Been a longtime fan of Illegal Pete's and in particular this location. The staff are friendly and efficient and the seating options are aplenty. Top faves are definitely the margaritas (coin, house, or party size to go), chips & queso, sopapilla (r.i.p), and quesadilla. read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - Chips - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

We shared the chicken bowl with white rice, grilled chicken, black beans, cheese, black olives and cilantro and it came with a side of chips. The chicken seemed overcooked and a little chewy. All the other ingredients were great. We did arrive later in the evening for dinner. It felt like the college town near campus restaurant where the staff are partially dialed in but friendly. Great location on Pearl Street Mall. There's only two tables outside facing Pearl Street. Street parking only. If you park about three blocks away it's free parking. read more

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Food was good here. No different than any other Pete's location. Service was good too. Quick and easy. The place is a little smaller than the other locations but that doesn't deter from the atmosphere. Great spot for a quick bite. read more

The food is so good!!! I think I had my Best taco ever!!! The chips, guacamole, queso and salsa are a definite must have! The staff is great! They can help anyone build their bowl, burrito, taco or quesadilla! Illegal Pete's is #1! read more

Staff are great. Food is fresh. Be a lot better if they drained their black beans before putting it in the burrito. Bean juice makes it soggy and goes everywhere. Stirring it all up makes it gross and cold. Chipotle is better as they don't stir it all in together. read more

The blonde girl bartender who works on Tuesdays ignored all girls waiting and then told me that it was last call at 9:00pm then served the guys next to me. Really rude. Nachos were great. read more

What a nice chance to visit Pete's on Pearl Street again. It's been a while and I have to say, the people are as friendly and helpful as ever. We had our favorite option, their design-it-yourself nachos. The portion was huge as you can see in the picture. They were especially generous with the barbacoa, tender moist shredded beef, not greasy at all, their famous queso, guac, and many more items. They were amused that I asked for lots of cilantro as I am almost addicted to it. I recognize many people have a different reaction to cilantro, but I have been know, when in a group and those people try to pass off their decorative sprigs from their plates, I am always a willing taker. My husband had one of his favorite beers and I had their always fresh iced tea. The music was not to my liking today but it varies a lot and often is just great. Everyone is welcome here, from families with young children, seniors like us and many college age and 20 somethings as well as middle aged professional. Since to was Easter weekend, a large group of college aged adults came in all wearing pink bunny eared headbands. Very cute. We will continue to frequent this location. Even with the issues that have been apparent in very recent times on the Mall, on a day like today, it seemed like people were making an effort to enjoy themselves. The holiday atmosphere help a lot. And I have neve had bad service from the staff in more than a dozen visits. read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - Nachos! All of our favorite ingredients, a mountain topped with lots of cilantro. - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

This Chipotle-style Mexican eatery serves up some good fare at reasonable prices. My colleagues recommend their burritos. I chose a bowl to make eating easy. You can customize your bowl with the various toppings on offer. The adjacent bar area is for those who want to have drinks. My bowl was portioned well for lunch. I wouldn't mind coming again. Next time I'm going for their generously portioned nachos. read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - Grilled chicken bowl - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

I was downtown Friday picking up some race stuff, when I needed to carb and protein load for my run. Lucky I was next to IPs! I've personally never tried it but was pretty impressed! I grabbed some Baja fish tacos and a lager. The food was fresh, fish crispy, and salsa flavorful. Really enjoyed it and would grab again. Living in co fish can be hot or miss. Beer was fresh too. Great time and will return! Of course I forgot to take a food photo before I ate it so fast. read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - a refrigerator covered in stickers - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Fast casual restaurant with cheap margaritas and beers. Think of this as similar to Chipotle or Qdoba with alcoholic beverages. Ordering is fast and efficient as you order at the counter and select all the ingredients you want in your burrito, bowl, taco, or quesadilla. Bowls come with either tortillas or chips on the side. We also added a small side of queso to go with the chips, and it was quite tasty! The have daily happy hour from 3-8PM with specials on the house margaritas, house beer, chips & queso. Overall, would definitely recommend for fast casual dining or even stopping by for happy hour and some chips & queso. read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - House Lager. Only available at Illegal Pete's. - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

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So good and they mix up the stuff in the burrito before rolling it up. Cool vibe. Service was quick and build it yourself style

By far the worst breakfast burrito I've ever had in my life. The cheese and potatoes were straight up cold... would not recommend at all

Illegal Pete's is a great restaurant! The staff is very nice and the food is very quick and good quality. The baja fish bowl is one of my friends and my favorites to get! Highly recommend! read more

