Another little hidden gem in Van Horn. Breakfast was awesome. Had the menudo. It had great flavor, but it could've used more tripe. Otherwise, ALOT of floor. Highly recommend the agua fresca de melón. Go here. You won't be disappointed!

I've been stuck here for about a week and found this location a block away from the Days inn. The food is delicious, the service was great, the salsa is perfect and the people treated me well. Gracias por todo 🌻

Regular place, amazing tacos

Went on a trip to Van Horn, ate at Chuy's, had a bad experience and came to Gilbert's. Everything that we ordered was delicious: breakfast tacos and breakfast plates. Great table service. The restaurant is clean and well kept. If you're in Van Horn, don't go anywhere else. Eat here!

Two fresh salsas, one was a strong and sustained kick, and the other was green and red and a bit milder. The carne asada taco plate was without flaw - perfect. Rice and beans were the same.

Food is amazing!!! This is a must stop but go for the authentic mexican food!!

Amazing family owned Mexican restaurant. It tasted home made! The place is a true hole in the wall, i only came across it accidentally. The Mexican plate was my favorite. The cook will make any necessary changes to fit your dietary needs.

Best brisket and green sauce I’ve ever had. I’ve had brisket tacos at many restaurants and these were my favorite. One thing I would like is if they would offer soft corn tortillas instead of the shells.

Wonderful huevos rancheros!! Stopped by this morning just to see the menu. My favorite go-to breakfast was there. it was exactly how I like it, super tasty and a little on the spicy side! Not fancy restaurant, bare minimum, but clean.

Busy little place! The food was amazing! I had the asado plate, my son had the asado burrito and I don't remember what my hubby had. It was soooo good! Not too spicy, just right! I totally recommend!

Great small town eating. Busy and great service!

Literally perfect. Just did a couple nights at Guadalupe NP, stopping in Van Horn on the way back east. Chorizo and Huevos Rancheros were out of this world, and the pancake was excellent too. Cannot recommend enough. ALSO great staff, community place. Love love love.

We happened to stop at the same place as a Texas Highway Patrolman at Van Horn, Texas. We asked him where we could find a place for breakfast. He recommended Gilberts. The food was excellent and the service superior. If we ever pass through that area again, Gilberts will be at the top of our list as a "must." Don't miss it. My breakfast item isn't listed, but I have no doubt that everything will be great. My Mexican daughter-in-law introduced me to REAL Mexican food and you will find that here. My husband needed help (gladly offered) getting in and out because there is no wheelchair ramp. That is the ONLY improvement they could make.

I had the hamburger steak. It was Delicious.

Food was great, and the server Karina was very friendly, went above and beyond, we will be back

Back in second time. Best boritos I have. The chicken fajitas great.

We enjoyed a good meal of Brisket tacos, and a beer. The salsa served with chips was very tasty.

Great cozy place inside with an electric fireplace (although it wasn’t in at the time). The waitresses worked as a team to meet all of our needs. The food was good although the tortillas tasted and looked like commercial store bought tortillas. Although we ordered Mexican plate breakfast combos, most customers were ordering the Saturday menudo that was available. Van Horn us our 1/2 way point on the way to San Antonio. We have saved Gilbert’s as a favorite stop on our way through next time.

Unexpected hidden treasure in Van Horn. I asked city worker when I didn't find a choice cafe. Worth a stop over and will return. Great selections, but the chiles rellenos were excellent. Don't let the exterior deter you. It is light and tasty inside.

Passing through and Google led us to this great place! Red sauce asada plate was phenomenal with hand made flour tortillas to die for! Others had Mexican plate and brisket tacos which were all really good. Highly recommend if in Van Horn, TX

I had the green enchilada plate and it was great. The salsa has some kick! We always stop here in Van Horn and eat here when we're passing through the area. Friendly atmosphere and great service!

One of the best places to eat in Van Horn tx. Update still a great place to eat . Stopped going because some of their staff had become racist to my girlfriend. Such à shame to let some of your staff represent you in this manner

The Pork Asado breakfast was Awesome!! Best I ever had. Menudo was great!!

Good. Madudo some of the best damn wevo's ranchero, overall real good food. Don't forget the cold beer.

