Kalakas is a bright, vibrant space with a welcoming atmosphere and friendly service. We arrived around 5 pm and were seated right away. Water came quickly, and while it took about ten minutes for our drink order to be taken, the Michelada was generous in size and the Baja Margarita was excellent, refreshing, balanced, and not overly sweet.
For happy hour, we tried the esquites elote and the green chili queso. The esquites had a nice flavor but the corn was unfortunately chewy. The queso tasted good but arrived broken (gritty in texture). This has now happened on both of our visits, which suggests the cheese may be overheating or reacting poorly when the green chili is added. A small technical adjustment could easily elevate this dish, as the flavors are otherwise spot-on.
We shared the chili rellenos entrée, which leaned heavily into smoky and sweet notes, a bit over the top for our taste. The standout, however, was the side of beans and rice, which were absolutely excellent and the highlight of the meal. Truly, the rice alone could keep us coming back.
Service was decent, prices were fair, and the environment was enjoyable for an early dinner for two. Overall, the experience felt like a 3/5, with the beans and rice earning a solid 5/5. Kalakas has the foundation for something great, dialing back to the basics of simple, well-executed Mexican cuisine could make this place shine.
We’ll consider giving it another try, but consistency will be key.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Kelly Sheffield
Wonderful!! I had the chile relleno and it had to be the best I’ve ever eaten! My husband had the fajitas which were really wonderful, too. We live far away so unfortunately we can’t come back.😢
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Donald Ayres
Stopped in while on vacation. When I got home I discovered they charged an extra $10 to my debit card. I'm currently disputed it with my bank. I hate crooked businesses.
Bern F
Won't go again as I prefer more traditional Mexican food and be able to choose my spice level. It was to spicy for me. We had to find someone for extra napkins but otherwise they had good service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Yezenia M.Flores
Drinks are amazing!!! Food is awesome! I recommend the tacos dorados! Homemade corn tortilla ❤️ fajitas are flavorful, and the trashcan nachos are good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aleigha martinez
Delicious food, drinks and amazing service and great atmosphere
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steve H
The food was tasty, Mezcalrita was balanced. Had a great convo with Govany on Raicilla. Hope to see it available in the future. Totally would stop back by when in the area.
The Margaritas, Nachos and Desserts are Fabulous! Thanks for great food and service. ♥️🌹
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dustin André-Vandenberg
Ordered. Then sat for 30 full minutes waiting for food. Wasn't a particularly busy day or time either.
Service: 1
Karina Valencia
I never usually write things like this but we were upset. I went in with my man and my baby excited to try something new since we had it last time and it was delicious, so we get there and it looks 10x busier than it was last time. We’re waiting for our table and so are a couple other parties, the guy who seated us decided to seat us last, I’m thinking maybe he’s waiting to seat us somewhere they can put a high chair. No. He seated us in the same area by the same people who came in AFTER us. So why did we have to sit last ? So whatever we let that slide then we’re waiting to be greeted and given some menus because the host did not give us any to begin with. When we finally do get acknowledged our waiter takes our order and we wait like one does. Long story short we waited an hour and a half and we still didn’t get our food, yet everyone else around us has finished their food. I didn’t want to bring the race card into this but the way we were treated by our own people was so disappointing. To be waiting for almost two hours before we finally decided to just leave while the white people around us got their food, their drinks and are having a nice time was not acceptable at all. Not to mention I asked our waiter to at least bring my babies food out since he was hungry and they never did. Disappointed but not surprised considering the environment.
First day in Denver. Stopped by for some tacos and a drink. Bartender David is TOP NOTCH! Gave us great recommendations. Not only of the menu but of local spots to hit. Thank you David! You are a GEM!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bill Noble
My 3rd visit. Went with my brother. He had the Molé enchiladas and I had the chile relleno. Both our dishes were delivered to our table somewhat on the cold side. Service was ok but definitely not attentive. The food itself was ok but only ok. I guess this visit I was underwhelmed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Stephanie Vaughn
Awesome food and drinks!! Great neighborhood vibe, super slow service, and it seemed understaffed, maybe.
