El Taco De Mexico has been serving Denver since 1985, and it's easy to see why it's such a local favorite. The menu is extensive, with classic Mexican street food options that feel authentic and comforting. Whether you're stopping in for tacos, burritos, or something smothered in their chile, there's plenty to choose from. It's the kind of place that feels rooted in the community, and the food reflects that. A solid, longtime staple on Santa Fe. read more

I have no idea why people like this place so much. I am a very adventurous eater. I love all kinds of Mexican food. This is probably the worst I have ever had. EDIT. Update, 8-years later. I was convinced to return by co-workers following El Taco De Mexico getting some top 25 in the nation burrito award for their Chil Relleno burrito. Well, I had it, and it was nothing special. People hyping this place up are flat out wrong. Is it edible? Yes. Is the food worthy of high praise? Absolutely not. But, everyone insists it is the best. It isn't. Oh, and the seating is terrible. The lady at the counter acted annoyed that we were there as part of a lunch rush. The ratings this place gets are fascinating. It is average on a good day. read more

El Taco De Mexico - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Great find at this Mexican restaurant. It's not a fancy place; I call the whole in the wall finds or dive restaurant but the food and service make up for not be being franchised restaurant. Very original, ordered a dozen various tacos on soft shells and 2 giant burritos with green chile topping. 1 was pork and one beef! They were a very nice size; filled with rice and beans. I really loved this place; nothing fancy; great food made right in front of you in a little kitchen from people who enjoy authentic food making. The four of us shared the order and we still had left over burrito. Get the chance I recommend stopping here. read more

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Yummy late night bite after first Friday! The tacos were very authentic. The beans were creamy and delicious. Service was quick. Diner vibes. Very casual read more

El Taco De Mexico - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Same as it ever was... same as it ever was. I hadn't been here in many years, and that was my bad. It was exactly what I remembered, minus a bit of price increase that nobody is immune to these days. But the food was still damn good and this place is a Denver institution for a reason. You don't go for the atmosphere or super attentive service. You go for the food. It's a small place with more seating outside than inside, and it's kind of chaotic, but while you're inevitably waiting in line you'll have plenty of time to choose from the large menu. Know what you want, order quickly and step aside while you wait, and you'll be just fine. Then dig in and enjoy, because this is simple, legit Mexican food, just like it has been for decades. read more

This restaurant was a lifesaver during first fridays on santa fe. Every food truck and restaurant had a 40+ minute wait or line down the block. While the line was out the door at El Taco De Mexico, they worked through it so quickly it went by in a flash. I got a burrito with cheese, rice and beans with a side of lettuce and tomato and my friend got birria tacos. Both hit the spot and prices were very fair. Will be back next first friday! read more

El Taco De Mexico - Rice, Beans & Cheese Burrito add side of lettuce and tomato - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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I saw someone asking about the best authentic Mexican restaurant so I wanted to leave a review for El Taco De Mexico on Santa Fe, Drive, Denver, CO. Although I haven't visited this restaurant in years, I am happy they are still up and running since my pre-gluten-free/celiac diagnose, El Taco De Mexico was my favorite authentic Mexican restaurant, clean, but basic vibe. They have foods I would eat--like pigs feet (no thank you!). Back in the day I would go there frequently (2-4 times a week) and get the Chili Relleno Burrito Smothered in Green Chili and Horchata to drink--yummm! I don't know what their current prices are, what their service is like, or if their food is as great as I remember. But based on my years ago memory I am giving them 3 stars . Once I take my partner and stepson, I will adjust my review based on their opinions. read more

At one time, this was my go to place. Unfortunately, it has priced itself beyond reasonable proportions, and while their prices have gone up significantly, the level of service has gone down astronomically.. As great as it once was, it is now that bad. I guess it's the momentum of history. read more

