Voice Places

Mezcal

29 people have posted a review, snapped a photo, checked in, or tipped this place. Use your voice!
  • One-O
Mezcal
Cassandra Kotnik 

00000 - 00000 of 00000

00,000 of 00,000

3230 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80206

303-322-5219 

Website 

advertisement

  • Mexican
    Sun,Sat 10am-2am, Mon-Fri 11am-2am
    $$
    All Major Credit Cards
  • Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Private Party, Catering, Wheelchair Accessible
    Brunch, Dinner, Late Night, Lunch
    Live Entertainment
    Full bar
  • Accepted
    Street
Description

There's magic in Mezcal's off-hours, when it's just a quiet little neighborhood spot for simple, traditional Tijuana street food in a comfy-funky atmosphere. Friday night? That's different. That's when the kids come -- backflow from the Bluebird Theater and shock troops of the local hipsterati in their weekend best -- and crowd the bar. Here, lucha libre fighters plaster the walls, and there are more tequila choices than you can shake a tamale at. The late-night menu certainly is an attraction, with a moonlit happy hour famous for more than just beer. After dinner, the folks bellying up are, as is typical along this stretch, on the younger, hipper side of things. There's also a decent amount of traffic before and after (and during set breaks from) shows at the Bluebird Theater, which is across the street. Mezcal's kitchen keeps going until 1 a.m., and after 10 p.m. it bangs out tacos at a dollar a pop in a kind of reverse happy hour that keeps the area jumping 'til long after most decent folk have gone to bed.







  • 2009 | Best House Margarita

    Denver drinkers used to be content ordering snifters full of ice, cheap tequila, sweet-and-sour mix that made your teeth squeak, maybe a lime wedge, and all sorts of top-secret (and cheap) ingredients guaranteed to give them a big headache in the morning. If they wanted to get really fancy, they might even order their margaritas frozen so they didn't have to taste what was going to give them a big headache in the morning. But then Denver drinkers started studying tequila, differentiating the... More »

  • 2009 | Best Friday-Night Mexican

    Mezcal is a fantastic starting and ending place for any Friday night. Why For so many reasons. Let's start with the fact that the kitchen serves until one in the morning. The cheap tacos, which we've loved since day one, are just the thing to fortify you before you head out to whatever weirdness awaits you downtown -- and work equally well sopping up that excess alcohol at midnight. And then there's the bar, arranged like an agave stockade -- walled in by bottles of all the best... More »

  • 2008 | Best Late-Night Tacos

    At Mezcal, the talents of partners Jesse Morreale and Sean Yontz combine to create a great bar, a great neighborhood hangout, a great place to go when you're feeling like behaving badly. From the Mexican-soap-opera-and-lucha-libre theme in the dining room to the wondrous collection of tequilas and mezcals behind the bar, there are many reasons to love the place. Our favorite reason Dollar tacos from 10 p.m. until close -- the perfect way to get up for, come down from or suffer through... More »

  • 2008 | Best Tequila/Mezcal List

    There are as many good reasons to spend a night drinking tequila and mezcal as there are great places in Denver to do it. But if you're looking for the best, head directly to Mezcal. Since this Colfax cantina opened four years ago, it's been like a shrine to the best use of the humble agave cactus. Whether you're looking to get sloppy on the cheap stuff or high on some of the amazing elixirs poured here, Mezcal is sure to have something with your name on it. The bar stocks over a hundred... More »

  • 2007 | Best Tequila/Mezcal List

    On the island in the middle of Mezcal's wraparound bar are dozens and dozens of bottles of tequila and mezcal -- from the cheapest, greasy-yellow-death variety up through the finest, most artisanal small-batch liquors ever to come out of Mexico. Then there's the small fridge mounted in the back wall, where the best of the best, the house's favorites, are kept. And beyond that, the owners and bartenders always seem to have some super-extra-special secret stash of imported bottles tucked away... More »

  • 2007 | Best Margarita

    We tried. While our tequila-snob friends sipped at their Coin-style marg, we knocked back every house margarita we could find. We sucked down so many that our teeth started squeaking from all the sweet and sour. And again and again, we kept coming back to those palate-cleansing house margs mixed up at Mezcal. Rather than try to cover up a bad tequila with a worse mix, Mezcal starts with fresh-squeezed juice, pours in (generously) 100 percent agave 30-30 Blanco, then adds a spritz of... More »

