I love this location of Illegal Pete's. The bar is both an indoor/outdoor situation, which is awesome during the warm months. The bar staff has always been really pleasant to my husband and I. The food prep and cashier folks love to crack jokes and there's great seating if you bring in your family. Order the fish burrito, classic style. You will not regret it. Also, their margs are so good. Such a great addition to our beloved Northside! read more

These guys are A1! Best food and drinks in town. So happy they are open again! Double shredded is life!

Illegal Pets's Northside is such an amazing place. I've been to several of the locations, which are all great, but Northside is my home base. The atmosphere is very open and includes several garage doors at the bar that perfectly meld our lovely Colorado weather with a comfortable air conditioned interior. There's a nice variety of seating options ranging from booths, tables, inside bar, a reserved party area, covered patio and outside bar. There are tons of TVs playing everyone's favorite sports; and the staff is always willing to flip the channel to whatever you'd like. The food is fantastic - I highly recommend the chicken burrito bowl with rice, black beans, queso, salsa verde and corn salsa. The breakfast burritos are off the chain as well; and for that I always go for egg, potato, green chili, chorizo and queso. So obviously they have great queso! The libations are equally satisfying. The house margarita is always potent, affordable and on point. They also boast a variety of beers on tap and in the can/bottle. They regularly have rotating local selections as well. The Lunchbox shot combo is also crazy good. The staff and management are exceptional, accommodating and wicked fast. Shar is absolutely rad; she's friendly, efficient, genuine, serves a mean marg - the list could go on. Shawn, Josh, Sherèe, Megan, Corin, Brad... everyone there just rocks! read more

Illegal Pete's is about the only place in the 303 that has a 3/03 special -- $3.03 margaritas. We went last night and to our surprise they were really strong which of course is always a plus. The bartender was very friendly and even gave my husband a free drink for his troubles when he left his ID at home and had to return to get it. The only reason they don't get five stars is that the tables were not very clean -- they definitely could have used another person to keep things clean after each person -- especially during this cold and flu season. Anyways I don't eat illegal Pete's much so I probably won't be back any time soon honestly. But if you leave in the Northside area, it's a great joint to check out. read more

This illegal Pete's is a little hidden gem! Not usually much of a line, great/friendly staff, and lots of seating! During the summer they have a great outdoor patio with misters as well. read more

The food is good and this place is BUSY. Get there and be ready to wait, but the food quality makes up for it.

This spot can get hectic but is usually not as busy as you'd think. I've never had a problem finding a table for any sized group. The team behind the bar and making food are solid people and almost always awesome to us. I'm really glad to have this Illegal Pete's in the neighborhood. read more

Happy to have an Illegal Pete's closer to my place. The staff was friendly, the food every bit as tasty as the 16th st location. I can't wait to enjoy that patio! My only complaint was that it was loud. Not busy loud, though it was busy and god louder and louder. The music was pretty loud, forcing a fare large groups to be loud to hear each other. It was like a noise arms race after that as everyone had to be louder than the next table to hear themselves. Hoping that was a one-off. Welcome to the neighborhood read more

We couldn't even make it into the restaurant because the smell from their grease traps or wherever it was coming from was disgusting. I'm not sure how the owners can let it slide to have such a stinky business...couldn't imagine working or living near there..yuck read more

Rude employee. Bad Vibes. Restaurant was dirty! Employees looked sloppy. Normally I love illegal Pete's but this one is terrible. We didn't even want to eat here after a guy in a yellow shirt with a beard was rude. He was the one on the register. read more

Ordered our food online to pick up and it was done in fifteen minutes! The bartender was super sweet and awesome! Food was delicious! I'm so excited to go back definitely one of my new favorite restaurants. I got nachos with ranch and omg they were delicious! My boyfriend got a huge burrito that he also loved. Definitely recommend to anyone who is hungry! The meat was delicious and fresh. read more

Very similar to the other locations in town. Rude and oblivious bar staff - hard to get a drink or service. I hope they do better. They don't seem to get it. Dirty glasses sitting on the bar and waiting for on bartenders who aren't interested in selling drinks. The food line was fast and efficient. read more

New restaurant in the neighborhood, so we had to visit. Pretty disappointed in the food and environment. I had the chicken burrito with a lot of hot salsa, but there was no flavor in the chicken and definitely no hot in the hot salsa. The kids did not finish their burritos, which is unusual since my kids are bottomless eating machines. Not much going on in the lounge section- reminded me of a typical Highlands Ranch chain restaurant. This is disheartening since we aren't in Highlands Ranch but rather the Highlands. The downtown Pete's is full of flavor, both in their food and environment, but this locale just doesn't have it. Keep on driving down to Chipotle's on 32nd.... read more

