2 Best Restaurants in Big Bend National Park, Texas

12 Gage Restaurant

$$$$ Fodor's choice

When the sun sets, this intimate, fireplace-warmed indoor-outdoor restaurant is the best place to eat and socialize in Marathon. The innovative menu, featuring fresh produce from the Gage Hotel Garden across the railroad tracks, changes with the season but maintains a Southwestern flair. Entrées sizzle with prime steaks, cornmeal-fried-oyster nachos, and stuffed Texas quail. After dinner you can belly up to the bar at the White Buffalo, where people-watching is always a kick.

Dinner $$$$ Fodor's Choice Modern American
101 N.W. 1st St., Marathon, Texas, 79842, USA
432-386–4205
www.gagehotel.com
Known For
  • beef tenderloin fillet
  • extensive wine list
  • Mexican chocolate brownie with ice cream and homemade cajeta (Mexican caramel) sauce
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential

Reata

$$ Fodor's choice

A favorite of many West Texans spending the day in Alpine, Reata ("rope" in Spanish) feels both welcoming and upscale, with big, wooden tables and a pleasant rancher/cowboy vibe. It's a "howdy"-type place with prompt, down-home service and a menu that emphasizes creative Southwestern and Tex-Mex fare, such as tortilla soup, calf fries with cream gravy, and beef tamales with pecan mash, plus generously portioned steaks from a legendary ranch in the nearby Davis Mountains. There's a long, fabulous dessert list.

Lunch Dinner Southwestern Fodor's Choice $$
203 N. 5th St., Alpine, Texas, 79830, USA
432-837–9232
www.reata.net
Known For
  • West Texas buttermilk pecan pie
  • jalapeño-and-bacon mac and cheese
  • well-chosen wine list
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential