Southern comfort food on James Canyon Highway — Henny Penny fried chicken (the best fried chicken in town), pork chops, all-you-can-eat catfish, pies and cobblers. Casual dining with plenty of seating, open 7 AM to 9 PM every day.
Southern comfort foods galore — Henny Penny fried chicken, pork chops, all-you-can-eat catfish, homemade pies, plus a green-chile Mexican side of the menu. Casual dining with plenty of seating, 7 AM to 9 PM every day of the year.
Roadside signage and a look inside the casual, comfort-food dining room.
"The Henny Penny fried chicken meal with a side and a slice of pie. The headline order — best fried chicken in town earns the trip up James Canyon."
Henny Penny fried chicken + side + pie
"Pork chops or all-you-can-eat catfish with the soup of the day. Real comfort-food portions, real heat, and the kitchen's still open even if you got off Osha at 7:30."
Pork chops or catfish + soup + cobbler
"Smothered breakfast burrito, coffee, and a second cup to go. Fills the tank for White Sands; sets the day up right."
Smothered breakfast burrito + coffee
Seven days a week, 7 AM to 9 PM. Same schedule every day of the year — open early for breakfast and late for dinner.
Far-east end of the James Canyon Highway dining strip, at the 1700 block — past the Brother-N-Law turnoff, past Mad Jack's, past Dusty Boots. The last kitchen before you hit forest.
Phone: (575) 682-1224
Email: bigdaddysdiner.llc@gmail.com
Catering and private events on request — call ahead.
A detail-page shortcut: what this place actually does well, and when to go somewhere else on the strip instead.
Open daily 7 AM – 9 PM, every day of the year unless the owners post otherwise — useful when you've been on the trail late, or when you want breakfast at 8 and dinner at 8.
Breakfast rush runs about 8–9:30 AM on weekends. Dinner picks up around 6 PM in summer; quieter midweek and off-season. Catering bookings don't typically affect walk-in service.
On-site parking, usually fine — it's a roadside property. Cards accepted; some smaller diners in the area still prefer cash, but Big Daddy's isn't one of them. Standard 18–20% tipping for table service.
The restaurant sits right on James Canyon Highway, so watch for mountain-highway speeds on approach and departure.
Family-friendly — kids are welcome and the menu spans enough categories to keep a mixed-age table happy. The interior is casual booth-and-table seating; nothing unusual in terms of wheelchair access but confirm directly if it matters. Pets belong outdoors here.
Full catering services and private event hosting are available — useful for family reunions, post-wedding brunches, or group lodging trips where nobody wants to cook. Call (575) 682-1224 well ahead; peak-weekend catering books up in advance.
"Casual dining with plenty of seating. Comfort foods galore — Henny Penny fried chicken, pork chops, all-you-can-eat catfish, pies and cobblers from a kitchen that just keeps going from breakfast through dinner. The fried chicken is the headliner; everything around it is the kind of room you settle into and stay."
Three peer restaurants on the same highway strip — or jump back to the full dining guide for all 19.