After nearly thirty years, Juanita's in Boulder goes dark

For the past 28 years, Juanita's has been a Pearl Street mainstay, holding on to its sliver of storefront space that led to a well-worn front dining room and back lounge, even as other establishments turned over for newer, trendier concepts on either side of it. But on March 1,...

By Laura Shunk

March 7, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

For the past 28 years, Juanita's has been a Pearl Street mainstay, holding on to its sliver of storefront space that led to a well-worn front dining room and back lounge, even as other establishments turned over for newer, trendier concepts on either side of it.

But on March 1, this Boulder institution -- more famous for its happy-hour margaritas sucked down with free chips and salsa than for its massive platters of burritos and tacos -- finally went dark.

That means the end of Taco Tuesdays, as well as Wednesday-night karaoke. The end of those legendary chile rellenos, packed full of cheese and deep-fried until saturated with grease. And the end of the massive crowds that thronged the place at all hours.

In their farewell note, owners Roger Berardi and Michael Kretz say they've got another restaurant in the works. We'll serve up more details as we get them.

Follow @CafeWestword on Twitter

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Laura Shunk was Westword's restaurant critic from 2010 to 2012; she's also been food editor at the Village Voice and a dining columnist in Beijing. Her toughest assignment had her drinking ten martinis and eating ten Caesar salads over the course of 48 hours. She still drinks martinis, but remains lukewarm on Caesar salads.

Contact: Laura Shunk

Follow:

Twitter: @laurashunk

Instagram: @laurashunk