I am a five star person. I like to go on and on about the places I love. But this Pete's is awful. We've had three bad experiences now but tonight's experience (12/29 at around 5:00) took the cake! All I wanted was a margarita with dinner. They said order at the bar. I waited 20 minutes to order a margarita at the bar, checking in twice and no one came to take my order. Ten minutes later someone random came up and they rushed right out to him. And then did the same for another guest who sat down. Then I found a hair in my food. Go to Dos Dos or literally anywhere else to get decent service and food without hair. And no, they weren't busy. There were four of them behind the counter moving so slow it was crazy. I get that it's hard to hire these days, and I worked in food service, including counter service so I get that there's more going on behind the scenes. But there's no excuse for a 20 minute margarita with 10 people in the building. Will not be back. read more

Illegal Petes - Tejon - YUM! A hair! - Mexican Near Me - Colorado Springs, Colorado

Let's just say i left without ordering. I stood in line for 15 or 20 minutes while the servers dealt with 2 customers. I got close enough to see the serving line and bailed immediately. There is another review that compares this place to Chipotle with drinks. Chipotle is disgusting but at least their food doesn't look like it's been sitting on the line for 3 days. read more

My husband a friend and I where on town for the holiday weekend. We stopped in to have a few drinks. We sat at the bar for over 10 minutes and never had a single employee approached us. They were not busy, so that wasn't why. But we will never know the reason, we left read more

During our day trip to Denver, today we tried Pete's and love it! Big parking lot in the back of the restaurant is a big plus! Happy hours between 3-9 is another plus! Food was delicious, Fish is freshly fried upon placing an order. The only place where they lost a star is when we ordered a bowl, there wasn't enough beans in the container. The lady instead of refilling, served whatever was left. That was slightly disappointing. Definitely recommend them. read more

We stopped by Illegal Pete's while we were in the area for the Festival of Lights. The restaurant is spacious, clean, and has a modern, cozy vibe with several TVs showing sports and a bar. The setup is similar to Chipotle, where you choose your ingredients and watch them prepare your meal. We ordered a couple of burritos and some fish tacos. The ingredients were fresh, but the burritos had a bit too much rice and not enough protein, which threw off the balance for us. They were also a little bland. The fish tacos were good but nothing special and they were cold when I bit into them. The food was fresh and the service was quick, but we were hoping for more flavor and excitement. As much as we wanted to like this place, it didn't quite live up to our expectations. read more

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Food was great! Baja fish bowl was particularly tasty. Service was warm and welcoming - very kind hearted people. DJ was a bit loud but good music. When downtown no reason to try anywhere else. read more

First time here and we are hooked!! Came for lunch, place was packed! Service was friendly and answered all of our questions. Place was so clean! Great selection of fountain drinks (Pepsi products) and they had horchata! Delish!! HUGE portions- we definitely could have shared, but took home for leftovers. Get the app and start earning points. They have military Monday and Tuesday is for healthcare (I think) discounts. The green sauce is rich in flavor- can't wait to come back!! read more

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We have been waiting for this Illegal Pete's location to open and came on the second day! There are two entrances: one from Tejon and one from Colorado. The interior is bright and clean and open. There are 6 big screen TVs so this will likely be a great spot to watch sporting events. You must order at the counter at the back, then you find a seat either alongside the bar or in the front, or you can sit at the bar mid restaurant. We came mid morning to avoid the crowds which we expected at their lunch hour. The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. They were very helpful when we told them it was our first visit to this franchise. We arrived just before 9 AM so ordered from the breakfast menu. Their breakfast is basically a choice of burrito, bowl, tacos, or quesadilla with a protein on top of eggs and potatoes, and then all the toppings. Their green chili is poured atop it if you want. We ordered a vegetarian bowl and a combo bowl which had bacon, chorizo and vegetables. Everything was absolutely delicious. We both got iced tea and it was fresh brewed! They have free WiFi - but the password doesn't work yet: BestBurrito! Can't wait to come back for lunch! read more

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This is a great spot for an easy lunch. We enjoyed the queso and the ingredients seemed really fresh. It was clean and bright inside, with plenty of seating. I would give it 4.5 stars overall - not a "WOW" factor, but really good! My son loved the "silly sticks" which are just chicken taquitos. read more

I'm so happy we have Illegal Pete's in the springs now! It used to be a tradition to go to Pete's in Denver before a concert. My go to is steak nachos! The steak is delicious and I love the quest. My husband always get a burrito with green chili. read more

Great time! Not only was the food delicious, the drinks tasty and the environment fun, illegal Pete's supports our community. The night we went they held a benefit for our local elementary school where a portion of the proceeds went to the school. Definitely will go again! And Thank you Illegal Pete's! read more

Went for lunch, fast service! Cute, clean, modern atmosphere with lots of seating options! The bar in the center would make it a great night spot too. Food was delicious, can't wait to come back! read more

Awesome food. My usual goal is never visit a restaurant when it's quiet because the service and food is always poor. Not the case with Illegal Petes. The food was fresh and exactly what I expected from my Boulder store experiences. Fresh and tasty. My only complaint is parking downtown is challenging read more

Excellent and super fresh food (way better if you compare it to big brands like Chipotle or Qdoba). Vegetarian and vegan options available. Definitely a great addition to the Colorado Springs food scene. Their bar is very fun and has a great selection of craft beers. Definitely coming back. read more

