Gave these guys another chance finally yesterday for my girlfriend's birthday. Ordered $55 worth of food and once again the order was wrong. Don't order from them. If you're there in person where they can't be lazy and screw your over it might be good. Cannot recommend. read more

Very cool atmosphere. It was very busy but the line moved quickly. The staff is great, the margs are great, but the tacos I got were mediocre. read more

I didn't hate Illegal Pete's but I'd give it two and a half stars. It was okay. Husband and I were looking for breakfast burritos and a different restaurant but ran into this place first. Based on the soundtrack, I had immediate reservations. Being a New Mexican I was a little concerned that the staff looked like they were from Omaha, Nebraska and the soundtrack started with "Slide" from the Goo Goo Dolls. One Yelp reviewer complained this place is too hipster. Idk I think there was a Bronco's game on the TV at the bar. As for the largely positive comparisons to Chipolte in other reviews, I am not sure about that. I think it should win an award for being the least Mexican burrito place I personally have ever encountered. In this category it beats a restaurant my dad took me to somewhere in New England called Tres Hermanos where I ate a sweet potato burrito with mango salsa and yogurt sauce that was actually quite good. But at Illegal Pete's I was quite shocked when I found they don't serve salsa with fish tacos. I looked for a salsa bar and saw none. In the condiment and plastic cutlery area, there were several hot sauce options including Tapatio, Chulula, and red and green Tabasco. When I looked around, I saw that some folks had guacamole. It bothered me so bad that I couldn't stop thinking about my salsa-less tacos and later looked at the online menu to find out if any was available. I could of asked for it but I just don't understand why I should have to. If I read the menu closer, I might have become suspicious when I saw that they put ranch sauce on the tacos. Illegal Pete's might not be my thing but it seems to be a popular joint. Getting back to the soundtrack, I think it might be appropriate to name their entrees after alternative power pop bands from the 1990's: The Third Eye Blind taco plate, The Toad and the Wet Sprocket, Soul Asylum and Creed burrito combos. The last thing that puzzled me about this place is the fact that it's called "Illegal Pete's." I walked around Denver wondering if being a Mexican restaurant without any visible Mexican employees, this was somehow ironic. In case you were wondering, I found the topic is explored in depth on the Illegal Pete's blog. read more

Illegal Pete's never disappoints! I love the food here, the staff is always friendly and funny, and the service is super quick. I've come on random week nights where there is next to no wait time, but it feels like it's full of happy people and customers. The food here is amazing and comparable to Chipotle. I still can't decide which place I prefer... I like that illegal Pete's has the dish option though. The food is very affordable and good for something in a pinch! But it's also a really fun place to hang and have some drinks with friends. Or to just enjoy time on the patio. The bar also had awesome drinks. They have specialty cocktails, and lots of beers on tap! I usually get beer, but a friend of mine always gets a Moscow mule here, and she loves them! I would recommend coming here with friends on a casual night out, or if you wanted to show someone from out of town a low key but fun place. read more

Illegal Pete's - Colfax - Order from the bar! - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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This was probably the highlight of our trip! We loved illegal Pete's. The staff was very helpful and friendly when explaining the way the menu worked. I was blown away with all of the food we tried. I love that you have soo many options to make your food your own. We also had one girl that was sooo helpful, I'm sad I don't remember her name but she said she's worked at Pete's for years and was brunette. People like her make locations like this so memorable read more

I'm from NM and was skeptical. While I wouldn't say illegal Pete's is traditional by any means the taquitos come pretty close. They're so good idk if I'm willing to try anything else from here! read more

You can never go wrong with Illegal Pete's. Great quick food and drink. This location is a little quirky. It is located in a former restaurant and has it's own unique look and feel. It's really good for people watching because of the location. Bar service is very quick and this is a great place to day drink. read more

Always love Illegal Pete's. Better than Chipotle, hands down. I'm probably here three times or more a month. Great vibe, good bar selection. Lots of local brews available. Breakfast options are amazing. I think they serve it until 12 or 1pm on weekends. Multiple locations around town, although I'm usually at the Colfax location. Service is good. Quick and to the point. Guacamole isn't extra if you skip on dairy. Oh and they have green chili (and a vegetarian option!!!) read more

