A TASTE OF COLO MEX
SAVOR THE STREET TACO
When smoky or stewed meats, fresh salsas, and tender corn tortillas meet, magic happens.
Forget hard-shell tacos filled with spice-packetseasoned ground beef. Street tacos—those diminutive packages of marinated meat or seafood, diced raw onion, fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of spicy salsa, all double-wrapped in soft corn tortillas—are so much better. Some accounts set the birth of the soft taco in the silver mines of central Mexico during the 18th century; others claim it stems from the pre-16thcentury Aztec word “tlacho,” which means “half” or “in the middle.” Either way, the simple, satisfying fare traveled with immigrants through New Mexico to Colorado centuries later. Today, there are hundreds of taquerias in Colorado ready to curb your cravings.
One of the best spots in Denver is seven-month-old El Grillo Mexican Restaurant, located in a boxy former car dealership on South Federal Boulevard. Owned by the Rodriguez family—of food truck Taqueria El Grillo fame—until this past September, El Grillo is now owned by Chihuahua native Claudia Martín, and Michoacánborn Sergio Cristóbal mans the kitchen. He serves paragons of the street taco genre, each plate crafted with your choice of five fillings—from carne asada to tender braised lengua—wrapped in corn tortillas made by Tortillas México in Englewood. Cristóbal’s rotating salsa bar lineup is equally impressive: Don’t miss the garlicky tomatillo salsa, the avocado-jalapeño version spiked with sour cream, and the rust orange iteration made with fried
