The Matador

We just had dinner with my parents. The margaritas are good, food is good but the noise level is very loud. You have to scream across the table in order to have a conversation. Turn down the music just a cut for goodness sake, no need to have it that loud. I would of given another star but couldn’t stand the loud music.

I really enjoyed the margaritas, ordered two different ones and both were superb. The vibes was great for a date, dark and not too noisy. I had the street tacos and they were delicious. I would recommend checking it out!

Hipster, skinny jean wearing Mexican food knock off. Small portions small selection. Big selection of tequila.

The food is marginal at best… I’m super disappointed because I wanted to like this place so badly!
The vibe is way cool, but the food is as American-​Mexican as it gets. Definitely not «authentic» or «crafty».
Would love to see them redo the menu and then I might give it another shot.

Food was amazing! Queso dip and spicy shrimp! Plus the margaritas and tequila is phenomenal! We will definitely be back!

My boyfriend and I used to frequent Matador for their great happy hour deals, late hours, and awesome food, but lately they have not been hitting the mark. Our last couple times have just been meh and with El Camino just a few doors down they may have lost us for good. I hope they can make a comeback.

Food here is really good. Especially there taco sample platter and there brunch items. Biggest deterrent is the host (or lack-​thereof) never seems to know what’s going on and there expensive drink places.

Okay, here it is… my daughter and I have put off writing a review for a year! Because we enjoy, some of the food, we continue to come back, time after time. Absolutely the worst service on the planet. We actually go there, anticipating bad service and they live up to their reputation each and every time. As a previous restaurateur, it is with great regret that I have to write a negative review. If you like to be nickeled and dimed, this is your place. I ask for green salsa, instead of red for the chips and they charge me $ 2, every time. We have been in at least 8 times and the manager doesn’t even know our name or stop by the table. Each time we wait so long for water, drinks and food with no courtesy check back from the server. Tonight, after we ordered, we had to try and keep the server at the table long enough to sell her on the fact they we wanted more food. We no sooner get out of our mouths one item and because she does not write the order down, she is in a hurry to get to her computer terminal to put in our order, before she forgets it. Needless to say, we would have ordered more if we were not rushed during our order time. I’m not going to waste anymore time on this but, if you are looking for shitty service, this is the place to go. We won’t torture ourselves anymore. And hey Barney, the Manager, we know your name and you should stop playing bartender for 5 minutes and come out and meet your guests. Just sayin’!

I absolutely love this place. The service has always been fantastic! The black bean queso is very good, but nothing beats those nachos. And if you haven’t tried the hibiscus margarita yet you’re missing out!

We came here on Friday night with a large group. The service at first was pretty good unfortunately one of our orders was forgotten and it took awhile for to receive it and after that our service went downhill.
I ordered the apple salad and it was absolutely amazing. I tried someone else’s pork al pastor torta and was not a big fan– the majority of the sandwich was pineapple and not pork which was a bummer.
Also be careful where you park around here! I unfortunately got a parking ticket.

Met a date there and it was a lovely setting for an evening drink or dinner. It’s lit with candles and sets a nice warm comfy tone. The wait staff was delightful. Our food came as ordered out quickly and was tasty. My adult drink had just enough alcohol in it and was a good size. My only complaint is the food was a little too spicy. I understand they have their own recipes that tend to be spicy, but I would suggest maybe making it barely spicy and including a little side cup of «kick» so those that want to punch it up can do so at the table to their liking. Also, parking is crazy in this area but that’s just something to plan for if eating anywhere in this part of town. I suggest taking Über here if you can. I recommend this place to socialize with a nice calm mood. Not a «girls go out before clubbing» sort of place but dates, drinks with friends or colleagues.

Great location for food and drinks. I love the décor and atmosphere. I will definitely go again and recommend this place.

I was so presently surprised by this restaurant :) the only disappointment is now dark it is in there, but we say by the open windows which was perfect to let light in and with the last of the summer breeze.
We tried the Sopes and they were fine but not to die for. I had the Shrimp Salad and it was fantastic. Such a good dressing, shrimp was cooked perfectly! The plates are reasonably priced (8 – 17 $). Our waitress was nice and not too involved or aloof.
We will be back!

We came here for lunch today — it was cheat day… again…lol
We decide to sit at the bar .the ambiance is cool with all the tequilas on display… even though I don’t drink anymore …
I moldy smell was hitting me in waves coming from what seemed behind the bar which was really gross…
We press on with the menus and order the nachos and tortilla soup.
The snacks come out fast .And talk about the mountain high nachos!!!
We dig in–
I have to say the soup had huge chunks of dark slimy chicken which was not my fav… but the nachos were so good– I’d been craving cheesy goodness for months and today ended that craving–
So I will come back on another cheat day and try something else —
Maybe a deep clean behind that bar wouldn’t be such a bad thing…
But all in all it was cool!