I had the Asado plate and it was very tasty. They’re hot sauce was some of the best I’ve tried. Chips were OK not exceptional. I’d say that most impressive thing was my server. She was very pleasant sweet and professional. Stayed on top of my order and took moments to break to have a bit of conversation. If I’m back in this town of VanHorn,, I’ll I will definitely eat here.

Got hungry and stopped at Gilbert's. The wait staff took her time to explain the menu, for we don't speak Spanish.

Service was fast and friendly. The food was delicious! Portions were great for the price. They have an attached bar with a pool table that opens at 9p.m.

Some of the best breakfast I've had in Texas. Unbeatable. Price is just right, service is incredible. Our waitress was a sweetheart and took care of us with the utmost hospitality

Great service! Food was out quick. Had the chile verde and it was dope, really spicy. Chilaquiles were good and so were the huevo rancheros. My mom had the barbacoa and it was real good

Had botanas with avacado on top. They make sure you are well fed here! That is pretty much the only vegetarian option, but its great! I also had a side of guacamole that was excellent. Good people here!! Highly recommend!

The restaurant is clean. The other people eating there were nice and friendly. The food was good. The table salsa was great and we had the pastor tacos, delicious! The kid meals were big portions. And the waitress was very kind, patience and nice. She was amazing!

Food was fantastic! I had the brisket burrito and my wife had the barbacoa burrito. It has been a while since we have had authentic Mexican food.

Fantastic food and friendly service. Definitely recommend for breakfast!

Food was delicious! They kept us stocked with chips and salsa while we waited. All the salsas have s really good kick, be prepared. I eat decently spicy food and the green enchiladas kicked my butt. Service was excellent, definitely reccomend.

In response to the previous reviewer. Get over yourself. This is a Mexican restaurant in a little town in West texas. I've eaten in hundreds of these places. This one is fabulous. The place was cleaned the food was good the service was normal if not good. If you expect 5-star service go to a five-star town and have a meal at this place was great.

Good food. Good service. Adobo is good as well as the green Chile beef

Excellent service. Food keeps you coming back for more.

One of the best breakfast places i have found in a long time, staff was good food came out quick and very tasty

Great down home Mexican food! Chili Relleno was on point and the Carne Asada was amazing! Just the right amount of heat and the service is amazing give this family run restaurant a try! We will be back!

From Phoenix, Arizona on our way to Abilene, Texas enjoyed our breakfast very much.

My husband and I stay overnight on our way to and from Arizona and Austin. We look forward every time to eating here. So much love in the food and excellent service! Van Horn you are so blessed!

Small place but the food is delicious. especially salsa and chips. Torta is big. Tacos with brisket are good. Fajitas de pollo are really good

Great food, awesome staff, amazing cookies. Found this place while passing through on a road trip. Would 100% go back if I'm within a few hours away.

Great food & service. Ample parking. Highly recommend!

+2

I had a fantastic meal at Gilbert’s Restaurant in Van Horn. The Mexican Plate was generous and delicious—featuring a perfectly cooked chile relleno, two cheese enchiladas, a beef taco, rice and beans, and a small fresh salad. Everything was flavorful and comforting, and the experience was made even better by a wonderful server who was genuinely friendly and welcoming. A great stop for classic Mexican food in town.

Food was great and staff was friendly. Excellent service all around.

Manav R

This is nice cafe and good food with good price and all food are fresh and with nice service

Michael Harrell

Ate here twice as they were one of the only businesses open during the ice storm in Texas. Very pleased with the food, service, and atmosphere. Very local spot with school teachers showing up for lunch, even had the priest there in the evening. I had the chili verde and Jajahira's burrito. In the restaurant there's a picture of Jajahira in high school, and turned out she was the one serving me the burrito! Super nice people and you get the complimentary chips and salsa, too :)

Steve Shimonek

We stopped at Gilberts in Van Horn Tx for lunch while passing through and we're quite pleased. I had the red flat enchiladas and my wife had chicken flats. Both were EXCELLENT. The house made salsa was some of the best I've ever had, and the service was great.i highly recommend this place.

Cris Castro

Good food and great service!

