This is our favorite Mexican restaurant in Arvada. We've been going there for the past twenty years (they were the same restaurant and staff under a different name until a few years ago). Despite being a busy place, they almost always have a seat available without delay. The food is good, the menu is extensive, the portions are large, and the staff is friendly and quick. Years ago my wife actually had her engagement ring swiped in the bathroom when she took it off to wash her hands (she thought she had dropped it). The manager of the restaurant spent about an hour helping my wife turn the store upside down looking for it, including fishing through all of their trash cans by hand. It wasn't their fault, but he went above and beyond to try to help her find it. We later figured out that the ring had been stolen, and it was eventually recovered, but the staff at this restaurant really went out of their way to help us find an item we believed had been lost in their restaurant. The mariachi band that they have on some days of the week is also a really nice touch. read more

We visit Aavada a couple of times a year to visit our grandkids. And during each visit we all go to El Tequileno's at least once for dinner. This trip was no different and El Tequileno's was as good as I remembered. The food and service are always good. This was our first visit on a Thursday night and we were pleasantly surprised to discover that they have a Mariachi band on Thursday nights. The band was quite good and added a nice touch to the restaurant's atmosphere. Two of us had burritos, one had a chimichanga, one kid had carne asada while the kid went for chicken fingers and fries. Everything was delicious. And - it's quite reasonably priced. read more

EL TEQUILEÑO Family Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

Rude staff answering phone. Called to ask about another location opening and was talked to very rudely. Won't be spending any money with this business. read more

This is my third time here with family members while I was visiting Denver. The place is always busy and sometimes they have live music which makes it pretty loud inside. The service is always fast and the food is always hot and tasty. The green chili is good, but not the best in Denver. That said, I always enjoy eating here read more

See all

Very substandard taco salad. In the salad section of the menu, it said all salads are made with organic greens mix and include croutons and fried tortilla strips. I opted not to have the deep fried tortilla bowl, and what I ended up with was chicken, a few chopped tomatoes, and a little shredded cheese and iceberg lettuce. Nothing like I expected and a huge disappointment for $13.50. Asked the server about the information on the menu (organic greens, croutons, fried tortilla strips) and she said that applies to other salads, and not the taco salad. This was not at all clear on the menu. read more

We were craving tex mex and honestly didn't have super high expectations, but we were very pleasantly surprised with the amount of food and quality of flavor. We both got the enchiladas suizas and it came with a generous helping of delicious rice and beans and 2 enchiladas filled with chicken. We enjoyed the meal a lot and it stretched to 2 meals (which is always a plus). We had take out, but the restaurant itself looked spacious with a fun atmosphere. They packaged our meal to go carefully and thoughtfully, can't complain there! We'll definitely be back when the tex mex craving strikes again. read more

EL TEQUILEÑO Family Mexican Restaurant - enchiladas suizas - Mexican Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

Yum! Family lunch, great service, excellent food! I like this location, lots of parking the staff is great. The décor is cool. The carved chairs, the display of tequilas behind the bar, everything comes together to add to the experience. One of my favorite things is that in addition to their red salsa, which is delicious, they also serve their cabbage salsa along side the chips as an appetizer. I could just eat that and be happy. My husband saw the special for the day, their super burrito, and he was sold. My son chose a taco plate with hard shell and ground beef. My daughter had a bean and cheese burrito plate. I had the enchiladas rancheras, two chicken enchiladas with an over easy egg served along side rice and beans. My son, cleared his plate and the rest of us all had enough to take home for another meal. read more

See all

We probably come 2-3 times a month. HUGE menu. So many options to choose from. Large drink list as well. Now that it's warm, the outdoor patio is super neat! Forgot to take pictures of the food because we were hungry and ate a lot. Waitresses were on top of our drinks, chips, salsa and their housemate cabbage salsa. Bathrooms smell awful, but other than that, great place! We will continue to frequent. read more

See all

Best Margaritas hands down!!! I love the fajitas! We're going again for my wife's birthday read more

