2 Best Restaurants in Big Bend National Park, Texas

The star attraction here, whether you dine inside or on the gracious patio, is the signature view through three walls of windows that bring the craggy Chisos Mountains to your table. They serve decent, tried-and-true American food, with a few Mexican specialties; the staff is friendly and efficient. The huevos rancheros are among the better morning options, while at lunch and dinner, you'll do well with the black-bean or beef burgers, chicken-fried steak, or mango-spinach salad. Each table has an informational booklet about the Big Bend region.

Arrive around sunset to catch the fading rust-color rays through the Window rock formation at the opposite end of the basin.

Set in a sleekly industrial warehouse-style building on the east edge of downtown Marfa, Pizza Foundation appeals to families with its casual atmosphere and the quality thin-crust pizza the native Rhode Island owners turn out. They close for the evening when they run out of pizza, so you call ahead before you go.