Reader: Colorado Has Some of the Worst Mexican Food I've Ever Tried

Pete Turner will open his seventh Illegal Pete's store for breakfast at 7 a.m. today; this one is in Fort Collins. The homegrown chain got its start in Boulder almost twenty years ago, around the time that Qdoba launched and a few years after Chipotle made its debut on East...

By Patricia Calhoun

November 13, 2014

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Pete Turner will open his seventh Illegal Pete's store for breakfast at 7 a.m. today; this one is in Fort Collins. The homegrown chain got its start in Boulder almost twenty years ago, around the time that Qdoba launched and a few years after Chipotle made its debut on East Evans. The controversy over the Illegal Pete's name has been focused on words and their meaning. But one reader is more concerned with what lands on his plate.

Says Paul:

I find it funny that despite the rather large Hispanic population, Colorado has some of the worst Mexican food I've ever had in my life. I have yet to find a single Mexican restaurant that I would consider great, and especially not excellent. There's good, acceptable, okay and mostly downright disgusting.

As someone who has spent lots of time in Texas, Arizona and Southern California, I think I have a good grasp on what Mexican food is and should be. Colorado falls way short of the mark, especially with all of the over-processed shitty tortillas and chips most places serve. They need to start by making those items fresh in the kitchen throughout the day and then they can work on improving their other items.

And sadly, illegal Pete's is some of the better "Mexican food" I've found around here.

What do you think of the food at Illegal Pete's? When you want a good, authentic Mexican meal in Denver, where do you go?

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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