First Look: Michelin-Level Talent Takes on Tacos at Molino Chido

Tacos made a return to Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace with last week’s opening of Molino Chido in the former Comida space. The spot has garnered a lot of buzz due to the names behind the project: Hop Alley (a Michelin Bib Gourmand eatery) and Uncle owner Tommy Lee, and chef Michael Diaz de Leon, who was at the helm when Bruto originally earned its Michelin star in 2023.

After exiting Bruto shortly after that honor was announced, Diaz de Leon took time to regroup, travel and reset. Now, he and Lee are all in on this new project, which has come with some surprises. “Crazy,” Diaz de Leon says of how the first week went.

“Chaotic,” Lee adds. “In some good ways, some bad ways.”

The good: people showed up. A lot of people. “Our busiest day was Saturday, we did 292 covers,” Diaz de Leon notes.

The bad: “Our initial idea was [for guests to] walk up to the counter, order, sit down, and it has not worked,” Lee admits. Counter-service-style ordering, or a hybrid of that and full-service, has been growing in popularity. Dio Mio was an early adopter of the idea, but other spots like MAKfam, Odie B’s and Boombots, Odie B’s new sister restaurant, have continued the trend.

The idea made total sense for a taqueria that’s based on stands in Mexico City, but the logistics didn’t really translate. “We thought, hey, let’s keep it simple. But it has not been simple. … Some people are really confused,” Lee says. Plus, the popularity of the place has made reservations a more appealing idea. “Ultimately, we just need more control.”

As the duo heads into week two of business, they’re likely going to make the switch to full-service. But regardless of how you’re ordering your tacos at Molino Chido, the big question is this: How does the food taste?

The Tacos

Spoiler: A team of very talented industry pros can, indeed, churn out some very tasty tacos.

At the heart of this operation is the molino room, which sits near the entry and has glass windows so guests both inside and walking by can watch the tortilla-making process. Here, corn goes through a 14-hour process to become the perfectly tender tortillas on which most of Molino Chido’s menu is built.

“We’re making masa from scratch every day. We’ve got two molineras in there doing some really beautiful work, hard work. It took us a month to get the tortilla perfect, and to where we can crank out 1,000 tortillas a day,” says Diaz de Leon — which is important to keep in mind when you consider how these $4.85+ tacos compare to, say, a $2 taco deal.

There’s nothing wrong with cheap tacos — Lee and Diaz de Leon love those, too, but these are something else. Just as a McDonald’s burger can’t compare with your favorite steakhouse burger, or how a $1 slice in NYC is completely different from the experience you’d get at Una Pizza Napoletana (ranked as the best pizzeria in the world), not all tacos are created equally. Those made with this caliber of care and quality should be assessed just like you would any other food that’s not on a tortilla.

Think of it this way: three of these tacos will ring in under $15, and that’s a damn tasty and filling meal (at least based on the selection we tried) for less than a lot of burgers cost these days.

Of the nine tacos on the menu, four are each $4.85, including an early crowd favorite, the al pastor, which is one of the more traditional and familiar options. Another $4.85 winner is the bison tongue, which is served in one unapologetically large slice and topped with crispy frites. All of the tacos come with a bright and mild green salsa, a spicier red salsa and pickled veggies.

You can also see signs of global influence from Diaz de Leon’s recent travels on the menu, such as the $6.85 shrimp taco with XO sauce, or the ponzu alongside salsa matcha and huitlacoche on the mushroom taco (also $6.85).

Any taco on the menu can be made with a cheese crust for $2 extra, and a staff favorite is adding that option to the very indulgent prime strip lion taco, which is the priciest on offer at $11.85.

The Rest

Another pivot that Lee and Diaz de Leon have made is paring back the large-format dishes from three to just one, a $68 strip steak. But there is also an entire “mas” section of the menu that offers options beyond tacos, such as flautas ($18), which have proven popular. They come filled with curry potatoes and are served over molé masala mantales with a drizzle of refreshing raita (another globally-inspired component).

Other selections include frijoles ($7) made with a touch of miso; ceviche ($18) with leche de tigre and apple pico de gallo; and a thin Chihuahua-style burrito ($11) filled with frijoles, chile Colorado and queso Oaxaca with the option to add carnitas, campechano or mushrooms for an upcharge.

Happy hour, here dubbed Chido Hour, runs from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and includes some tempting deals, including the Chido Meal, a combo that includes a Modelito, a pour of tequila and an al pastor or veggie taco for $9. That burrito is also among the specials for just $8, along with several other food and drink deals (the Paloma, made here with mezcal and lacto-fermented grapefruit, is a great option at $10).

The Space

Kevin Nguyen of Regular Architecture designed the space, which fans of Comida may not even recognize. It’s now an open and bright room with vivid green accents and some fun touches, like the farm troughs that sit in the midst of the tables and hold the bags of corn and flour used for the tortillas.

Green folding chairs are a focal point of the branding, which was developed by Fylament Collective and brought to life by Dawes Studio. The actual chairs and tables in the space were not only inspired by the chairs found at Mexico City taco stands, but were sourced from a third-generation Guadalajara-based fabricator.

The back wall is covered with wheat-pasted newspapers that were custom-designed with elements from Molino Chido’s branding. The space also includes a patio, which will be a draw in the warmer months.

What Surprised Us

The natural wine program. While margaritas have been the bestseller so far, and the cocktail menu and agave spirits are certainly worth exploring, the team members have also built a thoughtful natural wine list that they hope will gain more traction with diners. Tacos and wine may not seem like a natural pairing, but it is a pleasure to sip a glass of bubbles while chowing down an al pastor taco.

As Lee and Diaz de Leon smartly continue to tweak Molino Chido to fit the space and the neighborhood, we’re excited to see what other surprises may come from this team.

Molino Chido is located on the first floor of the Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas Street in Aurora, and is open from 3 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, visit molinochido.com.