Mexican was the decision Friday night and I suggested Matador as an option since I had never been. Off we went to see if we could snag a table during prime dinner time. We arrived around 5:30 pm and to our surprise we were seated right away. The weather was gorgeous and all the windows were open allowing us to enjoy a soft breeze for most of our meal.
Our server was quick to inform us that we still had about 20 minutes on HH which was nice of her to mention so we had enough time to try some items. We took full advantage as we ordered two rounds of margarita’s ($ 4-​$ 5 each), Nacho’s ($ 5) and garlic shrimp ($ 6). Nachos were pretty freaking fantastic with all the toppings including sour cream and guacamole and a ginormous portion of cheesy nachos. The next time I have a Nacho craving I will be here for HH. The garlic shrimp were tasty, although if the menu didn’t say garlic I would not have guessed garlic was the main flavor profile they were going for. When you say garlic, give me the garlic!
For an entrée I had the Enchiladas Al Pastor with a poblano crema topped with an orange habanero salsa fresca. The plating was beautiful and my entrée came with three large enchiladas with shredded pork and the creamy poblano sauce. The orange habanero salsa added a nice level of heat to each bite. I could only finish two of the enchiladas but the third one made a nice lunch a day later.
I thought service was above average, the margaritas were delicious and refreshing, food was solid Tex-​Mex (some more heat would be nice), and the HH is one of the best deals in Denver. I will definitely be back for those Nacho’s.

The hubs and I came here to enjoy a little Thursday night date night. Hands down the best part of the meal was the customer service. We had a really nice waitress who was totally on her game. Our food arrived quickly and our water glasses were never empty.
We started with the chips, salsa and guacamole. The guacamole had too many onions and not enough lime for my personal taste but the hubs enjoyed it. Their salsa was my favorite way to eat salsa which is smooth and blended with a touch of heat.
I ordered the cheese red enchiladas and the hubs got the green enchiladas pastor. Both were solid meals although I have to say the rice was not my favorite part of the meal. My preference is authentic tomato/​Spanish style rice and this is not that. The red enchilada sauce had a really nice smoky heat to it and I could do just that minus the sides for a future visit.
Overall we had a really nice experience and being close to our house, we’d definitely make a return trip.

This is a tough one to rate because I want to like the Matador, given it’s location in the Highlands and it’s décor. However, there were a few things that were missing to make it one of my true favorites in the neighborhood.
The first thing you notice is the neo-​lithic environment you are surrounded by, which can lend to a dark environment. I felt it was warm on a cool day. Not for everyone. There were a number of specials and menu items, including above average margaritas. Chips and salsa were delicious.
The meals were average. I had the taco special, made with chorizo, which was too greasy to be overly enjoyable. Was also a bit spicy for my taste, something that was not warned in the description of the item. The fajitas also reported similar results.
I believe Matador suffers a bit from anticipation. The décor does not support the quality of the food. Step up the quality and preparation of the food, and you may have an instant classic on your hands. Well worth your support to make that happen.

Really hovering between 2 and 3 stars on this one. Here goes:
Stopped in at Matador after a little shopping with my sister. I wanted to love the place — I actually did really like the décor and bar area. Looks-​wise, this place was awesome. Service wise, our waitress was a bit absent and we had to ask for extra napkins, silverware, etc.
Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of praise for the food. Chips and salsa were spot on, but my sandwich totally turned me off. It was the Pork Al Pastor Sandwich (slow-​roasted pork, pineapple, serrano slaw, chipotle mayo). It had very little pork and waaaaaay too much chipotle mayo. Or rather not enough mayo IN the chipotle. The fries kicked a$$ though — that was nice.
I probably won’t make a point of going back, but I’d give it another shot if I were in the area. They had some spectacular looking things on the menu — I think I just picked the wrong one.

Stopped in here the other night while we were in the neighborhood. I had been curious about this place since they took over the old Heidi’s deli space. Love what they did with the décor. The fire pit in the bar area was awesome. The rest of the restaurant kind of feels like you are sitting in a back room where you will be forgotten.
Margarita was great. I also tried out the chicken tortilla soup which was really great. It is so large it can definitely be a meal, and very filling. My dining partners had the calamari and the enchiladas. They both enjoyed their entrees as well. The prices here seem a little higher than what they should be, and with the vibe of the restaurant (trying to have a high end feel) I would think they could at least provide cloth napkins.
Service was ok. Our waitress kept coming by trying to give us our check and seemed to be disappointed when we wanted to order more drinks. It’s your tip. You want to take home more money or not?
Overall food was good, but if we ever come back Id want to sit in the bar area.

Cool tequila bar atmosphere, even if the black iron skull decorations are a little too Affliction brand clothing for my taste.
The nachos here have a bit of a cult following. As a nacho addict, I’m willing to taste the kool-​aide…
The nachos consist of melted cheese, beans, pico, jalapeños, sour cream, delicious guacamole, and we chose shredded chicken. All of the ingredients were excellent. Really excellent. The guacamole and beautifully marinated chicken really stood out as delicious highlights.
The only reason for the loss of a star comes with the plating. The top layer of nachos has a mountain of food, but the interior chips are mostly vacant. And the chips themselves don’t hold up well to excavating the amazing ingredients. The melted cheese acts as a bit of cement which binds the thin chips together, and trying to grab a chip from the pile often results in broken chip frustration.
Overall though, some great nachos in a unique spot.