The Best Places to Get Green Chile in Denver

With sub-zero temperatures expected, we're hungry for our favorite way to warm up: a green chile fix.

No food debate in Colorado is hotter than the arguments that ensue when someone brings up this regional favorite. Some people are loyal only to the version made in New Mexico, where Hatch chiles reign supreme. But Colorado has its own style, as well as a loyalty to its own peppers from Pueblo, which many consider to be meatier and more flavorful than the Hatch variety.

In the Mile High, green chile is often served smothering Den-Mex staples like Mexican hamburgers and crispy chiles rellenos wrapped in egg-roll wrappers. Sometimes it's eaten straight from a bowl, served with tortillas on the side, which you can use to scoop up every last drop.

But while there's no denying that green chile is delicious, not all versions are created equal. From saucier varieties to more stew-like options, we've sampled the goods from restaurants across the metro area. Choosing a favorite is a very personal matter. Many people have tried-and-true go-to's, and with so many kinds available, it's easy to understand why opinions on this matter run hot.

Some of our favorites pack a lot of heat, some are tomato-heavy, others go big on chunks of pork. But they're all sure to satisfy. 

Here are this year's best places to get green chile, in alphabetical order: Brewery Bar II
150 Kalamath Street
303-893-0971
The original Brewery Bar opened in the Tivioli Brewery in the 1950s and moved to its current space in 1974. Today, it's one of our picks for the Top 100 bars in the city. The only thing we love more than Brewery Bar's (very red-hued) green chile are the low-key, divey vibes and the regulars who hold court over cold beers. The crispy relleno is the way to go here, and you'll be asked if you want your chile mild or hot, but be warned: Even the half-and-half option packs a hell of a punch. Loaded with tomatoes and chunks of pork, it's unapologetically chunky and downright craveable. Chakas Mexican Restaurant
6265 East Evans Avenue
303-993-8105
Located in a south Denver strip mall, Chakas is a full-service restaurant with a bar that serves a pretty solid house margarita. But it's the green chile plate, available in mild, hot or half-and-half, that's really worth coming back for again and again. If you get a burrito (or anything else) smothered, the orange-colored chile is gravy-like, with visible pieces of chopped peppers. But when you order the plate, you'll get a heaping serving loaded with large pieces of tender pork, plus rice and beans alongside, all of which can be loaded into tortillas or scooped up with the basket of chips that's delivered to every table.
Chula on Broadway Cocina Mexicana
3866 South Broadway, Englewood
303-993-7486
Myrna Soltero Diaz transformed this former 4G's outpost into Chula, named for her beloved late dog, in early 2023 — only to have to close for two months after a car crashed into the front of the building. Her team stuck with her, though, and now the tight-knit crew dishes up a wide-ranging menu of Mexican favorites. The green chile here is an orange-hued, gravy-like version with a subtle heat that builds as you eat it. It's not the kind made to eat on its own, but it is exactly the right addition to burritos, huevos rancheros or, our favorite, the crispy chile relleno nachos.
D'Corazon
1530 Blake Street
720-904-8226
This downtown spot, which has been open since 2004 (it spun off from a Las Delicias once located in LoDo), is an ideal place to take visitors for an exemplary Colorado-style green chile. While you can get the thick, gravy-like chile on many items, tasting it solo truly lets it shine. There's a vegetarian version available, or you can opt to order it with big chunks of tender roasted pork. It has heat, but not so much that you'll be sweating, as well as a hint of acidity to add some balance. The long strips of chiles and flecks of roasted skin are your assurance that only the fresh stuff is used here. Efrain's of Boulder
2480 Canyon Boulevard, Boulder
303-440-4045
The original Efrain's opened in Lafayette over three decades ago, but its namesake owner now only operates the Boulder outpost, which moved in May 2022 from its longtime home in south Boulder to a space near McGuckin Hardware. While the restaurant might have newish digs, the pork-studded green chile remains as fiery as ever — though the staff says it tends to be a bit less spicy in the winter months. The heat hits hard from the very first bite, but this chile also has a depth of flavor that makes it nearly impossible to stop eating bite after bite — except, of course, to take a sip of the sweet-and-sour house margarita that is a must-order if you're going green. El Taco de Mexico
714 Santa Fe Drive
303-623-3926
For four decades, this bright-yellow counter-service joint has been serving up some of the best Mexican fare in the city — and it was recognized for that in 2020, when it was honored with an America's Classics Award by the James Beard Foundation. While there are a lot of reasons to love El Taco de Mexico (including, yes, the tacos), it's the green chile, unlike any other in town, that shines the brightest of all. The deeply flavored, dark-greenish-brown-hued chile verde is smooth and saucy, ideal for blanketing burritos. But it's also essential to get a large side of it to go, with chunks of tender pork added for an ideal complement to any meal...or to eat on its own. Hits the Spot Diner
