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DESPO'S

MEXICAN WITH ALTITUDE
LOCALS FAVORITE SINCE 1983

Promoting flavorful and healthy Mexican cuisine, Despo's strives to make a difference featuring clean, natural ingredients and sourcing locally whenever possible.

Phone Us Menu

OPEN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE! 11:30am - Close

ENJOY OUR NEW COVERED & HEATED PATIO!

CLOSED SUNDAYS

Doing Our Part To Protect The Planet

Despo’s is strongly committed to the protection of our environment and to the health of our customers. To this end, we actively engage in efforts to reduce our carbon footprint.

Despo’s offers fresh ingredients, high quality, regionally sourced meats, daily specials, vegetarian selections, and 3 kinds of salsa made daily.

Always respectful of our environment, we are lean and green!

Every day we do our part by;

  • using all “green” cleaning supplies
  • donating our fry oil to the Environmental Resource Center for alternative fuel use
  • we have suspended take out until an environmentally acceptable container becomes available
  • using all compact fluorescent bulbs
  • recycling all recyclable materials
  • not offering seafood that is over-fished

Despo’s Reason For Going Green

We Source locally:

  • beans grown in Twin Falls
  • regionally sourced beef
  • local natural pork
  • cheese from Jerome

For your health, Despo’s:

  • serves only sustainable fish
  • serves natural chicken & pork
  • serves regionally sourced beef from small, non-factory farms
  • uses non-hydrogenated (no trans fat) oil for frying and cooking
  • uses 100% fresh avocados in our guacamole
  • unbleached 100% consumer-recycled paper
Learn more about our commitment
A Little Of Our Story

Why Despo's Serves Natural Meat Products

You are what you eat; therefore you are what your food eats. When you order at a restaurant or pick up groceries at a store, do you request chemicals, antibiotics, antimicrobials, arsenic, feathers, hair, skin, hooves, blood, manure or plastic? If the meat you desire is raised on a factory farm, chances are this is what they have consumed, consequently it is likely what you are unintentionally requesting and ingesting. It has been reported that as many as 99% of farmed animals raised and slaughtered in the United States come from factory farms. At Despo’s, we absolutely feel it is our responsibility to serve natural meats in order to stand against factory farming, for your health and for the well being of our planet.

Despo's on Water & Bottled Water

What is Despo’s doing

Despo’s is committed to reduce water consumption and clean up what we send down the drain? So far…..

  • We bring water to the table only on request
  • We’ve changed the nozzles in our kitchen sinks to low flow
  • We use earth-friendly soap that comes in recycled containers
  • We installed an Energy Star dishwasher that hits the temperature required to sanitize without the use of harsh and toxic chemicals, using less energy.
  • We installed ultra low flush toilets in our restrooms

This year over 25 billion single-use plastic water bottles will be sold in the United States alone. 30 million single-serve non-returnable containers end up in landfills or as litter every day. Over 1.5 million barrels of oil were used to make the plastic bottles purchased in the United States last year.  And … this figure does not include the petroleum it took to transport those bottles. Bottled water is not necessarily regulated so who knows what you are pouring into your system. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, People spend from 240 to over 10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water than they typically do for tap water. If you drink 2 bottles a day for 300 days a year and you paid $1.00 for each bottle you would be paying $600 a year.  That same amount of tap water would cost an average of $3.00 ($5.00 if you installed a filter).

Bottom line- drinking bottled water does not make sense. Added to all the reasons above, by drinking bottled water you are padding the pockets of those corporations who have made you think you must buy something that you can get for free.

Despo's on Containers

Corn Based Compostable Takeout Containers

What does Funk think about compostable containers made from PLA, a corn based “compostable” plastic?  Two points are disturbing and the reason Despo’s is still searching for an alternative to a corn-based product:

  1. Corn production utilizes huge amounts of land. To compensate producers constantly replant rather than rotate the crops. This requires use of fertilizers and nitrates that run off into our valuable water sources.
  2. PLA is compostable only under certain conditions: 10 days at 140 degree F heat. There are very few dedicated PLA composting operations in existence, so realistically, most compostable plastic will wind up in our landfill where it will sit just as long as the other trash.
Despo's on Change

We're All In — We're Committed

Modern agricultural practices, incorporating widespread use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, is relentlessly compromising our health and destroying our environment. Sustainable natural and organic farming is the only option for our future. Despo’s is committed to making a change and we ask you to join our commitment. Reconsider the price of that fast food “deal”; is the short-term gratification of saving time and a few dollars worth the likelihood of compromising your health and the reality of contributing to the poisoning of our planet?

TripAdvisorWinner - Certificate of Excellence

For the following years: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018

Disciples of Flight

We never visit Ketchum without stopping for lunch at Despo's for great, and healthy, Mexican food. The chicken burrito or fajitas are perfect after a long morning hike.

Best Things Idaho

Everything about Despo's is A-plus. A healthier version of your favorite Mexican dishes, they use only the freshest and finest ingredients to create a meal of exceptional flavor. Are you a salsa lover? You'll find your new favorite in their homemade recipe.

Only In Your State

Despo's is something truly special in Idaho - eco-friendly, fresh, locally-sourced, and health-conscious, every dish is absolutely mouthwatering, but tacos are taken to a whole new level with meat fillings that are sustainably-sourced as well: wild-caught, rather than farmed, fish included. Flavorful and filling, be sure to try some of Despo's world-famous salsa on the side for the perfect taco experience!

Habitat MagazineSustainit ! Awards!

Favorite Green Restaurant
Favorite Locally Produced Product (Despo's Salsa)
Green Advocate-Owner, Jim Funk

Sunset MagazineHunt for the Best Burrito

Barbara Dembergh's letter got us into Sunset's Hunt for the Best Burrito article. Read to the end till' you get to "its a Wrap", where Despo's is also recognized for "Most eco-friendly joint".

Ketchum Idaho

211 4th Street East
Ketchum, ID 83340

Located on the corner of
4th and Washington

Phone Us: Click Here
Email: despos@cox-internet.com

Open INSIDE & OUTSIDE Monday – Saturday from 11:30am until Close
CLOSED SUNDAYS