The Savory Surprises of Shiprock

Welcome to the only source for artful, bite-sized stories and diverse perspectives on the New Mexico food and drink scene. This week, Ungelbah Dávila makes some unexpected culinary discoveries on a trip to Shiprock. Hint: It’s not all about the mutton, but she finds that too.

Anyone that doesn’t think of the Shiprock area as a food destination might be surprised at what my mother, a Diné woman and classically trained chef, and I discovered on our trip home to the rez.

I’m an atypical Navajo in that I don’t always enjoy mutton or lamb, but I’m also a professional who will eat just about anything I am assigned, or dared. I’ve tasted fried grasshoppers, Rocky Mountain oysters, alligator gumbo, pit-roasted caiman, and the worm from the bottom of the mezcal bottle. So, going onto the Navajo Nation, land of mutton stew, I wasn’t too worried about challenging my palate. With my mother at my side to help me navigate those flavors and textures I didn’t exactly grow up with (we lived in closer proximity to Pueblos and their red and green chile fields), I pulled into the first address on my list: D N M Grillen Native, “home of mutton lovers,” located just north of the Kirk Center at 3-5 US 64 in Shiprock.

Starting a business on the Navajo Nation, or any federal trust land, isn’t for the faint of heart. You can’t simply get a loan or lease property in the same way someone in, say, Gallup might if they wanted to start a restaurant. If a food business does find a way to open, they are beholden to the same health codes as a non-tribal business, but obtaining the physical infrastructure is often daunting.

Given that, finding a place like D N M that has been open for nineteen years is noteworthy. Owner Dianna Mendoza told me her customers are what makes D N M special. “We’ve seen generations come and go,” she said. “Kids go to college and come back here from school and the military.”

The restaurant has the vibe of a food stand that has grown and become established over time. Housed in a modest building, the vast menu encompasses the wall to the right of the window where Mendoza takes guests’ orders. Behind her, the smoke of roasting mutton, sizzle of cooking fry bread, steam off boiling stews and rich scents of other regional delicacies water the mouth of even the most un-mutton-loving of Navajos.

I said, “Ms. Mendoza, I’d like a bowl of mutton stew, please, and a Navajo taco for shimá.”

And you know what? I ate every bite, soaked up as much broth as possible with my fry bread, and lamented that there wasn’t more. As for the taco, piled high with beans, cheese, beef, and veggies, I heard no complaint from Momma Chef, a woman who has never eaten a meal outside her own kitchen without at least one comment.

With D N M’s modest appearance and out-of-the-way location, I was fascinated to learn that tourists from around the world seek it out for a taste of authentic Navajo cuisine. “People sell food for money, but how you cook your food is how you treat your customers,” Mendoza told me. “You feed how you’d feed your family.”

One thing my mother and I learned on our adventure around Shiprock is how unpredictable the local food scene is. For instance, on Saturdays only in Waterflow, at 3658 US 64 W, you can get killer Keres food made fresh and delivered straight from Santo Domingo. One day a week, Harriett Star and her family make the roughly four-hour drive up with red chile stew and green chile stew made from produce from their farm, as well as Pueblo pies, oven bread, and cookies.

Working out of a little pre-fab shed next door to the Original Sweetmeat, she also sells enchiladas, burritos, tamales, and Keres-made jewelry from 10 a.m. until the food runs out.

Star said her parents were friends with the owners of Sweetmeat and began the business that she and her sister and sons now carry on. As I left with my bowl of red chile stew, oven bread, and apple pies, a line stretched out the door. My only lament was that the Stars don’t sell closer to their home (or mine) so I can have feast-day quality stew on demand.

Last on our tour may have turned out to be the most surprising of them all. Take a moment to imagine that some of the tastiest Chinese food I’ve had in the Mountain West came off a menu in Shiprock alongside Navajo burgers, lamb stew, Navajo tacos, and diner staples like club sandwiches, Philly cheesesteak, hamburgers, and breakfast items.

Located at 101 Buffalo (Ayani’Neez) Boulevard, Nataaní Nez has found its niche as one of the only sit-down restaurants in town. Owner Simon Cai, who is Chinese, works with Diné staff to create homemade food, including Chinese, Navajo, American, and New Mexican dishes.

Bonus: Nataaní Nez offers a seven-days-a-week breakfast buffet that’s popular with elders in the community who are early birds and enjoy a place to drink coffee, eat, and visit.

Server Amber Manuelito said the variety is what draws people from across the Navajo Nation. “We have a diverse selection of foods,” she said. “People really like the traditional Navajo food, the ‘Shiprock specials,’ like lamb stew and fry bread.”

It can’t go without saying that the fry bread Nataaní Nez serves is approximately a foot in diameter. After chatting with Manuelito, my mother and I started by ordering the Mongolian beef and broccoli beef. To say we were pleasantly surprised is an understatement. The dishes were balanced, not too salty, too sugary, or too spicy, allowing the flavors of the meat and perfectly cooked veggies to come through.

As we were waiting for our meal we couldn’t help but notice the ginormous piece of fry bread the grandmother next to us received with her mutton stew. I was so taken with its presence that I asked if I could photograph it, which naturally caused a giggle or two from shimásáni. “I know! It’s so big,” she said. “I always take half home with me.”

Not to be outdone, I put in an order for a Navajo burger that arrived as two hamburger patties side by side with all the fixings, on its own gargantuan frybread. It was so large that we had to use two to-go boxes. The grandma next to us giggled and said, “Look, now you have your own to take pictures of!”

After eating and witnessing and wishing I had an extra tummy for more, I understood what Manuelito had told me about families coming to them from as far away as Crownpoint, almost a two-hour drive, just to sit down, support local entrepreneurs, and eat some great food without traveling into a city or off-reservation establishment.

Nataaní Nez hasn’t always been at this location. In fact, they just moved in last March, which allowed them to expand both seating and offerings, Manuelito told me.

The lunch buffet is also a major draw. Though the themes rotate—New Mexican one day, Navajo the next, American on others—the Chinese selections, such as lo mein, egg rolls, and sweet and sour chicken, are available every day. The only pause in the schedule is Sunday, when the lunch buffet takes a day off.

“People know the routine,” Manuelito said. “It’s mostly word of mouth. A lot of our customers are elders, and they don’t use social media much. They just come in because they know what day is what.”

As of December 2025, the restaurant stays open until 9 p.m. every day but Sunday, when they close at 3 p.m. With an emphasis on community-friendly service, Manuelito says the staff takes pride in filling a need in Shiprock. “We’re really serving the community,” she said. “It gets pretty busy at times, but we’re here for everyone.”

For many residents and visitors, the restaurant is becoming more than a place to eat—it’s a welcome space to gather, to share traditional foods, and to enjoy a menu as wide-ranging as the people it serves.