Tamayo

Everything from the food, to the service, to the presentation of the food was fantastic! Our waitress (Lia) was amazing. No joke, might be the best waitress I have ever had. Food awesome. I had the brisket tacos. We got guacamole and it was amazing! But as good as the food was, what stood out most was the outstanding service.

First, our waitress (Lia) was fantastic. The best waitress I have ever had, period. Second, all of her recommendations were spot on and food was great! The guacamole was delicious, and the brisket tacos and mahi mahi tacos were so good! Overall, a wonderful spot on beautiful Larimer Square! Highly recommend!

Yummo. This place was so good I went twice while in town. Loved the fish tacos and margaritas!

Was recommended to go here by the hotel concierge for decent Mexican food. Being a Friday evening, the wait was 45+ minutes, so we decided to sit at an open table in the bar. After glancing at the menu, we quickly decided that we would just get drinks here before heading somewhere else for dinner due to the high menu prices. Entrees were in the $ 20-​$ 25 range.
We went with mojitos and an appetizer of chips and guacamole, which were all pretty good! They even refilled the chips for no charge when we ran out. The bill was still $ 25 after tip.

Authentic and aesthetic Mexican food in a cozy environment. We tried the pork carnitas and the camarones. They both came out extremely well prepared with great attention to detail.
Price and service was great and the location in Larimer Square makes it an ideal spot in the area.
However, the taste wasn’t perfect, so I can’t go with five stars. Hopefully they will improve.

Food was made with love, you can tell. Service was really slow on patio. Painfully slow. Portions on dinners was perfect size and highly recommend the guac with chips to start off.

Rough night. Host forgot we were waiting at the bar. Dinner menu at 7pm «we’re out of this that and the other». Order placed them told 5 min later out of that too. How about we sub salmon on the 2^nd choice salad? Sounds great oh wait out of salmon. Chili relleno came. Ice cold. Replacement hot but a hot mess. Waiting for the comped desserts. I’d go somewhere else if you’re thinking here or at least verify they have food.
We were asked back and visited two nights later. The special menu changed to Mexico City. We sat on the deck with a great sunset view. The calamari and pork belly apps were great. For mains we ordered chicken enchilada, chipotle camarones, the el machete with huetelecoce and the sea bass. Fantastic. Dessert was a sampler of the banana emenada, bread pudding and chocolate mouse. The emenada was wonderful. Sweet yet savory and you had to keep eating it. I’m glad we gave them another try. Everyone gets one pass. The second time was the charm.

Met up with an old Roommate for Lunch, the Food was great! Our Waiter was awesome, everything he recommended was spot on, we started with the Bacon Guacamole. Definitely worth getting, then Tortilla Soup which had plenty of chicken and Avocado in it. I got the Lamb Belly Tacos and Janet got the Carne Asada with Chard, they were both Amazing. We finished it off with Banana Empanadas. And you get a free House Margarita when you check in on Unilocal

We randomly decided to try this place out last night while riding bikes around. The host sat us in a booth and gave us a drink menu. Our server Justin greeted us with the food menus, which I thought was a neat step of service. We told him we were going to share everything and asked his honest opinion if it would be enough or too much food. We got the zucchini flower quesadilla, the street corn and the chicken molé. He said it’d be the perfect amount and he wasn’t lying. We go out a lot and usually share everything, and often times I feel misguided so the check average is higher. This was not the case at Tamayo. The quesadilla was unlike any I have ever had, so if you’re expecting a flat tortilla filled with cheese– that’s not exactly what you’ll be getting. But you will be happy, I’ll tell you that. The corn was fire. And the molé was good.
Another table came in 30 minutes before the kitchen closed — which can be a total bummer for a server when all the current tables are closing out and your side work is done… alas Justin maintained his great personality and greeted them with a smile. Way to go Justin!
We got the flan with popcorn on it and the bread pudding with a blueberry compote and cinnamon ice cream. Both were delish.
This is absolutely a five star rating because of our server. Thanks so much for taking care of us Justin.
Also, when we were unlocking our bikes we saw Justin across the street cleaning the windowsills. He’s a hard worker and Tamayo is lucky to have him.

Great location and great view. First time in Denver and first time at Tamayo. We were here for 5 de Mayo celebration. Great service but prices are a bit too high. $ 20 quesadillas is a bit much. We had $ 5 margaritas and that was it. The place has a beautiful view. The steak flat bread was delicious but a bit expensive. Very small portions.

