I already had a super big meal before coming here so I only had room to eat two tacos, the tripas (crispy) and the al pastor but omg they were both soooo good! My favorite was definitely the tripas and they made it perfectly. We came around 7:50 pm on a weekday so the restaurant was empty but the man who took our order was the sweetest and remembered what each of us ordered and separated our tacos even though we didn't ask him to! We also got a strawberry and watermelon margarita just for fun and they were alright but they aren't known for their drinks here. They also had a cart with a variety of sauces and toppings and I got the avocado and habanero ones and they were both super flavorful! Everything here was a 10/10 experience! read more

Tacos El Metate - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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I like this place based off of convenience. Is it the best Mexican food? No but it's great for location and price! They have pozole and menudo on the weekends and I always get it! It was my first time trying it and I thought it was delicious. Tacos are good! They have asada fries but they were ok. There's a lot of seating and can fill up since it's by a college. They also have games at some of the tables! Service can be slow depending on how busy they are but they'll warn you. read more

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Excellent tacos , simple and straightforward menu with a bunch of options and a bar full of taco accoutrements. This spot is no frills , beautiful space and staffed by friendly professionals who will take great care of you. You should definitely stop by if you can snag a parking spot read more

Tacos El Metate - 2 fish 3 barbacoa and fries - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

This restaurant is a great place to stop in for a quick bite. Their prices are great. They have tons of seating and the service is speedy. I ate their Barbacoa and chorizo tacos. They had a variety of sauces to choose from! Every member of my family has eaten here and we all love it. read more

Great space. Very very roomy eatery. Clean environment. I loved the clean tables floor and everything. We all loved our food. Tasty and fresh. Great salsa options. Aguas frescas weren't our fav. So many options. No prices on the menu so you were guessing and hoping to have an affordable bill. Had margaritas to serve although we didn't do any drinking this day. Nobody was really walking around serving or checking up on us. Although parking wasn't the easiest depending on how busy the day is out there. There's a small sketchy lot on the side which I still parked I. and some street parking, I can't recall but I think it's street parking with meters. We will def be back! read more

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What's the point in takeout if you: a) need to wait in a 10 minute line to get it and b) your order wasn't ready for 15 minutes after it was promised? read more

Update: I've been going to this place over the past 6-7 years and it has progressively gotten worse and I was sure to take pics before throwing my food away. Whenever I've gone, I've ordered the same items (either Carne asada fries, with shredded cheese not nacho; camaron tacos or asada tacos). I can't even tell you how disappointed I am. The fries were limp, so either undercooked or an old batch of fries that they had sitting. The tacos were literally cold. I let them know the time of pickup (25 minutes out), but the food had been so cold, it seemed like it was made immediately with stuff that had already been cooked. I had a feeling I should've just cooked, but this will be my last time. I had a meeting scheduled for here next week and I can't have my name attached to this experience. Please get it together, y'all. read more

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Excellent food at great prices. A perfect place to stop after watching a DU stadium game nearby. The food is all homemade, and very rich and flavorful. Service was quick and friendly. Casual atmosphere with a few table games to play while waiting. read more

Wish they had more parking options nearby. Ambiance inside was enjoyable. Good customer service. The food was delicious. We enjoyed our fresh tacos very much. A couple fish tacos and some carnitas tacos. We also enjoyed the horchata drink. We will be back for more. Fair pricing. I think a few chips should automatically come with the tacos. And it would be nice to see more combo items with tacos, chips and a drink. read more

Tacos El Metate - Delicious Fish tacos - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Best Mexican restaurant in the city. I've been all over Denver, always disappointed in the food quality. This place does it right. Very good food! Loved the salsa bar. Clean and fast. read more

I've heard lots of great things about Tacos El Metate, so I decided to try it out. Unfortunately I was very unimpressed, but the presentation was nice which made for some good IG photos. The tacos had very generous meat portions, which could be considered a plus, but the tortillas were really thick, seemed old, and not toasted in the fat/oil on the grill which is essential to a taco in my opinion. Even though the tortillas were unpleasantly thick, they still decided to double-wrap the tacos which made them pretty unsatisfying to eat. The only time you should double-wrap a taco is when the tortillas are thin and they physically need to be double-wrapped to hold the taco together. The quality of the meats were either poor or poorly prepared in general. And that makes sense because you don't hear or smell the grill in the kitchen, as if they're just re-heating the meat. Not sure if the meat was re-heated but it tasted like that. The chorizo tasted burnt like it was the leftovers in the pan. The Al Pastor was straight-up just not Al Pastor. It was diced up pork with seasoning added, instead of slices cut from the trompo. The lengua was chopped in pieces too large. Lastly, we got chips & salsa and the chips were incredibly stale and the salsa was just the same salsa from the salsa bar that you could otherwise get for free. It was not table salsa like I would expect. Also, I found it pretty unpleasant to eat in there. The tables felt sticky and were in really big groups as if they thought only groups of 8 would be coming in. The floor was also dirty with dropped meat all over. There were a few positives though. Service was very friendly and the salsas were pretty decent and spicy. Prices were reasonable as well. But obviously, I thought there were a lot of issues and given how many taco options there are in Denver I won't be back. read more

