Owner of Popular Taco Trucks Brings Late-Night Eats To East Colfax Brick-and-Mortar

On September 1, 2016, Latinos for Trump co-founder Marco Gutierrez threatened "taco trucks on every corner" should Hillary Clinton be elected. She was not, and there were not.

By May 5, 2020 — Cinco de Mayo — COVID-19 had made Denver a virtual ghost town. Streets were almost deserted and Cap Hill a shell of its usual self. But something was visible from my balcony, with a few people cautiously spaced nearby. It was a taco truck. And it was on my corner.

In 2024, we aren't holding our breaths in the elevator, bleaching our Amazon packages, or bursting into tears at the sight of a taco. And that waterworks-worthy taco truck, one of two operated by Chris Heredia, is finally joined by a brick-and-mortar big sister at 2101 East Colfax Avenue, also called Chivis Tacos.

"That was a weird, weird time, right?" says Heredia. "It was...Yeah. I'm glad we, like, barely made it through."

Heredia hoped to open his first brick-and-mortar in June, but permitting and renovations to the former check-cashing operation pushed things back. "Just in the permits, it was literally four months — yikes," he laughs. "So for the last four or five months, we're taking from the trucks to pay the rent here, and then, it was just overwhelming. But we're just happy that we're finally open!"

When Chivis Tacos held a soft opening this week, offering free tacos to the neighborhood, "We had like 200 people out here," Heredia marvels. "Which was a little more than I expected, but I knew when you say free, yes. I don't care. I want the community to come out. I posted it on the community page. I'm like, 'I want them to come out. Even if they're never gonna come back, I don't care. They'll know we're here.' And I want it to be crazy out here. The late night, I think will really bring it in, because there's nobody in this area. If you want real Mexican food, you either got to go to Federal or you got to go to Aurora, right? There's not anything like that, really, in between. I mean, there's [El] Taco de Mexico. And they're good. But they're not open late."
A self-described night owl (the Chivis trucks post up at Broadway nightclubs Vinyl and Temple until 4 a.m.), Heredia will offer breakfast all day and plans to stay open until at least 3 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. "Maybe 4 a.m.," he says. "We're going to play it by ear."

In addition to breakfast offerings such as huevos, burritos and chilaquiles, menu options include flautas, tortas, quesadillas, birria ramen and tamales, with vegetarian and vegan options available. While the restaurant does not currently have a liquor license, Heredia plans to look into selling beer, and possibly margaritas, in the future.

As a scratch kitchen, "We make everything except the tortillas right here," he notes, and Chivis is a family affair. Heredia has help from mom, Silvia Torres, and dad, Sergio Heredia, both of whom hail from the Mexican state of Michoacán, along with his son, brother, sister, and other relatives.

Prices are reasonable: the most expensive item on the menu (four quesabirria tacos) comes in at $16. "We have to make money, of course," he says. "But people will get good food at a good price." There's also a special for students (valid ID required) that includes a soft drink and steak fries for $10. First responders can stop by for a free soft drink as well.

Chivis Tacos is located at 2101 East Colfax Avenue and is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit facebook.com/chivistacosdenver