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    Illegal Pete's on The Hill

    3.8 (66 reviews)
    Open 10:30 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    ILLEGAL PETE'S ON THE HILL ATMOSPHERE

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    two tacos
    Bill E.

    My friend and I lucked into this place. Looked fun and the staff were amazing - being our first time - they were all so enthusiastic about what they were making and presenting and they were so helpful. The food was fantastic. I had 3 taco's - chicken had the best flavor for me - I loved that I could do 3 different meats and get a little more exposure to what they had. My friend had a burrito and was very happy with it as well. Wish there was one of these in Omaha - because I would be there constantly.

    You forgot some stuff :( oh well.
    Terry B.

    Good food but poorly executed. Eat in so you can correct them when they forget something or mess up an order. I'm thru trying to order curbside. The staff doesn't care. Dropped almost $40 to have a burrito that looked like it was wrapped by someone without thumbs. (If he really didn't have thumbs, then he did a pretty good job otherwise, but still, get someone to wrap it maybe?) Forgot to add the cheese and sour cream to my tacos. Like, it should feel weird NOT to add cheese and sc, but I even REQUESTED it. Still, no. Ordered large queso because it's BOMB. They filled it about half way. My son's quesadilla was okay. He's not picky. Honestly Pete's is a Boulder staple, so we don't want to make a stink, and you should totally try them. But like I said, eat in, and they'll try harder. Bummer. Still edible and pretty good, but it's nice to have full portions, fully completed menu items, and no missing ingredients if possible. Love from South Boulder!!

    Aye brother big day at the creek mate pound some white claws and listen to death grips and pound some more claws borther. Nightwish borther
    Ben L.

    I swear to Jesus McChrist, what would i do?? I mean what in the actual fuck would i do without it? This is where moses saw that bush on fire, he didn't understand it but he loved the sweet nectar of the bush.

    Burrito bowl
    Jurga T.

    Came to Boulder Co to visit my old friends and get a tour at the University of Boulder . This place is their favorite for fast food Mexican and I am clueless why :) Upon entering the place you can smell old burnt oil and that smell gets worse inside . The tables and chairs/boot seats were dirty and sticky . Why cant you clean it once in a while ? The food was mediocre and expensive considering the portion size. Cute thing was a separate bar area that gave this hole in a wall a little face lift. Maybe its a late night spot when you are not so sensitive about smells and table cleanliness :))

    The half of my huge chocolate chip cookie that I'm taking to go!

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    1 month ago

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    25 days ago

    Wish they had one in Dallas - great food, great service, good price, and fun vibe. I would definitely recommend it!

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    Illegal Pete's H.

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    1 year ago

    No service went 45 min without service. Rude bartenders cant belive the price of drinks and terrible food too.

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    Dana W.

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    Audrey K.

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    Dana W.

    Lachlan, thank you so much for your review! We appreciate you!

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    8 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    6 years ago

    The food was good, the service was fast, and the restaurant was clean and compliant with current COVID regulations in Colorado.

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    Julie T.

    Awesome! Thanks, Sammie, for taking the time to review us!

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    6 years ago

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    Julie T.

    Brittany, we're so happy you dig us! Thanks for the kind words. :)

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    7 years ago

    I am a huge fan of Illegal Pete's. I have visited all locations in the Denver area. Great margaritas! Great food! Great happy hour!

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    8 years ago

    Love going here for some food or a night out. Dan is an amazing bartender. Check them out!!!

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    Dylan B.

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    4 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Dana is the best! Outstanding service. You will never find a better bar. This is the place!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Illegal Pete's on The Hill

    Review Highlights - Illegal Pete's on The Hill

    Ever since I first discovered illegal Pete's it's always been my favorite Mexican restaurant food chain, even above chipotle and qdoba.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

