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    El Zarape

    4.0 (75 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Open • 6:30 am - 8:00 pm

    El Zarape Photos

    EL ZARAPE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for kids
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Plants and comfy seating
    J S.

    Stopped in on a random Thursday morning as my BMW was in the shop a few blocks away getting some work done. Veronica was behind the counter and she was so kind and helpful, I ordered a handheld steak breakfast burrito and a coffee and sat down. I've seen some people refer to this place as "divey" and in my opinion that is just rude. It was very clean with plenty of comfortable booth seating and lovely plants everywhere that made it a very nice place to spend some time. The steak burrito was excellent and I said so to Veronica, and she let me know that they make their delicious tortillas in-house from scratch. She was quick with the coffee refills and really made me feel at home. If you'd like a nice place to have a good breakfast and great coffee, then come to El Zarape on Federal.

    Huevos Rancheros (bland)
    Nicolle T.

    Poor quality food and false advertisement on their website. Server was pretty rude about letting us know they would charge extra for avocados. Building is falling apart and very dirty overall. And the pancakes tasted refrigerated. :(

    Giant horchata
    Ruby R.

    I was going to get breakfast burritos from the blue her place next to El zarape but they were closed. I ended up going to El zarape and this place was BUSY on a Saturday morning at 11am. I understand why. With every dish that was coming out of the kitchen I was drooling. Also there was this guy cooking meat outside in the front of the restaurant and it smelled so good! I ended up getting 4 breakfast burritos, two of my burritos were incorrect, but they tasted delicious! Next time I want to sit down and eat a full meal there, cuz my goodness, those pancakes looked so good!

    Enchiladas Rojas
    Travis T.

    Consistently delicious! They specialize in carnitas, but have a varied menu. Excellent food and drinks!

    Mexican hamburger

    We absolutely loved our meal at El Zarape. We were at the new 2nd location which was formally (Café Chihuahua). El Zarape's food was delicious. The service provided by Julissa was joyful and delightful. The food was wonderful and plated well. A little pricey but, well worth it! and we will be visiting them again for their yummy food

    Claire M.

    Greasy, but tasty! That's all I can say when it comes to the chorizo breakfast burrito. My boyfriend and I stopped by here to pick up some breakfast burritos to-go on the way up to the mountains. We love breakfast burritos so we were excited to try a new one at this unsuspecting, hole-in-the-wall type spot. We both got the chorizo burritos with eggs, potatoes & green chile and WOW. They were very good but incredibly greasy. We had trouble not making a mess while eating these burritos in the car! Here's a tip: make sure you have hand wipes and all the napkins at hand! If you do, then you're safe to try these greasy, yet tasty breakfast burritos!

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    10 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    5 months ago

    Amazing food. Best Mexican food in all of Denver CO. Best chilaquiles I've ever had in my life.

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    1 year ago

    Really good and authentic Mexican restaurant and they have a drive thru! I recommend the chicken enchiladas. Staff is super friendly too!

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    10 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Our favorite Mexican restaurant in Denver. Very fresh food. The aroma as you walk in is irresistible.

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    3 years ago

    April 2023, basic breakfast burrito $3 plus tax Piping hot, little kick in the green chile sauce. Solid value, friendly service.

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    3 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    1 year ago

    mal servicio al cliente atienden a quien quieren y no conforme con eso son agresivos con el cliente cuando reclamos por tu pedido

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    amazing breakfast burritos, good price and always super yummy. everyone who works here is always very nice.

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    8 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Very delicious amazing food made with lots of love. Service was wonderful very respectful and nice

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Just go. Should be at or near the top of any best tacos in Denver list. A lot of places get by because people just don't know any better.

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    17 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    Page 1 of 2

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    Review Highlights - El Zarape

    “Their is always a line around the block for the drive thru and the dining room is always packed.”

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

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    Savina's - Chile Con Queso