Giant, yummy burrito. Super friendly staff. Loved it! Can't wait to visit on a day more conducive for the patio. UPDATE: I've returned several times since my initial review and...yep, still 5 stars. Now that I can officially say this is a frequent haunt, it's interesting to compare the staff here to a place like VooDoo Donuts because they both tend to hire the same late-20s, hip, all-tattooed staff. But, unlike the VooDoo Donuts staff (which seem to relish in their too-cool-for-you attitude) everyone at Illegal Pete's is SUPER patient, helpful, and friendly. And I mean everyone. The food is consistently good. The patio is huge and always seems to have a few open tables, even on the best Denver summer eves. You won't be disappointed if you give this place a try! read more

3.5 to 4 stars. We visited for lunch as a family. Everyone enjoyed the experience. 1. Food- we tried a mix of bowls and burritos, all were met with a 'thumbs up'. Prices were ok for the type of food. 2. Service - food served at counter. The staff were friendly and courteous. 3. Location - we sat in the patio area, it was nicely temperature controlled. read more

This new location is so close to me, so I foresee many happy returns. It's got a great covered patio, huge and lined with twinkle lights and filled with picnic tables. It's pretty crowded here on the weekends and I've had to wait a good 15 minutes in line before, but it's a fun casual atmosphere and it's a great space for lounging with friends over a margarita. Illegal Petes is like a Chipotle but local and with a full bar. Woo! I usually order a burrito bowl, and while I find most of the ingredients fresh and bright and good, I can't get behind their cilantro lime rice. It's so gummy and sticky and dried out every time! I might switch over to tacos.. Great spicy bloody Mary's, an impressive house margarita, good chips and salsa, plenty on the menu, always a fun and vibrant atmosphere, and super affordable. I'm becoming a big fan. I think I want a t-shirt (they sell them upfront)! read more

Food was amazing! Taquitos were the best I've ever had! Fish tacos were also delicious! Cute place to stop and eat when visiting! read more

Illegal Pete's - Colfax - 4 Chicken Taquitos - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

This place is good. Great atmosphere. Fun hipster place to go. read more

Illegal Pete's - Colfax - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I have nothing but good things to say about this place. Me and my friend were starving and "yelped" something nearby. My friend was excited about his new driver's license and the manager was so nice and friendly to him, just like the rest of the staff we interacted with. Even though I'm not a fan of Chipotle and Qdoba kind of food, I really liked my bowl, (fresh ingridients!) and omg I think I'm still full, the portions are more than enough. Great patio, decent beer selection and pretty good happy hour ($3-6 drinks). Tip: try the sopapillas for dessert. read more

Illegal Pete's - Colfax - Bowl, sopapilla, tacos and craft beer - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Amazing food! I so appreciate that Illegal Pete's has vegetarian green chili sauce and you can sub guac for dairy in burritos at no extra charge. Fresh and delicious. We will be coming back the next time we're in Colorado! read more

Want fast, great tasting Mexican food? Look no further! Stop in and have your food within minutes! With many food allergies, being able to select what is in/on my food is a must! Great staff always ensure you have a positive experience! read more

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This place is full of solid homies, the food always slaps, the drinks are on point, and it's one of my favorite patios to just post up on and people watch. Highly recommend! read more

Chipotle-style food bar with great, cheap food. Happy hour prices are unreal and house margarita is fire. Atmosphere is fun too. Bartender was another story. He seemed overwhelmed but lacked social etiquette. Was rude and dismissive to my group, didn't seem to pay attention to us even when taking our order. I asked a question and received a very short, rude answer. I'll be back for the food, but will skip the bar if this sassy little rude man is working again. read more

Pete! You're my spicy marg hero. And local IPA. And queso. Aaaaand guac. The perfect afternoon pickup here will hype you up for any occasion. My colleagues and I bopped into this groovy location and the locals knew the drill. Someone went inline to get the mass queso and guac and the other, straight to the bar (wither everyone's IDs) to order libations. Seating indoor or outdoor is ample. The music was pulsin' - my head bopped so much I could have done a B. Spears-like hair flip when we left. The spicy marg won the gold medal for me. It's pretty spicy, not wimpy. read more

Walked over to Illegal Pete's on Colfax in Denver and was told the only way I could complete an in person, takeaway order, was to pull up the menu with a cell phone (which I did not bring with me) and do it remotely. Clueless! read more

Amazing experience and delicious food! I got a burrito bowl and it was very good, the staff was also friendly and made my day!

