ARVADA, Colo. — Walking through Olde Town Arvada, one might realize how multiple restaurants offer tacos all within walking distance of each other. For those who call this area home, they are no strangers to tacos and rather laugh over this craze.
Growing up in Arvada, Holly Hepp explained that over the years downtown has changed, but tacos are 'the thing' in town. She said, "I've seen a lot of growth, especially in the downtown area. We've seen a lot a lot of new businesses and we like to try them out."
Denver7 stopped at Bonfire Burritos, Teocalli Cocina, Cochino Taco, and Lady Nomada to hear from management why they have the best taco in town. We also reached out to Fuzzy's Taco Shop and Wapos Cantina to be included in the story.
Harnessing that "southwestern flavor"
In May, Bonfire Burritos opened in Olde Town Arvada and continues to generate excitement in the area with a line of customers forming in the morning hours. This is their second location, with the restaurant first opening in Golden on Frod Street.
"We opened up this location May 16th, and we've been around Colorado in general since 2013 and prior, because it was owned by a little woman named Cecilia, that's why we have the coffee Mama Cecila," said Brian Romain, Front of House Manager for Bonfire Burritos Arvada, said.
The breakfast tacos come on a corn tortilla with no green chile on them, compared to their burritos. Romain shared that this is a naturally gluten-free option, and they can also make the burritos in taco form, so customers can have a mini version of their favorites.
"We harness a lot of that southwestern flavor here in breakfast, so it's really nice that we have breakfast all day at location," said Romain. "It was a much, much requested thing from patrons in the past that instead of just Sunday only — because they in Golden do breakfast all day on Sundays — that we extend those days to different ones, and now we have it here available."
Having both an indoor and outdoor space, Bonfire Burritos was filled with those of all ages and with people trying a wide variety of menu options. Romain revealed the fan favorites are the Chupacabra and the Javelina.
Among those sitting outside were Cynthia Payan and Tyler Columbia, who grabbed a bite to eat and shared that they will definitely be back for more.
"They told me that they're actually known for them because they use the actual corn tortillas for the breakfast tacos," Columbia said.
At Teocalli Cocina Arvada, you'll find a taste of Oaxaca
Across from Bonfire Burritos is Teocalli Cocina Aravada which opened over three years ago. Similar to Bonfire Burritios, this also is the restaurant's second location, with their first restaurant located in Old Town Lafayette. But that's not all — there's another location in Longmont, and they just opened up their most recent spot in LoHi (Denver).
Teocalli Cocina Arvada general manager, Jesse Ruano, shared that their tacos are 100% gluten-free and with unique flavors true to their chef's background.
"Our chef is from Oaxaca, so a lot of our cuisine is specific to that menu. We have some flavors you'll be familiar with in our tacos and quesadillas, but some specific to Oaxaca," Ruano said.
When it comes to the most popular taco on the menu, Ruano explained it is between the Tijuana birria and the carne asada.
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Rachel Brearley was at the restaurant with her family, explaining she always brings people to Teocalli Cocina as it is "consistently good" and the "carne asada is next level."
Coming from California, Brearley said it was difficult to find good restaurants, but once she found Teocalli Cocina, it soon became a weekly restaurant trip.
"We definitely try some different spots to kind of compare and contrast them with one another, but we continuously came back to this one because it just tends to be better than everything else," Brearley said.
Right across the street from Teocalli Cocina is Wapos Cantina Arvada, another restaurant with a Taco Tuesday sign on their patio welcoming customers inside. Tony Basile, who lives in the area and owns a business in Olde Town, said Wapos Cantina is his favorite.
"I'm Italian. I wish there was more Italian food, but I cant complain [about] tacos. There are all different places and different style of tacos that they do," Basile said.
Close by to Wapos Cantina is Cochino Taco Arvada.
Like the other businesses, it also has another location in Englewood. The restaurant opened in November of 2021 and has both an indoor and outdoor seating area. Mark Babish, general manager of Cochino Taco Arvada, knows the taco scene here in town and shared and the restaurant "won best taco from the Arvada Press back in March."
Building community through food
"We definitely strive to be the best in town, and that's one thing that we have, (is) specials," said Babish. "There's other things that we do monthly just to keep it fresh for all the regulars, because like I said, we are such a regulars-based business that we got to make sure the regulars have something new all the time."
When it comes to their food, Babish explained they also won Westword's Best Burger award in 2018, and have chicken wings, too. However, he shared a specific recommendation when it comes to ordering a taco.
"You gotta have the taco shaggy style, so it's a double decker topped with some flour tortilla, queso, beans then we put a crunchy shell in, and then you get to choose your toppings," Babish said.
Jeff Mostek is a regular at Cochino Taco, sharing his office is close by, and he also comes with his wife for dinner. Not only does he love the food, but also the staff whom he has gotten to know over time.
"We try other places occasionally, but we always end up back at Cochino Taco because we just enjoy it here so much and the food is really good," Mostek said.
A couple of blocks away from them is Lady Nomada Arvada, which is another restaurant also filled with taco lovers. The restaurant opened in 2021 with a coastal ambiance and the theme of 'our loss lady.'
Hailey Everard, the general manager for Lady Nomada Arvada, shared that there is a good mix of customers, with both locals walking from their homes to the restaurant, along with people who are traveling through the area.
"A lot of the time they look up reviews and they're looking for a taco kind of place or something along those lines, and ours comes up, and I think the aesthetics and the reviews that we've gotten, have really drawn a lot of attention. And it's just a travel destination," Everard explained.
While there is a variety of options to choose from on the menu, Everard said the most popular tacos are the birria taco and the avocado taco, which is a vegetarian option.
"Basically, what makes us the best taco place in Arvada is really putting and everything we do. We love the concept made from scratch, so everything that we receive is fresh produce, fresh meats, and we do all the work ourselves," said Everard. "I think that a lot of our guests taste that and really indulge into that freshness that we provide."
Leah Gaines and Meg Whitaker, who both live in the neighborhood, shared that they love coming to this restaurant because of the food, drinks, and the beautiful environment.
"New places pop up all the time, but it's the really good places that actually stick around," Whitaker said.
Tacos are definitely the talk of Olde Towne, bringing laughs to locals who know just how many options they have when grabbing a bite to eat, and for those in the restaurant industry, it also makes for some friendly competition.
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