Bad service, worst experience in denver dj karaokee lady had a really bad attitud, we made a complaint with the manager. the manager didn't care, hopefully owner be aware of. The Dj lady needs to be fire, she doesn't respect customers, we will make a complaint in bbb as well, poor service despotic Dj read more

Shocked to see this place averages 3 stars, reading some of the one star reviews obviously coming from gringos who know nothing about authentic Mexican food. When I got to Westminster CO I looked on Yelp for a Mexican restaurant close by but they all had poor reviews so I asked my Latina waitress in my hotel where the Mexicans go to eat.... not the tourist trap or the Gringos! She said El Paraiso but its a ride (7 miles from Westminster). So I looked it up here on Yelp and saw the "3" rating but I called anyway to see if they accept Amex (they dont only M/V) but a Latino answered which is always a good sign. As I really wanted Mexican food I went anyway and I am glad I did!! They place is huge. When I got there, due to it snowing yes in April, the place was not very crowded but most people there were Latinas/Latinos. So was the music and the TV was showing real "football". My waitress was quick and to my surprise they carry Victoria beer which was needed because the salsa was real "picante". The way it should be. I had no appetizer and ordered my standard: plata de carnitas (not tacos) con frioles e tortilla de maize. Well the plate came out and it was huge; all the plates/drinks I saw coming out were huge! The carnitas were some of the best I have ever had ( ate at about 30 different Mexican restaurants in 2012) so saying this means a lot!! They were nice and moist NOT dry at all and so soft! The tortillas were home made and tasted as such! Once done I was full so NO desert. Overall some of the best authentic Mexican food I have had in a very long time, none of this TexMex stuff, The biggest surprise is that this place is in Denver, CO who would have expected that! This quality one would expect in NY or CA! Can't wait to eat here again on my next Denver business trip! So if you want to know what real authentic Mexican food is all about this is the place for everyone else there is Taco Bells! read more

El Paraiso - Wow! They serve Victoria! You will need the salsa is HOT! - Mexican Near Me - Lakeside, Colorado

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Have driven past this place for years, and finally checked it out on the way back from Golden last weekend. Man I'm torn on this place after one visit. I'll likely give them another try but feel like 3 stars (As a reminder to you "everyone deserves a trophy" folks, that does mean "AOK") is right for my first visit. The place is MASSIVE. Numerous dining rooms, patios, etc., even a stage, where sounds like they do karaoke and dancing on the weekends. Bet this place is quite a spectacle when packed and latin dance music pumping. Which it was when we were there at 3PM on a Saturday, but more on that. Here are my pros and cons based on my first visit: Pros: 1. HUGE menu with tons of seafood options. My wife had the ceviche, which she said was really good-- I had the camarones ala diabla, which is one of my favorite dishes, and it was good-- More on that later. But they do seem to know their seafood. 2. They do legit spicy. Their salsa diabla, as put on the camarones a la diabla, is the spiciest I've ever had. Rich, dark, flavorful, smoky, and hot AF, I'm guessing they put ghost peppers in it. It's legit, one of the spicier things available in Denver, and I'll be back simply to have more of that. Cons: 1. Service was slow-- Place was pretty empty but our server was in the weeds... wasn't efficient by any means. 2. Blaring Latin dance music over the speakers at 3PM? a little much for this old white guy. 3. Being from Tucson, I was excited to see they had carne seca, a Tucson specialty. While it was an astonishing $22 for the appetizer I had to try it-- And it was horrible. It was basically some burned beef jerky with pepper jack cheese. The whole point of Carne Seca is to take the dried beef and BRING IT BACK TO LIFE, not just serve beef jerky. Complete miss. 4. Most of their margaritas, even Cadillac/top shelf, use Jose Cuervo. Friends don't let friends drink Jose, unless you're in college and part of a frat or sorority. There simply are too many affordable good 100% agave options out there to use Jose in good margaritas. So, I'll be back and may go up or down on my rating based on that experience, but I'm going with a solid 3 for now. read more

The best Mexican food I have ever had! And I owe this great find to the extraordinary people at Denver Yelp, steering me a good 5 miles from city center to what seemed like the middle of nowhere. But it was definitely worth the trek. I had the burritos with chicharones. I was so happy to see fried pork skin on the menu -- just wonderful! The flavors were on point, and the portion was very generous. The most authentic Mexican food I encountered in the U.S. I washed it all down with a nice, strong margarita. The restaurant is quite spacious inside capable of accommodating many more people than will likely show up on a weeknight. The service was attentive, and I was pleased to see a good soccer game on the big screen television. Also the fact that the menu was almost entirely in Spanish was a delight -- this was definitely not a stop for your typical conventioneer. Highly recommend! read more