"If you want authentic Mexican go to El Taco" a friend from Denver told me. Good advice. Inside is like an old run down diner. A few booths and a counter top. Outside seating is the way to go weather permitting. Extremely friendly staff. Service lightning quick. Prices fair. I had the marinated pork taco plate. 3 tacos on double corn tortilla with refried beans and rice. Tacos were excellent. Beans good, rice a bit bland. As much as I enjoyed my tacos the beef burrito smothered in green chili sauce was even better. Need to come back and get this myself. Last dish was a Special breakfast - 2 fried eggs, rice, beans ham bacon, potatos and 2 flour tortillas. Hit the spot. Found it interesting how busy they were on a Thursday for an early lunch including local police stopping by for a bite. There is nothing fancy about this place but the food is authentic and very good. read more

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The green chili rocks!!! We got the special burrito (green chili with pork) and devoured it! Generous portion size, quick service, lots of outdoor seating and limited indoor seating. Hole-in-the-wall vibe and delicious! read more

El Taco De Mexico - Special Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

The steak in my tacos tasted like it came from a microwaved TV dinner, and the corn tortillas weren't toasted or heated in any way. Nothing tasted remotely fresh. Just about every other Mexican place I've had in Denver blows this away. So disappointing. read more

First time. The menu is above the counter with no explanations. I ordered the chile relleno combination plate with rice & refried beans for + 2 flour tortillas for $16.10; I added a bottle of Senorial Sangria sparkling soda. It was ok. Plenty of cheese in the one pepper. Salsa is extra costing $1.35; My cash cost was $21.74;I paid $22 with no change back. I sat at the counter. read more

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What's all the hoopla. I went yesterday, July 18, 2026. Ordered a pork burrito. It was okay. Problems. The smothered green chili was not traditional Colorado pork chili. It was green salsa. The burrito had rice in it. This is not California or Chipotle. The tortilla was so tough it was hard to cut with a knife. Old? Overall just ok. Much better in Denver. read more

Finally! Some hole in the wall tacos. Friendly staff and the tacos were filing. I added lettuce, onion and tomatoes to the tacos. 3 Taco Plate: 10/10. I ordered the beef steak tacos but now that I'm looking at the picture I think they gave me chicken? lol clearly I didn't mind because I didn't even notice! The chicken was moist and shredded. The rice was fluffy and the beans were creamy. read more

El Taco De Mexico - Beef Steak Tacos (3) - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Little ladies dish-up excellent burritos, tacos, breakfasts and liquuados ( housemade lemonades/ drinks )

If it wasn't for the awards proudly displayed on the walls, you would never know how prestigious this unassuming restaurant is - until that first taste hits your mouth. In 2020, El Taco de Mexico was named one of America's Classics by the James Beard Foundation. As you step in, a painted menu is above the diner counter with chalkboard pieces covering the ever-changing prices of their offerings. Several women are in the back busily cooking up orders as they are placed. You may have to wait at the counter for one to come take your order, but don't fret, it is worth the wait. I highly recommend the chile relleno burrito smothered in green chile with salsa and onions. This all comes wrapped up in a tortilla - the delicious green chile relleno stuffed with asedero cheese, rice, beans, onions, and salsa. Expertly folded and wrapped to be smothered with the green chile sauce. You will be handed a fork, knife, and napkin when you order. All are necessary to eat the burrito that Food & Wine once named, "the breakfast dish of your dreams." I beg to differ, it's the any time of the day dish of your dreams. read more

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The service is excellent and the pork green chilli is amazing. Also my wife really enjoyed her chicken tamales. Other members enjoyed quesabirria and the asada tacos. I always try to visit when I am in town! read more