    Savina's

    4.1(2.2k reviews)
    2.1 mi•CBD, Central Business District, Northwest
    •$$

    After living in the greater Denver area for nearly 30 years, it was kind of a shocking experience…read moreto discover a restaurant that appears to have existed for quite some time. Until today, I had never seen or heard of Savina's before. I accidentally found Savina when I was looking for an alternative restaurant downtown after I couldn't dine at an Italian restaurant only several blocks away (they had unexpected staffing shortage so they had to close it between lunch and dinner.) When I did a search online, Savina's was only a short drive from it. I simply wanted "food" so switching the cuisine from Italian to Mexican was no problem. I needed to do work on my phone so upon arrival, I asked for a table/seat that has outlet access. The kind receptionist then recommended I grab a seat at the bar. And wow! As I proceeded to it, nicely dimmed lights with great ambiance that spreads out all the way to the four corners of the restaurant welcomed me. That was when it dawned on me that Savina's was a high-end Mexican place. Mostly booth tables with some standalone tables in the middle. Wooden beams on the ceiling and bricks as walls, the interior is mostly brown. The very bar I chose to sit at is quite spacious. What caught my attention was the copper countertops at the bar. The rustic charms that were being emitted from it were elegant indeed. As the receptionist kindly instructed me to sit right in the middle of the bar for an easy outlet access, that's exactly what I did. The person in charge at the bar was Craig. He was most professional. His attentiveness was simply timely between the moments of quick conversation he and I had at the beginning. Their menu (for the kind of restaurant Savina is) is a bit small (at least that is what I thought) and yet I don't like massive ones that have food items after another because it causes me to be indecisive so for that reason, Savina's menu size was comforting. For a restaurant with this kind of high-end feel, the prices of the dishes were quite affordable. After a thorough perusal of it, I set my eyes on the Mexican Street Taco (chicken) that comes with three tacos, rice and refried beans. And as of this writing on 9/27/2026, the price of this dish is/was $24. Craig saw me put down the menu. He wasted no time to take my order and it thus was placed with the kitchen immediately. I had about 10 minutes to enjoy the complimentary chips and salsa and my freshly made decaf. To be frank, I wasn't expecting a decaf to be this good at a Mexican restaurant. I mean it was really good. It truly hit the spot. And somehow it paired so well with the complimentary chips and salsa. The salsa was also well made. My plate came out just in time. And it was quite the size. But what impressed me the most was, of course, the quality of it. The rice was well seasoned with the perfect texture/moisture. The refried beans were creamy but not to the point where it was soupy, had lots of flavors with the perfect amount of salt, and were properly mashed. And the protagonist of the plate, chicken tacos were of a good size. Each taco had a good number of diced chicken in them. And the avocado pieces in the tacos were very visible. And they were perfectly ripe with no brownness. The sauce that accompanied the tacos was also notable; a good amount of kick is what I tasted and yet it was a controlled heat. It sure was a nice enhancer. I was able to eat only half of what the plate had so I asked for a container from Craig which he promptly provided. Like I have already mentioned, Craig's attentiveness was spot on. I have to thank that Italian restaurant that was closed (LOL!) Had it not been the case, I don't think I would have discovered Savina's today. From the beautiful ambience to great service to good food, my late lunch at this Mexican restaurant was more than what I could have asked for. I will have to make a point to go back and dine there soon.

    Savina's was highly recommended to us by the valet at the hotel we were staying at. It was a close…read morewalk. The restaurant was not very full when we got there but it was early and it was filling up when we were leaving. The homemade tortilla chips were awesome. They had just the right amount of salt. I ordered a chicken quesadilla and my husband ordered the pork burritos. Mine could have had a bit more chicken but it was still delicious. My husband said his was good although they put too many onions on top (if I had to guess it was 1/3 of an onion chopped-a little rediculous). He also had a Catalan margarita that was tasty. Our waiter was friendly and efficient. He talked to us about how he came to Denver from the east coast and liked it here. Overall, we would definitely recommend Savina's and if we are back in the area we would eat here again.

    Photos
    Savina's - Bar view

    Bar view

    Savina's - Chicken fajitas

    Chicken fajitas

    Savina's - Patio area

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    Patio area

    Alma Fonda Fina - Sweet potato

    Alma Fonda Fina

    4.8(299 reviews)
    1.8 mi•Northwest, Highland

    You have to plan ahead to eat here. You need a reservation and they get booked up the day the…read morereservation opens. It's worth the effort though because this is one of the best meals I've had in Denver. My husband and I shared: - Avocado Margarita - Pineapple Sour - Camote Asado - Enmolada De Pato - Quesadilla Frita - Pancita Pibil - Ceviche De Atun - Callo De Hacha Al Horno Everything was delicious. My favorite dishes were the ceviche, sweet potato (camote asado), and scallops (callo de hacha al horno). I find it strange that people complain that it's expensive because it's probably less than half the price of the other Michelin star restaurants in the city. I appreciated being able to try that level of food without the price point that you typically pay for a tasting menu at many Michelin star restaurants. I was surprised that their vegetarian selection was pretty small. I'm not a vegetarian, but our vegetarian friend wasn't interested in joining because there weren't many options. We'll definitely be trying their other restaurants!

    We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner experience here. I made the reservation online 60 days out as…read morerecommended. We were in at 4:45 as that was the only space available on the day we could go, and it worked out great. We got one plate from the happy hour menu and the fun avocado margarita and the old fashioned were fine cocktails. The margarita was a popular item, quite a few tables had them. I'll have to try and make one when we get home to Kona! Our server was Fiona; she was a whirlwind helping a number of tables, but we thought she was excellent and it was fun watching the staff behind the counter creating magical plates. Smiles on all of them as they worked like a team that knew and liked each other. And the plates they made were indeed delicious. I won't drill down on what we had, everyone will choose their own favorites by the end of their meal. One of our criteria when travelling is to find unique dining experiences, and this hit the mark in every way. We left after five plates and cocktails with smiles and satisfaction. While I've seen some reviews point out it was expensive, I don't feel it was overpriced for what they offer. I'd recommend this to anyone and it was an easy uber from our hotel. Mahalo.

