I'd eat here again in a heart beat. It was super busy and they ran out of green chili, which is to die for, at 1030 at might on a Monday. The place was PACKED. My smothered burrito was fabulous! They mix the ingredients before wrapping up the burritos. Smothered burritos are a go to fav here and the proceeds from the smothered burrito sales go to a local charity. Everything to love about this place! read more

Illegal Pete's Lodo - Love it! - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

This location is trash. I ordered the nachos the lady asked the other guy working if they had more chips he said "yeah in the back." Then she insisted on scraping an empty chip container with a scoop for about 5 minutes. I told her if you don't have chips it's fine. She said, "well there might be some in the back." I know they are in the back. I mean, I just heard your coworker tell you to go get them and you did nothing. She didn't get them so I left. I guess it must be a long walk to the back. read more

This is one of those places that once you find it, you can't stop coming back. When you're absolutely hung over, don't want to talk to anyone, don't want to sit in any restaurant, and just need a giant hearty breakfast, you gotta come here. Yes I'll admit this is my go to breakfast spot after a big night out in Denver. The breakfast burritos are MASSIVE and you get to customize them as you please. You go down a line and pile on the mixins as you go. My personal favorite is the chorizo! If you aren't a Breakfast burrito kind of person- come just as they're switching to their lunch menu and you can get some of the chorizo on your tacos too! We also asked for a bloody mary with our meal- they didn't have any mix so they made a house made bloody Mary mix up on the spot! Nothing like a fresh mix! read more

Havent been here in a while so I popped in for lunch. wasn't sure what salsa I wanted and Elliot recommended the verde which I forgot is my favorite. Great service and a tasty burrito. read more

What happened to this restaurant???? I used to come in and get good food it was hot and it tastes well. People behind the counter were friendly seem to be enjoying their job. I go in there today and the food was cold and tasteless. The girl behind the counter was very rude and obnoxious. She did not take much care separation of the burrito. I should of went to Chipotle!!!! It's too bad your customer service and your good quality has suck to the low standard it's is now... Next time I'll visit a food truck...they care about their food and customer service.. read more

Came here late one night after the Christmas parade. Line was really long. Got to the counter to find out there were out of queso and guacamole. Super disappointing. All in all the food was decent - nothing super special. Prices were good for what you got. I did a bowl with rice,beans, chicken and toppings. My friend did the steak burrito. Their green salsa was very good read more

Illegal Pete's Lodo - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I think this place would be awesome if I were in my twenties or thirties but, for a fifty year old looking for a good breakfast burrito..... well, this isn't it. Prices were very reasonable especially for the amount of food you get. Music was incredibly loud. Service was ok. read more

I came here because it was recommended by a local and was compared to chipotle so I had to try it for myself. The dynamic of the restaurant was a lot like chipotle's. The food was good and big portions! read more

Pretty darn good vegetarian burrito bowls! Roasted veggies on top the basic burrito bowl rice and beans served with a variety of salsas and great guacamole - they don't hold back on the lime in the guac... it's delicious. The food is inexpensive, the location is and the service is prompt and friendly. 4 stars because the food was good not amazing. read more

My daughter and I discovered this place while walking the 16th street mall. Justin, the coolest bartender on the block, took great care of our request and recommended the Pacifico and a shot of Sauza for $5 bucks and it was lovely. We ordered basic queso and chips and he brought them to us with an extra corn cilantro and jalapeno salsa that was delish! The place was great and his service was spectacular. read more

Illegal Pete's Lodo - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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First, I've had a catered work lunch from here before, but had not tried their normal menu. I opted for a potato (instead of rice) loaded carnitas burrito with everything inside (including guacamole), also smothered with pork green Chile and hot sauce. It was huge and tasty. I also tried the chips and queso. The queso was pretty bland to me - definitely could have used more spice and flavor. The ambience was bar-like. Music was pretty loud. I'd say I prefer this to Chipotle down the street. read more

might be my new favorite location. Great outdoor patio that is lively. Same great bar and food in a nice, big, central location!

Food was delicious, staff very friendly and welcoming, atmosphere perfect! Love this place

Love this place. Underground hip hop playing, food side... a la chipotle style, burritos, tacos, salads, about 7-9$. Vegan options available. Then a bar on the other side. Happy hour 3-8pm "every dang day" per their board. 1$ off drafts. Great chill vibe. Mixed crowd of patrons, from studious free wifi seekers, random retired tourist couple, backpack travelers, to local blue collar workers still in their neon vests. Great alternative to national chain establishments on 16th street. read more

Illegal Pete's Lodo - Vegan salad and white rascal on tap. - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Food is good. Employees were very friendly. The only complaint is the dirty tables, floors, utensil station and the kitchen.

