South American in Denver

1601 Pearl St. Boulder

303-442-3464

Latin American, Central American, South American, Recommended

Aji bills itself as a Latin American restaurant, and its menu is a postmodern fusion of Peruvian, Mexican, Argentine, Cuban, Brazilian, Salvadoran and Caribbean influences, in varying degrees of authenticity. Although little on Aji's menu makes much classical sense, much of it is very good, offering a güero-friendly TripTik of cocina alta, a reiteration of ingredients and flavors that present Central and South America as a single place, possessed of a single, overarching culinary gestalt.

2 articles

Cafe Brazil

4408 Lowell Blvd., Denver Berkeley/Sunnyside

303-480-1877

Brazilian, South American, Mediterranean, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Menu, Readers' Choice

Cafe Brazil has been a haven for Mediterranean-inflected South American cuisine for more than thirty years. If you’ve been in Denver long enough, you probably knocked back your first caipirinha here — possibly even at the eatery’s original Highland location (long before folks started calling the area LoHi). Come for the slow-roasted meats, baked sweet plantains and satisfying seafood stews, like the coconut milk-enriched moqueca de peixe, and stay for a rum flight and warm hospitality from owners Tony and Marla Zarlenga.

32 articles

Cafe San Marcos

9935 E. Colfax Ave. Aurora

303-341-2939

Mexican, South American, Recommended

The funky, minimally furnished San Marcos serves a variety of Mexican dishes along with intriguing Salvadoran specialties and novel brands of cerveza.

Limon

1612 E. 17th Ave. Central Denver

303-322-0898

South American, Recommended

Small, weird, uncommon and devilishly crowded at its peak is not the a standard recipe for wild restaurant success. But in Limon's warm storefront space, chef-owner Alex Gurevich has singlehandedly sold Denver on authentic Novoandino cuisine -- a combination of modern Peruvian flavors and classical French technique that's complex, comforting and delicious all at the same time. Don't miss the excellent ceviche, which is even better when washed down with of the south-of-the-border-cool cocktails.

12 articles

Quiero Arepas

1859 S. Pearl St. South Denver

720-432-4205

Venezuelan, South American, Critics' Pick, Best Of

When you only make one thing, you’d better make it right. Igor and Beckie Panasewicz had compiled more than a decade of experience serving Venezuelan cuisine from their food truck and at the Avanti food hall when they finally opened their own Platt Park brick-and-mortar in 2019. Their experience shows in the restaurant’s succulent meats, fluffy corn-flour shells, savory black beans, sweet plantains and tangy sauces loaded with lime and cilantro.

1 article

Red Tango

5807 W. 38th Ave. Northwest Denver

303-420-2203

South American, Restaurants, Recommended

Owner Jose Acevedo watches the front of the house, standing post behind the short bar, overseeing service and talking soccer and food with his regulars. In the back, chef Ulises Santiago and his crew cook up seasonal menus from Latin America, changing the globe-trotting lineup several times a year. This casual, comfortable place has been on a slow build, winning customers by word of mouth, keeping them with friendly service and excellent food.

4 articles

Rincon Argentino

2525 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder

303-442-4133

Argentinian, South American, Recommended

Christian Saber, a native of Buenos Aires and now chef-owner of Rincon Argentino in Boulder, was working in Breckenridge when he realized he'd fallen in love with more than Colorado powder: He met his future wife on the slopes, and when he later moved with her to her home town of Boulder, he realized there was a dearth of Argentine food there. And so in 2012, he opened a fast-casual spot that specializes in empanadas -- very good empanadas. "I came up with the empanadas because they're simple to take out and carry around, to go hiking with," he explains. "I believe in my business and the concept, but honestly I didn't think Boulder was going to love it so much." Oh, but Boulder does, and so does anyone else who finds their way to Rincon Argentino, which also offers sandwiches, salads, specials and a variety of sweets.

9 articles

Sabor Bar & Grill

4340 W. 35th Ave. Northwest Denver

303-455-8664

Mexican, South American, Spanish, Recommended

Sabor Latino's feel-good ambience makes this decades-old northwest Denver joint easy to love. The dining room is comfortably rustic, with an atmosphere that hangs somewhere in that inviting, tender middle ground between aging white-tablecloth class and neighborhood eclecticism. The menu is half-Mexican standards and half-greatest hits of Central and South American cuisines (some holdovers from the original owners and location on 32nd Avenue); almost all of it is very, very good.

7 articles

South American in Denver

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