Cliff Notes Version: if you want to have sneeze guard protected food troughs serving you a chipotle ripoff meal, without either the class and charm of a gas station attached Subway... well, by god you've found your place. In my last visit i somehow was the 1st customer served and given a cold dine-in burrito. It does have the ambiance of the first cheat dump HS kids come to on their lunch break, so there's that. It's complete trash. I Can't wait until they bring this serve-you-from-a-trough experience in the new S. Boulder location. The staff is quite nice. I feel sorry for them, having to work in a dump...and that is me being polite about the place. Calling it a boulder staple would make anyone embarrassed to discuss food in Boulder. Literally any other spot on pearl street would be a better choice. Go to Rocket Fizz, buy gum for lunch, and rest easy that you dodged a bullet here.* *Illegal Pete's did not pay me for this review, nor did Rocket Fizz pay me for an endorsement. read more

This food is just ok. I've had take out a couple times and haven't been amazed by anything. I don't like the flavor of their olives and I don't know why. I've had canned olives before, but these ones have a super weird flavor that I've never experienced anywhere else. The steak burrito was ok. Good filling to meat ratio but the steak was chewy as I found the other stuff in there to be kind of dry as well. Good spice level though. Overall nothing amazing and there's way better food elsewhere. read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

This is the better version of Chipotle! I ordered the nachos and they were so good. I love this place and can't wait to go back!

Great place to enjoy freshly made baja fish tacos and Mexican bowls! Sports bar atmosphere, great selection of beers and three sport screens to catch a game or watch espn highlights. I highly recommend their baja fish tacos on soft flour tortillas. read more

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Wow! Just WOW! The nachos were insane! I loved the nachos. I got them with steak and potatoes! The service was excellent and the staff were extremely friendly and warm. read more

Illegal Pete's is the best place to get an amazing meal with your friends in Boulder. Illegal Pete's is especially good if you're a college student, since it's right on the hill next to campus and other popular areas for students. You can go during the day for a bite to eat, or at night as a place to hang out with your friends. There are many booths to sit at with all your friends, and the staff is pretty young and super nice, making it a very comfortable environment. My favorite thing to get is the bowl there, but everything is absolutely amazing and pretty reasonably priced. I also recommend getting the queso! read more

Not very friendly. Really only cares about their "regulars" and everyone else has to adapt.

While not enjoying my temporary residence at a hotel in Boulder I wandered down to get takeout at Illegal Pete's. Most of my meal was good, it's been so long now I can't remember what I ordered except the side order of chips and guacamole. The guacamole was terrible a dark shade of green and it had a taste I couldn't identify. The rest of the meal was good though and the order didn't take long considering how busy they were and I was a walk in takeout order. Too pricey for what I got but the food was ok, I won't return for those reasons. read more

Before today, I was already a big fan of Illegal Pete's. The food is fresh. The price is low. The customer service is friendly. Today, my computer was missing. After looking around for it (and not finding it), a manager found it. I had accidently left my computer in the bathroom. One of the employees found it and stored it in a closet in the restaurant. I am so grateful they found my computer, protected it, and retrieved it. Thank you awesome employees! read more

It has really changed! In a negative way: potatoes are cold/mushy; pulled pork tasted off yet somehow kind of sickly sweet and was very dry (how do you do that to this kind of meat I must ask, never would I have thought). Every ingredient tasted and looked as if it had been sitting out for multiple hours, and I always finish my food but not this time. The vegetarian option was the worst veggie bowl we've ever had. Been coming here for 23 years, but will not make that mistake again. And on Pearl Street-what a a read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Had the BEST experience with Bartender Rosa the other night. She made us so many "Illegal Peaches" (which were so dang good!!!). Food was yummy & Rosa gave us some awesome recommendations. They were very busy at the bar on a Friday night.. but Rosa took care of everyone with speedy hands & a smile on her face! She made it look effortless, much respect to her. She was super attentive, friendly, & hilarious. Legit only coming back & bringing some friends just to see Rosa and get some more of those illegal peaches!! read more

The food is passable but the staff moves like they've been stoned for 180 days straight.

Better than Moes and comparable to chipotle but slightly better with better options. I could eat here every day. read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - Steak burrito - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Rude, unprofessional, very very slow, an irritating experience, and low-quality products. I've tried to support this place again and again but nothing ever changes so I've resorted to Chipotle which has fast, friendly service, and quality-sourced products. read more

Food: Baja fish burrito was better than I expected- fresh, crispy and tasty. My boyfriend got the steak burrito which he said reminded him of Chipotle. Atmosphere: Open indoor/outdoor seating with bar section in the back Staff/employees: Chill - it's obvious that the workers behind the counter are not in a rush so make sure you have enough time to wait in line to order your food. Other than that, they're nice and friendly. Would I recommend? Sure. Will I come again? Probably not read more

It's been a while since I've been here And wow. What horrible service. I'm only doing 3 stars because of the person who took & ultimately fulfilled my order. They were awesome. Idiots at the cash register were sullen & rude, bordering on hostile. I like to support local businesses and this is one I no longer will support. read more

I'm a long time Pete's customer. Their employees are amazing and I've loved eating here all my life but the recent change in ingredients and cooking style has really brought down the quality of the food :( beans and rice here now taste like bland paste (will delete if they fix the food,,,,literally devastating bruh) read more

Good. I love Illegal Pete's, but this location has skimped a bit on my burrito fillings. Good and affordable place on Pearl, though.

