Tex-Mex in Denver

15900 W. Colfax Ave., Golden West Denver Suburbs

303-384-3578

American, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Best Of, Sponsor

This native Colorado Mexican chain restaurant, which boasts eight locations, six of them along the Front Range, has been serving up freshly prepared tortilla chips and salsa, enchiladas, burritos and Mexican seafood dishes for the past fifteen years. El Señor Sol offers happy-hour specials, catering, online ordering and plenty of vegan/vegetarian options, including grilled-vegetable fajitas with housemade guacamole. Sol has banquet rooms available for up to 100 people at a time, and the moderate prices are sure to please guests in parties both large and small.

2 articles

Chipotle Mexican Grill

919 Pearl St. Boulder

303-544-9383

American, Fast Food, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Best Of

Known for its clean, minimalist atmosphere and hefty foil-wrapped burritos the size (and weight) of a small infant, Chipotle pioneered the fast-casual, assembly line Mexican food genre that's since grown to encompass chains like Qdoba and Baja Fresh. The protocol in Denver / Boulder and elsewhere? Diners proceed single-file down the line and orchestrate the construction of their burrito, tacos (soft or crunchy), rice bowl, or salad with proteins including braised pork carnitas and grilled chicken or steak. Rice, beans, and a kaleidoscope of salsas from mild to sinus-clearing, plus garnishes like sour cream, guacamole and lettuce, complete the picture. Once heavily backed by McDonald's, Chipotle broke away from the fast food megacorp in 2006 and has since gained favor with customers by sourcing all-natural, hormone-free meats and even some local produce. It hired celebrity chef Nate Appleman as "culinary manager" in 2010 to man the New York test kitchen and work on research and development to keep Chipotle on the forefront of food trends. Finding your nearest Chipotle is a snap on Voice Places.

2 articles

Chipotle Mexican Grill

3600 W. 32nd Ave. Northwest Denver

303-964-3323

American, Fast Food, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Best Of, Menu

Known for its clean, minimalist atmosphere and hefty foil-wrapped burritos the size (and weight) of a small infant, Chipotle pioneered the fast-casual, assembly line Mexican food genre that's since grown to encompass chains like Qdoba and Baja Fresh. The protocol in Denver / Boulder and elsewhere? Diners proceed single-file down the line and orchestrate the construction of their burrito, tacos (soft or crunchy), rice bowl, or salad with proteins including braised pork carnitas and grilled chicken or steak. Rice, beans, and a kaleidoscope of salsas from mild to sinus-clearing, plus garnishes like sour cream, guacamole and lettuce, complete the picture. Once heavily backed by McDonald's, Chipotle broke away from the fast food megacorp in 2006 and has since gained favor with customers by sourcing all-natural, hormone-free meats and even some local produce. It hired celebrity chef Nate Appleman as "culinary manager" in 2010 to man the New York test kitchen and work on research and development to keep Chipotle on the forefront of food trends. Finding your nearest Chipotle is a snap on Voice Places.

4 articles

Chuy's

6595 W. 104th Ave., Westminster Northwest Denver Suburbs

303-469-9441

Tex-Mex, Menu, Readers' Choice

6 articles

El Rancherito

195 Federal Blvd. Southwest Denver

303-922-3221

American, Mexican, Tex-Mex

The Pulido family has been keeping El Rancherito clean and busy for the past 25 years, serving simple and honest versions of Denver-style Mexican dishes. With an emphasis on breakfast that keeps the place abuzz with customers from the 6 a.m. opening time, the menu delivers chilaquiles with the sharp heat of fresh jalapeños, combo plates awash in a smooth and mild green chile, and solid sides like refried beans smoky with lard. Broncos fans can share the space with a signed and framed Elway jersey while grabbing a breakfast burrito on the way to the stadium just a mile north.

1 article

El Senor Sol

1150 E. Colfax Ave. East Denver

303-830-1382

American, Mexican, Tex-Mex

This native Colorado Mexican chain restaurant with eight locations including six along the Front Range, has been serving up freshly prepared tortilla chips and salsa, enchiladas, burritos and Mexican seafood dishes for the last 15 years. El Senor Sol has happy hour specials, catering, online ordering and plenty of vegan/vegetarian options including grilled vegetable fajitas with house-made guacamole. Sol has banquet rooms available for up to 100 people at a time, and the moderate prices are sure to please guests in parties both large and small.