Daniel Tarango

Glad I tried this place, the T-bone was delicious and the chips and salsa were just as delicious and my salad hit the spot! I'm glad the steak place in town was too busy. This was a great alternative and the steak, though thin, was very tasty.

David Carter

Waitress was friendly and helpful. Food selection was good. Chips and salsa were excellent. Melon agua fresca is highly recommended by my wife. Our meal was superb and memorable. We are eager to return next time we pass through.

Roam2u

Outstanding Mexican food and bar in back for night time drinks. The restaurant breaks down it hrs of serving inside and drive thru throughout the day. So they have breakfast time, lunch time and then dinner time, so check hrs before just heading there, but it’s not putting you out on going there because of hrs just check ahead of time so you know. All food is exceptional and I’ve tried breakfast lunch and dinner menu. I personally think the Mexican meal is great and their huevos are good. Family run so they really know how to make you feel welcome.

Robert Ellenson

We stayed at the Desert Inn next door (not our usual kind of road motel – but the rate was great and it was a quick stop). We weren’t too sure about whether Gilbert’s was a bar or restaurant but we decided to try it out. We were so pleasantly surprised to find a sit down place with outstanding food. The people in the restaurant were very friendly. It was a great value and we would definitely go back again if passing through Van Horn.

J. S.

Stopped at 7am for breakfast. Coffee was very good and the barbacoa tacos were so delicious. The red salsa was hot and went perfect with the tacos. Wish we lived close to enjoy more of the menu. 🔥🔥🔥🌮☕️

marc

Wonderful authentic Mexican food. The smothered shredded chicken burrito was tasty. Had a side chili relleno which was ok. Basic no frills restaurant with friendly accommodating service. Prices are good, menu is varied. I'd go back.

J.C. Pruitt

Friendly 'seat yourself!' service; plenty of room for large and small parties...and the food is so good, so good, so good!! Literal tears of joy on the first bite of the barbacoa burrito - succulent juicy beef wrapped in a homemade flour tortilla...full of flavor and love. The chilaquiles was excellent. Sent me to a happy place. Gilbert's is great!!

rob hingley

superb and peppery chile verde. best I have had in years. no frills joint with friendly pricing and solid.home.cooking..Has a lounge in the back in case you need to.wash that asado down with a couple tequila shots

ASR Lovejoy

We were so hu gry from being on the road all day and this place saved us. Super good food and amazing service

Andres Jasso

Breakfast was delicious. Coffee tasted great, the food was better than great, and the service was on point. My wife liked the Chorizo plate. And I loved the Brisket plate aka Machaca aka for Houstonians- Machacado. I would highly recommend this place for your trip.

Liliana Uribe-Navarro

This is a wonderful restaurant in Van Horn. We were coming from El Paso, Tx. Pulled over found a great restaurant that served most breakfast favorites. I tried huevos rancheros they were delicious. Also tried chilaquiles rojos with beans snd potatoes so tasty, delicious home style cooking. My family enjoyed our breakfast and for a very reasonable price. Come and check out this restaurant , it was a great find.

Glenn Gowens

Had breakfast there and wasn't expecting alot, but was really impressed with the food and service. The youngsters they had working there were well trained and fast on their feet, doing a great job.

+1

Melissa Henderson

My family was traveling and in serious need to eat. We arrived at the awkward mid afternoon timeframe right before closing time. The staff was accommodating and served us quickly. And the food was delicious!! They saved this Mama’s life for the next hour in the car! Had the green enchiladas (the heat was spot on!) and the habanero sauce super hot! But I couldn’t stop eating it!

Nice little local restaurant. The food was well prepared. The servers were young but did great job. They do have a drive thru. The mens bathroom was not very clean.

Delicious mexican food. 1st time trying flat enchiladas. The sauce was a little too spicy for my taste though. Our waitress was polite, prompt and very friendly.

Menudo with a piece of pata on the side was excellent. Was only served one cold cup of coffee. Come to find out there wouldn't be a second cup. The dishwasher threw it out because she wanted to wash the pot 🤨

I enjoyed the two breakfast burritos (potato and egg & egg and sausage) I ordered. I asked for some green and red salsa on the side which kicked up the heat and flavor of the burritos. The menu prices were very reasonable, the staff were friendly, and the coffee was excellent😊. I will definitely be going back.

