It is beyond me why Truth or Consequences isn’t widely considered the greatest vacation destination in New Mexico. It’s hot. It’s dry. It’s a little beach town like only New Mexico could make. There you will find the biggest lake in the state, fantastic hot springs, and welcoming people. I’ve been going there for decades and each time, I’ve returned rested and happy I went.

The problem I’ve always found in T or C has been the food. The city still holds the title for the place where I had the worst meal ever, but that was a quarter of a century ago, and conditions have improved, or so I have been told. I set out for an easy two-hour drive south from Albuquerque to verify what I had heard.

I was looking forward to my first stop, the Giddy Up Cafe. Many good things have been said about this place, but I can’t add to them because they were closed. Several local sources told me that the Giddy Up Cafe is often closed during its posted hours, and the owner has since announced that the spot is closing permanently. Too bad. Not a great start to my trip, but fortunately, it led me to discover a restaurant that wasn’t even on my radar. 

Above Warm Springs Boulevard in the sister town of Elephant Butte looms Bigfoot Restaurant. The elusive Sasquatch stands prominently atop the sign for this roadside restaurant, his namesake, welcoming you into the sandy parking lot. The restaurant is small, but the patio is large and lush, with misters in the summer and heaters in the winter. My server confirmed the patio was rarely closed throughout the year.

Playing into the theme, I went for the Chupacabra Cheeseburger (beef, not goat). What was basically a BLT burger with guacamole was fresh and tasty, and on the side, you get a big old roasted green chile and rosemary fries. Also at the table was the eponymous Bigfoot Burger, sporting roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, a yogurt dill sauce, and Derby cheese. Bigfoot has a workable wine list and we chose a Spanish white in deference to the heat, not the meat.

📍 212 Warm Springs Boulevard, Elephant Butte, 575-744-4896

After lunch, I checked into Pelican Spa, my favorite place to stay in T or C. I have grown to love staying at the Pelican, in part because you are right downtown, so you can walk to pretty much everything except the lake. Included in your stay are private hot spring soaking rooms that I’ve never had to schedule in advance or wait for even a moment to use. Each of the guest rooms is unique from each other, stylishly decorated and thoughtfully appointed, especially considering the price point. For this trip, I chose “The Long Room,” which my reporting found measured up at just under forty-nine feet at its longest point. A midcentury hutch filled with mismatched vintage dishware fit perfectly into this quiet, quirky, comfortable suite with red walls, purple trim, and yellow accents.

📍 306 Pershing Street, Truth or Consequences, 575-894-0055

My T or C odyssey continued when I ducked into Bullocks for a few things. This little downtown grocery store punches above its weight in selection and charm, featuring a butcher shop focused on barbecue-ready cuts, fresh-baked donuts, and a cashier who will still ask, “Paper or plastic?”

The liquor department takes up a sizable footprint. Bullocks caters to the beach crowd, so customers will find the obligatory thirty-packs of American lager neatly stacked as aisle endcaps, but also a decent selection of wines and higher-end spirits. Over the PA system, they played the soundtrack from O Brother, Where Art Thou? A poetic moment rarely found in a grocery store, which led nicely into the cocktail hour at a spot just a few blocks away.

📍 630 N Broadway Street, Truth or Consequences, 575-894-6622

The Love Shack is a little old place where tumbleweed lamps light the bar and they play the whole Kacey Musgraves album. Roxie, the bartender, made me an old-fashioned with bourbon from the Las Cruces–based Dry Point Distillers and a gin and tonic with rosemary from their garden before directing me out to the patio.

Cozy seating matched with dry desert air is the early evening vibe at this laid-back cocktail spot that is only open for a few hours each day of the weekend. 

📍 520 N Broadway Street, Truth or Consequences

Little is open late in T or C, so make your plans accordingly. For dinner, I opted for A & B Drive In with the old-school walk-up window. While A & B might not be much to look at, the chile relleno was solid, the flour tortillas I had on the side were fresh, and the dress code at the picnic tables out front fit with all types of beachwear. Plus, they have ice cream, all available in under ten minutes and all under the New Mexico stars.

📍 211 N Broadway St, Truth or Consequences, 575-894-9294

Sleepy beach towns on a Sunday morning are prone to slow starts. The benefit of staying in T or C instead of the beach at Elephant Butte State Park (in addition to skipping the RV generators and Lynyrd Skynyrd at dawn) is being able to walk over to the Passion Pie Cafe. Starting at 7 am, a brisk morning crowd filters through the tiny shop on an otherwise deserted street. The coffee is good and the menu is full of breakfast fare that includes quiches, pastries, and waffles. After a brief discussion at the counter, I settled on the Fat Elvis Waffle. This waffle begins with bacon in the waffle batter, adds bananas and peanuts, and is then topped with whipped cream. It is a breakfast best served on vacation and not for the faint of heart. 

📍 406 Main Street, Truth or Consequences, 575-418-1779

Breakfast over, I decided to address a question that had lingered on my mind since I last stayed at Pelican Spa several years ago: Was that actually a wolf I saw in the office last time? “That was probably Zeke,” the desk clerk confirmed, explaining it was a pet of a former employee. “He was a sweet dog, well . . . wolf.” Now, that is an add-on you are just not going to find at your pricier spas in northern New Mexico. 

Will the world ever get hip to T or C? Odds are no. This dusty, hot rock that rises up like a gem on the Rio Grande Riviera may still need a bit of a polish, but for those of us who don’t mind a little grit, Truth or Consequences awaits.