I came back for an opening party for their Terrance. It was filled with AL Pastor, Margs., and lot’s of people. The Terrance has a great view of Larimer Street, and Auraria campus. It was a great party overall, with only a slight hiccup in service. The place was loaded, and people working the tables and bar didn’t lose a step. I really appreciated the great service I got when I checked my coat too, even though the downstairs was packed too.

Super-​duper tasty and well executed in every phase. I was very impressed with the fire-​grilled vegetables and chicken breast. Everything on the menu was exciting and interesting. Tamayo values locally sourced ingredients and the staff really cares about the work they do. This is an awesome spot in downtown Denver and must be on your visit list.

My husband and I love Tamayo. We’ve been a couple times and always get the queso fundido, it’s so rich but so delicious! I plan large events as part of my job and recently hosted 65 people at Tamayo. We had the entire patio to ourselves which has it’s own bar. The weather was perfect at 70 degrees but when it cooled off later in the evening, we were able to draw the very sturdy shades and completely enclose the space. It was nice and warm but you could still see out towards the city because the shades have windows! My only complaint was that some of my guests heard the wait staff complaining about the size of the group. I wouldn’t love waiting on a large group either but I would have liked to have them discuss that away from my guests!

Another R. Sandoval joint, this one located in Larimer Sq. Terrific and tasty margs, and $ 2 tacos on tuesdays. This place has great ambience and service, but it’s also got the Larimer Sq. price tag on all the dishes and beverages. I’m sure I’ll be back out of convenience since I live and work in the near vicinity, but if I’m jonesing for a taco, I’ll probably be somewhere on Federal or 38^th.
The bar has purse hooks underneath tho! bonus star for the attention to detail.

Beyond delicious! Very pricey, but with the food & service like we had here we had no problem with the prices! The dishes were amazing, as were our mixed drinks, & dessert was scruptious! Absolutely no complaints! You have to eat here! My son & nephew even loved this place & they are very picky 8 & 12 yr olds.

Great service for valentine’s day, which is rare. Amazing food, so much flavor and the margaritas were the cherry on top of a great night.

Place was Americas Mexican. With any real flavor. Good location though. The portions are for birds and the service was

Wow, this place is doing everything right, even on a Friday night, when its jammed packed. Try one of their amazing margaritas frozen, or maybe delight your palate with some hard to find Mahi-​Mahi and you will see why it packed. The energy in this place has changed for the best. If you have high standards like I do, then make sure you take your date to somewhere that will knock her socks off like Tamayo. Just make sure you get a reservation, as you probably will need one.

Picture it: Last Friday, January 15, 2016. First time at Tamayo. Boyfriend’s company private party in upstairs portion of the restaurant. We sit down to eat after mingling with his co-​workers, whom I’ve just met, and eating appetizers (apparently the chicken flautas were amazing, but I wouldn’t know — I’m vegetarian) and drinking a couple glasses of wine and beer. After looking at the menu and noticing it’s a three-​course dinner I immediately start searching for any vegetarian options. There were two options for starters, one option was a mixed salad and the other option was a chicken tortilla soup. There were three dinner options, none of which were vegetarian, and dessert was bread pudding (I’ve never been a fan of bread pudding). The time came for our server to take our orders and I informed her I’m vegetarian and asked if there was anything else I could have as a dinner entrée. She immediately wrote a note in her pad and said they could prepare me a special dish with only vegetables and she would bring me the salad also. I was ecstatic that she was willing to accommodate to my needs and looking forward to the veg meal they would whip up specially for me.
Fast forward several minutes: The salad came and it was nothing short of AMAZING. An array of flavors, textures, and colors — from the spiciness of the dressing and the crunch of the lettuce and onions to the sweetness of the candied walnuts, it was by far the best salad I’ve ever had. So far I was impressed and was looking forward to my dinner.
My dinner: Fire-​grilled vegetables. I think I died and went to vegetarian heaven for a bit. You may be thinking it sounds plain and simple and flavorless but it was nothing short of DELICIOUS. The fire-​grilled vegetables include bell peppers, onion, zucchini, eggplant (which I’ve never had before), yellow squash, plantains (also never had before), spinach, chipotle salsa, and green bean salad. I was absolutely the happiest and most satisfied person there.
The dessert (bread pudding, which as you read earlier I’ve always loathed the idea of), topped with cinnamon ice cream, was also INCREDIBLE. Easily the best portion of the whole meal.
A lot of restaurants wouldn’t have accommodated my diet like Tamayo did. Tamayo didn’t disappoint a hard-​core vegetarian so I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! I can’t wait to go back. I love giving an awesome restaurant my business!