I ordered the fish tacos with a side of rice and beans. I didn't get my sides but I also wasn't charged for them so maybe they forgot? The tacos were deep fried, salty, and not tasty whatsoever. My husband ordered a beef/chicken bowl with veggies. The bowl was fine, just some of the meat was extra chewy (I assume it was from the fat?). I will never come here again because of the taste of the food. I don't know why people rate it so highly, maybe I came on a bad day? Customer service was fine though! Quality of the food read more

This place is the best. Have been coming to Pete's since my days at CU in Boulder. But what the hell is going on with the music these days? Sitting here at the bar watching the Rockies and listening to the Macarena? Ditch the Applebees playlist and bring back some authentic tunes. read more

I got the potato bowl with carnitas. so good!! Fiance got taquitos which are made to order. Fresh ingredients and friendly service. read more

Great quick bites, will definitely be coming back! Environment was cool and friendly.

I was kind of disappointed with the burger. Pretty bland/limited flavoring on the burger. Fries were good & the overall atmosphere is pretty cool. read more

Burritos and booze. What more could you ask for?? I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of fast casual restaurants. They usually seem cold and bare and not entirely welcoming, but Illegal Pete's has a comfortable "come and stay" sort of vibe that makes me feel at home. I love the loud music, the crazy stickers covering everything, and all the colors and warm lighting. Like chipotle, you approach the counter and ask for a burrito, bowl, tacos, or salad. I did the steak burrito bowl for $6.99 with cilantro rice, black beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, salsa, and extra cilantro. I thought it was goooooooood. Plenty of food for the price and all the ingredients looked and tasted fresh. I also got plain corn tortillas on the side, which were nice and hot. Having a full bar and actual bartenders is what makes Illegal Pete's pop. The bar was packed at 10:30 PM on a Monday night, so they're doing something right. It's definitely a really fun atmosphere that'll cheer you up (and fill you up) when needed, and they're open until midnight during the week. I'm a night owl so I'm always on the hunt for legit late night food options. :) Thanks, Pete! read more

Great food! Similar to Chipotle but I liked it better. Everything tasted fresh...I'd go back!

[O.M.GHEEEE. Is he STILL Talking about Denver? Yes. Yes, I am. Love it.] What do you do the day after doomsday (review forthcoming)? You eat at Illegal Pete's and pray to God you have the strength to do your job.* Thankfully, Pete's helped out. Pete's is a local (wait for the hit) Chipotle-type of joint. You come in, peruse the menu, ask for a burrito or taco or bowl, get some green chiles put on top, contemplate some nachos & queso, grab a drink, and head on out the door. But it's SO SO MUCH BETTER than any sort of Chipotle/Baja Fresh/Qdoba experience you can have. Since I was going to be leaving on a jet plane the next day, I thought better of ordering a fish taco or anything topped with green chiles. You never know how the fish or hotness (heat? Nah. Hotness.) is gonna rumble in your belly. You don't want to be at 39,000 feet when you find out. So, in order to not star in my own Pepto commercial, I took the safe road. I ordered a Chicken Fajita burrito with black beans. It was very large and all the fixin's were stuffed inside. I like burritos to look like they're about to burst. Never trust nor eat a skinny burrito. Because it was the day after doomsday (review forthcoming), I inhaled my burrito. Seriously. I finished it in less than 7 minutes. I enjoyed the taste but my body really needed good, solid food and rich protein. After that burrito, I braved crazy-@ss mountain people frolicking on Friday the 13th - and no one got shanked. That's one heck of a burrito. *Minus a star because I sensed some 'tude from the burrito-meisters when I asked for a fajita burrito WITH black beans. I may have been hung over, but my itchdar is always at the ready. Yeah, I know it's extra! Yeah, I know that's not fajita-style! Just put the freakin' frijoles negros in the tortilla, man! Can't you smell the booze wafting from my pores? I am not in the mood! read more

Snowstorms in November? What's up with that Denver? However, ya gotta eat (even in a snowstorm) and nothing like a yummy burrito when it's yucky outside. Attempting to be (somewhat) healthy I ordered their version of the burrito bowl...and then loaded it up with lots extra cheese. Oh so healthy, right? ;) I don't think the side order of chips, queso and guac helped my cause much either. It was delicious and certainly tasted fresher & better than any Chiptoles I've frequented. The only thing that should be "illegal" here is the guac because it's kinda gross. I especially had troubling stomaching it when my colleague Colleen C mentioned it tasted like a guacamole smoothie. I love my guac, but not in the form of the smoothie. Thank you very much. No guac next time, but I'd be happy to brave another snowstorm for one of their tasty burrito bowls. Thanks Pete! read more

The service is very fast around here. For cheap eat, the meat burrito with eggs and potatoes is truly satisfying without breaking the bank. Don't forget to add the chipotle sauces to kick it up a notch. The burrito is huge. Have the option of smothering out with meat on top also but it was overloaded already. read more