Fritangas

3090 W. Alameda Ave. Southwest Denver

303-936-0388

American, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Menu

Garcia's Mexican Restaurant

5050 S. Syracuse St. Southeast Denver

303-779-4177

American, Mexican, Tex-Mex

1 article

La Fuente

6200 E. 64th Ave., Commerce City Northeast Denver Suburbs

303-289-4916

American, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Best Of

1 article

La Mexicana Taqueria

2538 W. 32nd Ave. Northwest Denver

303-477-0300

Mexican, Tex-Mex

Lustre Pearl

1315 26th St. North Denver

720-508-3948

Bars and Clubs, Tex-Mex, Barbecue

1 article

McCarthy's Sports Bar & Grill

15350 E. Smoky Hill Rd. Aurora

303-693-4500

American, German/Eastern European, Irish, Tex-Mex, Traditional, Bars and Clubs, Menu

Wandering around McCarthy's Bar and Grill can be disorienting. The spacious bar and restaurant, located in the Smoky Hill neighborhood of eastern Aurora, has a lot going on: There's the large dance floor, the walk-up bar and restaurant section, and a front dining room that doubles as a Texas Hold 'Em poker space several times during the week. In keeping with its theme as an intimate Irish-style pub, the owners have included nods to the Emerald Isle on their menu: The Irish Nachos run less than $10. The rest of the food and drink menu comprises standard bar fare, regular happy hours and staples that include hamburgers, Mexican plates and appetizers under $15. The bar tends to attract an older, adult crowd from the nearby suburbs, but live rock shows on Fridays bring in younger patrons.

Moose Hill Cantina

11911 W. Colfax Ave. Lakewood

303-238-6188

American, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Menu

Playa Azul Mexican Restaurant

1423 S. Federal Blvd. Southwest Denver

303-975-9871

American, Mexican, Tex-Mex

Playa Azul Mexican Restaurant offers a seafood-themed menu with friendly service and festive music. In addition to piles of shrimp and whole fried tilapia, the menu also includes enchiladas and other combo plates, and you wonâ??t go wrong ordering any of them. But we skip right to the chile verde served in a molcajete, a piping-hot stone bowl filled with bubbling, tangy verde studded with tender pork. Or hold out for a weekend visit so that you can experience the rich birria de chivo, a dark, satisfying stew of tender goat (or sometimes lamb) on the bone.

1 article

Sam's No. 3

1500 Curtis St. Downtown Denver

303-534-1927

Diner, Tex-Mex, Greek, Recommended, Best Of, Readers' Choice

In 2004, Sam, Alex and Patrick Armatas brought the family business back to the same downtown block where it started decades ago. While the Aurora outpost shuttered at the end of 2023 following 25 years in business, a second location in Glendale remains. Alongside the Coney Island favorites that made Sam’s popular in the 1920s, the voluminous, multi-page menu is fueled with diner-style American, Greek and Mexican dishes, including gigantic green chile-smothered breakfast burritos. Pair one with a Bloody Mary and make no plans other than a long nap.

16 articles

Sam's No. 3

435 S. Cherry St. Southeast Denver

303-333-4403

Diner, Tex-Mex, Greek, Recommended, Best Of, Readers' Choice

The origins of Sam’s No. 3 date back to 1920, when Sam Armatas started offering his Coney Island favorites in Denver. Over the next nine decades, the empire grew and shrank and shrank still more, until it was down to just one Sam’s No. 3, located in Aurora. Currently, there are two locations, both with the voluminous menu crammed with great diner food, including skillet breakfasts, 15 kinds of burgers, 21 breakfast burritos and a full page of Mexican grub. It’s all big food, served in a down-home style.

