Any good Mexican Restaurants in Douglas County? (Denver, Pueblo: price, shopping center)

[ditto]

I found this great thread: //www.city-data.com/forum/denve...t-secrets.html which covered many restaurants, but they're in the Denver area.

I've been to maybe 10-15 Mexican restaurants in Douglas County, but found nothing that stands out. I've discovered plenty of great Mexican food joints in CA without a problem, and since it seems to be a good amount of ex-Californians browsing this forum, I figured they might know a few good places that reminded them of Los Angeles, Orange County (North), San Jose, San Diego, etc.

Here are some of the places I've tried:

Los Volcanos (Parker) - So-so food, fairly small portions.

Guadalajara (Parker) - Doesn't seem very fresh. Chips and salsa nothing special. Tortillas and taco shells questionable. Good portions and OK price but that's about it.

Old Santa Fe Mexican Grill (Parker) - Average. My burrito had a bunch of different "things" in it. Very weird.

Bamba Mexican Grill (Parker) - This is probably the best place I've found in the area. Not excellent, but worth a few repeated visits.

Las Brisas (Englewood...not Douglas County but close enough) - I don't know what the heck they're trying to accomplish, but the food is definitely not traditional Mexican or anything I'm accustomed to.

Hacienda Colorado (Englewood...not Douglas County)- Different. Furthest thing from traditional Mexican food. Mediocre.

Santiago's Mexican Restaurant (Castle Rock) - Not bad, but the only selection of beef they had at the time was GROUND! I couldn't believe it. Fairly small portions and NO alcohol. Looks like the place used to be Taco Bell or something.

El Parral Mexican Restaurant (Castle Rock) - This is an OK place with mediocre food. Nothing special. If I remember correctly, it sits in a shopping center parking lot.

Qdoba Mexican Grill (various locations) - Stay away.


Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[formercalifornian]

Try Yolanda's on Wilcox Street in Castle Rock.

[LisaCACO]

ex-CA here. sorry, haven't found anything here yet, but then again, I was warned in advance by coloradans before moving here, lol. give it a couple of years and either your taste buds will change or good mexican restaurants will open out here (or so I'm told). If you find good mexican in douglas county, do let us all know. maybe we should all have a former CA meetup .

[jazzlover]

There are plenty of Mexican (so-called, anyway) restaurants in Colorado that serve Tex-Mex slop, along with some variations from California that would probably qualify as "slop" as well. The good Mexican food in Colorado is actually "New Mexican" food that is quite common in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. You will find relatively few restaurants in the Denver metro area that serve it--partly because New Mexican food didn't filter its way that far north very often, and partly because it doesn't taste like what a lot of Texans and Californians think that Mexican food should taste like. Their loss. Want some tasty Mexican food? Head down to some of the places in Pueblo or down in the San Luis Valley. The good ones usually aren't the fancy places, either, but the "holes in the wall" that cater to and are known by the local clientele.

To directly answer the poster's question, I've yet to have a great Mexican meal in Douglas County, and I've tried quite a few restaurants there over the years.

A couple of my favorites:

Patti's or the Mill Street Cafe in Pueblo

El Charro in Alamosa

Dutch Mill in Antonito

[2bindenver]

Brewery Bar III in Lone Tree.

[ditto]

formercalifornian & 2bindenver... thanks for the suggestions. might give 'em a try.

Originally Posted by LisaCACO

ex-CA here. sorry, haven't found anything here yet, but then again, I was warned in advance by coloradans before moving here, lol. give it a couple of years and either your taste buds will change or good mexican restaurants will open out here (or so I'm told). If you find good mexican in douglas county, do let us all know. maybe we should all have a former CA meetup .

lol @ changing my taste buds. I don't think that would be a good thing!

Glad to know it's not just me. After talking with a few other people, this seems to be the normal response from ex-californians.

Originally Posted by jazzlover

There are plenty of Mexican (so-called, anyway) restaurants in Colorado that serve Tex-Mex slop, along with some variations from California that would probably qualify as "slop" as well. The good Mexican food in Colorado is actually "New Mexican" food that is quite common in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. You will find relatively few restaurants in the Denver metro area that serve it--partly because New Mexican food didn't filter its way that far north very often, and partly because it doesn't taste like what a lot of Texans and Californians think that Mexican food should taste like. Their loss. Want some tasty Mexican food? Head down to some of the places in Pueblo or down in the San Luis Valley. The good ones usually aren't the fancy places, either, but the "holes in the wall" that cater to and are known by the local clientele.

To directly answer the poster's question, I've yet to have a great Mexican meal in Douglas County, and I've tried quite a few restaurants there over the years.

A couple of my favorites:

Patti's or the Mill Street Cafe in Pueblo

El Charro in Alamosa

Dutch Mill in Antonito

I am not a fan of tex-mex. Maybe I've been eating a variation of tex-mex here this entire time, as you suggested. I find it unbelievable how difficult it is to find a GOOD mexican restaurants here. Yes, the hole-in-the-wall joints are usually the best spots, and I'm not bothered by them at all. I'll keep your list in mind next time I'm in those areas.

Perhaps it's not just Douglas County where you cant find good mex food, but Denver & surrounding areas as well. Maybe the people suggesting good mexican food in the Denver forum enjoy tex-mex or they don't have anything to compare it to.

I would imagine you can find good food around W. Colfax/Federal Blvd. I've been through that area and there's quite a few hole-in-the-wall looking places. It seems people are generally afraid of dining out in these parts of town, but I'm not one of them. This area pales in comparison to other locations throughout the US... it's just a bit far.

[formercalifornian]

Perhaps we need to define our tastes.

I love fish tacos with cabbage & mango salsa on a soft, corn tortilla. I'm not a big fan of smothered bean & cheese burritos, but in a pinch, they'll do, especially if accompanied by a big dish of pico de gallo and slices of fresh avocado. If I'm stuck in the 'burbs with only chains from which to choose, I'll go for Rubio's, but my favorite place for a quick, affordable, & delicious meal is definitely Yolanda's in Castle Rock.

At home, we often have Make Your Own Burritos with homemade salsa, rice, black or refried beans, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, sour cream, lime & chipotle hot sauce. Sometimes I steam some tilapia in the top of the rice cooker for a twist. Chicken tortilla soup is also a perennial favorite in our house. We make our own stock with the carcass of Sunday night's roast chicken, add in the leftover shredded meat, tomatoes, & spices and top with cheese, sour cream, avocado & chopped cilantro. Served with chips or leftover tortillas, it makes a great mid-week dinner.

Recently, I had a really interesting mushroom appetizer at the Castle Rock Three Margaritas that I found inspiring. Basically, it was chopped mushrooms, jalapenos, cilantro & onions mixed with lime juice and served with corn tortilla chips. I haven't yet tried making it at home, but it looked easy and it was deliciously different than the standard Mexican fare.

So, what about all of you? What kinds of dishes do you prefer?

[jazzlover]

Stacked (not rolled) green chile enchiladas with a fried egg on top--a northern New Mexico specialty. You know you're in a restaurant that specializes in these when you order enchiladas and the waitperson asks, "Red or green?" and "Do you want an egg with that?"

[CAMom]

is there a baja fresh anywhere that anyone knows of. Here in so cal it's really good and fresh

[CAMom]

just found one in littleton