Came here to try the burrito that I had a famous James Bears designation. We went during the lunch hour when there was no one else in the store. The area is located in the arts district, which I felt was quite dead on a weekday afternoon. I shared one smothered chile relleno burrito with my cousin. I thought it was strange that asking for it smothered had such an extra cost. It was around $18 for this burrito. I'm glad we shared it because it would've caused a food coma if we had one each. I wish they put on more sauce--I mean we paid extra, right? It was my first time having chile relleno at all. The breading sometimes fell apart from the pepper, but it still picked up good flavor. We washed it down with a horchata which was delicious. It wasn't too sweet, nor watery. It tasted rich, just like a good horchata. The service was awful. My expectations were the bare minimum already, but they were actively ignoring us despite having no one else in the store. My cousin asked for water three times to no avail. I went up and sternly asked for it; I finally got a cup of water for her after 20 minutes. All in all, this was okay. I don't think I would come back to it. We went out of our way from the art museum as my cousin is a James Beard enthusiast, but the overall experience was lackluster. read more

El Taco De Mexico - Chile Relleno Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

very delicious! i loved the marinated pork burrito special and would recommend getting it smothered. the restaurant is small but the food comes out quickly so people are in and out all the time. very clean and simple. as a local i'm upset i'm just finding out about this place read more

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I'm confident that this is the best breakfast burrito in the country. Should easily win its fourth MVB this season.

Quick to serve, friendly staff, and always fresh & delicious ingredients! The new patio covering adds to the ambiance and welcoming nature to the outdoor seating area! If you're in the area and looking for quality Mexican grub, look no further! read more

Such good food! This place is a staple of deliciousness in the Santa Fe Art area of Denver. Constantly on the list of best Mexican food around by multiple reviewers, El Taco has maintained their same menu for years. I had the chile relleno burrito- highly recommended by many food reviewers- and apparently everyone else has heard of this recommendation as it was constantly ordered by other patrons during our meal as well. It is a hole in the wall kind of place, but is well worth a visit! read more

El Taco De Mexico - Chile Relleno Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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I found this place in a tik tok search of good Mexican food in Denver. While several other locations came up, I decided on this one because the vibe in the pictures reminded me of a "hole in the wall" type place back home that I love. I assumed as a result I would get some pretty good, authentic Mexican, and I wasn't exactly wrong. I enjoyed everything I ate... for the most part. I ordered three pastor tacos with cilantro and onion, rice and beans, chips and salsa and a lemonade mixed with Jamaica and paid about $30 or so. I also asked for a small side of the green chili sauce they use to smother burritos, etc. which I believe I was given? That leads me to this point: there was very little price transparency, mostly because I was not given a receipt or offered one. I don't know if I paid for a taco plate or three tacos separately from rice and beans (R&Bs). The taco plate seems to be the cheaper option as R&Bs alone were almost $8; rookie move on my part if I was charged separately because I would just get 2 more tacos for that price and forego R&Bs especially considering the portions of the R&Bs were so small (while the R&Bs were good). The tacos were also small but pretty good. The small cup of green chili was the star. It was spicy, not the "I can't enjoy it" type of spicy, but definitely an unexpected kick and great flavor. I see why people get their orders slathered in it. I would order differently if I went back. However, I sat at the counter while I ate and was able to see them make most of the orders. Generally speaking all the portions were small, i.e. small portions of meat in the burritos, etc. To that point, the chips and salsa were the most disappointing. I don't know why it's sold as chips and salsa because the salsa is literally a small side of salsa you would get to put on your tacos. It was a liquid consistency, not chunky. I asked the lady who took my order for a cup of pico de gallo while I was eating and she gave me a cup of cilantro and onion (no additional charge). I poured the salsa in that for a little something, but that's ridiculous I had to do that. With that being said, the chips were good. I'm not sure if they are made in house but they taste like it; however, again, a smallish portion. All in all, the food was tasty and my drink mix was bomb. Nothing I had was bad, but it definitely wasn't giving "hole in the wall" prices! I would be interested in seeing if there are other Mexican places in Denver that offer better value for a similar experience. I left a few dollars for tip if that means anything but honestly the tip is calculated in the price. read more

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Customer service is absolutely horrible and food is gross now & overpriced. The ambiance is a hole in a wall but at least if it's a hole in the wall place at least have good customer service! Absolutely don't recommend for anything read more

My favorite for 30 years. I want it right now. Anything smothered in green chili is my favorite.

