny at $ 6/​piece but well worth the money knowing the ingredients were organic and local (where possible). Everything was perfect.
So perfect, in fact, that the hubs and I headed back there for dinner, just the two of us. I was amazed how they transformed the hang out spot into a rom dulche antic dinner destination. It was lovely. We sat and perused the menu and wine list — great options at nice price points. We both enjoyed our wines, although I can’t recall what we ordered — our waitress did a wonderful job pairing our wines with our meals. We had the cheese plate special (we were hooked when the waitress said cambozola — my fav!) which was a great light opener to the meal. The hubs had the bison burger — which was cooked perfectly medium rare, and I had a ravioli special with a beautiful lemon sauce. The food was wonderful, carefully executed and the service was great.
If we end up in Taos again, we will be back!

I seriously love Taos. Everything about the place jives with me. The clean air, the mountains encircling the town on three sides, the desert on the fourth, the rainbows after the rain, the magical sunsets, the healthy outdoor but also intellectual lifestyle. The hot springs, the liberal-​minded folks, the great places to eat. I’d kiss Montréal good-​bye tomorrow with it’s horrible roads and pissy politics and come down here if I could.
Dragonfly Café is a very typical Taos establishment. People meaning very well and dammit, trying their best to make a go of a new place and in doing so, creating a soft, magical space.
I’ll split my review in two parts, 1 for food and 1 for the people. Came here today for brunch and unfortunately they were having problems in the kitchen and the plate I received was practically all burnt through. I don’t blame them, these things happen in the best of places.
However having said that, they were very kind towards me. The owner even came to my table and apologized for my plate and was gracious enough to not charge me a penny because she felt so bad. Not many places in this day and age would do that. Even while I was waiting, they gave me a complimentary biscotti to accompany my tea.
I’m going to try to come here again before I leave to try out their curry dinner since it seems to be the only place which might serve Indian food in Taos.
It’s unfortunate my plate came out the way it did but I’ll give an A+ to the folks here for their kindness.

Our La Dona Luz B&B angel, Paco, told us to check this little adobe home turned sweet, gourmet spot. We arrived on Cajun night which although sounded pretty fantastic, there weren’t tons of vegetarian items (I don’t eat creatures, on surf nor turf) due to oodles of shrimp concoctions however Dienke, the cutest Dutch waitress you ever did see encouraged our return (you couldn’t say no to her braided pigtail framed face and über-​friendly disposition).
I’m so glad we returned to the Dragonfly Café tonight, it was so lovely.
The Roasted Vegetable salad was so nourishing and divine… the bread soaked balsamic reduction sauce involved made the perfect crunchy, squish– I wouldn’t even sink as low to call them croutons but maybe the Grand High Priestesses of breaddy salad adornments. The pumpkin gnocchi was a first-​of-​its-​kind for me having been put on the fire after boiling to ensure a slight glaze that complimented the bleu cheese sauce and grizzled leeks and roasted pistachios. Oh my!
The owner, a super hard-​working mom of two with a great laugh named Karen, ended up stopping by our table after we finished our final plates. It’s inspiring to know so much heart goes into her place– whether that’s her ordering in fine chocolates from Germany for the housemade desserts, bringing in eggs for her recipes from her 50 hens at home, making sure every «waste» goes into a compost, growing a garden and providing fresh, seasonal sun-​warmed and hand-​picked vegetables… this woman is sensational and can seriously handle the kitchen pulling out stops left and right for up to 200 patrons in one day (during peak summer season) solo. She’s a force of awesome that’s for sure.
I want to give this whole restaurant a hug, it’s like the Best Friend Forever Restaurant I never had and can’t wait to experience again upon my next visit to Taos!