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Bubba Chinos #1

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Bubba Chinos #1
Mark Manger 

00000 - 00000 of 00000

00,000 of 00,000

160 N. Federal Blvd. Denver, CO 80219

303-727-8727 

Website 

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  • Mexican
    $
  • All Major Credit Cards, cash
    Kid Friendly, Vegetarian Friendly
  • Dinner, Lunch
    Not Necessary
Description

Leonard Cordova inherited many things from Stella Cordova, his grandmother who cooked at the legendary Chubby's for more than forty years. Most important, he got her green chile recipe. And although he lost the right to use the Chubby's name after a cousin registered the trademark, when he changed the name of his first restaurant on Federal Boulevard to Bubba Chinos, he didn't give up hawking the green chile he makes off her legendary formula. He pours that gravy-thick sauce over almost everything on a menu of what he describes as "authentic Chicano cuisine": burritos with refried beans, chile-cheese fries with Velveeta-like processed dairy, the Mexican hamburger that seems to be native to Denver. Non-smothered items are available, too, wrapped in foil for to-go patrons -- but even when you eat in, your food arrives in a square Styrofoam box. And even without the Chubby's name, Leonard has had no problem building his own following: His spot on Federal is almost always full of people sitting in the bright-yellow dining room covered with sports paraphernalia and graffiti tags, socializing with each other, buying pirated DVDs, occasionally even eating. Leonard's following is so strong, in fact, that there are now a handful of Bubba Chinos around town, with more opening all the time.







  • 2011 | Best Offshoot of a Homegrown Burrito Haven

    More than forty years ago, Stella Cordova took over the Chubby Burger Drive-In on West 38th Avenue and started featuring the green chile she'd learned to make when she was a kid growing up in Colorado. That sauce -- thick, savory and laced with enough spice to produce a slow, sweat-inducing burn -- soon became iconic. Before she passed away two years ago, she handed that chile recipe down to several of her grandchildren, one of whom was Leonard Cordova. And though Leonard is now... More »

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  • Bubba Chinos expands into downtown

    Bubba Chinos expands into downtown

    | Thu, May 17, 2012

    Bubba Chinos, the burrito chain started by Leonard Cordova, grandson of Stella Cordova, the late and legendary Chubby's founder, will open a new franchise location at 1361 Court Place next month. "We... More »

  • Bubba Chinos serves up authentic "Chicano cuisine"

    Bubba Chinos serves up authentic "Chicano cuisine"

    | Thu, February 17, 2011

    On a Friday night, the vibrant yellow building on Federal Boulevard that houses the original Bubba Chinos is packed. A tented stand in front of the place displays a maze of T-shirts; inside, a woman is hawking pirated DVDs. The adults socializing ... More »

  • The colorful Bubba Chinos empire is expanding across Denver and into Boulder

    The colorful Bubba Chinos empire is expanding across Denver and into Boulder

    | Thu, February 17, 2011

    This week, I reviewed the original Bubba Chinos location at 160 Federal Boulevard, where Leonard Cordova serves up a version of the green chile that his grandmother, Stella Cordova, made legendary at ... More »

  • Review preview: Bubba Chinos

    Review preview: Bubba Chinos

    | Tue, February 15, 2011

    Over four decades ago, Stella Cordova took over the Chubby Burger Drive-In from its owner, and she soon turned Chubby's into a Colorado icon, renowned for serving the gravy-like green chile she'd lea... More »

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