Not a great experience. Since Pete's has started going through its rapid expansion, quality of service and food has gone downhill. Menu revamp made entrees about 1/2 the size and prices actually increased. Tonight we visited the Northside location for the first time, and I was rubbed the wrong way. There were at least 5 people on the line, yet nobody could seem to figure out what was going on. I received less than 1/2 scoop of rice and about 1/3 of a scoop of beans. I asked for (and paid for) fajita vegetables and was given ~5 pepper slices. The food tasted as expected, +1, but saying the service was quite poor I understand the restaurant just opened and many employees may be new to Pete's, but nobody likes to be skimped, especially by a restaurant that prides itself on its quality and service. read more

Foods good, drinks are great, bar tenders are even better! Selah is personable, fun, and makes a fantastic margarita. She cares about the people she serves and makes sure everyone is treated well! Her great service keeps me coming back to this Petes even though I'm on the other side of Denver. read more

Not sure what's up with this location... the food is not nearly as good as the others (16th st mall location vs 38th is night and day) and for some reason door dash delivery gets canceled every other time. (With little to no notice after an order is placed) This location is just having some issues it seems. Hopefully they right the ship. read more

Luke is the BEST bartender and the absolute SWEETEST human. Sean is cool too. Fuck Darden. Luke also has a weak stomach that can't handle sushi, keep that shit out of here Oh and Jason is the shit read more

Loved this place! It's like a local Chipotlè, but much better. Great atmosphere, helpful staff, and quick service even when the lines were longer. Good selection of beer. I would definitely recommend ordering a chicken quesadilla, along with queso and chips. You get a bang for your buck here! read more

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The BEST! Illegal Pete's (multiple locations) has been a favorite go-to in CO for years. So happy to have their amazing food (and margs) back. Glitch with my online order and they remade it in literally 5 minutes. As always highly recommend to everyone!! read more

I'm not sure what has been up with this plate lately but the steak has been terrible the last two times, and the employees are the most rude people I've ever encountered. Not sure what's up, but I used to love this place and it has gone downhill as of recently. Just disappointed and probably won't visit this location anymore. I would suggest visiting a different location if I'm being honest !! read more

I ordered a skinny margarita during my lunch break and it was the best one I've had in a long time! Thank you to the bartender with the long blonde hair! :) read more

I usually come to this location, most likely be my last time coming here. I was excited because the parking lot was empty and it usually is hard to find parking. The line was also short which is a great day at any illegal Pete's. Started to order and asked the line worker if there were any black beans me seeing that they had some but the ones they had on display looked dry without any liquid and really disgusting. After asking this question he's replies with yep they are right here, he was really was trying to sale me those dry ass beans. Worst customer ever read more

Atmosphere is super cool. Good vibes in here and fresh ingredients! The layout is weird because the food ordering line is in the back? Lots of seating, indoor and outdoor! Did not check the bathrooms. Beautiful art work and beautiful indoor outdoor bar area! Great for taco tuesdays ! read more

Illegal Pete's Northside - Illegal Pete's does it again. Fresh. And pretty tasty! - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Love Illegal Pete's! Been going to 10 years and this was a total disappointment! The burritos we got were small, and when I say small I mean tiny! The burritos were poorly wrapped, and they didn't mix it. read more

Decided to swing by here on Saturday at 9pm and it packed due to two events yet only 2 people were making food. Hmmm? I come to this location a lot but tonight was the worst experience I've had at this establishment. Here's why: 1. Small portions for all ingredients (including not enough queso in container) 2. Cold burnt chicken 3. Found 2 hairs in our food 4. Took forever Welp, won't be back. read more

Words cannot describe just how psyched I am to have an Illegal Pete's in my very own neighborhood! Hit it up on New Year's Day and every young Denverite with a hangover was also there, so I stood in line for what felt like a long time but you have to give the staff props for staying calm during a rush like that. There is a small parking lot that I assume will nearly always be full but plenty of available parking on the street. The path to the ordering counter is a little weird (and narrow) but that's a minor issue and the rest of the restaurant feels big and spacious. The food was delicious as always. Welcome to the neighborhood, Illegal Pete's! read more

Like all the other locations Jam packed on Friday night. Small parking area but lots of street parking. Inside is bigger than it looks. We had no problems finding a seat. read more

Illegal Pete's Northside - Mexican Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Love their fish burritos and fish tacos and love to support a business from my home town Boulder. BUT, customer service needs serious work. If you don't order at light speed, or stutter a bit, or use the wrong terminology you receive any combination of eye rolling, exaggerated pissy sighs, or sarcastic comments. This has been consistent and I've held back my comments until now. When you walk out of a place mumbling to yourself "to hell with those folks" then that's not a good sign. read more

