Best chips and salsa 2000 | La Fabula | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best chips and salsa

La Fabula

The innovative, jauntily decorated La Fabula has many things going for it, first and foremost a basket of warm, freshly fried, tri-color corn tortilla chips that comes with a trio of salsas, each interesting and addictive in its own right. There's the crunchy, cilantro-speckled salsa fresca, which starts out light but gets more appealing with each bite; the salsa roja, a potent, well-puréed blend of roasted tomatoes and peppers; and finally, the salsa verde, a tomatillo-based brew that contains a variety of chiles, including one that adds a nice touch of smoke without overpowering. This is the ideal starter to whet your appetite for some ambitious La Fabula dishes, so ideal that we'd gladly pay for it. But in a town where you're increasingly nickled and dimed for stale chips, what's truly remarkable about La Fabula's chips and salsa offering is that it's on the house. Yes, many of the best things in life are still free.

Readers' choice: Benny's

Best breakfast burrito

Amigos Cafe

In the cold, gray light of dawn, when it seems nothing could make the cruel world look better, remember your friends. The Amigos Cafe cooks up wonderful breakfast burritos that are guaranteed to make you rise and shine. Well, rise and get the hell out of the house, anyway. Owners Laura and Santiago Cardenas came to Denver from Chihuahua, Mexico, and that country's loss is our gain. Santiago does the cooking in this cheerful little sidewalk space, making everything from scratch -- from the fiery salsa to the gorgeous green, a pork-studded gravy rife with jalapeos and tomatoes. That green is perfect for smothering a breakfast burrito, the best version of which includes a housemade chorizo, soft-scrambled eggs and skillfully hashed potatoes, chopped on the grill first to crisp up the edges. This is your wake-up call.

Best breakfast burrito

Amigos Cafe

In the cold, gray light of dawn, when it seems nothing could make the cruel world look better, remember your friends. The Amigos Cafe cooks up wonderful breakfast burritos that are guaranteed to make you rise and shine. Well, rise and get the hell out of the house, anyway. Owners Laura and Santiago Cardenas came to Denver from Chihuahua, Mexico, and that country's loss is our gain. Santiago does the cooking in this cheerful little sidewalk space, making everything from scratch -- from the fiery salsa to the gorgeous green, a pork-studded gravy rife with jalapeños and tomatoes. That green is perfect for smothering a breakfast burrito, the best version of which includes a housemade chorizo, soft-scrambled eggs and skillfully hashed potatoes, chopped on the grill first to crisp up the edges. This is your wake-up call.

Best taco

El Se�or Sol, Villa Del Sol

Felipe Duran, who moved to Denver from Chihuahua when he was thirteen, brought the secret to great tacos along with him: It's the meat of the matter. At his three restaurants -- two Seor Sols and one Villa Del Sol -- the tacos all feature top-quality cuts of meat. Instead of fatty steak or dry pork, you'll find tacos al carbon stuffed with chopped ribeye grilled with tomatoes and onions, and tacos de carne adobada filled with tender shreds of pork that have been marinated in a chile-fired sauce. Even the crunchy tacos, with their spicy, seasoned ground beef, and the fish tacos, bearing a boatload of lightly floured and golden-fried halibut, are made special by their fillings. Each order comes with three soft corn tortillas and enough fixings -- fresh lettuce, tomatoes, sliced avocado, cilantro and a sharp, fresh pico de gallo -- to make some pretty big toppings. Shine on, Sol.

Readers' choice: Taco Bell

Best taco

El Señor Sol, Villa Del Sol

Felipe Duran, who moved to Denver from Chihuahua when he was thirteen, brought the secret to great tacos along with him: It's the meat of the matter. At his three restaurants -- two Señor Sols and one Villa Del Sol -- the tacos all feature top-quality cuts of meat. Instead of fatty steak or dry pork, you'll find tacos al carbon stuffed with chopped ribeye grilled with tomatoes and onions, and tacos de carne adobada filled with tender shreds of pork that have been marinated in a chile-fired sauce. Even the crunchy tacos, with their spicy, seasoned ground beef, and the fish tacos, bearing a boatload of lightly floured and golden-fried halibut, are made special by their fillings. Each order comes with three soft corn tortillas and enough fixings -- fresh lettuce, tomatoes, sliced avocado, cilantro and a sharp, fresh pico de gallo -- to make some pretty big toppings. Shine on, Sol.