  • 2006 | BEST HANGOVER BREAKFAST

    If your situation is dire, skip the menu and go straight to the bar at Mezcal for a tall glass of the house sangrita mix (a spicy tomato juice, used for making its bloody Mary and other such health-food drinks) and two cans of Pacifico off the short, sweet Mexican beer list. After that, you may actually be recovered enough to appreciate the good pancakes and the huevos divorciados, a rare red-and-green "Christmas" mix of chiles sure to tickle the fancy of any ex-pat New Mexican. There's... More »

  • 2005 | Best Taco

    Simplicity counts, and Mezcal's kitchen re-creates the simplest of Mexican street fare with its tacos. Owner Jesse Morreale and Sean Yontz (who consults in the kitchen) don't overreach, don't try to make a taco anything more than what it should be: an edible envelope stuffed with meat and greens. But the components -- soft corn tortillas, grilled meats, fresh salsas and shredded cabbage -- are top-quality, and the atmosphere adds all the extra flavor you could want. Sometimes the best things... More »

  • 2005 | Best Bar Food

    Mezcal's kitchen turns out fantastic Tijuana street-corner shrimp cocktails with big, tail-on shrimp floating in a sweet-and-spicy tomato juice with diced chiles, onions and big slices of fresh avocado, served with Saltines (the best part of any great coctel de camarones). It makes sopes with meat, black beans, lettuce, tomatoes and all that good stuff packed inside a crisp, greasy fried shell. The house also runs a late-night happy hour that's perfect for attracting the city's party... More »

  • 2005 | Best Tequila Ambassador

    Fine-dining restaurants and wine bars have sommeliers -- the in-house experts and professional drinkers paid to know more than their customers about all things grape-ish. And while the character of sommeliers has changed somewhat in recent years (going from crepe-soled and tuxedoed experts on the elder vintages to young turks prouder of their cellar's boutique bottles than some dusty old Lafite), so has the job. There are now whiskey experts, Scotch specialists and, at Mezcal, Pablo, the... More »

  • 2004 | Best Margarita

    Like its agave-derivative namesake, Mezcal -- the upscale Mexican cantina that opened on a gentrifying-by-the-second block of East Colfax last December -- is getting slammed on a nightly basis. And rightly so. From its glowing Moroccan lamps and sunny walls painted with Sol Cerveza advertisements to such kitschy decorations as a chrome low-rider bike suspended from the ceiling and a plastic baby Jesus affixed to an exposed-brick column, Mezcal looks like the real thing. And Mezcal tastes... More »

Back to TopCritic News & Reviews | Write a Review
Back to TopUser Reviews & Comments | Write a Review
  • westwordbestof
       (0)    (0)

    westwordbestof | Denver, CO | 102 Reviews

    | Wed, May 6, 2009

    Denver drinkers used to be content ordering snifters full of ice, cheap tequila, sweet-and-sour mix that made your teeth squeak, maybe a lime wedge, and all sorts of top-secret (and cheap) ingredients guaranteed to give them a big headache in the morning. If they wanted to get really fancy, they might even order their margaritas frozen so they didn't have to taste what was going to give them a big headache in the morning. But then Denver drinkers started studying tequila, differentiating the regional nuances, demanding fresh lime juice and margs served coin-style. While local bars increasingly focus on specialty drinks that quench the ever-growing thirst for better margaritas, they often give scant attention to the house marg. But that's not the case at Mezcal and its sibling, Tambien, which continue to turn out spritely, fresh-tasting, potent house margs that feature plenty of quality tequila, plenty of fresh juice, and just a spritz of carbonation to keep your evening bubbling along.

  • JaclynA
       (0)    (0)

    JaclynA | Los Angeles, CA | 73 Reviews

    | Tue, March 31, 2009

    I had never heard of Mezcal before... then I tasted it and couldn't believe the deliciousness. I am a trusty fan of Mexican food, but run into problems with the heavy, coma- like, after effect. Mezcal delivers a fresh, light way to eat Mexican cuisine~

  • nagemfog
       (0)    (0)

    nagemfog | Denver, CO | 21 Reviews

    | Sun, January 2, 2011

    Great food, drinks and I love the atmosphere.