My husband and I love this place. His work family loves to visit this establishment and since then he introduced me. It is high quality presentation and so delicious. The margaritas are wonderful and their atmosphere is relaxing. It is a little on the higher end so keep that in mind for a treat now and then. We went again for my birthday and the dessert was amazing! Very impressed and will be returning.

BEST.BRUNCH.EVER. For $ 40 you are treated to a variety of margaritas, mimosas, bloody marys, beer, and small plates. It’s SO worth it, especially if you are with a group. I am normally not a fan of small plates, but I LOVED it here. Since we ate SO much, I’ll only share my favorites:
–Guava mimosa
–Bloody mary — tasted like salsa in a good way
–Tamayo benedict — cooked to perfection, topped with carnitas and salsa
–Chorizo empenada — we asked for seconds SO good
and of course the churros and carmelized plantains.
The services was excellent and I can’t wait to come back and sit on the outside patio!

Richard should know better about Oaxacan mole and Mexican tacos. The mole was a big let down just like the D. C restaurant. The lamb tacos could have been great if they would of been deliver warm to my table.
The tortillas can’t be served if is not made In-​house! I felt like I was eating paper
Wife and I are done with Richards establishments

I would describe Tomayo as an upscale Mexican restaurant. I came here with a friend for late night dinner. We split the bacon guacamole appetizer which was some of the best guacamole I’ve had! We also split slow roasted pork carnitas for a meal which was unique, tasty, and plenty to share. Overall was satisfied with the food. I would recommend for a date night or a night out with friends. Would not recommend for children.
My friend and I both felt the margaritas were too sour and over priced. Would return for the food but not the margaritas.

I came here for lunch recently and was impressed with my meal. My friends and I had the guacamole to start, and their’s hit the spot. I had the vegetarian combination plate, which allowed me to sample more of their menu than if I had picked a normal entrée. The soup of the day was a corn chowder and that was the highlight of the meal. The quesadilla and enchilada on the platter were upscale versions of the classics. The portions were pretty small, which isn’t my favorite, especially when the entire menu is kind of pricey, but everything tasted really good. My friends enjoyed their meals as well, and from what I saw, the wraps and tacos are the way to go if you want a larger portion.
They also have a great selection of tequila, with some being infused. I had a margarita with serrano infused tequila, and it had the right amount of kick to it. Supposedly they have great deals on margaritas on their happy hour too!

We were in town from California and we were craving guacamole. It was pretty busy so we grabbed a seat in the lounge/​bar area.
Service was attentive and fast.
Guacamole was AWESOME! Their chips were a little weird tasting. Not awful just weird. I had a veggie stack that was probably the best vegetable plate that I’ve ever had! So big, awesome veggies!
I think this is a cool choice for Mexican food!

I’ve been stingy with my five stars lately, but I thought Tamayo was fantabulous! My hubby and I decided to meet for dinner after he’d been out of town for a few days since neither of us felt like doing anything in the kitchen for dinner (read: I didn’t feel like cooking and the fridge was barren anyway).
I was able to snag a same day reservation for the time I needed after spending way too much time on Open Table and snagging someone’s cancelled reservation. Truth be told, this place wasn’t on my radar, but evidently it’s busy — and always has been!
Hubby was late getting to the restaurant from the airport, but I was seated right away and decided to indulge in some guac while I waited. That’s his punishment for being late right? Sounds fair to me. Anyway, yum! I went with the traditional guac and whatever salsa came with it was fabulous too. It definitely didn’t last long after hubby finally arrived.
I think one of my favorite things about this place was that we never felt like we were rushed along. I’m sure that can be frustrating from a server’s perspective when you get those people that take forever, but it was one of those nights where we really just wanted to enjoy each other’s company and enjoy the meal.
We finally settled on the tampiquena and the pork shoulder entrée for dinner with sides of plantains and spinach. While I hate bananas (seriously — worst fruit ever) and can’t comment on how good they were or weren’t, everything else was fabulous. I loved every side that came with my dish (tampiquena) — mole cheese enchilada, potatoes au gratin, corn salad — yum!
There wasn’t really room for dessert, but we squeezed in a dulce de leche cake with blueberries. Major noms. Can’t wait to go back!