The staff was super friendly. The food however was bland!! Sightings undercooked and something's overcooked. The guac was a little funkey too!!! read more

According to my 5-year-old, Illegal Pete's makes the best guacamole in town. And really, who am I to argue with that sentiment? They also make really delicious queso. And who isn't a fan of the potato burrito? So, yeah, I've always enjoyed the food at Illegal Pete's, ever since I first started going to the location in Boulder when I moved to Colorado for college. This location though. Man. I can't tell you how happy I was to see the old weird diner close and Illegal Pete's take over instead. They have that great patio now. And the upstairs space where I can take my loud kids and not bother anyone. So that's all good. All that plus breakfast burritos and happy hour? Who wouldn't be a fan? read more

Love the location and love the look of this place which has great food and a good selection of drinks (both alcoholic and your typical soda selection) They have a good offering of tables inside and a great patio section to sit out in the summer and enjoy the choice of burrito, chips and guac/queso, a salad and your choice of drink. Servers were friendly all from a local restaurant that does a great job! read more

Great food, I love the new e-menu's and ordering system. I ate a burrito the size Of a small child and the crew was nice as all get out, helped my guy work through his tomato issues :) This type of genuine goodness is why we always visit Denver! read more

Went in to order some food with my dad. Whoever was behind the bar starting the orders, told us to maintain 6 feet apart even though we were more than 6 feet apart from both customers behind and Infront of us. For some reason he only pointed us out and not the customers around us. Told us we weren't standing on the designated stickers on the floor. (Even tho literally no one else was) but for some reason singled us out. His attitude was disappointing. read more

Super picky eater and this place was amazing. The best combo taquitos and chicken nachos. Really great food!

This place is pretty cool. Like chipotle with a bar, and cheap drinks. Would be 5 stars but every time I order the little bag of chips as the side with my bowl they give me a large chip and queso as well, I always ask for just queso on the side with the little bag of chips but for some reason it's always misconstrued. Other than this it's a sweet place. read more

Ate at illegal Pete's today and it was delicious, quick, and affordable. We were looking for a new place for us to eat at. I had the steak nachos and the potato steak bowl. I had several vegetables added on with a green chili pork sauce. Very tasty. Fountain drinks. Pepsi products. Nice atmosphere. Tvs with sports. Adult beverages. Upstairs and a patio. I will eat there again when I'm the neighborhood. Two stomachs up. Lives read more

Great place to pop in on a sunny day in Denver. Right off Colfax, theres great people watching on their dog friendly, and large patio. Food is great, go during happy hour for strong and cheap margs. read more

unfortunately, earlier this year in July I got food poisoning after eating here. It was a bummer and was sick for two-three days. Couldn't eat anything or hydrate during that whole time. read more

The rudest service I have ever received in Denver, I will never spend another penny here.

I'm going to start off by saying that I flipping love their quesadillas but I highly recommend that you eat there. 5/5 times that I've ordered online to pick it up, they've messed it up. read more

What is there not to say about Pete's? I live ten steps away from this hipster haven and I gravitate towards it every time I try to run an errand. I can't help myself. The kick A$$ live music, playlists, or spur of the moment happenings, make me lose all control and suddenly all other plans are dropped and I am magically sipping a 5.00 Happy Hour margarita. How do they do that? They keep their employees and customers happy. They also have one of the longest and greatest happy hours known to ....well, me. It goes from 3:00 - 8:00 and then again from 11:00p.m - 1:00 am. You get chips and salsa and a drink for a really reasonable price. They also have the best breakfast burritos for the price! There are always really cool events happening here too. Yesterday I sipped a cocktail and watched the graffiti artists work their magic on their newest project. Another time, I went in and they were debuting a show called "Those Who Can't" which takes place in Denver. Pete's has TVs too, so you can watch games anytime or even a movie on their big screen. Be sure to check the calendar to see what they are up to. read more

I really can't top what others have said. I usually stumble in here after the bars have closed and I always leave happy. This is a little unfortunate because they have a great selection of beer on tap and a nice patio. By the time I get there though, all I care about is inhaling my steak quesadilla and chips and guac before I pass out. Definitely a step up from Chipotle, and I always feel like Illegal Pete's prices more reasonably. The staff here are all super nice. My only complaint is that they always try to send me home with queso instead of guac, but when I point it out, I usually get to go home with both. NO complaints. Thanks, guys, for always taking caring of me....see you tomorrow morning at about 2:30am. read more