Back to TopCommunity

People Who Like Mezcal

Main Menu
Appetizers
All Burritos Come With Lettuce, Pico De Gallo, And Sour Cream
$6.95
With Two Salsas $7.95
Guacamole And Chips
$6.95
Queso Fundido
melted cheese with chorizo (or soyrizo) and flour tortillas
$6.95
Rajas Con Queso
melted cheese with green chiles, tomatoes and onions served with corn tortillas
$9.95
Mahi Mahi Ceviche
mahi mahi fish with citrus juice, avocados, pico de gallo, and corn chips
$6.95
Chile Relleno
poblano chili stuffed with queso mexicano, dipped and lightly fried in soft egg batter and topped with chipotle salsa
$7.95
Quesadilla Gringa
flour tortilla grilled with choice of chorizo, soyrizo, steak or chicken
$6.95
Quesadilla Tradicional
fried corn masa stuffed with queso and rajas
$5.95
Tamal Al Chipotle
red pork chile tamal or vegetarian tamal with endiablado sauce
$8.95
Sopes
chicken, steak, or cheese, with refritos negros, lettuce, pico de gallo, and sour cream.
$5.95
With Chicken $6.95
Tortilla Soup
$8.95
Smothered With Red Or Green Chili Add $1.00
Burritos
with rice & beans inside
 
Carne Asada (steak)
 
Carnitas (pork)
 
Chicken
 
Grilled Veggie W/ Soyrizo
$8.95
Chile Relleno Burrito
$8.95
Breakfast Burrito-chorizo Or Soyrizo
w/ eggs and potatoes (no rice and beans)
$2.00
W/ Three Salsas $2.50
Chips And Salsa
$10.95
Shrimp And Clam Coctail
six shrimps served with spicy tecate beer sauce, clams, and saltines
$6.95
Vegetarian Green Chile Bowl
spicy vegetarian green chile with two flour tortilllas
$5.95
Sopa De Calabaza
slow roasted spicy habanero pumpkin soup with candied pecans, sour cream, and pico de gallo
$8.95
Taco Salad
(chicken, beef, or soyrizo), pinto beans, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, ranch dressing, pico de gallo, and guacamole
$7.95
Tacos
order of 3: carne asada (steak), al pastor (pork), chicken, grilled veggie w/ soyrizo
Entrees
$16.95
Sizzling Fajita Platter
your choice of steak, chicken, combination or portobello mushroom with onions, peppers, guacamole, cheese, flour tortillas, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole
$9.95
Red Chile Pozole
traditional mexican soup with carnitas and hominy, served with cabbage, radish, cilantro, onions, flour tortillas and salsa
$12.95
Mole Rojo
pan-seared chicken breast with mole sauce, fried plantains, cilantro rice and frijoles negros
$16.95
Tampiquena
grilled skirt steak with a mole enchilada, rice & frijoles negros
$12.95
Fish Tacos
fresh tilapia topped with cabbage slaw, pickled onions, and chipotle aioli. served with cilantro rice, and frijoles negros.
$9.95
Mexican Hamburguesa
homemade beef patty served on top of two tortillas and smothered with green chili, grilled onions, peppers, and cheese served with rice and refritos
$9.95
Enchilada Plate
chicken or cheese, with guajillo chile sauce, rice & frijoles negros
$9.95
Tamal Plate
two red pork chile or vegetarian tamales with endiablado sauce, rice & frijoles negros
$9.95
Chile Relleno Plate
two poblano chiles stuffed with cheese, rice & frijoles negros
$8.95
Huevos Rancheros
two eggs any style with guajillo chile sauce, corn tortillas, queso, rice and refritos
$6.95
Chilpachole De Camaron
six shrimps with spicy chile sauce, onions, peppers, zucchini, squash, rice, frijoles negros and two corn tortillas
$8.95
Chorizo Y Huevos
chorizo or soyrizo and scrambled eggs, refritos and corn tortillas
$10.95
Tacos De Barbacoa
barbacoa beef tacos with jalapeno salsa, rice, beans, and queso fresco
$10.95
Chuletas De Puerco
adobo marinated pork chops with tamal de cacerola and spicy chipotle apple sauce
$10.95
Barbacoa De Pollo
slow roasted chicken with pickled vegetables and chipotle corn mashed potatoes
Sides
$1.50
Rice
$1.50
Salsa
tomato, tomatillo, or pineapple habanero
$1.50
Mole Sauce
$1.50
Frijoles Rancheros
$1.50
Chipotle Salsa
$1.50
Green Chile (w/ Pork)
$1.50
Pico De Gallo
$1.50
Guajillo Sauce (red)
$1.50
Frijoles
$1.50
Refritos
$1.50
Frijoles Negros Refritos
$1.50
Negros
$1.50
Cheese
$1.50
Sour Cream
$1.50
Chipotle Salsa
$1.50
Green Chile
w/ pork or vegetarian
$2.00
Guacamole
Desserts
$4.95
Coconut Flan
$5.95
Sopapillas
$5.95
Churros
$5.95
Pumpkin Jalapeno Pie
$12.95
Whole Pumpkin Jalapeno Pie Chipotle
$5.95
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy