Cantina Loca
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Long before Dana Rodriguez became the executive chef of Casa Bonita, she made a name for herself in the local dining scene with Work & Class and Super Mega Bien. When she opened her first solo venture, Cantina Loca, in a new building at 2890 Zuni Street, she turned the spotlight on her Mexican heritage with a crazy good lineup that included braised-goat tacos, charcoal tempura-fried cactus and a bubbling, cheesy molcajete loaded with chicken, pork and steak, as well as cocktails made with tequila and mezcal from her own brand, Doña Loca.
It was so good it rated inclusion in our list of the 100 restaurants we can’t live without last December. But now all that goodness is gone, and Cantina Loca has closed its doors.
Rodriguez confirms the sad news in this statement: “We’ve made the difficult decision to close Cantina Loca. While we started out strong, our guest numbers decreased over the past two years while food expenses and labor costs skyrocketed. Cantina Loca, like dozens of other Denver restaurants, is an unfortunate casualty of conditions that were out of our control. We appreciate the support of our loyal guests very much, and look forward to serving them at our other restaurant concepts.”
While Super Mega Bien is now owned by a former employee, Rodriguez continues her work with Casa Bonita and remains the co-owner of Work & Class. Cantina Loca is for sale, according to BusinessDen.