To start off, the man working the front of the line was very unpleasant. i know we all have bad days sometimes, but this seemed like a regular thing. it felt very rushed and he lightly filled my burrito which was already very light. the food was mediocre and overall it was a disappointing experience. my friend's quesadilla was cut in such a difficult way to enjoy that it brought the experience down even further. it doesn't take long to nicely cut a quesadilla, but the guy in the front of the line was in a rush yet again. read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - chips n queso - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

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Felt like a Chipotle before they got all corporate. Nice environment and atmosphere, bunch of draft beers, and a decent menu. They have big windows that were open to let in the fresh, Fall air. I ordered the chicken tacos with rice, veggies, sour cream, cheese, and pico. In my humble opinion, the rice and veggies had more flavor than the chicken. Luckily, the chicken wasn't too dry. Tasted alright and was satisfying, but the chicken isn't something to write home about. The staff was friendly, laughing, and seemingly enjoying their jobs. The service was fast and concludes after you pay, much like a Chipotle. read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - Chicken tacos - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Illegal Petes is one of my favorite restaurants in Boulder and i came today to make myself feel better after having a genuinely really shitty emotional day. Worker working the second half of the burrito station with long black beard was beyond rude and when i wanted to take a second to see how much cheese hed put on the bowl as i like a lot and would be willing to pay extra if needed he started yelling at me "and what else?" "Keep going" all in about 5 seconds and i only have two toppings so i was like thats all thats all my heart was beating so fast cause this man was genuinely yelling and i could tell he had an attitude before i even walked up. Was extremely rude to the guy in front of me when guy in front of me wasnt speaking very loud and worker goes "you need to speak louder" guy repeats himself worker goes "What!?" Then guy repeats himself and when worker could finally "hear" him he goes in a very sarcastic tone "there we go!" Ya so rude i actually have been crying for quite a bit since but not cause that but probably wouldnt be so upset still if i hadnt been treated so poorly when i came to cheer myself up. Ill link a picture of him but maybe management should check this out cause i genuinely have never been treated this way at a restaurant. If ur wondering what happened here maybe ask whoever was working around 4-6pm march 3 as his coworkers most definitely heard it and he was def being a bit rude to another employee who was making the chips. This worker seemed VERY comfortable acting this way so maybe he needs his attitude checked. Idk this def messed my day up a lot more If you want petes, simply go to the one on The Hill ! read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - Rude worker - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

they just got a fresh bin of rice and plopped maybe a third of a scoop onto my burrito. then I asked more rice for him to proceed to put FOUR GRAINS OF RICE MORE. plus the attitude was crazy from the girl "mixing" the burrito tg. soda just tastes like carbonation no flavor. a stupid piece of pink shit landed in my shit and tasted sweet. KILLED THE VIBE OF MY WHOLE BURRITO. The line was out the door and filled up the entire seating area basically. THIS PLACE SUCKS read more

A complete waste. Waste of time, money and calories. Stood in line over 20 minutes, then made it to the counter only to deal with a$$holes who didn't want to serve anyone. They had attitude with every customer. I ordered a few items, each was sloppily made and each worker was complaining and swearing the entire time, throwing serving spoons and other objects. Not to mention the place was filthy - the tables, the floor and the counters. Don't waste your time money or calories read more

I love Illegal Pete's - this is the only reliable reasonably priced Mexican food in Boulder. They make great burritos that they fill to the brim. I always mobile order if I just want a quick meal. read more

Good food at a decent price. Easy to eat low carb there. Fast service. Nice to eat out locally once in a while.

I agree with other reviews saying this is like a Moe's or Chipotle. I went pretty late on a Sunday evening so I did not have an issue with waiting in line. The location of this place on Pearl Street is very nice. I just didn't think the food was anything to get too excited about. I had the taquitos. It was a fine overall experience. read more

Illegal Pete's - Pearl St. - Chicken taquitos - Mexican Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

It's basically a local Chipotle. The burrito was good and was definitely filling but I think they take more care in marinating their meat at Chipotle which is surprising. read more