5 articles

The Spillway Grill

13740 E. Quincy Ave. Aurora

303-693-0755

American, Soul Food, Southern, Tex-Mex, Bars and Clubs, Music Venues

1 article

Tia Maria Mexican Restaurant

7260 Pecos St. North Denver

303-427-2572

American, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Best Of

?The affable man who owns Tia Maria treats his customers like royalty, which is reason enough to plop your butt down in a cushy booth and spend the afternoon slumped over shots, which he doles out in frequent doses. The tequila syllabus is impressive -- and so are the tasting notes that accompany it -- and the shots pair perfectly with the restaurant's verde, a stinging, savory swamp of garlic, tomatoes, cubed pork and ambrosial chiles that weep with heat. It puddles plates heaped with all the usual suspects, and it also swathes a rotund, pink-fleshed ham hock that may be the best dish on the menu.

2 articles

Torchy's Tacos

1085 Broadway Central Denver

303-436-1704

Tex-Mex, Slideshow

This Texas import opened its first Colorado location in February 2016, and opinions about it grew as quickly as the lines out the door. It's a big, loud, flamboyant and insanely popular spot, so people love it or hate it with an intensity that matches its dazzling sign, which lights up the night like a marquee over that other Broadway (the one in NYC). First things first: Torchy's isn't Mexican food. It isn't even Den-Mex. It's Tex-Mex through and through, so if you're looking for a taste of something south of the (national) border, you won't find it here. What you will find is gut-bustingly huge tacos, served on flour tortillas stuffed with fillings such as scrambled eggs (nine versions of Austin's famed breakfast tacos are on offer), brisket and fried chicken. Though corn tortillas are an option, embrace your inner Texan and opt for the flour — and don't miss the excellent guacamole.

15 articles

Torchy's Tacos

8281 Northfield Blvd. East Denver

303-375-1733

Tex-Mex, Menu

This Texas import continued its crusade into Colorado throughout 2016, and opinions about it grew as quickly as the lines out the door. It's a big, loud, flamboyant and insanely popular spot, so people love it or hate it with an intensity that matches its dazzling sign, which lights up the night like a marquee. First things first: Torchy's isn't Mexican food. It isn't even Den-Mex. It's Tex-Mex through and through, so if you're looking for a taste of something south of the (national) border, you won't find it here. What you will find is gut-bustingly huge tacos, served on flour tortillas stuffed with fillings such as scrambled eggs (nine versions of Austin's famed breakfast tacos are on offer), brisket and fried chicken. Though corn tortillas are an option, embrace your inner Texan and opt for the flour — and don't miss the excellent guacamole.

3 articles

Torchy's Tacos

7159 W. 88th Ave., Westminster North Denver Suburbs

303-495-1115

Tex-Mex

This Texas import continued its crusade into Colorado throughout 2016, and opinions about it grew as quickly as the lines out the door. It's a big, loud, flamboyant and insanely popular spot, so people love it or hate it with an intensity that matches its dazzling sign, which lights up the night like a marquee. First things first: Torchy's isn't Mexican food. It isn't even Den-Mex. It's Tex-Mex through and through, so if you're looking for a taste of something south of the (national) border, you won't find it here. What you will find is gut-bustingly huge tacos, served on flour tortillas stuffed with fillings such as scrambled eggs (nine versions of Austin's famed breakfast tacos are on offer), brisket and fried chicken. Though corn tortillas are an option, embrace your inner Texan and opt for the flour — and don't miss the excellent guacamole.

2 articles

Torchy's Tacos

8505 E. Arapahoe Rd., Greenwood Village Southeast Denver Suburbs

303-721-0060

Tex-Mex, Menu

This Texas import continued its crusade into Colorado throughout 2016, and opinions about it grew as quickly as the lines out the door. It's a big, loud, flamboyant and insanely popular spot, so people love it or hate it with an intensity that matches its dazzling sign, which lights up the night like a marquee. First things first: Torchy's isn't Mexican food. It isn't even Den-Mex. It's Tex-Mex through and through, so if you're looking for a taste of something south of the (national) border, you won't find it here. What you will find is gut-bustingly huge tacos, served on flour tortillas stuffed with fillings such as scrambled eggs (nine versions of Austin's famed breakfast tacos are on offer), brisket and fried chicken. Though corn tortillas are an option, embrace your inner Texan and opt for the flour — and don't miss the excellent guacamole.

2 articles

Tex-Mex in Denver

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