Pica's Mexican Taqueria Sets Sights on Downtown Louisville

Pica's Mexican Taqueria in Boulder has become an integral part of the east Boulder restaurant scene since opening in 2010, making the intersection of Arapahoe Avenue and 55th Street a mini-destination for seekers of quality eats and drinks, along with Bru Handbuilt Ales & Eats, Blackbelly, Ozo Coffee and Snarf's Sandwiches. And now Pica's will add to the thriving downtown Louisville restaurant community with a new location, scheduled to open in June at 901 Front Street.

The history of Pica's goes back well beyond 2010, though; the first was opened by chef Andy Parazette in Jackson, Wyoming, in 2001. Trent Davol met Parazette and worked at Pica's before moving to Boulder in 2005. They eventually became business partners and opened the Boulder location, with Davol handling day-to-day operations while Parazette ran the food program.

"We chose Louisville because I live right down the street," Davol notes. "Downtown Louisville has quite a vibrant night life."
Davol says that the Boulder Pica's has become a prime spot for lunch, but he expects that the location and dining habits of Louisville residents will make the new Pica's more of a dinner destination. He and Parazette have built a reputation on fresh, quality ingredients, with corn tortillas made in-house daily and traditional techniques used to make dishes like marinated and spit-roasted carne al pastor. Other customer favorites include rellenos, sopes (also made in-house), shrimp tacos with chile de arbol salsa and two styles of chilaquiles.

The new location is larger than the Boulder Pica's, with 3,000 square feet and room for sixty seats inside, and an additional 35 to 40 on the patio outside. A full liquor license means that Pica's house margarita will be available in Louisville, too, along with an expanded beer selection. For an off-menu refresher, there's a Paloma made with Suerte blanco tequila, San Pellegrino grapefruit soda and lime juice. For non-alcoholic beverages, the kitchen offers a number of aguas frescas, with a watermelon-lime blend as the top seller in the summer months, and horchata, jicama and cantaloupe also making appearances.

The Boulder Pica's is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily, and Davol says Louisville neighbors can expect similar hours.