Breakfast and Lunch

Michael’s Kitchen (304-C Paseo del Pueblo Norte, 575/758-4178, 7 a.m.–2:30 p.m. daily, $7) is famous for New Mexican breakfast items such as huevos rancheros and blue-corn pancakes with pine nuts, served all day, but everyone will find something they like on the extensive menu at this down-home wood-paneled family restaurant filled with chatter and the clatter of dishes. “Health Food,” for instance, is a double order of chile cheese fries. The front room is devoted to gooey doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, and pie.

At the homey Dragonfly Café (402 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, 575/737-5859, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Wed.–Sat., 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Sun., $7), you can choose your table according to which novelty set of salt-and-pepper shakers you prefer. The menu is eclectic and hearty (a tender lamb kebab, for instance, or a veggie-filled bowl of Korean bibimop); the brunch features delicious baked goods and fennel pancakes with orange syrup.

In the Taos Inn, elegant Doc Martin’s (125 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, 575/758-1977, 7:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 5:30–9 p.m. daily, $7) serves all three meals, but breakfast is when the kitchen really shines—especially on dishes such as the Kit Carson (poached eggs on yam biscuits topped with red chile) or blue-corn pancakes with blueberries. The lunch menu is also tasty and doesn’t reach the stratospheric prices of dinner. Despite the trendy flavor combos on the menu, the chile and beans are made by a Taos local, as they have been for decades.

Inside the Sustaining Cultures metaphysical bookstore, Guadalupe Café (114 Doña Luz St., 575/751-0959, 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Mon.–Sat., $8) is everything you’d expect in terms of earth-friendly credentials—fair trade, organic, and so on—but also especially delicious. The quiche (yes, bacon is an option) is fluffy and set in buttery crust, and it comes with superfresh salad with tamari dressing. There are also hearty soups, smoothies, and vegan baked goods.

For nourishment in Taos Ski Valley [1], fortify yourself with a green-chile cheeseburger at Tim’s Stray Dog Cantina Taos Ski Valley, 575/776-2894, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, $12), which gets busy after 3 p.m., when tired skiers come down from a day on the slopes. It’s a good place to start in the morning too, with breakfast burritos and chile-smothered huevos rancheros.