Cool Place, outdoor seating area, bar, good fresh food, cheap, clean....I like it

Fantastic cheap late night eats. I ate here twice on the way home from AA meetings while visiting from NYC. I have to say, I really love the vibe at this place and the vibe of Denver at night in general. People just seem like they know how to have fun and be laid back. I wish New York were more like that. Ample outside and inside seating and the portions are pretty nice for the price. My money is on the carnitas. Yum. And the beans that aren't the black beans -- I forget what they're called. I also had the fish tacos and the chips and queso. The staff is super nice too and the outside area is dog friendly. I really like this particular venue. read more

Bless up for Illegal Pete's. I was in Denver for five days and had Illegal Pete's twice. I had a bowl and a quesadilla and each were amazing! So much variety and customization--it's a perfect solution for any fast lunch or dinner. They even have a full bar. This location is so cute because of the mural wall and the outside seating. If I lived in Denver I'd visit more often! read more

Couldn't be happier that this place opened down the street from me. My dog gets a walk and I get food and great drinks. Staff is great and friendly, and makes it easy to return often. Does the place get busy? yes, long lines, sometimes. It would help if people actually knew what they wanted instead of waiting to figure out what they want at the front of line. All delays i've seen in food line is from the patrons, not the staff. Bar lines, DUH it's colorado, great weather and an amazing patio. I've not had any issues at the bar that i dont have at other popular bars.....Thin Man, Vine Street, Pinche...they all can get overwhelmed from crowds. OH and i can work from the patio with great wifi, strong enough for me to video call. read more

We were looking for dinner after a concert and saw this place opened till really late. The food was amazingly fresh. My husband got the battered fish tacos and he says they were the best he ever had. Period. I got the veggie bowl and that was amazing too. Couldn't have asked for more!! Highly recommend! read more

Next level qdoba and chipotle but maybe even better especially considering they have a bar and stay open late!

Terrible customer service. This place has gone down hill fast as the company appears to have expanded rapidly. The online system to order food for pick-up is a joke and inconsistent. Don't waste your time. Just come prepared to stand in long lines. I don't know my password, so had to reset it. The email you receive to reset it has a hyperlink to reset it. The hyperlink is actually "not hyperlinked" so you cannot reset your password. I have encountered this on multiple occasions and have to then create a new account. I created a new account, tried to order my food for pick-up and the system kept saying it was not taking orders at this time. I called IP's to find out if the system is working and was told yes, tried again, and same thing. I asked if i can place an order over the phone and IP's would not make an exception despite their broken systems. I'm done with this place. My friend and I were also commenting about noticing that the food has also gone down hill- very greasy now and something different in the quality of their fish tacos. IP's make it as hard as possible to frequent their restaurant. There are better places out there where the management actually provides good customer service. Bub bye. read more

This was the third and last time I'll go to this IP. Customer service is absolute junk!!! I asked the gal which of the salsas would go well with the green chile and got a oh so wonderful "i don't flippin know" look. There was an obnoxious drunk standing loudly yelling out obscenities with every other word. Now I'm no saint but jeez come on there were families and children in the place. When drunko got to the ordering area instead of asking him to tone it down the staff encouraged his idiocy. Food isn't that good that I'd put up with their low service again. 5/22 update Was in need of something quick around 10:15p and I figured I'd give IP on Colfax another shot. What a mistake!!! The woman working initial prep thought putting two pieces of steak on my taco was acceptable. Luckily the guy working finial prep saw it and went back and added more. When I told the guy working the register, he basically could give a crap. I work my butt off for my money and I guess I'd appreciate just a little consideration of your paying customers. One out of three good employees is not encouraging numbers. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is better than dealing with these too good for work schmucks. read more

I've been a big fan of Illegal Pete's for some time and was super excited when they opened up a location in my neighborhood. I stopped by a Friday night, and it wasn't too busy. The space was huge. I think it's the biggest Illegal Pete's I've ever seen. I got a chicken taco and a fish taco which were both fantastic. The service was friendly and quick. I definitely will keep this place in mind for future evening and morning Mexican food needs. read more

'A local version of Chipotle, if you could get more local.' This is how I explain Illegal Pete's to non locals, and I truly enjoyed having the Broadway location be apart of my commute to work when I needed hardy breakfast. It was always a great location to meet up with friends before bar hopping on Broadway, so I was happy when I saw the sign go up on Colfax. I am two blocks away from this new location, and it is wonderful. I moved offices, and now work downtown, so it is on my commute to work. Plus, now that I am becoming more and more of a Colfax chick - mainly due to living two blocks away and realizing the amazing culture on the street - I am super happy to have a place that I can grab some tacos, a burrito, or nachos. The patio is amazing, better than Broadway's! read more

