Location : 2461 Larimer Street Denver, CO 80205
303.295.0686
If you haven’t been to the RINO district of Denver lately you are in for a surprise. The blocks of Walnut St and Larimer St from Broadway to 27th St host many new restaurants, cafes and bars and simply ooze coolness. These strips have a very industrial feel to them , one cafe being made out of shipping containers, with vibrant art thrown in and pumping music.
I decided to try Los Chingones on a Friday night after having walked past it before. They boast a great terrace dining area and a large rooftop deck for dining. They are a two story facility that have a bar on each level. Unfortunately you can not make a reservation and boy do they get busy!
We left our name at the front desk and went up to the rooftop bar whilst we waited for our table. We were originally told 25 minutes but I hadn’t even ordered my drink from the bar when they texted to say our table was ready. Unfortunately our table was inside, not on the terrace or rooftop (however I hadn’t specified).
Service was great and our waiter was only too happy to notify me of what was and wasn’t gluten free. I ordered a cocktail and the waiter made sure that the Vodka used was gluten free.
First up for the table (4 of us were dining together) we ordered the Los Chingones style guac. It’s made from RATTLESNAKE chorizo – yes you read that right, pickled jalapeno, cotija cheese and guajillo oil. $8 a serve and this is spicy! The flavours all worked terrifically, the only downside being the corn chips are not celiac safe. They are made in house and fried in the same fryer as gluten containing foods. There is something just not right with having to use a soft corn tortilla as a dipping tool…
The others on the table enjoyed Bad Ass Fundido $8 (rattlesnake chorizo cheese dip) and a plate of Tres Pigs Nachos $12. I however could not try either as the cheese sauce had a roux base so contained flour and again I could not eat the corn chips used on the nachos.
Moving on to the Tacos! Hard taco shells are not gluten free here but the waiter said that they could all be made onto a soft corn tortilla for me.
Tacos range from $3.50 – $4 each and even though they are little they are packed to the brim and are super filling. I can tell the chef had lots of fun creating the taco filling options – the range is outstanding!
I enjoyed a fish taco with spinach, charred onions and spicy tomato as well as an octopus taco with celery and sriracha – red pepper coulis. Both of these were $4. Shrimp and pork were also sampled by the table. I would say the octopus was my favourite – mainly because how often can you eat an octopus taco?!?!
I am a big eater and 2 tacos definitely filled me up – though I wish I could have tried more!
So my final say is this….
-Ask to sit either upstairs or out front, the inside dining is simply too loud and I felt like I was in a night club
-Do try the rattlesnake guac – fight through the spice it is worth it
-Come extra hungry to try multiple tacos
-Celiacs BYO corn chips!
Clockwise from top : Shrimp taco, pork taco, fish taco, octopus taco and rattlesnake guac in the middle.
Rating : Food and service 9/10
Celiac options 5/ 10
My Denver Delights 