THERE’S A NEW REASON to linger in Taos. Inside the year-old, design-forward Hotel Willa, Juliette didn’t just fill a gap in the Taos dining scene, it’s redefining what’s possible here.
As you enter through the bright bar, a family near the fireplace plays cards. Two friends decompress over glasses of amber-colored wine at the terra-cotta bar. In the corner, a couple shares white bean nachos with pecan salsa, clinking mezcal margaritas rimmed in what the cocktail menu describes as “very nice salt.” Beyond, the dining room shifts gears—becoming sparser, darker, and more elegant. Tables fill with freshly baked bread, bright salads, and pickled vegetables served on Logan Wannamaker’s ceramic plates.
The whole thing was conceived by chef Johnny Ortiz-Concha (Taos Pueblo) and his partner, Maida Branch-Concha (Pecos Pueblo/Ute) of Siempre Design. “We named the restaurant after my mother for the magic she possessed in nurturing those around her,” Ortiz-Concha says.
Dine in elegance at Juliette.
Photograph courtesy of Hotel Willa/Patrick Chin.
In the kitchen, executive chef Noah Pettus runs a constant brainstorm with Ortiz-Concha, pairing elevated technique with the best ingredients they can find. Hand-cut fries are soaked overnight, blanched, then fried in beef tallow. Smashed avocado arrives on fresh-baked fennel pollen crackers that have become a signature bite. “It’s a flavor you can only taste here,” Pettus says.
The roast chicken over yellow corn grits with collard greens and pan drippings is the dish he makes for his own kids once a week. And the cold milk custard dessert—pine-infused and finished with local bee pollen honey and a whisper of Siempre-made vinegar—is the kind of dish that lingers in your memory long after the last bite.
What makes Juliette click is the contradiction it pulls off: fashion-magazine chic dining meets unpretentious neighborhood hangout. “Our place is very beautiful,” says Hotel Willa CEO Jennifer Armbruster. “But we’re not an ‘only special occasions’ place.” Early happy hours, live music, DJs, and trivia nights keep the bar humming, and it’s one of the few Taos spots that stays open until midnight on weekends. The result is a rare balance—serious food in a place that still feels easy, social, and very much alive. And, Pettus adds, “We have some of the best dang fries and burger.”
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