Worst fkn tacos ever! Tell me why I order vegan tacos and they charge me extra for potatoes, one of the cheapest veggies available. Next the girl put less than 1 ladle of potatoes between 3 tacos? They're literally like maybe 10 pieces of potatoes in each taco. If you know their potatoes, you know they are frozen hashbrowns. The little tiny squares. The girl was so stingy with the potatoes that I was paying extra for in vegan tacos. Now here's the kicker...these potatoes were so over cooked, they were crunchier than potatoe chips. They literally were cutting my mouth up. AND I PAID EXTRA for those dry ass, no flavor having potatoes that girl acted like she grew and harvested herself! The ambiance wasn't that great either. They were playing some angry thrash music loudly, the tables were dirty, the serving area was a mess and they didn't even have the queso pot in a heater. It was literally just sitting on top of the counter. Just all around bad. I want my money back. read more

We used Illegal Pete's for a catering event and did the loaded nacho bar. From the ease of ordering for the event, excellent communication the day of to set up, to the professional presentation of the food, and finally THE TASTE, our group was beyond happy with the experience. Thank you Illegal Petes Team!! read more

I have been of fan of Illegal Pete's for years. This location isn't like the others. It's pretty gross. I just watched my quesadilla tortilla dragged across 5 feet of countertop with no foil or anything underneath. It was clear the counter hadn't been cleaned all day with dried sour cream, brown guacamole, and all sorts of food bits. I bet the guy making it wouldn't even eat that. I'm not too sensitive to food sanitation but it just seemed like they don't care. Looking around after that, nothing else looked clean. I am convinced if the city of Denver inspected this place, they would be shut down. read more

Man have I been enjoying Illegal Pete's for workday lunches! My sister told me about Illegal Pete's years ago but I didn't understand her hype. Now I get it, queso nachos. So delicious! When you're going for a more "healthy" alternative I get the tacos or the bowl. When you're feeling like you need some extra queso in your life, definitely get the nachos. They are sometimes on the spicier side, depending on who made them that day, but they haven't disappointed. I'll be back for my next meal soon! read more

YES!!! We've heard rumors of an Illegal Pete's on our side of town and the reality is better than our dream! It's taken over the old Lou's BBQ site and has a huge bar with indoor and outdoor patio seating that is great. It's got the classic menu and high quality food, plenty of great seating options, the same great afternoon and late night happy hours, and huge TVs for watching games. The staff, though in training still, were very nice and welcoming - loved the feel of the place. Excited for a great place to grab quick and good food, or head to for drinks and food late night! read more

Love the franchise, this location is trash tho. The service is terrible relative to what you'd expect based on visiting other locations, the portions are never consistent (usually small) and the fact you pay for double meat at this location. Vs what would be normal everywhere else is just annoying. read more

friends described this as a "better chipotle." that's exactly what it is. my experience wasn't anything to write home about, but i did enjoy it, in the same way i do all Tex-Mex. plus, they have margs. overall, pretty middle of the road. read more

New favorite "before work" place for sure! This was recommended to me from another coworker, and I accidentally went to the one downtown. (I won't comment on the service on 16th- I'm sure it's exhausting with all the tourists). However, to some, it doesn't matter all that much but I love the layout of this location! The bar is super open and welcoming. It's the best place for a margarita or a Modelo/Pacifico with a quesadilla or tacos. I'm sure I looked like a newbie when I got there but everyone was very kind and welcoming and happy to tell my dumb ass where the forks were lol. I think it says a lot when the service can perceive your needs before you're willing to ask. Bartenders were attentive, and line guys were super helpful as far as do I want Hot or Extra hot which is one of the MOST annoying questions in the industry so I appreciated the patience. Much love! Well done! read more

I always get the nachos and never regret it. Ask for chips on the side and to go it's the best! Big fan of this place.

I've been to this location a handful of times. The most recent time I decided to get the smothered burrito. Well unfortunately this means the tortilla will be hanging off the side of the container about 4" and then dragged across the counter as it's passed on to the employee adding salsa etc. GROSS! I watched as it was essentially wiping the counter. We were there around 1:30pm (post lunch rush), the counters were covered in food and the floor behind the food was covered in trash and food. The tables were dirty and the trash was overflowing as we left. Whoever is in charge of this location needs to wake up and do their job. Won't be back. read more

Well done getting opened back up and caring for customers and employees! We come here regularly for Baja Fish Burritos and today was no exception to our experiences before. We've missed this great stop for lunch and a nice sit on the patio. Give yourself a little extra time; protocols necessarily slow things down a bit, but you'll be glad to either return or try them for the first time. read more

This place is the best. Jason is an all around great person. Great food, even better service and respect. There is a reason it is one of my most frequented restaurants in all of Denver. read more