Spruce Tree Cafeteria and Gift Shop

This restaurant was terrible! We stood in a very long line just to order, and after ordering, you would think finally you’re going to eat soon, but no — it was another good half hour until the food was done! It was a holiday weekend, and there was only one cook there, we were informed the other 2 cooks called in sick! You would think there would be some back up, or someone would be called from one of the other restaurants in the park to assist! The food was terrible too — the Navajo taco was unauthentic and slapped together, and my southwest salad, was over priced for a slapped together iceberg lettuce and nasty powdered chicken and corn throw together. They have no regard for people who have scheduled tours. It very apparent how little the staff cares. They know are aren’t many options and this is fully taken advantage of.

This restaurant is very late but the lines last an hour. If you’re are trying to eat here it is very hard because there is not enough time in between tours. We decided to come back after the tours because we were still hungry. We ordered fries and they weren’t very good. I’m giving it three stars because there are not a lot of places to eat around here. If you want good food go to the fry bread place down the street!

This place is about what you expect from a corporate concession cafeteria: basic, uninspiring fast-​food. We were starving after a day of sun and hiking and needed something a bit more substantial than what we had brought. Hot dogs with chips and pickles were fine. The frito pie, though, was just a pile of fritos with some ground beef and cheese on top — edible, but only if you’re really, really hungry. The restaurant was clean enough and servers were friendly. I was surprised by the bland interior and lack of view in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
Fine if you’re hungry, but no reason to stop by otherwise.

Went about 2 PM, all we got were hot dogs. It took forever. They were out of ketchup and tea and told us they weren’t going to refresh it. Take your own food in a cooler to the park, you will save money and have food ready to eat.

The cafeteria gets negative stars, the gift shop gets 3 stars. The Navajo taco is a major disappointment if you have ever had an authentic one. The quantity of mystery soupy meat is barely discernible, the dish is straight out of Taco Bell.
The Spruce Tree Gift Shop however, is the best at Mesa Verde, offering you the ability to see/​buy the arts/​crafts of the different tribes that make up the Pueblo Indians.

This is the 2^nd out 3 eateries you’ll find at Mesa Verde National Park. All owned by the same big corporation so the offerings & quality are basically the same…
Offering Pizza Slices, Hot Dogs, French Fries & the like, this is your basic cafeteria fare… things like you’d find at your neighborhood pool or skating rink
Buddy got the Spicy Chicken Wrap — it was cold. She was hoping for something a bit warm but she said it was tasty… would have been even better warm
French Fries were hot & fresh out of the oil so they were ideally crunchy /​soft as good fries should be
They also have this killer Gift Shop that offers all kinds of touristy t-​shirts, hats, socks, keychains, on & on & on. But they also have this section of locally made trinkets, jewelry & arts /​crafts that’s def worth a looksee. We scored awesome necklaces & earrings
Note: this location is NOT open for breakfast — for that, you’ll need to head to Far View Terrace Café