Came in early for breakfast while on a road trip and ordered the chilaquiles and chorizo breakfast burrito. Chilaquiles was delicious! Burrito was a tortilla wrapped around scrambled eggs and chorizo. Great service, the staff kept our coffee cups filled and made sure we had everything we needed. Would stop by again if in the area!

The food was good. I like a little more spice, my Momma likes a little less spice. So I'd say they probably have a great balance. The overall flavor was just right. I'll eat there again when I come back to Van Horn.

Something to eat while out on the road. The service was good and the food was good.

Stopped in at the restaurant on our way through town on a Saturday. It is a plain and simple place for breakfast and lunch. The brisket burrito was delicious! Pure shredded brisket with no fat; slightly spicy. The young waitress was attentive. Came back through town the following Tuesday and made sure to go by there. Unfortunately it is closed that day. What a disappointment. But whenever in this area, I will eat there again. July 15, 2025 We may have gone over the speed limit getting here before they closed at 3 pm. Made it with minutes to spare, and they graciously made us a brisket taco, 2 brisket burritos, and a beef fajita. They are made with pure beef, no fat. It's a simple place but worth the stop when going through Van Horn, TX.

Little hole in the wall hidden in Van Horn, Texas. Delicious food at a reasonable price. The building needs help, but the rest was 5 stars.

Don Chandler

Great food, unfortunately they didn't have any water so the restroom was closed. But don't let that stop you

S Miller

What a wonderful find. The atmosphere us what you should expect from a small West tx restaurant. The wait staff is friendly and wonderful. The salsa is superb. The burritos are excellent. The beef fajita burrito is good. However, most our outstanding. The need fajita taco plate is to die for. In short, this place is a smash hit s8de of the road restaurant you won't beat. Give them a visit.

+3

Tasty green enchiladas and beef tacos but our food took a long time to arrive. Chips are very cold but salsa is tasty. They were very busy during our visit.

We waited 15 minutes before either of the two waitresses spoke to us or took our drinks order, I thought we'd become invisible! Food was good but no desserts on the menu unfortunately.

Great place to take to have breakfast. Burritos 🌯 are real good

Gilbert’s breakfast tacos are disappointingly average for the price ( $12 and some change for 2 tacos that both had errors ). We ordered corn tortillas and green sauce yet our tacos were wrapped in seemingly store bought flour tortillas big enough for burritos. Unfortunately when the contents of the taco are mediocre, bigger isn’t better so the tortilla was our first let down and then the ranchero like sauce we were given didn’t help add any flavor. Ever the optimist, I chalked up my breakfast at Gilbert’s to simply being a tolerable meal that gave me calories for energy. Not a bad bad review - the food is edible but bland with no level of pica at all ( no spice ) and the service is just average. Do what you want with that info. Despite eating in the parking lot due to having our dog and only interacting with the window service waitress, I assert the one star atmosphere for 2 reasons. One & two- there were two staff members of Gilbert’s who watched us eat our food without one break of a glance. Again, do what you choose with this info.

Be careful that you don't park in the "drive-through." It's not well marked.

Sam C

We stopped here passing through and it was just ok. The salsa is good but it’s very spicy. I got the green chili chicken enchiladas and the green chili was okay, had some spice, but the chicken was flavorless. The rice was the best part. My husband got a barbacoa burrito and he said it lacked flavor as well.

A place for locals. Food was OK but pretty average. We wanted breakfast.cook initially said OK. So we ordered a Mexican plate and an omelet. Server came back and said we both had to order lunch or breakfast not different. What?

This place seems overrated (just locals?). Stopped in for breakfast after seeing the good reviews. Food was simple - which is ok - but bland. Perhaps the Tex-Mex dishes are better(?). Service also wasn't good. The two waitresses had only a few tables but were inattentive - had trouble just getting a refresh on my coffee. Didn't expect anything special - Van Horn is a sleepy little town on the interstate - but you're probably better off stopping at another restaurant.