Good stuff! Really enjoyed the chicken taquitos (probably the highlight of my meal). Crisp, fresh, delicious! Also the steak tacos and carnitas quesadillas were very tasty. The only disappointment were the tiny overpriced and fairly unremarkable sopapillas ($2 each for a two bite portion). IMO these could be easily improved by being larger and pillowier. Keep in mind, this is not an authentic Mexican style taco or Mexican food, more on the Tex-Mex popular American huge burrito joint style, but it's popular for a reason. Portions are huge and ingredients are fresh. I will definitely return. Would like to try some margaritas next time. Also, in case you're a little uneasy about the name, it's all good. Thanks for the reply Dylan and I definitely will. Also an update. I had to return for some more goodness the following day and found out that they sopapilla thing was just a messed up order. I ordered 2 orders of sopapillas and only got 2 pieces (a half of a complete order), so the entire sopapilla order which is a quartered puffy round tortilla is a pretty solid deal for $2 (especially considering that given the quantity of delicious honey you get, if you order 2, you basically get the equivalent of an entire jar of honey!). read more

I'm from California but currently live in New York where there is no good mexican food. This place looked pretty legit and had some good reviews, so we checked it out, but overall were pretty disappointed. Fish Tacos - fish was good, but that was really it. The sauce was too creamy, tortillas weren't fresh, limes were dried out - so you didn't even get any lime juice when you squeezed the lime. Quesadillas - this was literally the worst quesadilla i've ever had. there wasnt enough cheese, the meat was tough [beef] and flavorless, and the tortilla wasn't even crisp. Hard Tacos - taco shells tasted like they were from Safeway. got the shredded pork, which was better than the beef - but still not very good. There was a Salsa Bar - but you had to ask the person behind the counter to get it for you. The Salsa and Guac was the only thing that made the food eatable, but it still wasn't very good. I would not recommend this place, and i would not come here again. I am not a fan of Chipotle or Qdoba - but I think i would go there before eating here again. Also, for Mexican food, these prices were pretty high. read more

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Illegal Pete's ploy for women is "Let's get them in here with healthy food, them give them the serving size for 10 army men and watch them get fat, get sad, and come back for more." For men the ploy is, "Let's get them in here with the hugest burritos ever so that buddies challenge their friends to try to eat more than one burrito in one seating... Then watch them get fat, get sad, and come back for more." Although this is a good date place because it is fun, fast, affordable, and tasty, it is not attractive to try to watch someone else eat one of the massive burritos, actually it usually almost makes me puke a little bean gas in my mouth. So date advice, don't take your date here when it is your first date with each other...Wait at least until the third or fourth date, when she has already picked out little things about you that she doesn't like anyway. So what do you have to lose? This place is a fun and a fast fix for a last minute meal, a quick bite while at work, to bring home after work, or a refreshing treat after a day of shopping or after going out. People are friendly here, so go ahead and make cheesy jokes with the table next to you... It won't hurt to become friends with the neighbors, since their bean gas will be almost as bad as yours anyway. * Star one is for beans, BEANS, BEANS, BEANS ** Healthy nut star two is for healthy options ***Gigantic star three is for huge portions that gross you out too much to want to take a doggy bag **** What a breeze star four is for great outdoor seating that fills up fast ***** Combo star five is for beer and the American-Mexican food mix, nothing seems more perfect read more

Illegal Pete's Lodo - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

This place is WAYYY overrated. The only people I know that really love this place are drunk college students at 2am. The burrito does not taste fresh and the sour cream that was in mine I am SURE was rotten. read more

Hands down one of my new favorite places. This place is like chipotle but ten times better! I love the service and vibes in this location. The manager (I believe) was very nice and generous and you can tell he really cares about his customers which you won't really find anywhere else. The food is clean and tasty so you know exactly what you're getting and eating. Burritos are bomb so are the quesadillas and tacos! There also is a little bar area as well, I've never ordered a drink but from the looks of the margs they probably are pretty good! This is my go to spot, one week I went two days in a row lol! read more

Illegal Pete's Lodo - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

It's incredibly charming that this place is your local fast/casual Mexican chain meets a lively, laid back, indoor-outdoor bar. It's a good burrito from top to bottom. The rice, beans, and tortillas are fairly standard, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The carnitas were really good, even for someone like me who isn't normally a carnitas person. The salsas were a nice accompaniment that sort of blended into everything else nicely, though if you're someone who wants really intense, spicy, or zesty salsa, then you may not love them. The chicken was perhaps the one thing that was a little underwhelming, and didn't really stick out in my burrito. Getting combo carnitas/chicken, I expected I'd like the chicken much better, but ultimately didn't even really notice it was there. read more

