A Colorado Mexican Restaurant Built for Big Appetites

Chips and salsa set the tone at this Colorado Mexican restaurant: the chips arrive early, the salsa brings a noticeable kick, and the menu soon gives the table plenty to discuss. It is a long, broad collection of Mexican-American favorites, regional specialties, seafood, big combination plates and dishes meant for people who do not mind leaving with leftovers.

The food is well seasoned, the portions run generous, and the ordering can be as simple or as ambitious as the occasion calls for. A quick breakfast burrito works here. So does a table full of fajitas, tacos, a bubbling molcajete and a round of margaritas.

The familiar side of the menu is well represented. Burritos, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas and numbered combinations make it easy to settle into a classic plate with rice and beans. For a mixed family table, that range is useful: one person can keep things traditional while another goes in a more particular direction.

Chile rellenos have a following here, and green chile is available as an extra side. That small addition gives a plate a distinctly Colorado note, especially alongside a smothered entrée or a burrito.

Carnitas appear in several forms rather than as a single menu stop. There are Carnitas Norteñas, carnitas plates, carnitas tacos and carnitas burritos, along with Tacos Campesinos. A carnitas plate can be substantial enough to make an impression before anyone takes a bite.

For diners who prefer not to choose just one thing, the El Mirador Special puts several satisfying ideas on one plate. It combines carne asada with fajita-style onions and peppers, a smothered chile relleno, rice and beans. It reads like a full tour of the kitchen's strengths rather than a modest lunch.

Fajitas remain a regular order, including fajita burritos for people who want the grilled-pepper-and-onion treatment wrapped up and portable-looking, even if the resulting burrito is hardly small. Diablo shrimp fajitas offer another route for diners who like a little heat with their seafood.

Molcajetes are another recurring choice. Served in the traditional stone bowl style, they bring an inherently shareable, table-stopping quality to the meal. One can comfortably make a dinner for two when paired with the accompanying tortillas, though an appetite for extras may still lead to a side dish or two.

The menu reaches beyond the standard taco-and-burrito lane with prepared oysters and whole mojarra fish. Those options give seafood-minded diners something more distinctive than a token fish taco.

That breadth is one reason the restaurant works for groups. Someone in the mood for a straightforward enchilada combination can order happily beside a person considering whole fish, shrimp fajitas or a generously loaded molcajete.

Breakfast burritos come in three flavor options and make sense for a quick, affordable stop. They are a different mode from the larger dinner plates: less ceremony, still plenty of food, and a good reminder that the kitchen is not limited to lunch-and-dinner standards.

Hot, fresh chicharrónes are another worthwhile table addition. They have become a regular pick for returning diners, the sort of crunchy order that disappears faster than intended once everyone starts reaching across the table.

Then there is that salsa. Its heat is not merely decorative. Diners who like a warm, spicy table salsa will find it capable of waking up the opening basket of chips and carrying through the rest of the meal.

Margaritas are prominent enough to shape an evening here, not just sit quietly beside the food. The Perfect Margarita is a familiar starting point, while the jalapeño-cucumber version offers a cooler, greener twist with some peppery interest.

The bar gives the restaurant another useful dimension. It is a pleasant place to settle in for a drink and a plate of tacos, and Pacifico is among the beer choices. On game days, the restaurant's bar-and-dining-room setup also gives groups a place to eat without treating dinner as a formal occasion.

Inside, the seating includes booths, standard dining tables, bar seating and counter seating. Booths suit an unhurried family meal, while the bar handles a more casual stop. The room can get lively, particularly when larger groups are in, but conversation is still manageable.

Outside, the patio faces toward the mountains. It is a pleasant option when the weather cooperates and patio seating is available, especially with a cold drink and a long meal that has no reason to hurry.

The restaurant accommodates everything from solo meals to gatherings of 10. It is used for family dinners, visiting relatives and celebrations, and birthday occasions have included flan, a sombrero and a round of “Happy Birthday.”

Service has a reputation for staying friendly and prompt even when the dining room is busy. That helps with the restaurant's two personalities: it can work as a quick burrito stop, but it also has enough seating, menu range and bar energy for a longer meal with a crowd.

A free parking lot is available, though spaces can be tighter during busy periods. Reservations generally are not necessary, but waits naturally vary with the day and time.

Vegetarian diners have a sizable selection to explore rather than being limited to one obligatory meatless plate. With all the combinations, burritos, tacos and sides in play, the menu rewards a little time spent reading before the chips are gone.