With a busy end-of-year, dining out has been challenging. But an all-time favorite never disappoints! Food was out quickly, the staff is always super friendly and the food always tastes amazing! If you have not been here, enjoy your drink first, because once you order food, it will be out lightning fast! And hot, too. I've never had a lukewarm meal here. If you come on a Thursday, bring cash. The mariachi band is awesome and have always been a favorite! No matter what night of the week you eat here, it will be warm, busy and bustling with conversation and a full house! (If you're looking for a quiet spot, maybe try the lunch time. Same experience, not as loud!) read more

EL TEQUILEÑO Family Mexican Restaurant - All that is left to photograph! - Mexican Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

I came here tonight because I was craving Mexican food and it was close to where I was after my meeting. I was really looking forward to dining here since it had been a while. When I walked in, I was seated right away and given chips, salsa, and cabbage dip. I was really hopeful that the rest of my dining experience was going to be as attentive and great.... It turned out to be anything but that. From the moment they set down my entrée, I never heard from my waitress again. Not once did she come by to check on me to see if I needed anything or to see how my food was. My $4.00 soda never got refilled the entire time I was there. It is really upsetting to spend that much money on a drink to not ever get a refill. Finally, after waiting about 25 minutes after I was done eating, and my plate had been pushed away, the server magically appeared and handed me my check....shocker. It was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. I most definitely will never be back to this location. It's pretty insulting that they would have such horrific service then have a tip suggestion of 25% at the bottom of the bill. Their tip suggestions have you tipping on the taxed amount, not the subtotal of your meal, so beware of that scam. My one entrée and one soda (with no refills) came out to over $30 before tip! If you are going to be a server, you need to EARN your tips, it's not just given. read more

EL TEQUILEÑO Family Mexican Restaurant - Bean and cheese smothered burrito - Mexican Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

See all

Delicious food and drinks, friendly service, and a cozy bright atmosphere. The Chile Rellenos are CRISPY. Coming from California, where our Rellenos tend to be more eggy and soft, this was a pleasant surprise. The texture of the crust held up to a healthy smothering of green chile. Really enjoyed the house margarita. It was fuerte! They have a tequila selection that reads like a wine list. Probably a hundred different spirits to choose from. My kid has the carne asada quesadilla, and the beef was charred perfectly. It had that delicious charbroil character you expect from a really good burger, but it wasn't dried out. You can order fries instead of rice and beans, but honestly this was some of the better Mexican Rice I've ever had. Perfectly soft yet toothy, with deep flavors and veggies like peas, carrots, and green beans. A real highlight for me. I've heard they get really busy at dinner time, so be prepared to wait for a table. read more

See all

We got together with family including those from Brooklyn at Tequileño for dinner. There were nine of us and they setup a group of tables large enough for us to be comfortable. Most of us had frozen margaritas and chips with house made salsa and cabbage salsa (excellente) while we looked over their large menu. We each had platters of delicious food, so much that most of us took home boxes of leftovers. The staff consistently checked in with us. All in all a very good experience. read more

It's a nice local restaurant has a large menu. Music is nice and mellow. They have a large bar. I think the biggest concern we had was a little bit of a language barrier although authenticity is great but when you're trying to order something in the server, it's not communicating correctly with you kind of put a damper on the hole dinner vibe. Chips and salsa served when you arrive little spicy on the salsa. Tried to ask if there was a different salsa and they brought more salsa. If you came out pretty quickly, it was very good large portions, shredded chicken quesadilla in a Pollo Crema dish with vegetables was very good. I'm sure we'll be back. Just hoping for some better communication. read more

EL TEQUILEÑO Family Mexican Restaurant - Pollo Pollo a La Crema - Mexican Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

See all

We came here on a Friday for lunch. We came right before noon and good thing we did as we looked up after we ordered and the place was busy. Our server was nice and kept the chips and salsa coming! What I swallowed: *SEAFOOD ENCHILADA: This was really good, the shrimp wasn't chewy and the sauce had a great, creamy flavor. The rice had good flavor as well. We had a great lunch and I would definitely come back here to check out other things on the menu. read more

EL TEQUILEÑO Family Mexican Restaurant - Carne Asada burrito - Mexican Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

See all

Dec 18th 2025 When the food is served they tell you the plate is hot well it is however the food is just warmish very disappointing. Sent it back the plate was not as hot and the food was cool not they way it should be served!! Beware hot plate cold food !!! read more

Amazing place !!! I love it People are amazing and wonderful service. Thank you so much for always take care of my Family.