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    Cozobi Fonda Fina

    Cozobi Fonda Fina

    4.7
    (88 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    I've eaten at two of the other restaurants in the group, Alma Fonda Fina and Alteño, so when we…read morewere going to be in Boulder mid-afternoon I checked the schedule for Cozobi and was surprised to find that they open at 2pm with both a happy hour menu plus the full dinner menu. Even better, there were seats available at the chef's counter. I'm sure the dinner hour is a more intense experience, but we walked into a peaceful, beautiful space at 2:15pm. There were a few people in the bar, otherwise the restaurant was empty except for our two seats at the chef's counter with a great view of the kitchen. It felt like the restaurant was closed and just serving the two of us. Cozobi is the Zapotec god of maize and agriculture which is certainly appropriate for a restaurant focused on authentic masa. Outside there's a long, secluded patio. You enter to the lobby of an office building, then go left into Cozobi. There's an elegant bar in front, the dining room in the middle, then the comfortable chef's counter and kitchen in the rear. We started with two items from the happy hour menu: Taco Dorado with wild mushrooms, queso Chihuahua, and guacachile (a green sauce made from chilis and onions) and Ceviche de Huachinango with red snapper and smashed avocado served tostada-style on an authentic tortilla. The mushroom taco was amazingly savory with absolutely delicious flavors that melded perfectly. The ceviche was good, but I'm not a fan of Chef Curiel's extremely hard tortillas. There were too many small bits on the tostada to pick it up without everything falling off and it was impossible to cut. We finally scraped off the ceviche and then broke up the tortilla to eat separately. Next we went to the dinner menu with the Callo de Hacha al las Brasas, Fall River scallops, serrano ponzu, tomato butter, and chives. I've had this before and it was as beautiful and delicious as ever. The small scallops were cooked perfectly. The Taco de Pastor came with Sakura pork collar, recaudo rojo (a tomato, onion, and garlic sauce), charred pineapple, and salsa verde cruda (a tomatillo sauce). Again, beautiful to look at and very savory, tender, and delicious. Finally we went for the Huachinango a la Veracruzana, Baja red snapper in an olive tomato broth with roasted lemon rice. OMG, the broth was amazing. A perfectly cooked piece of fish with wonderful flavors and a delightful dish of rice to accompany the fish. Cozobi offers dessert and we finished with a picture-perfect tres leches cake, swimming in a luscious sauce. I just love trying lots of different tastes and this menu is well-organized to provide that. Six dishes were the perfect amount of food and we left very satisfied. The very charming Asia provided great service while also busy in the kitchen. A few of the servers assisted from time-to-time. Everything ran like clockwork. My girlfriend enjoyed herself and we were both very impressed.

    An exceptional experience, from beginning to end. The chef, Johnny Curiel, has a Michelin star and…read moreis a James Beard nominated cook, and it shows. The restaurant itself is beautiful and the beautiful bar is the centerpiece of this gorgeous restaurant. The atmosphere is a lovely combination of elegance and dining comfort. The waitstaff is beautifully trained, and everyone who works here seems to be very proud of the food and ambiance. We started with a tuna crudo which was one of the stars of the meal. The tuna was delicious and the broth was heavenly. We ordered pork taco and a beef taco, both so tasty. For our entree, we had the snapper in tomato broth. I'm still thinking about it! As soon as you know you're going to Boulder, book a reservation. Even is all you can get is an 8:45, take it! This was without a doubt the best dining experience we enjoyed in Boulder. My only regret is that I didn't book at least 3 meals here during our stay! I won't make that mistake again! Cozobi Fonda Fina is simply that good!

    Photos
    Cozobi Fonda Fina
    Costra de NY strip - Steak taco with a layer of crispy cheese
    Costra de NY strip - Steak taco with a layer of crispy cheese
    Cozobi Fonda Fina

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    Centro Mexican Kitchen

    Centro Mexican Kitchen

    3.8
    (845 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Vegetarian friendly

    Dinner here is alway fun and especially so when it is supporting a cause like this night. The…read morerestaurant was part of downtown Boulder's effort to Dine Out For Ukraine. We took the opportunity to join in. The staff was welcoming and one of our favorite tables out on the patio was available. We started with drinks and though they were out of my husband's favorite beer, the one they suggested worked just as well. We started with a collection of small plates and added some other ones too. I liked their take on gazpacho with crunchy bits of toasted sourdough and micro cilantro on top. Give me cilantro on anything and I am always happy. I know this is not universal though, so know that it is in there. My husband had the tuna crudo taco plate, 3 tacos on blue corn tortillas. He also had a dish of rice and beans to supplement the taco plate. I think I would have that taco plate myself next time though I always have enjoyed the grilled fish tacos I had again this time. The yellow corn tortillas are grilled which gives them extra stability to build your own taco with a bowl full of ingredients. I love that I can use as much or as little of the collection on each tortilla. Note, tonight the cauliflower bites were very, very spicy but not the rest of the slaw. And to top the meal off just perfectly, we had the churros yet again. Their preparation makes this dish one of our favorite desserts in Boulder. A nice time for a nice cause. I'm glad there is so much support with our dining options here, for help to a country fighting for its existence.

    Bottom line: Centro needs a replacement! The food, drinks and service are not worth the price! What…read morea ^%#*^ rip off! Went to Centro for dinner with 6 of us. Ordered apps and drinks (beer and margs). Should have left when the 3 small, barely noticeable chips strips and barely 2 tablespoons of guac arrived as appetizer!!!. Then after 20 mins two beers arrived and then after another 20 mins two margs arrived and then after 10 mins the other two maths arrived. The grilled fish tacos were OMG 3 little slivers of shitty fish that had absolutely zero flavor. On top of that the "sauce" with the tacos is I kind you not a sweeter version of hot oil chill peppers that one gets at the take-away Chinese food takeout!!!! OMG Centro management you are now officially in the same category as a used car salesman! Never again will I visit your restaurant!!!