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Quick, tasty, and well priced tacos! I got the Barbacoa, birria, and Al pastor, with them being ranked from favorite to least favorite in that order. I do think it's odd you have to pay for the birria sauce separately and that it doesn't simply come with the taco. The salsa bar was a nice addition too. read more

Tacos El Metate - Al pastor, Barbacoa, & Birria - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Stopped by on a Saturday morning for some breakfast tacos. I stood in a short line at the register and by the time it was my turn to order I was gleefully told they stopped serving at twelve. I asked her what time it was and again got a gleefull response that it was 12:05! I rode over 25 minutes specifically for the breakfast tacos! Kudos for customer service! I was stunned and decided to try some other place. read more

The food was great, I had 3 of the Asada Tacos, and my friend had Carnitas Smothered Burrito, we also shared the Carne Asada Fries, all were very good. Really loved the fries, my friend mentioned that his burrito was on the spicy side. Personally I'm great with that. The only thing that was strange to me, was you have no idea how much you're spending. The menu does not have any pricing. But for the 3 items above along with 2 drinks, was about $40 before tip. A little on the pricey side. Nice salsa bar, not a lot of choices, but good choices. Only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars, is no pricing on the menu. read more

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Tacos El Metate is always spotless, and that alone makes the experience great--but the morning service takes it to another level. The staff is fast, friendly, and on point every time. It's easily one of the best spots to start the day with good food and even better service. read more

The food was really great had chorizo and eggs and beans and potatoes sooo good service was great came promptly and took good care of me .. considering is in a small strip mall and all the construction around it the inside was very nice and clean and very comfortable.. really great place !!!! read more

Great service and great atmosphere. The person behind the counter was very helpful when there was an issue with my order. The tripe tacos are delicious! read more

El lugar está de lo más sucio las mesas grasosas y los servilleteros asqueroso lo peor es que al entrar las empleadas sentadas en el Cellurar Los tacos no están mal pero solo de ver el lugar da asco y no sabes si te vas a enfermar delo sucio que es trataré de subir las fotos x q la aplicación no me The place is very dirty, the greasy tables and the disgusting napkin rings, the worst thing is that when they enter the employees sitting texting The tacos are not bad but just seeing the place is disgusting and you don't know if you're going to get sick of how dirty it is read more

Tacos El Metate - The napkin rings is very dirty, the greasy tables and the disgusting napkin rings, the worst thing is the employees sitting in the Cellurar - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Most importantly, their chips and salsas are phenomenal. Food was good, most everyone in my party was happy. The only thing we were surprised by was the size of the drinks. Our beers and margaritas came in very small glasses - we initially thought it was happy hour! We were initially sat and then completely ignored for 15-20 min and didn't see our server much which was odd because it was pretty slow on a Sunday. All said, I'd go back again for the salsa :) read more

Th food was good. The guacamole a little disappointing given the size and the overall quality; the guacamole was somewhat missing the avocado. It was mainly veggies with a little dash of green salsa, runny consistency. Not saying it was bad but definitely was expecting a little more quality for the money. The tacos were good. Not bad for the flavor but I did have better. The salsa display was cool, lots of options to pick from. They also serve alcoholic beverages which I didn't try this time but there are options if you're looking for that. You walk in and go order at the counter than you find your place to sit and the rest is pretty much self serve from there. The place was clean and there was ample seating. The restaurant is located close to the DU campus, lots of restaurants around that you can walk up to. Parking may be a little challenging so do give yourself time to park of you plan to go. read more

Tacos El Metate - Tacos, guacamole and chips - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Horrible service. The cashier does not what she is doing . Charged my card and then refunded the entire amount, then asked for my card again and charged twice, then voided.. wow so frustrating. That made the food not even taste good after being upset . Had to pay twice and wait for refund, etc on a $94 dollar tab. Unbelievable! Food was not that great. read more

I wanted to figure out what else it had to offer, the music and the vibe is fun.... Made me wanna go salsa dancing or just start dancing between the table. The asada taco was a little tough and the fish were not consistent in size, one fish taco was tiny and the other was a decent size. The pastor taco was a little too dry. In my opinion the asada could have used more flavor but the overall experience was great. The Fresca water was the highlight of the meal. read more