I'll probably receive death threats for saying this, but I think this place is a little overrated. It's good taqueria, don't get me wrong. It's probably one of the first and certainly one of the longest running taquerias in town. But there's a lot more competition these days from both brick-and-mortar and food trucks these days and El Taco De Mexico is still top tier, but not #1 in my book. Not worth making a special trip for if you live in Aurora or along Federal, anyway. read more

The burrito smothered in sauce with beef cheeks was probably one of the most amazing burritos I've had. The tenderness of the beef cheeks brings delight to the palate and the green sauce smothering the burrito bound all the flavors together. Definitely worth a stop for a meal that would put you in a wonderful food coma. read more

El Taco De Mexico - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

What a great restaurant. This place offers authentic Mexican food and delivers on a great taste. AQUA FRESCAS: If you know Mexican food then you know that aqua frescas is a must. I got the Horchata and Pinneapple and holy was it amazing. The pineapple gives off an incredibly refreshing sweetness that's not too much and not too little. It feels as if it cleans your mouth. The Horchata is milky and cinnamon'y. It leaves you with this sort of skim milk aftertaste but it's very much welcome. THE PROTEIN: Lengua and cheekmeat were among my favorites. They are soft, delicious, and the texture is perfect. One thing I would recommend would be a little bit larger slices of lengua but that is a personal preference. THE GREEN CHILI: WOW was the green chili good. It's hard to describe the kind of spices they use but the place definitely offers a unique flavor. It tastes like green chili but upgraded to a higher level. Absolutely love it. QUESADILLA: I have no clue what cheese they used in the quesadilla but it is gooey and incredibly flavorful. The cool thing about the cheese is that it doesn't become a solid very quickly as it cools down, it seemed to have kept its gooey texture which is rare. I'm not sure how they did it but if I could eat my quesadillas like that all the time I totally would. FLAN: okay this is the game changer. Homemade flan is among the greatest desserts you can find. This place does it right. They have flan prepared in a glass jar that is ready to go. They made these homemade. The texture is silky, smooth, and thick. Some flaws I had in the past are very gelatinous but here they made sure to create a thick creamy experience. The flavor is sweet and the sweet sauce is to die for. I will come here for Mexican food again as they have amazing flavors and offer an authentic experience. Support your local businesses! read more

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Tried this James Beard American Heritage winner, and I was impressed, but not overwhelmed with the quality. The chile verde was fantastic, and the chile relleno burrito which was good, but not the best Mexican I had while I was in Denver. read more

We stumbled across this restaurant by accident but so glad we did. We popped in (party of 2) on Monday at noon and the place was busy. About 5 booths inside and counter seating for about 6, then there are tables outside but only some are partially covered with umbrellas so if it's a hot one like today, you're going to be scorching. What I swallowed: *THREE TACO PLATE: I ordered the beef steak, tripe, and lengua. They were all pretty good. I asked for the tripe and lengua crispy and they tried their best. They were all still pretty good. The rice and beans also had good flavor without being salty. *HORCHATA: This drink was good although more sweet then it was cinnamony. They have a lot of variety of food items so definitely work checking out if you're in they area. read more

Delicious smothered green chili burrito, street tacos, and horchata. Burrito: very generous with the meat, wrapped with Mexican rice and refried beans, topped with crumbly cheese and covered in green chili. Their green chili has great flavor with minimal heat. I'm usually not a fan of burritos but I enjoyed every single bite here and finished big one! Street tacos are delicious with very tasty meat, topped with diced onion and cilantro. Corn tortillas are lightly pan-fried which add slightly nice crunch to every bite. Horchata: it's a real deal here - you know when you taste the rice without tasting grainy. It's a very small restaurant with limited seatings run by 4 hard working ladies. The line can get lọng all the way out of the door, so I'd recommend you to look at the menu in advance and know what you want to speed up the ordering process. Pricing is super good for the portion of food that you get. Highly recommend! read more