5637 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
303-284-6278
Since 2011, Manuel Gatsiopoulos and his wife, Trish, have run this classic diner, which feels like it's been around much longer. The rotating pie cases are filled with tempting options, and the counter seats offer a view of tasty plates coming through the kitchen window, from burgers to pancakes to pork chops. The green chile is the unexpected standout, though, with a nice, warming heat level and a finely tuned balance of chopped chiles, tomatoes and pork. And it's made with cornstarch, so it's gluten-free. La Fiesta
2340 Champa Street
303-292-2800
This old-school spot celebrated its sixtieth anniversary in 2023, making it one of the longest-running restaurants in metro Denver still operating in the same place, under the same family. For all of that time, the Herrera family has been ladling the classic, roux-thickened green chile on top of sloppy-in-a-good-way burritos, Mexican hamburgers, chiles rellenos and other heaping plates of Den-Mex goodness. The spice hits hard up front but mellows quickly, leaving you warm and satisfied. Close enough to downtown that it has often been a lunchtime choice for business deals, meetings of city officials and even Supreme Court judges, the restaurant — once a full-blown supper club and dance hall — still feels like a neighborhood joint in tree-lined Curtis Park. La Fogata
8090 East Quincy Avenue
720-974-7315
5670 East Evans Avenue
303-753-9458
The original location of La Fogata on Evans was opened by Danette Calhoun back in 1990, and in 2004, a second spot was added at the Denver Tech Center. Both eateries are staples in their neighborhoods, with regulars greeted warmly by longtime staff. The thick, warming, gravy-style chile leans just slightly into the orange color palette, the better to match swirls of shredded cheese that meld into the sauce atop burritos, rellenos and enormous Mexican hamburgers. But don't let the muted color fool you: This green chile still glows with a heat that slowly builds until you find yourself reaching for another sip of the pink-hued house margarita. La Loma
1801 Broadway
303-433-8300
Although La Loma has moved twice since opening in 1973 — first just a few blocks down West 26th Avenue, then all the way downtown in 2016, when it reopened across from the Brown Palace, in the former home of the Trinity Grille — there's one thing that hasn't changed over the decades: the green chile. The recipe was created by Grandma Savina Mendoza, matriarch of the family that started the restaurant. While La Loma has been owned by the Brinkerhoff family since the ’80s, Grandma's Green Chile remains on the menu, vibrant green with a thick, smooth, stew-like consistency and large chunks of pork throughout. Order it as the main event, served in a bowl with supple, housemade flour tortillas on the side, or with the restaurant's crispy mini rellenos for the ultimate Den-Mex snack. And soon there will be even more of it to enjoy, as La Loma, which also has an outpost in Castle Rock, is planning to open additional locations in the DTC and Parker. La Pasadita Inn
1959 Park Avenue West
303-832-1785
Since 1995, this small, family-owned eatery has been serving some of the city's best Mexican eats from a location that sits like an island bordered on all sides by roads. The green chile has a distinctly roasty flavor and a sneaky heat that builds with each bite — which we suspect comes from the small flakes of red chile throughout. The bowl that comes with the chile verde plate is studded with small chunks of pork and makes a hearty meal on its own. Playa Azul Mexican Restaurant
1423 South Federal Boulevard
303-975-9871
Playa Azul is a seafood-themed spot that's been serving on South Federal since 1992. While you can find everything from prawns and scallops to whole fish, we skip right to the classic, Colorado-style chile verde, which you can get in a molcajete (a piping-hot stone bowl) or the plate loaded with slow-cooked pork and paired with rice and better-than-average refried beans. If you prefer a party-like atmosphere, be sure to visit on a Friday night, when this spot hosts karaoke and offers drink specials from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Tamales by La Casita
3561 Tejon Street
303-477-2899
While you can get staples like burritos and chiles rellenos at this counter-service spot that's been in business for nearly fifty years, the real draw at Tamales by La Casita is (obviously) the tamales. But while the husk-wrapped masa pockets stuffed with your choice of red chile and pork or green chile with cheese are reason enough to visit, they become one of the top dishes in the city when ordered smothered with La Casita's heat-forward green chile, which is on the thinner side and studded with small pieces of pork, scant bits of tomato and visible diced chiles. A $3 smothered tamale makes a cheap and filling snack — or grab a dozen and a quart of chile to keep on hand at home for a spicy fix anytime.