El Mercadito

Not sure if this place is going out of business but it’s definitely not a well-​stocked Mexican grocery store. They only have a few shelves of food that you can get at Safeway.

«El Mercadito» as its name would suggest is a small grocery market serving Northwest Denver’s Mexican immigrant community. In one corner of the grocery is a small restaurant. What makes this restaurant interesting is that the owner’s are amibitious to do something different. In my opinion, the two best things they make are the «volcano» a mixed meat dish cooked in a molcajete (a Mexican style mortar used to make salsa), topped with queso fresco, onions and nopales. This the only place in Denver that I am aware of where this dish is prepared. The other thing they do very well is prepare Mexican cuts of meat. My favorite is the Arachera which is a thinly sliced beef cut.
I like this restaurant because it is not a copy cat Mexican restaurant like 98% of the other Mexican restaurants in Denver. The food is good but the atmosphere is spare and the service is mediocre. If you go, you will probably be the only English speaking person in the store. The place is mellow and it is a good education as to the sheer dirversity of Mexican food.