    Photos
    Large Group Friendly
    Large Group Friendly
    Crispy Baja Fish Taco Board
    Crispy Baja Fish Taco Board
    Bloody Mary

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    Bloody Mary
    Santo

    Santo

    4.0
    (300 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$$

    Another fun evening at Santo for Happy Hour. We were there early enough to get our favorite seats…read morein the roomy big area along the east wall. Plenty of table space to lay out all of our food and drink choices at once to browse. My husband chose a dark lager and I had my fave Jamaica Agua Fresca, house made. We chose newer items we love though our old faves are still around too. Tonight we had the media lunas, the bbq wings and the pork adovada nachos which has quite a kick. Turns out, this was a huge portion for happy hour but we know these items travel well so we brought them home to finish tomorrow. It's always so much fun here, the staff is friendly and more than competent. The other diners tend to be friendly and those wanting to avoid the children in this family friendly spot in north Boulder can get their seats at the cool bar with so many options to drink and a staff of knowledgeable bartenders.

    Wanted a new experience, so we checked out the menu for this new restaurant and it looked tasty…read moreenough to give it a shot on a Sunday afternoon. We walked in and at first it seemed like it had a decent vibe. I had actually been to this location before when it was a different restaurant. Seems like this spot changes ownership pretty frequently, which in hindsight probably says something. Right away we noticed a bunch of tables, especially the booths, still hadn't been bussed. We were told to "sit anywhere," but the only clean tables available were high tops and we wanted a booth, so we waited for the busser, who moved at a pace that honestly felt unbelievable. He seemed to be clearing tables one cup and one plate at a time, walking each item individually back to the kitchen. It was painfully inefficient. It was obvious both he and the girl at the bar saw us standing there waiting for a booth to be cleared, but nobody seemed concerned about it. Eventually the table was finally cleared, but then it sat there dirty for a long time without being wiped down. At that point we just sat anyway, assuming someone would quickly come over and clean it once they saw guests sitting there. In most restaurants, that's standard. Not here. After waiting even longer, I finally asked for a rag so I could wipe the table down myself. The response I got back was rude: "Why don't you just sit at one of the tables that's already clear?" That pretty much sealed it for us. The vibe was off from the second we walked in, and you could feel the lack of care throughout the whole place. At that point we didn't even want to order food because it already felt like the experience was headed downhill. We got up and left. Honestly, I'm glad we did. Service and atmosphere usually reflect what's happening behind the scenes, and I had zero confidence the food experience would've been any different. After leaving, we went to El Centro instead and had a much better experience. I'd recommend choosing that over this place any day of the week. Giving people a good dining experience really isn't that complicated. Sometimes it honestly feels like restaurant staff have never gone out to eat themselves and experienced what good hospitality actually feels like. Unfortunately this place completely missed the mark. We won't be back, and I wouldn't recommend it.

    Photos
    Ambience
    Ambience
    Sopapillas
    Sopapillas
    Barbed wire fence post sculpture. So cool!

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    Barbed wire fence post sculpture. So cool!
    Efrain's of Boulder Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

    Efrain's of Boulder Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

    3.9
    (518 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    I drive down to Boulder from Fort Collins once a month just to eat an Efrain burrito and walk…read morethrough McGuckin's. What a fun way to spend the afternoon, my favorite Chile Verde burrito in the world. chips and salsa are great starters as is the Dos Equis

    I had been to the Lafayette location more than a decade ago and never returned. It simply did not…read moresuit me at all. I recently saw that a different family group operated this one in a very convenient part of Boulder so I decided to give it a try. A favorite classic family run restaurant with a similar menu had closed in 2014 after being in operation for 20 years. We missed that sort of menu. This is it, all the way to type of sopapillas and the classic plates with rice and beans , sauce and melted cheese. The family appeal carries through from hosts to servers to clearing staff. The menu is large though it appears that most only vary by central item. The entrees all come with the same sides and a sauce. Next time I will ask for light sauce as it pretty much buried my tamales. They need to stand out and shine and I love the taste of masa. The server was right on the spot with our drinks and we had a comfortable and clean booth. Chips and salsa were at the table as we were seated. They are plainer than some in town but still fresh and classic and free, just like Casa Alvarez, our old classic. The place was buzzing with customers young and old a perfect place for a comfortable and swiftly served meal. The space filled up quickly and though they have an enclosed patio and an open patio, not a soul for takers including us, on a 30° degree evening with a "breeze" so there was a line for tables as we left. We'll be back in a warmer weather and customize our plates a bit. It's friendly and filling and for anyone. And easy on the wallet too. Nice to have a family friendly spot like this in an easy to park shopping center with McGuckins in the lead.

    Photos
    Bar at Efrain's
    Bar at Efrain's
    Street Street Style Tacos (3)
    Street Street Style Tacos (3)
    Enclosed patio was pleasant.

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    Enclosed patio was pleasant.

    Illegal Pete's on The Hill - bars - Updated August 2026

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