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We were visiting the Denver area last week and I was craving some good, authentic Mexican food. That's exactly what I found at El Paraiso! Now, let me clarify that our visit was not without issues. We arrived around noon and there were only 4-5 other tables occupied. We were quickly seated with our beverages and chips with some yummy salsa. Their menu is HUGE. Literally, huge in terms of physical size and variety. I was excited by some of the more authentic options on there that I can't really find in my home state of North Carolina. Because my time was limited I ordered a lunch combo. It took us about an hour to get our food and it was clear to see why. They appeared to be very short staffed and the gentleman that took our order also appeared to be in the back cooking in the kitchen. He was working very hard! The wait was worth it. My combo (taco, chile relleno and enchilada) was delicious! My husband's giant burrito was also very good, although the size of a newborn so we had to take half of it with us. Definitely give El Paraiso a try! Just do it when you have some time to spare. read more

I like this place very much, but it's not the "best Mexican food I've ever had." The guacamole's over-salted, over-larded (yup), and blenderized. The salsa's OK, but just that. As are the chips. Bottom line: it's A-OK (= 3 stars) because they have some of the more interesting versions of truly Mexican food in the Denver area, and the people there are really really nice. Their parrilladas and molcajetes are immense and well prepared, with roasted vegetables/chilis served in a heated Mayan mortar (= a molcajete). Their margaritas weren't made from fresh lime juice, so we gave them a pass, but they served Negra Modelo, one of my fav south-of-the-border beers that's becoming ever more popular, so that was good with me and Ms. Sweetthang. Nonethess, we're definitely going to try them again, given the size and creativity of their menu. But don't go there expecting to get your calcetins knocked off. (Oh . . . P.S. the homemade corn tortillas ARE 4+ stars, give 'm a try for sure) read more

Loved the atmosphere. Salsa and chips were good. I just ordered beans and rice. They were on point!! Definitely will go back. Service was fast even tho they were busy. Can't wait to go back in summer to sit on patio read more

By far the best Mexican food. I love this place always my number one choice . Food is amazing . Definitely a must try

We ordered an app that says it serves four, and a dinner that says it serves 5. There were five of us. Now picture a waiter bringing all the squid, fish and octopus out of the ocean with some ribs, chicken, pork chops, and some other things that we just ate not sure what they were. Seriously this would have fed 20 people. I will never forget how much food they bring, and they really should warn you, unless you are a team of football players. Everything came with tortillas, rice and beans. Two oysters appeared on the side and we just forgot about them. We had to move the whole fried fish over to get to shrimp and scallops underneath. The meats were pretty salty. The margs were sweet. This meal does get a star for just how huge it was. We took home 3 boxes of meat with meat still on the table. But this place is a 4 star for taste for previous visits like shrimp enchiladas or the chicken fajitas. They also had a good churro with ice cream at some point. read more

El Paraiso - App for 5, dinner for 5. Really for 20. - Mexican Near Me - Lakeside, Colorado

Always killer grub! Service is hit or miss but the food is Always Good! Definitely my go to for authentic Mexican! Just like home cooking!

worst dining experience EVER!!! was ignored the whole time!! TOOK FOREVER to order, finally got our food. Not the greatest tasting, took FOREVER, then was charged $19.50 for gratuity, because the bill was over $100. There was 4 of us!! NEVER COMING AGAIN AND WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND to anyone! read more

We went to this restaurant for our first time since we are visiting Colorado with the family . We had THE WORST experience ever . DONT GO HERE IF YOU OUT OF STATE if your trying to drink . I am 21 years of age and the waiter said she couldn't drink bc her ID was not flip side to side . In California they don't flip unless you get your id after your 21 years of age . This shouldn't matter if the id is side to side it should just matter the age and the picture that is on the id . The one helping us was the maneger we ask to owner they said he was to busy . We ask for the requirement that she said that they had over ids and the maneger was not able to show us that policy .. WILL NEVER RETURN TI THIS PLACE. read more

After a long day at work all I wanted was a nice drink and a decent meal... Was seated within 2 minutes of walking in, it took the waiter over 35 minutes to take our order!! When he came over to take our order I asked for a drink, well I didn't get my drink till 20 minutes later!! Waiter never checked on us to see if we needed anything. HORRIBLE PLACE, I will never go back nor do I recommend anyone to!! THUMBS DOWN RESTAURANT read more

Real talk, they have an amazing salsa! I could eat only that with the chips. The food, margaritas and service was also great! My Burrito Denver was bursting with giant chunks of chicken. Hot Damn! read more

service was terrible. if i could leave zero stars I would. food was nothing special. i would not recommend this place to anyone. save your money and go somewhere else. our waitress was horrible we had to flag down other workers to get refills or the things we asked our waitress for 30 minutes ago. the ambience of the restaurant was loud and overwhelming overall not a good environment or experience 10/10 do not recommend. read more

