Lambert’s of Taos

This has been one of my favorites for 20 years. My favorite appetizer is the Garlic, Butter and Bread.

This weekend I had some clients in from Denver and they wanted to eat in Taos close to the Plaza. I asked what kind of atmosphere they wanted, because I knew the food would never let me down at Lambert’s. Lambert’s is the only place I eat when my mom comes to town for lunch. Here’s why… it’s quiet, has a great patio and the food is consistently good; of course, I do get the shrimp enchiladas with green sauce and an egg every time. This time we had a bit of everything, and though one of us had a delicious salad and lobster gazpacho, she definitely envied our 2 plates of enchiladas… only dig I have, service can be inconsistent at times, an expectation in Taos, we work at a different pace. Enjoy the atmosphere and don’t get in a hurry, it’ll be great!!!

Lambert’s has won our hearts. Lambert’s was 2^nd on our list of higher-​end restaurants to call to see if they might have some vegan options for our anniversary dinner. Our first call to another restaurant was an unmitigated disaster. Hesitantly, I called Lambert’s, and all concerns evaporated when I connected with Meghan.
Meghan was beyond helpful — she was genuinely concerned about finding ways to help us celebrate at the restaurant, and took time to speak with the chef about possibilities. She called us back promptly with ideas — amazing ideas — even though she shared that the chef was not well-​versed in vegan cooking. We decided to make reservations.
We were not disappointed.
We started with their chilled gazpacho from the standard menu — minus the lobster. The layers of flavors were clean and crisp, with a depth to the soup. While it had been blended, there was still a pleasant texture to it. The serving was huge. At home, that alone would have been plenty for dinner.
Our server told us that the chef (actually their new sous chef) had prepared a crispy red quinoa cake with grilled vegetables for us, or we could choose to «veganize» a dish from the menu. We chose the quinoa cake. It was incredible — covered with grilled fennel, peaches, oyster mushrooms, kale, red bell pepper, and probably several other items I missed. The flavors melded beautifully, yet each element retained its own identity.
We had a chance to meet Meghan and thank her on the way out. She shared how Lambert’s is a great place to work, and everyone enjoys working there. We are believers — it shows in the smiles and in the genuine, caring (yet unobtrusive) service we were shown.
Thank you, Lambert’s — this is an anniversary celebration we will remember fondly!

Went here for lunch after strolling around town. Very charming restaurant (we experienced both slow seating — despite open tables and slow service.). Rooms were bright and made for easy conversation. People were here eating lunch, drinking coffee and relaxing over a glass of wine with a friend or two. A very comfortable setting.
The green chile stew was fabulous (all chile’s in Taos are awesome!), the Taco Del Dia (a fish taco) had great layered flavors.

Had a lovely Sunday brunch on the patio… top notch ambiance. We had Lobster gaespacho & blue corn tortilla enchiladas… both dishes lived up to their reputation. Will be back our next visit to Taos.

Great food! We had four people in our party, and we ordered 4 different entrees so we could share our dishes. The green chili stew was indeed excellent (earlier review). We had ‘zucchini pasta’, bison steak, Bronzino and halibut cheeks. We were stuffed, but made room for a blueberry crostada that was just right – not too sweet or syrupy. Our server Thijs did all the right things and was especially fun to talk to.

4 stars for food, 2 stars for service.
The green chile stew is straight up delicious. very tasty. It has more corn kernels in it than I have had elsewhere, and the pork was chopped into tiny pieces. Not as spicy hot as most green chile stew but very flavorful. I loved it.
Our server was another story. She was not only inattentive, she was openly dismissive of the food. When we asked about the chile rellanos she said «I only eat fish and won’t try the rellanos until they make them with shrimp.»
She told the table next to us about the specials, one of which was a taco special. The customer asked about the taco special and she said «oh that is made with ground beef. How good could it be?»
I bet the owner would not be happy if his staff was openly dismissing the food. That would be like working at a Ford dealer and saying «oh, you want a truck? I don’t like trucks, and besides, how good could a Ford truck be?»
Nice. I didn’t come to Lamberts to hear your personal life philosophy, I came for the food. If your state of culinary enlightenment prevents you from providing information about the food, perhaps you should be working elsewhere.
Which apparently should be a pescaterian vegetarian restaurant. On second thought, judging on her inattentive nature, perhaps one of the galleries would be better suited?
The rellanos by the way we’re good, but not what you expect. They were stuffed with chicken and bacon and had a smoky taste. In this case different was good and I would order them again.
Prices were reasonable for lunch, particularly considering the upscale décor.
Shame the service came with a large side order of snobbery.