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These are the best street style tacos in the area! They have a great variety to choose from and you can even mix and match the tacos you want. I got the pollo, braised beef and fish taco which were grand. After you get your tacos they have a variety of salsas and toppings to choose from. I thought the inside was very clean and had games to play while you waited for your meal. I'm addition to all of this it was very fast service and exceeded my expectations! read more

Tacos El Metate - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Amazing nachos! And the service is amazing! You order your food at the counter, and they bring it to you. Also, the Salsa BLOWS ME AWAY. They have 10 different unique salsas and each one has its own distinct flavor. Very casual and I definitely recommend! read more

I went to their other location on Chambers a while back and although the Chamber's branch' food was really good, the hygiene in that location was severely lacking. The university location of Tacos El Metate was wonderful! It was spacious with a centrally located condiment bar. The tacos were ON POINT. do yourself a favor, treat yourself to tacos. You deserve it as much as Tacos El Metate deserves a stellar review. read more

Went with the burrito, which comes with meat, bean, cheese, and pico. Half-and-half Al pastor/barbacoa, added rice. Very filling and delicious. Salsa bar had an avocado salsa, two different verdes, and a very hot red. I'll have to come back on a Tuesday for $2 Al Pastor tacos. read more

Tacos El Metate - Burrito! - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I previously lived by the Aurora location and when I moved I was sad to leave it behind. Lo and behold, I'm close by this location! All your choices revolve around their protein offerings but you can choose to get said proteins on tacos, in a burrito, or a quesadilla. They also have tortas with almost all the same options and a couple specific to the tortas. Carne asada fries (not pictured this order) are also available in a small and large size, loaded up with toppings. The large size is easily shared by at least two people. My favorite thing? Their pescado (fried fish) and camarón (fried shrimp, pictured here in the quesadilla). Always so well done, and shrimp is nice and crispy-crunchy in the quesadilla. The setup of this location compared to the Aurora one is nicer, I feel; there's more room and more tables. Everything is well spaced and clean, with a small self-serve bar setup to grab your salsas and pickled toppings. Parking is trickier though, as street parking is your best option and at busier times it's difficult to pin down a spot. I'm so happy I can still order at a Tacos El Metate WIRB ease because I have to get my fried fish fix! read more

Tacos El Metate - Quesadilla de camarón - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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The birriatacos are bomb! The fish tacos are always amazing as well! This is our go to when we want tacos that are well portioned and taste really good! The restaurant always looks clean and the staff is always very welcoming, helpful and professional. read more

Service was excellent, Ambiance was pretty casual.. but, my chicken tacos were lacking flavor big time and they were so watery it messed up the delicious tortillas. Their house salsa wasn't bad, but it was so runny that the chips couldn't really grab it. Overall it was ok, but not great. read more

Tacos El Metate - Chicken tacos with chips and salsa - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

One of my good friends recommended this place to me for some great tacos. And I have to say they did not disappoint! I got the Asada tacos (flank steak) and they were well seasoned, fresh, and delicious! I would definitely recommend this place if you want to just grab a quick bite! Dan & Lexi read more

Tacos El Metate - Tacos De Asada! - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I've had this place on my list and glad I stopped by on a Friday afternoon. It's order at the counter and open seating but don't let the line and seating deter you from going as the line went fast and worth the wait ! The cashier was friendly and helpful and we got to ordering a little of everything . The carnitas were perfectly cooked .. taste was exactly what I look for a slow roasted cook, a little crisp on the outside and super tender inside with no fat. The carne asada felt fresh and marinated nicely . The al pastor was a pass for me and the reason I didn't give a full 5 stars due to lack of taste and overly fatty but that didn't stop me from trying the last taco the fish . Super light even through it was fried , the slaw and sauce it came with complimented the fish nicely . Their horchata was fantastic and we ended the meal with freshly made churros to order with chocolate sauce and some kind of sweet cream sauce as well. Got my taco and churro craving and look forward to going back in the near future. Give it a try the next time you're looking a taco spot . read more

Tacos El Metate - Left to right carnitas , carne asada, Al pastor , fish tacos - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Can't speak for anything else, but I haven't found a better baja style fish taco in denver yet. I've been to the Aurora location too! Both places have great and accurate service, clean and bright dining areas, and amaaaaazing fish tacos. Perfectly crispy fish, perfectly charred corn tortillas. I've had 5 of them so far and with the last bite of the one I just ate, a review had to be written! Every single salsa they offer also has an incredible amount of flavor, though our favorite was the avocado salsa. Most of them pack some heat but in the best, most flavorful way. I hadn't tried a few of them so the cashier made sure to include some extras without me even asking which was nice of him :) It's super cool that they offer breakfast tacos and burritos all day. They have a Jarrito flavor selection bigger than most restaurants, and parking is fairly easy to find as there are plenty of street-side spots right out front of the restaurant. My only complaint is that I wish they had a true vegetarian taco or other option (for my boyfriend.) But, he got a cheese quesadilla and said it was loaded with cheese and delicious. Tacos El Metate is definitely my go-to spot when I get a fish taco craving and judging by other reviews, it seems their other offerings are equally as crave-worthy. read more