I love everything about this place. Everyone who works at this location is so nice! I will miss Mel (sad face) but seriously-most friendly staff in Denver. The food is alway fresh, fast, and delicious. You can't go wrong! read more

This place is fun and lively. I had the steak tacos. Wish I could have taken a look at the drink menu, but the line for food was about 10 minutes and I couldn't make it to the bar to order a drink. The patio is huge and has misting machines. Lots of local characters hang out on the patio. It's dog friendly. Super easy to find location and great food. I can't wait to visit again. read more

The staff at this spot are so friendly and fun, I always love coming back. The food is consistently good when I've got a craving for some tasty taquitos or chowing down on fish tacos or their smothered burritos-so delish! This is a great spot to enjoy before hitting the Loopr lounge which stops right out front. Quell those munchies and then head out to Loopr for a night out on the town- super fun stoney night out! read more

Staff and food were on point as always love the vibe got a bangin quesadilla that made my mouth water

Visited Illegal Pete's thinking it was a one-restaurant deal, not a chain. It is very much like a chipotle, so nothing special. Great outside patio area. read more

Food is amazing and the staff is even better! The location is near my house so I find myself coming in a lot. I don't know everyone's name but I see a lot of the same faces (such as Liz and Dave) and I always receive great customer service. I say it almost everytime im in but those guys deserve a raise! Last time i was in Liz got my order down without me even saying a word of what I wanted. It's a great place in general and you better believe ill keep coming back! P.s. - Huge Thank you to all the staff that work at this location and for the giant size burritos you guys make! read more

Came here on my birthday and sat on the upper level which had to have been over 100 degrees as the heat was blasting. After a few minutes of sitting there, we all decided to move downstairs as the heat was just that unbearable. As we all know, when you're sitting at your table consuming food your mask is off. Because I was in such a hurry to sit somewhere of a comfortable temperature, I had forgotten to put my mask back on while I walked with my party to another table. My bad... human error, we all make mistakes. Within 2 seconds of me standing up to move an incredibly rude employee SCREAMED at me (over 20 feet away) to "WEAR A MASK!" the entire restaurant turned to look at me, holding food in both hands unable to at the moment put my mask on. I've never felt so embarrassed. I am even more frustrated as I am someone who is 100% for masks. There were 1000000 ways to have gone about this situation and to have felt like I wanted to cry on my BIRTHDAY after spending a ridiculous amount of money on mediocre food at best. On top of this all, i've now read two other reviews that had this exact same belittling experience by your employee(s). Definitely don't come here unless you want bland food and to be disrespected. read more

I bet in this summer this place is awesome! Really nice patio but was 12 degrees when we visited. The fish tacos are by far the best. It worth the wait! read more

I visited here with a friend. First impression was that it's a really funky place. A really cool vibe when we walked in. The employees were all very friendly. I had a burrito and my wife had a bowl. Both were very good. I would definitely visit again and try other things. read more

It's ok. Reasonably priced and the beers are cold, food is pretty good. But you have to download a QR app on your phone (if you don't have one already) after you've connected to their WiFi to look at the menu, order, and pay. My hubby would have never figured any of this out so he would have left immediately. Plus, you have to pay by card and you can't leave anything less than an 18% tip when the servers don't do any more than bring your food and drink to the table. I guess they literally just serve - but otherwise no "service." You even clean up after yourself throwing all your stuff away. We're in town visiting so won't be back - if we lived here, eh, maybe because it's got a nice outdoor setting for groups but otherwise, eh. read more

Started off with chewing gum steak on my nachos. Then Kevin a manger at the one on colfax. Asked how we where and I told him about the steak. He responded great by getting me more fresh cooked not chewy steak. Then we told him it was our first time and he gave us a gift card for next time. Love great customer service, we'll be back just because of Kevin. Thanks read more

Illegal Pete's - Colfax - To go Queso - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

The best fish tacos I have EVER tasted. Granted, I was buzzing pretty hard from the marvelous margarita I was sipping, but I stand by my word. read more

Food is good. Twice, though, the lady was halfway into putting ingrediants into my bowl then put some of the scoop back as if it was giving me to much. When a man is hungry, dont tease him with that.. one less veggie slice is nothing to tease away from your customers. read more

I love this place and their fish bowls, great crowd great service, etc. but the last 2 times I went they screwed up my order and forgot my guac. Lame. read more

Awesome food, awesome margaritas, best one in town out of all the ones I've been to here in Denver.

