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7 am - 2 pm Wednesday - Sunday
Considered one of the best restaurants in town, Michael’s Kitchen has been in business since 1974, and some original staff members remain. Owner Derek Apodaca says, “My wife Gina and I bought the restaurant in 2005. We once had a customer say that he had been here in the 70’s and was amazed that nothing had changed. He even had the same server wait on his table." (Continued below)
At Michael’s Kitchen everything is prepared from scratch. Fifty gallons of red and green chile is prepared every day. Derek went on to say, “On weekends we go through about 330 dozen eggs preparing our popular breakfast dishes including bacon and eggs, huevos rancheros, breakfast enchiladas and our Poor Man’s Eggs Benedict, smothered with red, green or veggie-green chile. All our home made pastries, English muffins, raisin, rye or wheat bread, cream puffs, doughnuts and cinnamon rolls are created in our downstairs bakery that produces up to 175 different items depending on the season.”
A favorite lunch dish is called the Belly Buster and is a burger with two patties, four strips of bacon, four slices of American cheese, avocado, diced green chile with lettuce, onions, pickles, tomatoes and French fries. Gina said, “We have more than 250 items on the menu and there’s only one thing in the kitchen that has a single purpose, and that’s the sauerkraut for our Reuben sandwiches. We also will serve most any meal at any time of day. We’re not a cookie-cutter or chain restaurant but a friendly family restaurant that aims to please. We’ll accommodate whatever our customers want — if we have it in the kitchen, we’ll make it for them.”
On a busy day the restaurant will serve up to 1,200 people and they can accommodate about 136 customers at a time. Customers come back often for the featured $7.95 Lunch Special which includes a drink from 11 am to 2 pm Monday through Friday. (Temporarily Unavailable.)
Favorites include an Indian Taco that is a flat sopapilla covered with beef or chicken, onions, and cheese, smothered in chile with rice and beans. It also comes with a sopapilla on the side. In addition they make delicious crunchy breaded chile rellenos, stuffed sopapillas and a build-it-yourself combination plate with anything in it your heart desires.
Local catering, gift certificates and shipping for many popular items are also available. Michael’s Kitchen Restaurant & Bakery is a legendary Taos icon with a traditional history of authentic northern New Mexico cuisine. It’s the place of choice for locals and tourists alike.