On August 14, 2015, I went to Tamayo with some friends. They had grasshopper guacamole, but grasshopper tacos were not on the menu. I called before we went to the restaurant, and asked if they can make grasshopper tacos for us. They agreed, we got into two Ubers, and arrived promptly to Tamayo.
Our waiter was very patient with us, and very courteous. The grasshopper tacos were great. We each had 1 (we requested 2 orders). The flavor was great, the guacamole with it was perfect, and the grasshoppers were crunchy and well seasoned. The pepper on the top of the taco was also a great touch.
I also ordered the al pastor tacos. Those were just as tasty as the grasshopper/​chapulines tacos.
If you’re in Denver, living or visiting, I would highly recommend this place. It is in a very hip area, the service is great, food is incredible, the restaurant is really nice, and the fact that they would accommodate us with our special (and probably very irregular) request for grasshopper tacos, I would definitely come back if I go back to Denver.

We were in town for my cousin’s wedding and on our last day, my cousin recommended this place for their AYCE&D (All You Can Eat & Drink) Bottomless Margarita brunch for $ 39.
We had just finished an awesome night of eating, drinking, dancing and partying at her younger brother’s wedding but what the hell, we were on vacation… time for ROUND 2!
Our server was Justin, he was amazing and as solid as they come. I mentioned my GF’s gluten-​free allergy condition. Justin was very thorough and on-​point about being the liaison for us and communicating her allergy sensitivities with the kitchen staff. It’s rare to find establishments and staff that are dedicated to offering an assurance of safety when eating out.
The Bottomless Margarita brunch special is limited to the items on this menu (
), but it’s far from limiting.
We tried pretty much everything on the menu, here’s a list of things I liked and didn’t like. Anything else fell inbetween:
— CHIPOTLE CRISPY BACON: thin and crispy… not oily! But don’t let its thinness fool you, it’s bursting with peppery and spicy flavor!
— TAMAYO GOD: oops, I meant «Dog,» it must have been a Freudian slip because it tastes like heaven in your mouth.
— POZOLE: delicious broth, this is a great item to start with.
— GRILLED WATERMELON SALAD: Meh, it sounded delicious but the dressing was uninspiring.
— MEXICO CITY STYLE CORN ON THE COB: If you like Mexican style corn from food stands, then try this.
From the bottomless drink selections:
— TRADITIONAL MIMOSA: Exactly what you’d expect, nothing more, nothing less.
— GUAVA MIMOSA: This was the best of all their mimosa selections!
— MANGO MIMOSA: This was surprisingly, not as good as it sounded :(
— TRADITIONAL MARGARITA: Tastes like a margarita made from a mixer.
— BLOODY MARY: Just your average bloody mary.
— BLOODY MARIA: If you like a little spice and kick in your drinks, then you will love this one! This was my favorite by far.
The interior of Tamayo is clean, modern and eye-​catching as would you expect from a higher end establishment. The rest of the staff were also very courteous and friendly, as well.
HOWEVER…there is one HUGE, GLARING fault with this restaurant and that is their men’s restroom. It is hot, humid, stuffy and reeks with an overpoweringly pungent urine smell.
Now, I know that most men’s restrooms are bad, but this one is «induce your gag reflex» bad. The other guys at our table remarked about this as well. It’s such a shame that such a high end place has such low end bathroom facilities. It really detracts from the experience.

I like Tamayo just fine, I guess. It’s got a great location on the west side of the Lodo area, and combines a ‘classy/​casual’ feel with great views of the mountains to the west.
While this place has been a favorite spot for regulars and tourists alike for a number of years, my sense is that either the portions have gotten smaller, the menu more expensive, but most likely both.
I ordered the crab & shrimp enchiladas, and while they were very tasty, the dish left me still a little hungry afterward (which is rare, because I don’t tend to have a huge appetite). If it was $ 12 bucks, that would be fine. This dish, however, comes in at twice that, and for $ 24 dollars, I expect better. My gal ordered the Mahi Mahi Tacos, and it was much the same situation. Three smaller tacos at $ 15, and left her underwhelmed as well.
I guess what I am saying is this; Tamayo is a clean, friendly, up-​scale eatery that is tasty but overpriced. I don’t blame them though, the place is usually packed. Just saying that for my money, I think I prefer finding seafood enchiladas at more of a mom & pop style establishment off the beaten path, that cares more about food than image.