    Photos
    Alma Fonda Fina - Mexican clay mugs

    Mexican clay mugs

    Alma Fonda Fina - Sweet potato

    Sweet potato

    Alma Fonda Fina - Bar seating where we could enjoy seeing the chefs working hard to make our dishes

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    Bar seating where we could enjoy seeing the chefs working hard to make our dishes

    Adelitas Cocina Y Cantina - Enchiladas

    Adelitas Cocina Y Cantina

    4.2(1.1k reviews)
    3.5 mi•Southwest
    •$$

    Haven't been here in a few years. Stopped by tonight for a margarita/chips&salsa/tacos and it all…read morehit the spot. Quick meal at the bar and I would describe the ambiance is eclectic elegant. Service at the bar was great... friendly bar tender doing his thing!

    Sometimes you don't need culinary fireworks. Sometimes you need a place that feels like someone is…read moregenuinely happy you walked through the door. Adelitas is that place. I grabbed a seat at the bar where the bartender was friendly and engaging. On a recent Wednesday at 7:15, the restaurant was packed. When I left around 8:30, it was still busy. That's usually the best review a restaurant can get. Loyal customers don't keep coming back out of habit. They come back because it feels like home. The all-day happy hour margarita for $9 certainly doesn't hurt. The second one arrives before you've had time to argue yourself out of it. I ordered the enchiladas with carne asada and their house mole. If you're expecting one of those intensely complex moles with enough ingredients to fill a pantry, this isn't that. Adelitas' version is comforting, approachable, and deeply homey. It tastes less like a culinary experiment and more like something your abuela has been making for decades. The carne asada was tender, the rice and beans were exactly what they should be, and every bite reminded me why comfort food never goes out of style. Before leaving, I made the smartest decision of the evening. Tres leches to go. I devoured it later at home while Netflix asked if I was still watching. The cake somehow manages to be light while completely satisfying. Don't skip it. Better yet, don't pretend you're saving it for tomorrow. Adelitas isn't trying to impress you. It's trying to feed you well, welcome you warmly, and send you home happier than when you arrived. Whether your abuela was Mexican...or Greek...you'll understand exactly what they're serving here.

    Photos
    Adelitas Cocina Y Cantina - Inside

    Inside

    Adelitas Cocina Y Cantina - Tres Leches Cake

    Tres Leches Cake

    Adelitas Cocina Y Cantina - Outside

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    Outside

    Tamayo by Chef Richard Sandoval - Tamayo dining room

    Tamayo by Chef Richard Sandoval

    3.8(1.5k reviews)
    1.7 mi•Lodo, Northwest
    •$$$

    We had such a wonderful experience hosting our rehearsal lunch at Tamayo! Everything was fantastic…read morefrom start to finish. The food was delicious, the space was beautiful, and our guests had such a great time. It was the perfect setting for us to kick off our wedding weekend and spend time with our closest family and friends. Meg Batizy was absolutely amazing to work with throughout the entire process. She was so helpful, responsive, and accommodating, and made planning our event feel incredibly easy. She was also wonderful on the day of the lunch and made sure everything was taken care of so we could relax and enjoy the afternoon with our guests. We are so thankful to Meg and the entire Tamayo team for helping make such an important part of our wedding weekend so special. We couldn't have asked for a better experience and would absolutely recommend Tamayo for any event!

    9/1/26: surprisingly good! i don't have high hopes for…read moredenver food because the trends i see are steakhouses, healthy food, and beer. salsa trio & chips were delicious. three sauces came with the chips, all distinct in flavor. salsa verde wasn't spicy but had an amazing sour zing to it. my favorite was the charred pepita habanero salsa. this had the perfect consistency (not as liquidy as regular salsa) and had a bit of spice. the third sauce was interesting. i actually don't know what it was but it wasn't bad, also wasn't good. also orders the bonito which was bomb. tuna was so fresh and paired so well with the guac and WONTON chips. such an amazing crunch on these chips, i had to start dipping them with the salsas. skirt steak was so juicy. fajita veggies were decent, just a tad oily but i guess you can't really escape that when you get a sizzling plate. tortillas came in a little woven pig's ass (so fun)! nothing notable about the tortillas though, just plain flour. this place definitely shocked me, and i would come back again. highly recommend! eats- - salsa trio & chips - bonito - skirt steak fajitas

    Photos
    Tamayo by Chef Richard Sandoval
    Tamayo by Chef Richard Sandoval
    Tamayo by Chef Richard Sandoval

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    El Zarape - mexican - Updated October 2026

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