Tacos El Metate - the very left one, avocado salsa, was a favorite - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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First time here. I would give them five stars if the tables were clean and didn't feel sticky even after we tried cleaning them. But the food is excellent. I was in the mood for some good tacos and this hit the spot. We will be back. read more

Tacos El Metate - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Sitting across from mustards last stand, this spot is a great venue to come try out some new tacos in Denver. I had the fish taco, carne asada taco and the Al pastor taco which were all very good. I also got the chips and salsa which you could tell here homemade chips. I would recommend giving this place a shot prior to heading to the usual wahoos or torchys as you can get more tacos here for less (average taco is around $3.85 compared to the $5.50). Salsa bar had everything you needed. They also have margaritas and spiked aqua fracas that are delicious. Parking is the biggest challenge with only a small parking lot and limited street parking. read more

Tacos El Metate - Fish taco, carne asada taco, Al pastor taco, chips and salsa - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I'm sure most of the food on the menu is delicious; I recommend the shrimp tacos with the tomatillo salsa (with the cilantro and onion). Service was kinda meh. And I was one of four customers. Nevertheless friendly and helpful. The lady at the register cleaned up the salsa bar after I spilled a bit of salsa. I was gonna do it; I asked for a rag. But she just did it herself. Cool. Points there. Ambiance is where they lack. I was there around 6 pm on a Tuesday. IDK, maybe they just got done with a rush? This location is by DU but the one in Aurora is . read more

If you're looking for another spot for some authentic street tacos, this one is definitely worth checking out. They're known for their pescado tacos (freshly fried large slices of fish) -- and those are indeed delish. However, I also recommend branching out: they have lengua (tongue) and tripa (tripe) -- which are some of the better versions of these I've had. They were out when I went, but I'd also love to try their buche (pork stomach) tacos. Also, their hot sauces are so good! NOTE: they do not serve alcohol, so don't expect margaritas :( read more

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Tacos are legit. Appear to be little taqueria tacos. Not as flavorful as tacos, tequila, and whiskey but these are more authentic. The horrible news is they use what appears to be canned nacho cheese for their nachos and loaded fries!!!! Add two or three dollars more to the price and use real cheese! Couldn't even finish those side orders read more

Tacos El Metate - Legit taco. Too bad the nachos and fries were not good - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Had to come back for seconds even after I was full. Wow this place was good. Even my little girlfriend ate so much. The margs were also good. Have a trip planned to Mexico next month but might just cancel that and come here instead. Highly recommend. read more

Tacos El Metate - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I was in Denver for a quick weekend and wanted to get some good bites in. The first morning during this trip, we wanted to get some breakfast tacos - something more on the authentic side hopefully and not like $6 for a small bland taco like so many "fancier" places are trying to be these days. I found this place and we decided to give it a shot. Parking: We had to use street parking here. We went fairly early in the morning, but still had to make 2 or 3 circles around the block before finding a space to park. Nothing frustrates me more than driving all the way somewhere but not being able to go in because of parking. Fortunately we found a spot and it paid off! Ambiance: I didn't take any pictures, but the ambiance here was nice. Open layout, decent amount of seating, some green decor. Big windows at the entrance which allowed a lot of natural lighting. Nothing fancy, just a place to drop by for a meal. Food: Between two people, we ordered two breakfast tacos and five regular tacos to share. I was actually impressed with the portion sizes! The breakfast tacos are decently sized. The regular tacos I would say are normal sized on corn tortilla. We were both pretty stuffed by the end of the meal. What I think added authenticity and flavor to the tacos is the bar where you can grab your own salsas and toppings (pico de gallo, pickled onions, etc.), like the ones they have at more authentic/traditional taqueria. The meats in the tacos themselves were pretty flavorful as well. Service: You just order at the counter, grab your food when it's ready, self-serve the toppings and salsas, and toss your trash away on the way out. Quick and simple. Overall, I'd recommend this place. I thought it was delicious, decently priced, and was pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure how good Mexican food and tacos are in general in Denver, but I think this was a great find! read more

Tacos El Metate - Tacos Near Me - Denver, Colorado

God I love this place. The food is incredible, they have a huge menu, nothing disappoints. The staff are always so nice, and the vibes are immaculate. Pls go 15/10 recommend I wish I could give more stars. read more