The service here was horrible and the employees were very rude. Food was mediocre and way over priced for what it is. The only thing they have going for them is a nice outside patio area. read more

I absolutely love coming here and have come here several times to grab a bite to go or hang out with small/large groups. There is plenty of seating both inside and outside, and the patio makes for the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon margarita or beverage. I came here with a group of colleagues on 5/1 around 5:00pm. The place was not too busy with maybe 10-15 people sitting at/around the bar area. I was shocked because this is the first time I have ever experienced poor service here at this location (or any others to be honest). The female bartender was extremely rude/standoffish to every person in our group. Several individuals were attempting to order beers and her response was "we don't have that", and when they asked for another she offered the same response instead of apologizing or asking if they would like something else instead. I had also found something in my drink floating at the bottom and I informed her and she was not apologetic at all. Normally if it was super busy I could understand being a little scattered/off, but the restaurant was not too quiet, and our group was very polite and respectful. I would definitely still come here again but I would be prone to just not order from the bar if that bartender was there. I always have had positive experiences with all of the staff, especially those preparing food, so this was a bummer to experience this one time. Update: Management reached out and was so kind and notified me that they spoke to the employee. They sincerely apologized and I even went in to meet with them. Really appreciated that they handled this incident in this way. Will definitely be back to enjoy this location! read more

This is definitely a chill place to hangout and have some great beers and food. The food servers are super cool and will accommodate basically anything. This is all great. The reason I left it 4 stars is because there is definitely a certain "type" of person who generally hangout here and I can't say I'm one of them. They are nice but definitely see themselves as "trendy"; whatever that means these days. I'm still happy to chill for some great food and brews when the mood strikes though. read more

Great location and environment! The food is speedy and the service is quality. At the bar Colleen is gleaming with joy, is super "basic" and has a contagious smile. Kudos to whoever the hell Pete is. read more

i stop in at least 2 times a week and being a server myself it is always nice to be greeted with a smile. with this said "kat" is just awsome. she always has a smile and always goes above and beyond with great customer service. yes the food is great but kat makes the visit all the more better. what a great asset yo your company. hope she gets recognized for her awsome customer service! read more

I have nothing negative to say, the customer service was fabulous, and the food was on point! I was super hesitant about coming in but soooo happy I did. It was an incredibly quick process, but with great options. The dining area was super clean, which kind of surprised me for how busy it was. Would definitely come back! :) read more

We were ignored by staff. I watched as 4 groups of diners were seated after us and received water. Staff repeatedly walked past us and didnt offer us anything. We left after sitting for 15 mins. Yelp forces me to give 1 star. read more

This is our favorite location. Usually the customer service is very friendly, however tonight the service we received has made it very difficult for us to consider coming back. We weren't greeted at all and with so much frustration it felt like we weren't welcome. Olivia was very stern and arrogant when asking what we would like, then proceeded to carelessly slop our food into the bowl. She slid our order across the bar that it almost fell. Whie checking out she played on her phone without a sense of professionalism. This location usually has a sense of fun and partnership and Olivia made us feel very unwelcome and, frankly, uncomfortable. Im not sure if we'll be continuing our participation at this location, but there should be some type of discussion about customer service here. ALL customers should be treated with respect and equality, while this is typically the nature here, Olivia clearly does not understand the service that is provided on a regular basis. read more

Food is alright a little bit pricey but still better then chipotle. The marg could use some work definitely not worth the money. Would give it a four or 5 if drink wasn't that great read more

Looking for a burrito or a burrito bowl, but want higher quality than Chipotle? Here's your place. Chipotle's still great, but I am positive that no other quick tex-mex, assembly-line like place will serve you some of the best (and definitely not dry!) chicken. Got it while hanging with my friend and thought the atmosphere inside the place was amazing! As well as the quick service. Definitely bringing someone new so they can try some of this great food as well! read more

A much better version of Chipotle, QDoba, and Moe's. I wish we had an Illegal Pete's in Rochester, NY!!

This is my go to burrito stop. Nothing beats illegal Pete's. Def try their quest and chips, curbs ones craving. And a great place to meet friends and have their margaritas ! read more

The gentleman with tattoos running the front is quite possibly the most friendly front of house I've ever met. The staff was professional, friendly, and helpful with every question. Food was phenomenal, smothered burrito 10/10. Thank you all so much! read more

This joint is like Freebirds in College Station Texas. Amazing food and atmosphere. Love the staff as well. I recommend coming her and seeing for yourself. read more

Dirty and employees seem quasi comatose. Only plusses were the sauce on the burrito and the "organic" or single batch taste and mouthfeel of the barbacoa...Only achievable by neglect. Every surface...Dirty. read more