Best Mexican food I had in a long time. El Paraiso is located on Harlan Street near lake Rhoda. I had the beef Flautas and they were absolutely delicious. Generous portion and very fulfilling. The dish was perfectly seasoned. If you live in The Denver area, go check it out, you won't be disappointed. read more

El Paraiso - Chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Lakeside, Colorado

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Food could have been a little more heat hot but taste was very good. Fair prices on the combinations and I will definitely go there again. read more

I got a Mexican hamburger and the meat was disgusting, really messed up my stomach when I got home and my cousins shrimp wasn't cooked definitely alot of cross contamination going on in that kitchen, employees don't use gloves and this isn't my first time with bad service/food here. Very disappointed and going to report to the health department as well!! Most definitely not worth the amount I paid for my family and I. read more

Been looking at this location for years. Finally ended up here on a lark. The parking lot was mostly packed, but there is sooo much room inside! The clientele definitely seemed happy to be there and early on saturday the place was hopping! So many food options on the menu, so hard to choose! We'll be back and enjoying the patio and buckets of beer when the weather warms up! read more

walked in at 10:40 and they said they had closed already even though their hours are until midnight... misleading

This USED to be a great place to get good authentic Mexican food. Those days are long gone. Food is mediocre at best, service sucks! Prices are too high for quality of food and service. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. read more

Absolutely amazing food! The michelads are perfect. Not too much spice to them where they are just trying too hard, but just enough to let you know what's there. The food though, it's literally pure and authentic Mexican food. The environment is absolutely fantastic too. The beautiful walls, and chairs and the music; everything is wonderful. Literally favorite Mexican food in Denver. read more

We came here for my birthday dinner. First time in and the atmosphere was great. Food was delicious but the waiter was horrible. We had a party of five and he added gratuity to our bill. I had them remove it as he barely helped us and walked by us like we were not there. I understand when staff is busy but the whole restaurant only had like five/six tables occupied for the whole staff. What a shame as I'm sure the owner puts a lot of love and care into this restaurant. read more

The food was cold when it arrive to my table , waitress took for ever to come withe the check..someone else had to go get it for us

How have I never been here until now?!?! Normally we'd see this place on our way somewhere. Now we live closer and were hungry the other night and boom, the stars aligned. SO glad they did. The menu is gigantic (both dimensions and offerings) and full of yummy looking offerings. Can't wait to go back! read more

The service was poor and the food was no good . Years ago i frequented the place and the food was delicious however even years ago the service wasnt so great . But now the food matches the service. read more

So I went there once - sat there for 5 minutes - and walked out. My family and myself wanted to try this restaurant for the first time. We walk in, have to wait a few minutes for the host/server to get seated, and finally when given the menus, realize the food is on the expensive side. I am Mexican, I speak perfect Spanish, but the terrible experience starts off with EXTREMELY LOUD BANDA MUSIC that doesn't even let us hear or talk between ourselves. Then, the waitress, being super rude, asks what we want to drink. I ask for 4 waters, all NO ICE, and when she gets back after 5 minutes, they all have ice. If they couldn't get the SIMPLEST REQUEST DONE, we sure as hell weren't going to spend over $100 in such a miserable environment. Heck, we were even speaking in Spanish and the lady couldn't get 4 cups of water without the ice. That, and the loud music, were a couple signals that we needed to realize it wasn't going to be a good experience at all. We walked out as fast as we could. read more

My wife and I decided to have lunch here. Plenty of parking in the shade. We walked in and there was plenty of seating available with a great atmosphere. The waitress brought out some chips and salsa and the salsa was perfectly spicy. She ordered A chicken chimichanga with beans and rice and I ordered carnitas fajitas. Both were absolutely delicious and full of flavor. The portions were also very plentiful. I will definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants some incredible Mexican food. read more

El Paraiso - Chicken chimichanga chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Lakeside, Colorado

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Food was good. Service is the worst I've had in years. On a party of four, had the gall to add "mandatory" gratuity to the tab. Forgot to bring items that were ordered (items were on bill) No tortillas with fajitas. Had to ask multiple servers to get some. Waited half hour to order food. Waited half hour to get check picked up. As I said food is good, but this level of service makes it all for naught. Miserable. read more

It's always super busy and it takes forever to be seated. It took around 30 minutes for someone to take out order and another 45 minutes for our food to be out. Also the bouncer at the door is super rude. Also why does this restaurant have a bouncer? read more

BEWARE! Literally the worst service I've ever had in my entire life and the food wasn't much better... save yourself the time, money, and disappointment. read more