I used to be a big fan of Tamayo, sadly, it’s not turning me on anymore…
The service was very lackluster even though we were here before the dinner rush on a Saturday. They forgot not one but three items we ordered.
I feel they are a bit overpriced for the portions as well. On to new and better restaurants for me! Too bad because they have a great rooftop patio.

This review is on their Happy Hour. We went before a concert at the Pepsi Center. Happy Hour is daily from 2−6pm in the bar or in the lounge. The rooftop patio was not open on such a nice evening. They are located on the corner of 14^th St and Larimer in Denver and believe me, you pay Larimer Square prices.
For a Unilocal check-​in you get a free House Margarita. We ordered a Pineapple Margarita and a Mango Margarita. Both were bland.
On Tuesdays the Tacos are $ 2 instead of $ 3. I ordered one of each: taco de carne, al pastor, and chicken tinga. I did not care for the texture of the shredded chicken and it was dry. The other tacos were ok.
The Happy Hour Tapas were all $ 4 each.
The Wild Mushroom Flatbread was tiny but tasty. Tamayo’s sister restaurant, Zengo, has a Mushroom Flatbread which is enough for 2 people to share.
The Squash Blossom Quesadilla was more like an arepa or empanada. It was also tiny and not worth $ 4.
The Chicken Tamal was pretty, but it had too much masa.
The Chips and Salsa were probably the best thing we had.
Richard Sandoval’s Sandia Restaurant (both locations) has a much better Happy Hour and regular menu.
We will not be back to Tamayo.

This place is fabulous! Not sure how/​why it took me so long to come here! The roof-​top patio is gorgeous… a major plus that it’s covered so you could potentially sit out here in the rain.
We shared the Pacifico Guacamole (containing beets, walnuts, orange, etc.) which was the best decision ever. The fiancé doesn’t usually like guac and he LOVED this one. It was great that they brought us extra chips to finish our guacamole, and that this dish is served with a bowl of green & red salsa on the side.
For dinner we both had enchiladas … how adventurous ;) Too be honest, I totally googled the pronunciation of the Huitlacoche & Wild Mushroom enchiladas I ordered so I wouldn’t sound like a crazy person. Fiancé had the Shredded Chicken enchiladas. The dishes were simple, but extremely well presented and executed. Being from New Mexico, I’m picky, and don’t let places get away with bad enchiladas, and these were some of the best I’ve ever had!
We each had 2 margaritas (of course!) and each of them were amazing! I wanted to try more, but that might have made getting back downstairs a hairy situation! Our favorite was the Tamayo margarita that includes Tamarind… yum! We were looking over the dessert menu when an angel dropped by our table with tequila popcicles; these ended up being the only dessert we needed! I can’t wait to go back for happy hour. It also looks like they have a Unilocal Check-​In deal for a free margarita.

I came here just after happy hour, which unfortunately did not afford us the happy hour deals. However, thanks to my great habit of checking in via Unilocal,we got a handsome reward. We both got a free marg for the check in! Great! This was a $ 22 value, probably my best discount yet. Things only improved from there. We tried the guacamole with kiwi, strawberry and jicama. Delicious. It sounds somewhat odd but it was balanced and a nice sweet note on top of the normal savory guacamole flavors. I split an order of brisket tacos with my accomplice. Wow, these were INCREDIBLE. One of my favorite tacos in Denver.
I could have easily eaten that brisket plain on a platter. It was perfectly balanced with smoky flavors in the meat, the tangy acid from the pickled red onions, balanced out with the creamy, fresh avocado slice. This is another review that makes me salivate writing about it. Well done Mr. Sandoval.

There aren’t many places that have an entire section of their menu dedicated to guacamole, Tamayo has it. We tried the fruity one, very fresh. Post guac I had the tacos, WOW, such tender brisket full of flavor!
Service was also excellent. Our waitress was knowledgable and her recommendations were solid. When I checked in on Unilocal I got a free house margarita, we had already ordered a speciality one, when the check came, our waitress gave us the speciality (more expensive one) on the house and charged us for the classic. It was a lovely gesture.