I can't believe this place doesn't have better reviews!! I ordered from doordash not even in person and I thought it was amazing! Some of the best mexican food I've had in Denver since I moved here. And I knkw my mexican food , I lived in Texas for 5yrs before here- Mexican food mecca!! Anyways so one hungry and low energy Wednesday after work I found this gem on doordash! We ordered beef fajiats, combo platter, and queso with chips. It was so much food!! I think it lasted me at least 3 meals. The beef in the fajitas was so flavorful and juicy, the queso was perfect and no annoying green chilis. Chips were crunchy and fresh- boyfriend loved his meal as well! If it's this good to go I can't wait to try this in person!! read more

See all

Love this place. Food is good. Drinks are very weak and expensive though it is an authentic restaurant which is amazing

Large appetizing plates, full of very tasty selections. Plentiful helpings of beans, chips, rice. Takes a big appetite to be in the clean plate club at El Tequilemo. Service was good. Ambiance is what you would expect in a Mexican restaurant thats been in business a while and changed names. Would definitely go back and try something else., read more

This place has been a staple in our family for years and it may be small but the seafood is fresh, the margaritas are delicious - these things make the wait worth it!! MARCO is the best- he is patient and professional and knows what we need before we do! !! Patients with kids (and adults) and the bartenders are wonderful as we waited for a table, Raymundo behind the bar, was fantastic, quick professional and made great drinks- a great way to start the evening!! Drinks were great, food was amazing and consistent and we will be back again and again!! Thank you guys and see you soon!!! read more

This place was AMAZING!!! The servings are enormous, and the food is absolutely delicious! Our server, Lastenia, was very kind and patient with our large group. This was probably the best carne asada I've ever had, and the atmosphere was fun too. Absolutely loved everything! All 7 of us truly enjoyed it!! read more

Hubby n I stopped in for a quick dinner tonight. They were busy but we were seated right away. Service was friendly and relatively quick with a few glitches here n there. Hubby ordered the menudo but he had asked if it came with pig feet and was told yes. Sadly there was a miscommunication and no pig feet. He was bitterly disappointed. The soup itself was pretty bland in his opinion and he wished he'd ordered the octopus instead. I ordered the pollo asada with a chicken enchilada. I wanted to have extra to bring home. You can see in my pictures that there was definitely a ton of food. Sadly, it too was pretty bland. It looks so well seasoned, but it came off as extremely bland. I'm not sure if they don't use salt or marinate the meat for very long or what the issue is, but everything was bland , including the beans and rice. I loved the fresh thick tortillas and the salsas were pretty decent! The food was really fresh and hot and I'll definitely be able to doctor it up here at home but sadly I don't think we'll be back. read more

See all

My wife and I love it here. It's pretty consistently busy, so expect a wait on weekend evenings, but the wait is worth it. The food is always good and comes out pretty quickly. The margaritas are fantastic. We're lucky to have this restaurant in our neighborhood. read more

My family and Me we were starving . We went there and order fish tacos I can smell the bleach .Myriam the server never asked if the food tasted good. She took of . The check was 120$$$! The cook probably cook with bleach. The kids said the Tamales are horrible. Terrible . They don't even said Sorry . We can't believe people pay for this trash read more

See all

Fantastic margaritas! My husband and I like the Cadillac margaritas however, the house happy hour margs are just as good. Very kind and welcoming wait staff too. read more

Great food, even better tequila Don't miss this place but don't expect things to be quiet, it's loud fun and busy read more

EL TEQUILEÑO Family Mexican Restaurant - Great tequila selection - Mexican Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