Kalakas is a bright, vibrant space with a welcoming atmosphere and friendly service. We arrived around 5 pm and were seated right away. Water came quickly, and while it took about ten minutes for our drink order to be taken, the Michelada was generous in size and the Baja Margarita was excellent, refreshing, balanced, and not overly sweet.
For happy hour, we tried the esquites elote and the green chili queso. The esquites had a nice flavor but the corn was unfortunately chewy. The queso tasted good but arrived broken (gritty in texture). This has now happened on both of our visits, which suggests the cheese may be overheating or reacting poorly when the green chili is added. A small technical adjustment could easily elevate this dish, as the flavors are otherwise spot-on.
We shared the chili rellenos entrée, which leaned heavily into smoky and sweet notes, a bit over the top for our taste. The standout, however, was the side of beans and rice, which were absolutely excellent and the highlight of the meal. Truly, the rice alone could keep us coming back.
Service was decent, prices were fair, and the environment was enjoyable for an early dinner for two. Overall, the experience felt like a 3/5, with the beans and rice earning a solid 5/5. Kalakas has the foundation for something great, dialing back to the basics of simple, well-executed Mexican cuisine could make this place shine.
We’ll consider giving it another try, but consistency will be key.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Wonderful!! I had the chile relleno and it had to be the best I’ve ever eaten! My husband had the fajitas which were really wonderful, too. We live far away so unfortunately we can’t come back.😢
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stopped in while on vacation. When I got home I discovered they charged an extra $10 to my debit card. I'm currently disputed it with my bank. I hate crooked businesses.
Won't go again as I prefer more traditional Mexican food and be able to choose my spice level. It was to spicy for me. We had to find someone for extra napkins but otherwise they had good service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Drinks are amazing!!! Food is awesome! I recommend the tacos dorados! Homemade corn tortilla ❤️ fajitas are flavorful, and the trashcan nachos are good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious food, drinks and amazing service and great atmosphere
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was tasty, Mezcalrita was balanced. Had a great convo with Govany on Raicilla. Hope to see it available in the future. Totally would stop back by when in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mole Enchiladas, Kalaka Burrito
The Margaritas, Nachos and Desserts are Fabulous! Thanks for great food and service. ♥️🌹
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ordered. Then sat for 30 full minutes waiting for food. Wasn't a particularly busy day or time either.
Service: 1
I never usually write things like this but we were upset. I went in with my man and my baby excited to try something new since we had it last time and it was delicious, so we get there and it looks 10x busier than it was last time. We’re waiting for our table and so are a couple other parties, the guy who seated us decided to seat us last, I’m thinking maybe he’s waiting to seat us somewhere they can put a high chair. No. He seated us in the same area by the same people who came in AFTER us. So why did we have to sit last ? So whatever we let that slide then we’re waiting to be greeted and given some menus because the host did not give us any to begin with. When we finally do get acknowledged our waiter takes our order and we wait like one does. Long story short we waited an hour and a half and we still didn’t get our food, yet everyone else around us has finished their food. I didn’t want to bring the race card into this but the way we were treated by our own people was so disappointing. To be waiting for almost two hours before we finally decided to just leave while the white people around us got their food, their drinks and are having a nice time was not acceptable at all. Not to mention I asked our waiter to at least bring my babies food out since he was hungry and they never did. Disappointed but not surprised considering the environment.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
First day in Denver. Stopped by for some tacos and a drink. Bartender David is TOP NOTCH! Gave us great recommendations. Not only of the menu but of local spots to hit. Thank you David! You are a GEM!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My 3rd visit. Went with my brother. He had the Molé enchiladas and I had the chile relleno. Both our dishes were delivered to our table somewhat on the cold side. Service was ok but definitely not attentive. The food itself was ok but only ok. I guess this visit I was underwhelmed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Awesome food and drinks!! Great neighborhood vibe, super slow service, and it seemed understaffed, maybe.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
What a cool restaurant to go to.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Very good with water in my basement
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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