Go Big or Go Hungry: Here's Where to Get Machete Quesadillas

Cartoonist B. Kliban counseled "never eat anything bigger than your head," but he said nothing about scarfing down a quesadilla longer than your arm, so we're in the clear. And machete quesadillas — which aren't on the menu at local chain Machete Tequila + Tacos, incidentally — definitely qualify as a big bite.

These tasty treats are a regional (in this case, Mexico City) specialty that starts with a long (often twenty inches or more) masa shell filled with goodies. At this size, you can select fillings either mixed together (not traditional, but delicious) or isolated in their own discrete areas. (You want al pastor but your buddy prefers birria? ¡No hay problema!) The whole shebang is then crisped (or sometimes lightly fried) on a flat-top and folded before being sliced and served with the salsa(s) of your choice.

And about those goodies? Machetes are typically filled with huitlacoche (corn smut) and flor de calabaza (squash blossoms), but the sky's the limit. Other offerings include peppers, potatoes, cheese, chicken tinga, mushrooms, shrimp, steak, al pastor — and lots more.

Requiring a custom tortilla press and plenty of flat grill space, these super-sized treats are almost never made at home and instead enjoyed as part of Mexico City's amazing street food cuisine. They're not easy to locate in the Denver metro, either, but we've tracked down a few:
Machetes Gourmet
12050 East 47th Avenue
Open Tuesday-Wednesday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday-Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
machetesgourmet.com
Walking away with a 2024 Westword Best of Denver, this food truck (which claims to be the first offering machetes in Denver) serves up an assortment of machetes and also a refreshingly not-too-sweet Agua de Jamaica (iced hibiscus tea). Keep an eye out on its Instagram for the hours and location of the "30 Inch Machete Challenge" on July 25.

Tacos Y Machetes la Carpa
15540 East Sixth Avenue, Aurora
Open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
lacarpatacosymachetes.com
It's hard to go wrong in an Auto Zone parking lot, and visiting this tasty truck (with shaded seating) is no exception. It offers a good assortment of regular machete quesadillas (we like the chicharrón), and also machetes mixtexo with sour cream, cheese and avocado.
La Cocina de Pilar
1920 Federal Boulevard
Open 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
lacocinadepilarco.com
Have your machete your way — regular, red chile or blue corn — at this brick-and-mortar that also (bonus!) has beer and margaritas. In addition to more traditional fillings like steak and chicken, you'll find brains, tripe and nopalitos.

Hell's Tacos
990 Federal Boulevard
Oprn Tuesday-Friday 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-3 p.m.,
instagram.com/hells_tacos
The tacos at this truck are hellaciously good, but it also has great machete quesadillas (we can't get enough of the shrimp and the birria). The mango pineapple passionfruit agua fresca is worthy of a trip all on its own.

Where have you had a machete quesadilla? Where? Post a comment or share info at [email protected].