Where to start! The service is substandard. It appears they had to kinds of wait staff, one that takes drinks and another to take food orders. The gal that took the drink orders also brought out chips and salsa. She only brought out three drinks at a time and that seem to be overwhelming for her. Some of the drinks came out wrong and she was unable to correctly manage a simple process. Asked for a glass of ice and lime, and more salsa. I received a glass of ice after the second request, limes, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. I even used an English to Spanish app and she still didn't understand what I was asking for. She never replenished the chips and salsa at our table and never asked how we were doing. It was disappointing. I saw a large party of 20 people receive their food order over the course of 30 minutes. We had a party of 14 and it took roughly 20 minutes for all the food to be brought to the table. Half of the orders came out Luke warm or cold. This is not a place to go to on a Saturday night as they cannot handle the influx of consumers. We asked how much a bottle of tequila was and they wanted to charge $230 for a bottle. I understand you have to make a profit, but $230 is excessive. read more

We eat here about once a year when we go to Al's Pinebox for garden plants. We live in Aurora or we would eat here a couple times a month. We arrived on Sunday around 2:30. It was super busy. But there were plenty of seats . We sat on the patio. Evett brought us chips and salsa with 5 min. We ordered house margaritas. They took a little longer but they were busy! Worth the wait. The salsa was tasty and had a nice kick of heat. I had the soft chili rellenos. They were amazing! Not all egg batter like alot of other places. The poblanos were huge and the white cheese oozed out when you cut in. The beans and rice did not disappoint either. Sometimes they are just there. The beans had a nice flavor and the rice wasnt dry. It came with tortillas. OMG!! The corn tortillas are homemade and some of the best I've ever had! And we go to Mexico annually. My husband had enchiladas. Suppose to be shredded beef but got chicken. Not Evetts fault. But the chicken was so good he kept them. Evett felt bad and bought my husband a margarita! That was super sweet. So long story long, great food, great service, great patio and great margaritas! I'm ready to go back next Sunday for sopes! read more

El Paraiso - Chili rellenos - Mexican Near Me - Lakeside, Colorado

Although the food was great, it took an hour for the waiter to come by and take our order and another hour to bring the food to the table. It was a party of seven, and they still added a tip to our bill even though we sat down around 7 and didn't get our food until 9. We were also not even asked for a discount for the inconvenience. Wouldn't recommend to go during weekend nights. read more

As enamored as I am with the Mexican version of fast food I am even more in love with the Mexican version of a sit-down family restaurant, a very rare find North of the border. El Paraiso was recommended to us by a friend whose opinion I completely trust, and we paid them a visit to check them out. In a sentence: 100% authentic and 100% amazing. Now don't get me wrong: there is plenty of the usual tex-mex fare here, don't be intimidated. But the pollo azteca, the chuletas rojas, the camarones brocheta (minus the shrooms), the fileta veracruz ... you'll be blown away at the amazing variety of authentic Mexican dishes here. Inside it's warm and inviting with lots of comfortable seating. The service is fast and friendly at first, although toward the end of the meal was far less frequent. The drinks were very well put-together, especially their signature cocktails. They're so close to tacking on another star ... We live 90 minutes away but are already planning our next visit with the kids so we can try more of the amazing food. read more

It's Saturday March 2nd 2019, its snowing. This restaurant is not as busy as we expected in this weather. My family and I wanted to dine in and enjoy a family dinner. When we walk in the door we were asked how many. We told the hostess 4 and we wanted to sit on the side that didn't have the bar. We were told we couldn't due to karaoke? And that she had to go ask for permission. Keep in mind there were 2 tables occupied and many tables open with the kitchen entrance close by. The hostess said we were allowed to sit and had us wait for her to get the table "ready". As we look over, the table chosen was going to be all the way to the end where there wasn't much lighting and separating us from the rest of the floor. This made us leave. Thank you hostess for providing us with bad service on this snowy day. read more

We came here for a family dinner. We ordered 'Cielo, Mar y Tierra molcajete' (crazy spicy), 'Trucha costeño' and cheeseburger. Everything about service and food was good. We will come again. It did take them about 35 mins from sit down, to food on table. It is just a little too loud and too pricey. Unfortunately, the restrooms were shutdown temporarily. Not their fault. read more

So all the other reviews are right the food is good but the service is so bad it makes the food taste a little less good. Idk if that's a real thing or not but it's how I felt. Absolutely will not return ever. Even if there's a fire! read more

The food tasted like culo aka ass. Wasted $100 on this piece of crap restaurant. Im from houston texas and i would give this restaurant a -10/5 if i could. Next time use seasoning. The meat tasted like i just bit the cow read more

Best authentic Mexican. I love the queso fundito. I also love the fajitas adobadas. In fact I love it so much I never end up ordering anything else every time I go. read more