Illegal Petes - Tejon - Vegetarian bowl - Mexican Near Me - Colorado Springs, Colorado

I'd call it Chipotle with a full service bar. The food is very similar. I wouldn't call it anything too special. The place was packed because the Nuggets playoff game was on. That made it pretty fun and exciting, but as soon as the game ended it cleared out quick. Not a bad spot for a quick bite if you want something more laid back and not a traditional sit-down restaurant. read more

We ordered take out with special instructions. None of them were correct. I called the let the manager know so I could get a refund and I got a message saying "were busy trying to again later". Then I went online and left a review. Never heard back. I also emailed with no avail on getting a return email or refund. 3 weeks have passed and still no word. I'm very disappointed and we probably won't be back. read more

Awesome experience at the new Colorado Springs site! We have waited and anticipated after our experiences in Denver and this did not disappoint! Nachos and our margaritas were perfect and we look forward to our next visit! read more

Ordered food for pick up. Was good. All three of us got a burrito and 2/3 of us couldn't finish. Was plenty of food for lunch and was a perfect quick meal to have during our vacation and wasn't a bad price. Would eat again. read more

It just isn't fast enough for lunch. It took me 15 minutes to get from the back of the line to the front of the line. Then I ordered a big fish burrito and I had to wait another 15 minutes for them to make it. For $12 I thought the burrito would have more fish in it. And it had no sauce. It wasn't bad but I probably won't go out of my way to walk over there for lunch again. Maybe I'll give them one more try with something other than fish. read more

A little disappointed after the much anticipated arrival of one of my favorite places. My boyfriend got a steak bowl and I got a fish bowl and both were bland as could be. The fishbowl consisted of literally lettuce, maybe 3 diced tomato pieces, and soggy fish on top. I've had illegal Pete's in both Denver and Arizona and loved it so maybe this location just needs a little bit to get it together. read more

First time visit to the Colorado Springs location!! Dinning area is beautiful, clean and well kept. Upon arrival as the only people in the restaurant, not one employee greeted us. The food was disappointedly cold and definitely needed more rice as the burrito was squishy and there wasn't any substance to it!! I was really hope to find an alternative to chipotle- sorry Pete's let's do better otherwise I don't know how long this place will last. First impressions are everything! read more

Illegal Petes - Tejon - Non finished burrito - sorry I spent so much money on this! - Mexican Near Me - Colorado Springs, Colorado

Went in yesterday and the bartender was very sweet. Her laugh made me smile and I enjoyed my time here, I will definitely come back to see Paige before she has her baby! The food was all very fresh and good portions. The whole staff serving the food was also very kind and welcoming. Plenty of places to sit but the bar is the place to be! read more

Love illegal Pete's, so happy it's finally in the springs. Won't ever go to chipotle again :)

Love this spot! Great Tex Mex food selection with quality ingredients, funny and kind employees, and stellar drink selection (and prices and deals)! Also super cool that they offer a free drink with same day event ticket. Gotta appreciate a place that encourages you to support the local arts. Stopped by for dinner after seeing Rent at the Fine Arts Center and thoroughly enjoyed the Mexican coke carnitas and myriad of toppings on my nachos. Highly recommend! read more

Illegal Petes - Tejon - Mexican Near Me - Colorado Springs, Colorado

basically chipotle with a bar, food is slightly higher quality with more options. queso is mid. mule was good. I found a cute lil corner to get lunch w my mom read more

Staff is so rude. It is not clean. We love Illegal Petes and this location is very disappointing and does not reflect well on the brand.

Affordable spot in downtown COS. We wandered in for some late night drinks and nachos. Drafts were cheap and the atmosphere was super relaxed. read more

Unbelievable! I have frequented illegal Petes for many years. I've known people in management positions and had beers with the owner. I have been very excited for the grand opening in Colorado Springs and planned my son's 21st birthday party there. The bar tender couldn't have been more rude! She refused to serve my son drinks because he didn't have his updated drivers license. What a terrible experience. I'll never spend money there again. Very sad with my history and anticipation of the new location. Don't go there. All the other local bars were very exciting for my son and his birthday party. What a joke!! read more

OK, I'm going to give this place to thumbs down. It's basically chipotle with zero organization. The bar is only for drinks. You have to stand in line for long amounts of time just to order a burrito bowl. It makes zero sense. The bartender was not nice. I miss pronounced a drink and he made sure to correct me and then laugh. Definitely not my spot. Kindness goes along way and I didn't experience it here ,don't waste your money. read more

Tried to celebrate my 21st here and they wouldn't serve me. Awful experience. Family's been going to illegal Pete's for year and knows the owner. read more

It is basically a Chipotle. The noise level was so high, my husband ordered a vegetarian burrito, but she thought he said a bowl, so that's what he got. He said the flavors were basically average. They push you through the line. There were a lot of options, so it was difficult trying to decide. I ordered the battered fish tacos, which take longer to make, so they call your name when your food is ready on top of all the noise. I expected a great fish taco, but the fish was tiny, and the batter had no flavor. They added some cabbage and a few diced tomatoes, no sauce. Basically flavorless. I did like the queso and the green chili. I did not try the chicken and carnitas, so maybe they are better. After ordering food, then you have to go the bar to order your drinks. I think this is very awkward. I don't like this setup at other locations, like Coati and the Well. The margarita was okay. We probably won't go back. read more