El Tapatio

Fantastic authentic Mexican meal. The atmosphere is fun and lively with brightly colored tables and music. Granted we were very hungry but I can honestly say this is the best meal so far on day 10 of rambling around the great west. We dived right into the commentary perfectly crisp chips with salsa and spicy slaw which were absolutely delicious. My margarita was fantastic with just the right amount of tequila for a light buzz. My husbands bottle of beer was served alongside a frosted mug with salted rim that greatly enhanced the flavor of his fav Modelo. I had a veggie burrito stuffed with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions and peppers covered in a very tasty verde sauce. Even the rice and beans which I generally consider filler were cooked to perfection. My husband the carnivore enjoyed the tacos el carbon which were cooked to order by desired doneness. He raved about them as well. Definitely worth a stop if you are in Grand Junction.

Just fabulous! Shredded beef taco salad, chicken enchiladas, beef & chicken fajitas for 2& food left. Marvelous MEXICAN FLAIR.

I was honestly very surprised by El Tapatio. My boyfriend and I were heading on our way out of town (after he had finished up a round of golf and was h.u.n.g.r.y.) so I pulled this up on Unilocal and it had decent reviews/​was easy to get to.
I ended up getting what a pretty great combination plate. I got a crispy chile relleno and a bean and beef tostada. All of it came with a salad/​pico combination that was very tasty. My boyfriend got a burrito and it was jam packed full of pork! He was very happy. The only chang I wished for on my dish were black beans instead of refried beans, and my boyfriend had wished there was some green chile on the inside of his burrito. We also split a margarita. We asked and they put some orange liqour in the marg, which made it extra tasty.

I have visited this place a couple times and wasn’t blown away by much. The salsa is bland and the entrees are just ok. The service is probably the best part of the place. Orders are always fast and correct in my experience. It is a nice cheap change up from going downtown, but the quality of lacking in a few different areas. It’s definitely better than one of its competitors that I have had the pleasure of eating at, but I have a higher standard for Mexican food.

Loved the dinner here:
Chicken mole with black beans and rice, sliced avocado extra ($ 2.25) worth every penny. (15 $ for the pollo)
Hubby had camarones a la plancha. ($ 16~) also delicious butterflied shrimp with grilled mushrooms and he subbed black beans also. His came with guacamole which was made just right.
Starter chips were good with a very good salsa and another wonderful bowl of pickled cabbage lightly spiced with green chilies and pico de gallo.
Staff was outstanding from the nice gentleman who greeted us and didn’t bat an eye when we asked to be moved to the other side of the small dining room with high booths because two tables both had impatient toddlers who were starting to murmur prior to erupting as we were seated. Parents on one table were allowing the «fork on porcelain plate» (a steady drumming) distraction. No musical aptitude unfortunately. The waitress Belen was all smiles and always attentive. Total bill was $ 36. Worth every penny.

Food: Amazing! I got the vegetarian super burrito and it blew me away!
Margaritas: HUGE!!! I got the house Cadillac Marg and could barely finish it.
Chips and salsa, plus house dip: Amazing! Chips had a toasted taste and I had to ask for a second batch.
With all of that said…
Terrible service. I waited my whole meal for my waiter to bring me a glass of water. He was too busy tending to the table of three men on the patio blowing smoke from their ‘cigs’ in another parties direction. I watched them get numerous tequila shots my whole meal as I simply waited for my water. He never once stopped by my table during the meal.
Long story short: good food, Margs are top-​notch in size and alcohol content, chips and salsa are great. Do not come here if you plan to be seated quickly and taken care of as a customer.

My FAVORITE Mexican food restaurant! And I’ve eaten at as many Mexican places as possible across Colorado, New Mexico, California, Texas and Oklahoma…
Both the Asada and Carnitas tacos are amazing… Squeeze the lime on them and top with some of the sauce they bring out.
The Carne Asada plate is the best I’ve had! Anywhere. Ever. The best!!!
The combo plate with a tamale and a soft chile rellino is awesome. Tell them to put red sauce on the rellino and green chile on the tamale or they will put red on both. Much better with green on the tamale :)
I’m not big on the rice and beans at most places but they are absolutely perfect here! Mix them together a bit, pour some of the incredible salsa on top and eat with chips. Mmmmmm…
I’ve just finished my plate as I’m writing this and I’m already looking forward to my next visit!!!
Enjoy! :)

We went there for lunch on our way to Keystone Colorado. It was quite the treat. I enjoyed the beef quesadillas and my friend savored the chipotle chicken. Both meals were outstanding!!!

I had the chipotle enchiladas and they were good. Not as spicy as i thought it would be but it did hit me later.
My coworker had the chicken burrito and she said it was awesome!
I’ll have to come back to try the carnitas!
I would recommend it to a friend.

Really enjoyed our lunch there. Service was top notch. Our waitress was friendly and helpful. The manager turned on a space heater when we sat down not far from the door. So we were nice and warm.
I had the carne asada. This was a skirt steak — very thin. It was SO flavorful — it seemed to have been marinated and was tender. It was a big piece, but I had no trouble eating it all. The beans were creamy and tasted home cooked, which I appreciate!
This is a little thing — but it shows their deep level of care. I had asked for corn tortillas and my husband wanted flour tortillas. They brought one straw basket. I thought maybe we got all of one kind. But — no — they had interlaced them (one corn, one flour, one corn, one flour, one corn, one flour). Such a nice touch. I got mine, and my husband’s was up next.
As everyone seems to agree — the cabbage salsa is excellent. It was great on chips, but a little dab on a bite of beans or steak really made them sing!

Not good at all ! The only reason I give it a one is because the server was nice !!!