It's only right that when coming here I would be comparing it to Chipotle the entire time. They have similar concepts and for the most part have the same food offerings. That being said, I don't believe that Illegal Petes trumps Chipotle. The one Huge plus they have is that they have queso which is awesome. Other than that I would say the food is a bit of a step backwards from Chipotle. The guacamole here is easily forgettable and I would not recommend getting it. They do have a lot more options here than Chipotle which is awesome, but the overall flavors in my opinion were not as good. Anyone in Denver, does need to check out Illegal Petes to make your own comparison UPDATE: I gave Illegal Petes another chance and this time tried the chicken instead of the steak and BAM! that change was key. The chicken here is awesome and the go-to play when selecting a protein. read more

The KINDEST staff waited for us when we were stuck in the snow and going to be late to pick up our order but SIMON is our hero. Delicious food was waiting for us with smiles when we got there. Thank you so much. And also the taquitos are 5 stars. read more

I placed an order online through Door Dash, with 4 days advanced notice. Almost an hour AFTER expected delivery, I received a message saying the order has been cancelled. When I called, an exasperated manager explained that due to low staff he had to cancel the order. A weak apology and no effort to resolve the problem has led me to leave this review. read more

First off, the fact that the girl behind the counter was quietly singing to the music playing in the place and rockin' her head a bit made me smile and instantly comfortable. Its like Chipotle- but totally not. Its like fast food- but WAY better. I've been meaning (I know, "A" for effort, right?) to go to IP for-frickin-ever, but finally did last night. Their menu is.....well, full. It got tacos, burritos, this, that and the other - not going to lie- I was overwhelmed....with joy that is. My friend got a burrito (looked tasty), and I got tacos - and get this- I got corn tortillas and they double taco-ed them - by this I mean, I got two tortillas per taco- yuuuuuuuuuum. Like the salsa, the service, and the vibe. The location is good- for people in LoDo, but since I work at the other end of the mall....all I can say is "Damn you mall ride!!!!!" read more

Gotta drop this down to two stars. Illegal Pete's is now off the list of options when I need fast food. Stopped in once during a very busy day. I just wanted a quick bite, and nachos sounded perfect. There was no description, but I made assumptions based on my previous visit. So perhaps some of the fault lies with me. But in the end, the food was simply inedible. I ordered nachos and didn't want any meat on them. I assumed (incorrectly) that I'd instead get a plate of chips with beans, melted cheese, and maybe some other stuff like sour cream, green onions...whatever. What I got was a bowl of chips with "queso"* poured atop them. That's it. Nothing else. They did ask if I wanted guacamole, but I don't like guac so I said no. Upwards of $5 for chips with cheese sauce was NOT what I had hoped for. But I accepted responsibility for not asking about the dish before ordering it and gave Pete one more try. They were out of carnitas, so I got a steak burrito. My companion got a burrito and some green chile. The service was rather abrupt, even angry. My companion was new to the place and thought there was a default burrito ingredient list. When he did not name each ingredient he wanted, the server threw up his hands and said impatiently, "You need to be specific about what you want!" My companion was embarrassed and felt unsettled for the rest of the meal. And the green chile was inedible. Not ones to throw out food, I brought it home in the hopes of doctoring it up and making another meal from it, but that effort failed. So while my breakfast visit was fine, subsequent visits have soured my Illegal Pete's experience so I'll go elsewhere for my generic burrito fix. *I did not realize they served "queso." Those who read my reviews know that when a place uses all English except for the word queso, that's normally my cue to avoid said queso, if not the entire establishment. read more

Cool location on 16th street. We got our food to go. We got steak nachos, a burrito, quesadilla, some beer battered fish, and their cookies. The style is cafeteria style where you let them know what you want to put into your meal of choice. All delicious. They had run out of taquitos by the time we went, but the food was great that I didn't even miss them. The staff was really nice even though they were so busy. I will definitely be back. read more

While visiting Denver we stopped in here for lunch. Food was very good, the staff was great and the bartender made a very delicious house margarita. Will be back again next time i visit denver read more

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I'm not sure what Pete did to make his place illegal, but this is a Chipotle serving style restaurant. It's hip, authentic and local with a bar inside too. I had bowl with steak which really hit the hunger spot. read more

Illegal Pete's Lodo - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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ive been coming to illegal Pete's since it was just a cheap gritty joint to get amazing burritos downtown 15 years ago. and I have never ever left a bad review for them. what's worse than a server at illegal Pete's who is all pissy at the people he works with not 'supporting' him how he thinks he should be supported? oh I don't know, going to high school maybe. the whole experience tonight sucked, and the guy serving us made us feel like we were inconveniencing his baby bitch at his co-workers tantrum. he gave us the worst food I've ever eaten and I may never go back. makes me sad people suck so bad nowadays. go to chipotle, the foods bad, but the servers are at least nice even if they don't like their jobs or people they work with (looking at you green tee shirt guy!). read more