This building used to be the «apple tree» restaurant, which was very good in it’s day! Now as «Lamberts» it is Very pricey, small portions and atmosphere is bland! The service was good. The food was O.K. not exceptional at all. I definitely will not be going back with all the great eating places nearby…

The Kobe beef special was superb. It is the best meal I have had there since they moved their location. Previous experiences have not always been quite up to par for the pricing there.
The beef was perfectly grilled and the roasted fingerling potatoes and green beans were the perfect accompaniment.
Service was also excellent.

Stay away! Rip off! A tad pretentious but still very inviting restaurant. Servers are hipsters, too cool to right down your order. He came back to ask another table what they ordered again. I hate that s***. Write the s*** down. It inhibits patrons from asking for modifications! We are profit, you are overhead! C’mon jack don’t make me call your a** out up in this tiny room if you mess up my order. Because I will, trust and believe boo! Margaritas are hypnotic. Chips came out warm and wrapped in a white cloth. Guacamole was dark suggesting not fresh, possibly organic, it was ok but not great. Chipotle salsa was too smoky. Apple Salad was so oily. The rasberry vinaigrette tasted cheap and homemade. Chicken filet brought out separately on its own plate. For $ 14+ for my salad it would be nice if they diced the chicken and put on the salad like all places. My 66 yo mother doesn’t need to finish preparing her salad. Overall, the Unilocal reviews raised my expectations way too much.

If you are in Taos you need to try Lamberts. The steaks are great, excellent wine selection and delicious desserts. Find Tice, he won’t steer you wrong!

You can’t beat this place for fine dining. We have had dinner here several times and never been disappointed in either the service or the food.

I totally see why this place wins «Best Of» awards across the board every year. Service was delightful, food was amazing, ambience was charming and northern NM quaint. We stopped in here for a late lunch after moseying around the plaza and Bent St. We had skirt steak with side of chimichurri, med plate, green chile stew, burger, relleno, and chips with guac as an app.

I give this 4 stars– great location in what seems like a historic and charming house. Lots of low lights, candles, tree house bar that can actually accommodate requests for real cocktails (what’s it gonna take for a homegirl to get a hot toddy in Taos?!) and comfy nooks for seating while waiting for a table. Our group was on the larger side of 7 people, so we got seated in a semi private room.
The service was impeccable! The food all sounded amazing– the menu is def unique. I went for a grouper special with blood orange sauce– sounded great but was a tad underwhelming and i do not think the fish was truly grouper– interestingly enough the texture was more like sea bass (not complaining). Sauce was not very blood orangey– not even orangey. Sides were ok– veggies that were not memorable. Tried some of the duck 2 ways, it was ok. Tried the rib eye– which was not that fat marbled caramelized seared cut of juicy meat– it was a thin (almost butterflied) piece of meat that lacked the caramelization, tasty crust seared to perfection with the pink center– it was thin like a flank steak and it was like light brown all around. No crust, no caramelization. That is not a rib eye to me. Anyway, the dish that looked uhhhmayzing was the jalapeño crab cake special– should have gotten that one. Drinks were on point, though. This place gets 4 stars because of the service, location, drinks and charm, but really needs to refine the culinary basics!

We did not get a chance to eat here. They were in the midst of a «Wine Dinner» for the Taos Winter Wine Festival. However, they chose to close down the remainder of the restaurant. Their offer: the upstairs bar with limited menu.
My advice– call ahead. My advice to the restaurant, post something outside or at least by your hostess stand.

Christmas Eve dinner at Lambert’s completely exceeded my expectations.
Our group of six was seated at the Governor’s Table which was housed in a small room off to the side. I definitely recommend asking for it if you have 6 – 8 people in your party.
The menu was a little special for the evening but included many regular items. To start, we ordered the marinated roasted beet salad, celebration salad and baked brie. The beet salad was definitely my favorite, followed by the brie. The brie was on the small side so I had to be respectful and let everyone have a little bite, although I could have happily ate the entire thing by myself. The greens across the board all tasted super fresh.
I can’t forget the BREAD. It’s served warm with olive oil, butter and roasted garlic. We tore through one basket and even asked for another, willing to take the risk that it would ruin our appetite for our main course.
I got the scallops served over cabbage and with a goat cheese gratin. The scallops were a great size and I loved both the gratin and cabbage. I also stole bites of the filet mignon, lamb shank, and duck two ways. The duck breast was probably my favorite, but the Moroccan braised lamb was definitely a pleasant surprise. The filet mignon was a bit overcooked so if you like a little pink, I’d recommend ordering it medium rare, rather than medium.
We were in a rush to leave at the end but managed to split the Baked Alaska. It was a little hard to cut through the ice cream, but a nice sweet ending.
Service was wonderful all around and we felt truly taken care of. I definitely look forward to returning to Lambert’s the next time I’m in Taos!