Readers' choice: Taco Bell

Best late-night taco

Taco Express

It's 3 a.m., and you have enough beer sloshing around inside you to throw a kegger out of your belly. You need food, and not just any old diner food, but something greasy and filling, preferably cheap. Taco Express to the rescue! Swing by this little drive-thru spot -- you can eat in, too, but why bother? -- and yell in your request for a couple of adobada tacos. In minutes, your order is shoved out the window and you're on your way home, trying to keep the well-marinated meats from spilling all over your nightclubbing clothes. Taco Express offers eight folded tacos and two rolled, as well as tostadas, enchiladas, burritos and tortas, all good and available fast. But take the time to check out the specials, which often include such deals as five rolled tacos and a garlicky guacamole for $2.75.

Best late-night taco

Taco Express

It's 3 a.m., and you have enough beer sloshing around inside you to throw a kegger out of your belly. You need food, and not just any old diner food, but something greasy and filling, preferably cheap. Taco Express to the rescue! Swing by this little drive-thru spot -- you can eat in, too, but why bother? -- and yell in your request for a couple of adobada tacos. In minutes, your order is shoved out the window and you're on your way home, trying to keep the well-marinated meats from spilling all over your nightclubbing clothes. Taco Express offers eight folded tacos and two rolled, as well as tostadas, enchiladas, burritos and tortas, all good and available fast. But take the time to check out the specials, which often include such deals as five rolled tacos and a garlicky guacamole for $2.75.

Best make-your-own taco

The Hornet

Shannon Salazar
Have it your way at the Hornet, one of Denver's favorite neighborhood eateries and a buzzing happy-hour spot. One of the tastiest ways to claim yours is the make-your-own soft tacos, a plate packed with all the items necessary to create the taco of your dreams. There are four main-component possibilities, including roasted veggies, Yucatan chicken and tender steak, but our favorite is the cochinita pibil, pork that's been marinated in South American spices (think jerk) and then shredded before getting wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. The plate also comes with a mound of rice, a pile of cilantro-flecked black beans, plenty of shredded cheese and lettuce, a good guacamole, medium-hot salsa and sour cream, with plenty of warm flour tortillas to hold things together. Wash your taco down with a Madras margarita, a smooth blend of orange and cranberry juices with Cuervo and triple sec. That's a wrap.

Best make-your-own taco

The Hornet

Have it your way at the Hornet, one of Denver's favorite neighborhood eateries and a buzzing happy-hour spot. One of the tastiest ways to claim yours is the make-your-own soft tacos, a plate packed with all the items necessary to create the taco of your dreams. There are four main-component possibilities, including roasted veggies, Yucatan chicken and tender steak, but our favorite is the cochinita pibil, pork that's been marinated in South American spices (think jerk) and then shredded before getting wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. The plate also comes with a mound of rice, a pile of cilantro-flecked black beans, plenty of shredded cheese and lettuce, a good guacamole, medium-hot salsa and sour cream, with plenty of warm flour tortillas to hold things together. Wash your taco down with a Madras margarita, a smooth blend of orange and cranberry juices with Cuervo and triple sec. That's a wrap.

Best burrito

Chez José

There are some Mexican meals you'd never want to see in bright lights. But at Chez José, you can see clearly -- and everything's clearly good. Best is the gourmet fajita burrito, an appealing combination of charbroiled steak, cheese, guac and fresh salsa cruda. The beef is moist and tender, with a grill-bitten meaty flavor that mixes well with the salsa; in turn, that mildly spicy tomato-based sauce plays off the creamy guacamole. Add a few more of Chez José's made-fresh-daily salsas, such as the fiery tomatillo or the smoky red, to the mix, and you have one big, fat tasty burrito. Can we help it if it's one big, fat tasty burrito that's actually good for you, since Chez José uses heart-healthy canola oil and no lard?

Readers' choice: Chipotle

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