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New favorite taco place alert!!! I can't believe we have been living in Denver for so long and hadn't had these tacos yet! Frankly it's a little embarrassing.. however now that we know about them it will be a regular spot! The tacos de asada we so juicy, well seasoned, and the salsa was perfect! Not too spicy, but spicy enough! Lexi loved the cheek meat tacos, and the marinated pork! We could have done with a little more onions and cilantro but other than that they were amazing! This all women kitchen staff that were working today killed it!!! Highly recommended for taco connoisseurs!!! Dan & Lexi read more

El Taco De Mexico - Asada tacos - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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The al pastor tacos are out of this world! So delicious and fresh. Service was quick, and the taste of the tortillas complimented the meat perfectly. read more

Absolutely amazing! I tried the Cachete and Lengua tacos, and both were incredible. The meat was bursting with flavor and melt-in-your-mouth tender, while the tortillas were buttery soft and delicious. Truly phenomenal from start to finish.. read more

I can't speak on everyone that works here, but the lady at the counter that took our order has zero customer service skills!!!! We should've walked out as soon as we recognized the bad attitude. We ordered 2 smothered chicken burritos and I'm not impressed at all. I won't be back!!!!! It came with rice and beans inside and I only wanted chicken. I didn't know it came that way or I would've requested for them to hold the rice and beans. I also thought it would come with lettuce and tomato, but I was wrong about that as well. I asked for lettuce and tomato and was told it's extra. Okay, that's fine, but when I went to get it she said it's $3.50. it was 2 slices of tomato and not a full sized tomato. And the lettuce was about 1/4 cup shredded, so I passed on that. I'm not paying $3.50 for lettuce and tomato, nor am I paying to be treated like it's a problem that we came to patronize your establishment. I had to force myself to eat as much as I did because I was starving. read more

El Taco De Mexico - What's left of the burrito that's not so good. To me. - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Man listen!!!! My favorite spot was closed so I kinda cheated on them and messed around and found a better spot. This place is all women operated and they are so sweet great service. The place was paced and almost everyone had a burrito. I wanted a smothered burrito and was hoping it was good. I'm glad I got two of these because one wasn't enough! It was too damn good I have to rate it a 9.8 out of 10. The chili is a little spicy and it adds to the burrito it's missing nothing but a little tomato and lettuce if it had that 10/10. Either way this is my new favorite place for burritos! Pull up on them. The flan was a 8.5 out of 10 I needed more sauce on it. All in all the food was delicious! read more

El Taco De Mexico - Rice , Beans & Cheese Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Food is super bland and rice was dry - felt like they didn't care about providing a quality meal

Had the Huevos and it was delicious! The refried beans!! Oh my they were so creamy and tasty! Eggs cooked perfectly-over easy. Green chili was really good. Tangy and had a good flavor! Will definitely return. read more

Had lunch here on a Friday. There's nothing fancy about the place, you order at the counter and sit at the limited inside seating including counter seating facing the kitchen or at their ample outdoor seating. The food here is outstanding authentic mexican cuisine. Everything was fresh and very tasty served with a smile. I would HIGHLY recommend them. read more

Years ago a guy I used to date who is a cook told me that the food at El Taco De Mexico is on point. In my opinion the food could be better. It surprises me that this restaurant received a James Beard award. The first time I went to this restaurant during lunch I waited patiently until it was my turn. A woman and her colleague came in long after me, When it was my turn to order the woman cut in front of me and started speaking Spanish. I looked the woman who was taking the order and said hello when I first arrived yet she ignored me for the other customer, I immediately left. Months later I came back and still wanted to try the food. This time I wasn't skipped over. I ordered a smothered beef burrito which is a classic that lets me know the caliber of the restaurant. It was pretty plain, the food filled me up but it was not satisfying. I haven't been back since and won't be back. read more

El Taco De Mexico - Smothered green chile ground beef burrito - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado