Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we give our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems.)
Few sights are more welcome to hungry people than a 24-hour taco stand after a night on the town. Metro Denver has a few of these, but I was first introduced to the concept in San Diego, where there is a particular style of Cali-Mex cuisine that still doesn’t exist anywhere else.
Examples include enormous hand-held burritos stuffed with everything from grilled carne asada to smoky adobada-marinated pork to simple lard-flavored refried beans with heaps of guacamole. One distinct aspect of San Diego-style burritos is that many also include French fries. Then there are the fish tacos and burritos that come with fresh lime, avocado, salsa and cilantro.
The go-to spots typically end in “…berto,” as in Alberto’s, Rigoberto’s and Roberto’s.
Sure, these same dishes can be found in Colorado and just about anywhere else, in some form, but there is a magic that simply hasn’t been replicated. Maybe itap in the cooking technique or the specific ingredients, or maybe itap just the sense of place. Whatever it is, San Diego-style Mexican or Cali-Mex food is hard to find in Denver – surprising in a world where we can have just about everything at our fingertips.
But that doesn’t mean I haven’t tried. In particular, I’ve searched for rolled tacos, or more specifically, three (or five) rolled tacos with guacamole and cheese.
In San Diego, they are a staple of every taco shop, and itap almost impossible to leave without a Styrofoam plateful – even if you’ve also ordered something else. Corn tortillas filled with beef, tightly rolled and fried, they are almost entirely covered in guac and melted cheddar. Small plastic containers of red salsa (rarely green) complete the picture.
But here, rolled tacos are few and far between. Some restaurants serve them, but they are often loosely rolled, closer to flautas or made from flour tortillas. Or worse yet, overcooked to the point of not even being able to crack them open with your teeth.
The closest I’ve found come from Raliberto’s Mexican Food, which has two locations, including the one I went to at 4020 Wadsworth Blvd. in Wheat Ridge; Taco Star, with multiple metro Denver locations, including the one I visited at 6151 E. Colfax Ave.; and Viva! Burrito, 6990 Leetsdale Dr.
All helped to sate the cravings, but none quite lived up to expectations.
Don’t get me wrong. I love all aspects of Colorado’s Mexican food scene, from the upscale versions of regional cuisine found at places like La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, Alma Fona Fina, and Xiquita, to the Colo-Mex classics like Tacos Jalisco, El Taco de Mexico and La Fiesta. And of course I love green chile.
But there is something about those San Diego taco stands that I’ll just have to keep dreaming about.