I'll be honest, I was very excited to go here for multiple reasons. A: tacos are freaking delicious B: I loved the restaurants story. I'm a sucker for purchasing from the local guys not necessarily chains and since we recently relocated to Denver it was high on my list. We visited the E. Colfax location this past Saturday around 1:30 PM. Pro's - Parking! I was very surprised there was as much parking as there was especially given the location. The dark haired man adding toppings! He was friendly and just a pleasant person to be around. The location! It is great super convenient to all that is E. Colfax. Patio! What a great patio there is no denying that. Con's - I don't want to pretend to know everything but I know anyone worth there wait who serves corn tortillas serves a taco on TWO. Everyone has a corn tortilla falling apart horror story and I was surprised that Illegal Pete's (or the less than stellar blonde fellow helping) only used one per taco. This place is either cheap or stupid when it comes to that...unfortunately. I ordered the carnitas tacos x3. I have had many different carnitas tacos and heck even make a great recipe myself and these kind of sucked. The meat was tender was lacked any depth of flavor. It needed, salt/spice over and over and over again. Speaking of the man who "warmed" up my one tortillas he could use a personality adjustment. He sucked! He was rude and not exactly helpful to someone who clearly had never been there before. People remember those workers on the frontline and this guy left a bad taste in my mouth. My husband ordered the shredded beef tacos and they were fine waaaaay better than the carnitas but not life changing. We also ordered a small order of chips and guacamole. In case you are wanting guacamole this may not be the place to go. Illegal Pete's smashed an avocado and called in guacamole. There is no onion, cilantro, lime, jalapeno, just smashed avocado. Lastly, the place was not that busy and every container of water was basically out. This is Colorado my friends and in the summer nonetheless. Overall - I was just really disappointed in my experience at Illegal Pete's. I don't want to write off the entire restaurant because people seem to rave about it but the E. Colfax location and I will never meet again. I also just think that Denver should be doing better in the Mexican food department. I have yet to experience good Mexican food. In fact, if you're looking for some good tacos (carnitas, chicken chile verdes, and barbacoa) come on my by my house I'll show you how it should be done! read more

Illegal Pete's - Colfax - Tri-cap carnitas tacos - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Food was good and was ready quickly. However, this is a DIY place. You need to order from the website and then pick the food up at the window. It was also not explained to us that we needed to order from the website so we sat around for about 10 minutes trying to figure out why no one was coming to our table. The website is not the easiest and there is absolutely no waitstaff. Outdoor seating only. read more

On past trips to Denver I always wanted to check out Illegal Pete's, but never got the chance. On my most recent trip to Denver, I was finally able to visit! And yup, it was worth the wait. I strayed away from my normal burrito-ordering habits and decided to grab one of their bowls. The style of ordering reminded me of Chipotle... but better. I got chicken, lettuce, black beans, Mexican rice, medium hot sauce, and of course, extra guac. You also have the option of having chips or tortillas on the side -- I chose chips. It was delicious. I used the fillings of my bowl as dip and used the chips to scrape up some of that extra guac. We came in on a Wednesday evening around 10, so it wasn't too busy (except the kickball bar crawl that was happening). Since it was a beautiful night out, my group sat outside on their large, twinkle-light covered patio. I can imagine this area is a huge hit on the weekends and during the summer, since there is plenty of picnic-style tables and smaller tables to accommodate lots of people. They also have a full bar inside. With amazing $5 margaritas. I'm going to repeat, $5 margaraitas!! I was really tired on this particular visit, but of course, I couldn't turn down delicious, cheap margaritas. They were a little bit on the sweeter end, which I usually don't like, but this time around I really did. Illegal Pete's, I love you, your food and your margaritas. I will be back. read more

This burrito should be Illegal it's so good! I have been to Illegal Pete's before years ago while on tour with my band! They even gave us free food just for being a band on tour in Denver.. That's such a cool thing, and you can tell they still support music cause they have their own record label! Now that I'm a working fool, who's not touring the country anymore, I came to Denver on a work trip and we had a huge day of moving tables, and sweating in the heat.. But have no fear, there was a plan for post work day burritos, nachos, and margaritas at Illegal Pete's it was at that moment, I remembered how much I loved Illegal Pete's when we came years ago on tour! We pulled in around 10:30 at night and the patio was hoping, the line was long (moved fast), and the staff was having a good time.. I love a place where you can tell the staff likes working with each other, even when there are a ton of people in line! I got the veggie burrito, and some chips! The burrito is huge, and the salsa's and guac are where it's at.. I probably did not need the chips cause the burrito filled me up, but they were a nice add on! I also got a 5 dollar Margarita that was salty and hit the spot! Nothing like sitting on a patio, with buds after a long day of working and getting to pound a burrito! This is what life is all about.. It's this is what illegal is, let me get arrested again and again! read more

In addition to having the best burritos in town, they're also taking this whole pandemic thing seriously. Illegal Pete's does it right.