Chicharon burrito looked amazing but literally tasted like nothing but black pepper. Milanesa torta had a really good flavor from the bun to the meat, only problem was the extremely small and paper thin piece of meat in the sandwich. They do give you a large side of fries with the torta so it at least I could fill up on that. Of I come back I’ll probably get a combination plate because my friends plate looked like it was worth the price. I would not recommend the burritos or tortas though.

This place is extremely expensive for no reason at all. I got four eggs over medium, two sides of bacon, a side of sausage and a little side of chili Verde and it was $30. Each egg a la carte is $2.50. every side is $550. The tiny little side of chile verde was 550. I didn't even get toast, potatoes, hash, browns tortillas nothing. I ordered four things a la carte and it was $30. I'm just never going to go back again. There's no reason for that. This isn't a big city. It's a tiny little city. You should have smaller prices. One a la carte egg shouldn't cost a dozen at the grocery store. One side of bacon shouldn't cost an entire package of bacon. There's no reason for this. I will never go back. The food's good. The atmosphere is good. Everyone's cold air. It's just expensive for no reason than I can see

Ordered chicken fajitas. Comes with onions and bell peppers. Asked for guacamole and was charged $4.00. Asked for sour cream and was $1.00 for the plastic packet. Who serves fajitas without fixings??? Ticket for two was $37.00 and ordered off of lunch menu. Questioned the $37.00. Was told we were charged for lemonade at $3.50 each (we ordered water). Still wayyy too expensive for the quality. AND THEY DONT GIVE YOU A TICKET OF YOUR BILL! You go to a “window” to pay. They tell you what you owe. No paper receipts. Felt ripped off and taken advantage of. Won’t be back.

I really was disappointed in this restaurant. We passed through on our way home. We got there, no one told us if we were to seat ourselves or if we should wait on a waitress. Finally the waitress just told us to find a seat. Sat down, took about 10 mins to get waitress to come by with menus. My family ordered soft drinks and coffee, I asked for a water. About 10 mins later, all of my family got their drinks except me. I reminded waitress about the water, she brought a glass (but no straw). Maybe 10 mins later she came by to take our orders....I ordered a torta, they said they were out that day. Other tables were given chips and salsa, our table was never offered any. Food was ok, nothing to brag about. Went up to pay, they were taking payments right over the food as it was coming from the kitchen. So you have to slide your card over to pay, over other customers plates of food. Terrible. I overheard from another customer that they were the only restaurant open on Sunday...so maybe that’s why staff was overworked? Still, terrible experience.

I don't know how it was, Google has it open on Sundays, and it was not, at least not when we arrived looking for breakfast...

Was passing through for a football game in area. Upon arrival I ordered what I thought was Chile con questo 1 bite and I sent it back as it tasted rotten. The 2 waitress then decided to talk about me and point. Then the owner came out telling me how WRONG I was and the 1st person to ever send it back, and how I cost them money. Making me feel even more belittled after the waitress were rude. I would highly highly recommend skipping this spot on any destination. Maybe try the gas station burritos over this place.

As a Google reviewer I uphold the standard of always providing an honest opinion of anywhere I visit. Having said that the service here was not the best. I ordered our food not knowing it was almost closing time. (The waitresses were placing chairs on top of the empty tables) I can read people very well and our waitress was not very happy that we were there. Also, I didnt realize that all foods prepared were super spicy. Nevertheless we still enjoyed what we received despite the atmosphere being rather blah!! Another couple came in after us and ordered and received their food quicker than we did. They also received chips and salsa and that's when I noticed we didnt receive ours. I asked for some chips and we received ours. Heads up... they charge for the chips and salsa per person. I do NOT recommend this location for a meal but realize there are not many places to choose from in this small town. When passing through and you are hungry, it is best have some snacks with you or else you'll go hungry!!

Food was ok , waitress (young lady) very rude, very dismissive! Avoid this place!

UGLY SERVICE!!! Passing thru travler looking for a good place to eat and we stopped. Menudo was chili hot, so we ordered omelet. Had coffee, and server NEVER came to refill coffee. Walked up to pay, and they charge us for the menudo. Because we tasted it!! I had to argue with Manager because he spilled it out and that's a loss of his money. Manager was very unfriendly and servers were just on their phones. GO ELSEWHERE FOR GOOD FOOD.