Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? On July 26, you can score both free lunch and dinner when Jarritos brings its Respect the Taco campaign to Denver.
The idea behind the Mexican fruit-soda company's promotion is to highlight local taquerias and encourage people to support them. In Denver, Jarritos made two very good picks: Kiké's (a nickname for Enrique, pronounced kee-kay) Red Tacos and Carrera's Tacos.
Kiké's is a food truck that specializes in all things birria, from the classic tacos to burritos, quesadillas and even birria ramen. You can find it at 3640 West 38th Avenue from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (or until it sells out) Tuesday through Sunday.
Carrera's Tacos also got its start as a food truck when brothers Ryan and Joshua Carrera, who moved to Denver from San Diego, decided to bring the food they missed from home to the Mile High. In April, Carrera's debuted its brick-and-mortar location at 7939 East Arapahoe Road in Greenwood Village. The menu is an extension of what was offered on the food truck, including popular staples like the French fry-filled California burrito, fully loaded street fries and queso tacos with extra-crispy griddled Oaxacan cheese. Some specials from the truck are also now permanent menu items, including ceviche and aguachile. "These are staples from back home, but we do things a little more elevated, because we come from that kind of background," Joshua says.
There is sure to be a line at both taco hot spots on July 26. Three free tacos and one Jarritos soda will be available person on a first come, first served basis from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kiké's and from 5 to 8 p.m. at Carrera's — but if you're shut out of the deal, know that the food at both of these places is definitely worth paying for, too.