Knocked it out of the park! Lambert’s earns it’s high rating with it’s excellent food, comfortable atmosphere and kind staff.
While visiting Taos, we strolled through the plaza area and pulled out Unilocal to take down our hunger. Lambert’s was close by and we were greeted very kindly when we entered and were immediately seated. Not only was the hostess very professional but so was our waitress.
I chose to get the Southwestern Chicken Sandwich which came with an optional side. I went with the Green Chile Stew and it was the best stew of my life! Definitely the highlight of the meal. The sandwich didn’t disappoint either, it was cooked very well, had melted cheese and toppings over it and on top of a croissant style bun which really fit it well.
I hope I get to come back and enjoy the rest of the menu here, it truly was a treat!

Good food, good service, love the green chili soup, always ask the server about their specials

Quick look rating: ⁵⁄₅ Food & Quality, ⁵⁄₅ Service, ⁵⁄₅ Experience
To note: I had the Caesar salad, flan for dessert and a glass of champagne. Next time I need to try the mango chicken enchiladas, shrimp enchiladas or the omg salad.
Came here to help celebrate a birth day! The atmosphere here is unbelievable. If your after a romantic setting, you have just found it!
To note: There are some very romantic areas /​tables. Do tell the maître d’ if that’s what your after. **(They have one little table that’s next to a little fire place, pretty romantic when it’s cold outside! Hint, hint!)
Great customer service, fun porch and built around a small bar.
Highly recommend Lambert’s!

Lambert’s was pure Thanksgiving perfection. from the beautiful candlelight atmosphere to the roasted garlic and breat waiting on the table, to the presentation of the dishes, to the great beverages.
We began our meal with the pumpkin apple soup and the beet salad. The pumpkin apple soup was a touch on the sweet side, but the pumpkin seeds on top added some savory flavor provided a nice balance. The beet salad was one of the most beautiful presentations I have ever seen, and based on the fact that my husband ate it all, it seemed to be as good as it looked!
As a main course, I had a Wagyu Strip and was delighted by the flavor. I also appreciated that the server was able to sub out garlic mashed potatoes for potatoes at gratin and added green beans, despite them neither being on the menu nor being served with my dish. This kind of service notched Lamberts up to 5 stars (and, in case you wondered, the garlic mashed potatoes were perfectly creamy and flavored with just the right amount of garlic and the green beans were fresh and light).
Andrew’s squash was unique in that it was stuffed with quinoa and cranberry. It was soft but not mushy and had plenty of starch without tasting «starchy» or feeling heavy. The squash was a perfect autumn dish and the beauty of the presentation was the cherry (or the cranberry, as it were) on top!
The deserts were moan-​inducing. The crime brûlée may have been the best we’ve had and had a full, rich but clean taste. The chocolate caramel cake was more like a pudding and the toffee added the perfect crunchy flair.
Overall a very memorable meal in a beautiful and romantic setting that belongs in my top Thanksgiving meals of all time.

Started by having a drink at the Tree house bar upstairs, excellent Smokin’ del Maguey margarita with smoked mescal with truffled fries, decadent!
Dinner in the patio, green chile starter and pappardelle and angus ribeye both very good. Knowledgeable waiter.

Enjoyed a Lovely Lunch here!
Service was very nice… polite, friendly, timely.
Food was Fantastic!
*Beet Salad… the beets were sweet and firm. No mooshee beets for us. YUM! The salad was large and was more than big enough for 2 people to share. I think even 3 people could share it. This would be a great entrée salad.
*Chicken Mango Enchiladas… large portion (good thing I was hungry!)… so savory with a hint of sweetness… I would totally order this again. I never think to put chicken and mangos together in an enchilada… I do now!
*Buffalo Pastrami Sandwich… rich and tender meat… Wow! Was really blown away by the meat. The bread seemed to be «homemade»… but the slices were a bit thick so Mom didn’t eat all the bread… the fries were good but nothing to get excited about.
A really nice lunch!
We were very happy with our selections and service, and would totally go back again should we happen to venture into the area.