Oh man, this place was AMAZING! So unexpected. Just at a car show outside Rock-A-Billies and ended up here cause I didn't want ribs/fries. Unexpectedly, blew my mind! The salsa is a perfect medium. Loved it. Comes with this side of like a salad mixture, I've never had that anywhere, ever! I love new things and surprises! Food I ordered an appetizer because I wasn't extremely hungry. I saw a platter of mushroom and glad I didn't stop reading there because there was another platter of mushrooms but with octopus. My gosh, it was the absolute best thing I've had in SO long! The side of avocado and a little of the salsa was the perfect meal. OH and the margarita! Holy sh*tt it was so big and so perfectly balanced with a heavy pour of tequila. Ugh, what a perfect meal I was so happy! You know something is good when you wake up in the morning and very first thing you think is... "man, that margarita and mushroom/octopus were so good"! I'll be back. Even though I don't love the idea of going to Arvada again. Wish I could transport this place to downtown!!! read more

We had the Chicken Mole and Chicken and Steak Fajitas. Staff were nice and friendly. Food was very quick. Would recommend!

The food and service is amazing. Restaurant is very clean with plenty of seats. Idali takes great care of her customers. I'd recommend camarones al mojo de ajo, very delicious!! read more

This place is very welcoming and servers are very kind/attentive. This is a traditional Mexican restaurant- lively and busy! I will say their food was pretty good, but prices are VERY, very, very proud for the product served. I got a chimichanga and by the end of my meal, the green chili on it that I hadn't gotten to yet had turned into some sort of gelatin consistancy which grossed me out so badly that I couldn't finish my food. My husband and mother in laws both did the same but they were able to stomach it. I really loved their cabbage salsa- very unique and surprisingly delicious. I won't say we won't be back, but I won't be ordering green chili read more

This has been my favorite Mexican restaurant for over 15 years! I've been coming here since I was just a kid and the food only gets better and better. The service and the speed are unmatched, with the sweetest wait staff ever!! They're super attentive, kind, and fast. The fajitas are my favorite and you can never go wrong with the cheese dip! It's so cute inside and it's always a good time!! read more

EL TEQUILEÑO Family Mexican Restaurant - Combination Fajitas for One, Cheese Dip - Mexican Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

The absolute best Mexican food!! Plus, amazing staff, so friendly. Really the best food in town!

One of the things I look forward to the most when visiting Denver is discovering new Mexican restaurants. There certainly is really great Mexican food to be found in this part of the country. And El Tequileno reconfirmed my notion in that belief and did not disappoint. The lunch portions were huge, the prices very reasonable, service was pleasant and efficient and most importantly the food was delicious!! We ordered: Burrito Agave Pollo Diabla Pollo Verde Enchilada/Taco platter We all enjoyed our food so much! The price to food ratio was crazy! Each lunch entree was under $10 bucks, but the portion sizes were enormous. The table next to us ordered dinner portions for lunch and each one looked like it was enough to feed 2-3 people. read more

See all

Always my favorite Mexican restaurant. Especially during happy hour 2-5. Two for one margaritas. We've always had excellent service. Food has always been delicious. read more

We love this restaurant! We have coming here for years and have always been very happy with the service and the quality of food!

Ordered Chicken Fajitas for pickup and was underwhelmed by the flavor. Everything seemed bland. Staff was excellent though.

I wanted to try this place after taking deliveries from here via Doordash. I also found a coupon for free margaritas! All was well and the service was great, but the food wasn't really great and the prices even with a coupon are extremely high. One drink and two dinners will put you over $60 not including tip! The prices do not reflect the quality in my opinion and there are dozens of other family Mexican restaurants are a better quality to price ratio. read more

I've been trying to be nice as i love Mexican food and we're in a food desert here in Arvada. We ordered the shrimp fajitas and my husband bit into a rock. Literally a gray rock. He's lucky it didn't crack his tooth. Never again. ‍‍ Also.... Shrimp had a funny taste. Living in CO we should know better. read more

EL TEQUILEÑO Family Mexican Restaurant - Mmmmm shrimp fajita ala rocks. - Mexican Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

It was very good and close, plus they have Mexican Coke inside the door in a cooler. I can just stop and get a really cold drink.