A fake adobe building alongside Colorado 2 may seem an unlikely venue for a cozy family Mexican restaurant, but El Jardin in Commerce City has been around long enough to get the basics right and rise above its roadside locale.
Commerce City has a reputation as a working-class community with a mix of young families and older longtime residents, and that’s the type of clientele you’ll find at the restaurant.
El Jardin has been around since 1982, and some customers have been eating there for years. The restaurant shares a building with a clothing store and paint shop. Inside, it’s a casual family restaurant with Southwestern décor. The patio area would work well for lunch with margaritas.
None of the dishes on the menu will reach meteoric levels of grandeur, but neither will the prices, and the atmosphere is comfortable enough to stop by after a day out and about. On one visit, we stopped by for dinner in athletic gear on the way back from the tennis courts and fit in fine.
One of the things that I find most annoying when eating out is inattentive, slow service, even at an inexpensive restaurant. But at El Jardin the service is friendly and comfortable. And unless it’s a special occasion, you probably won’t have to wait long for a table.
Chips brought to the table come with a mild red salsa that’s more blended than freshly chopped.
The dishes we tried, including the stuffed sopaipilla, green chile, smothered burritos, tamale dinner and crispy rellenos, did not disappoint.
The huge portions will leave many diners with ample leftovers. The smothered burrito, for example, covered most of the large plate.
Entrees generally include a tiny green salad with tomatoes as well as the some fine refried beans and rice.
The menu is generally kid-friendly and includes a “Little Hombres” section.
I like to think that I can take the heat when it comes to spicy food, but I’m often beaten back into submission, and El Jardin’s hot chili was a bit intimidating for me. I backpedaled to the medium chili on subsequent visits.
The extensive menu includes Mexican standards and everything from menudo and posole to fajitas, Indian tacos, a seafood quesadilla and grilled tilapia. The margarita menu includes the standards as well as flavors like melon, banana, watermelon and raspberry.
For me, a sopaipilla can make any meal special. At El Jardin you can add sopaipillas for dessert and still easily stay under $25 for two. Now that’s my kind of special. For something more substantial, there are also a variety of other desserts including flan and deep-fried ice cream.
Kelly Yamanouchi: 303-954-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com
El Jardin
Mexican 6460 E. 73rd Ave. Commerce City, 303-288-3500 $1.59-$16.99 Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Front burner: Great smothered burritos, green chile, friendly service
Back burner: No spectacular culinary reaches here
