If I could give zero stars, I would. I could order better food at Taco Bell - not to mention the service is downright terrible. I ordered a Dos Equis draft and when served a bottle, was ok with it but advised next time I wanted the draft. Second round of beers? More bottles.
I ordered the chile relleno plate and to my surprise, found no chile anywhere. Instead, some tasteless enchilada-type sauce drenched the entire dish, which made my food not only taste weird but awfully soggy. Some friends of ours invited some people they knew that lived close by, who just sat down for drinks. When they noticed the look of disgust on my face, they said, "now do you know why we never come here, even though we live around the block?" Point taken. When I mentioned to my server I disliked my meal, he said "sorry to hear that. Are you ready for the check?"
I would recommend Pinche Tacos, D'Corazon, even the Rio over this place [not a huge fan of the Rio either, but I'd gladly take it over this meal]. Guess that's why I tried this place on a Groupon. Never again.
Went to Mezcal after work with a few friends this week for my B-Day and have to say I'm in the middle of the pack about this place.
It was busy on a Fri and though one of my companions saved a spot for us early we were seated at a table right by the top of the stairs just to the front of the entrance. My perch felt a little precarious as I'd taken a nasty tumble the week before and my chair was inches from the drop. Also, it was a cold night and we were engulfed in a wave of frigid air every time the door opened.
Ambiance-wise:really liked the look,the crowd skewed younger (but then everybody is these days) but had a nice mix.
The Margaritas I had were good but,at $7.50...The food was also good if not cartwheel worthy and,having read the Yelp reviews after the fact,it was pricey and I feel duped in not having some sort of promotional coupon.
Won't go running back but with the right deal....
The best part of the meal was the chips and salsa, and they make you pay for that. Â Still, it is worth it, as all three salsas are good and the price is reasonable ($2.50). Â After the chips and salsa the meal went downhill. Â The tamale plate was average, and not cheap at $11. Â The fish tacos were terrible, and cost $13 to boot! Â The place was empty at 6pm on a Wednesday, because apparently the city has figured out this is not a place you want to eat. Â You would be crazy to eat here when there are so many other options for mexican in town that are cheaper and better. Â Finally, the bartenders are total jerks every year when the Colfax Crawl comes though.
Review Source:My friend and I split some nachos and meandered the very well-stocked tequila selection while sitting at the bar playing creeper to the yupsters taking pictures of themselves so they could say they went out "in tha hood." Â
The nachos were actually pretty good, and the friendly barkeep allowed us to split them so that half were chicken and the other half chorizo. Â The chicken half was decent, but the chorizo was really freakin good. Â My friend and I both agreed that as nachos, they could have used some more cheese overall.
Now, I don't drink anymore, but I know a boatload about tequila, and these cats also apparently know a boatloat about tequila because they had a bunch of my favorite tequilas. Â This probably would have been a 3 star review without the tequila selection, but if you have Don Julio 1942 and Clase Azul, you get an extra star.
Prices weren't bad, service at the bar was good, food was decent, it's on Colfax for people watching and creeper playing. Â What more could you want?
Every once in a while I am overwhelmed by my attraction to bright lights and lively decorations and I end up at this joint.  The margs are the only memorable thing that I consume.  Delicious although somewhat pricey even at happy hour.  The food is bland and definitely Americanized Mexican which isn't a bad thing but it just...doesn't have anything exciting going for it.  While our server was attentive she didn't seem particularly happy to be there (maybe she was having a bad night.  We all have those.)  Still, the host  also seemed to have some attitude too.  Maybe this is all a part of the restaurant's appearance?  I don't know.  I will wait to return for a hh marg but I don't think I'll make the mistake of eating here again.
Review Source:The food here is decent. The fajitas are pretty standard and a good staple. The chips are just bad. I always order them because I am hungry and then always regret ordering them because they taste like they came out of a bag (a large discounted bag) of chips. The salsas that are served with the chips are good but overpriced. They never ask if they can refill the (bad) chips or the little dishes of salsas that come with the chips. The margaritas are pretty good. The first time I went there my margarita was weirdly overly salty and since then they have been better. I keep going back because it is convenient, but I am never wowed by the food.
Review Source:Did you know that Denver's population is 32 percent Hispanic? You wouldn't by stepping into Mezcal, an "authentic Mexican taqueria and cantina," with about all the authenticiy of Charlton Heston's performance in "Touch of Evil."
Mezcal is too expensive to be authentic. Too filled with pasty yuppies. Too gringo-fied. Too artificial
It has this sort of fake Mexican diner dive vibe with its Tijuana bibles and south-of-the-border kitsch. Meanwhile, there are dozens of actual divey Mexican joints in this town, you know with actual Mexicans as customers, not gringos dripping watered down Tapatio on their soyrizo quesadilla gringa and downing shots of overpriced tequila.
I will say that the servers to an admiral job of keeping the scrum happy and the tables going. But yeah there are so many more actual authentic Mexican restaurants and bars in Denver that are much better and much more real than Mezcal.
I tried out Mezcal last weekend after finding a Groupon. I had a group of 10 for dinner at 6:00.
I'll start with the not so great:
We were all there a little early. Happy hour ends at 6:00. I got a drink at the bar and was given the hh prices, but when we were sat at the table (5:55), we were denied hh. There were 10 adults who would have ordered drinks for $5 a piece, but since they said happy hour was over, we all had water and only 2 had the $10 margs. Loss of $30 in my books.
The service was so so. They didn't ave my reservation, but sat us fairly quickly. The waiter was a bit odd. He forgot one order, but the kitchen got it out within 10 mins of the rest of the food.
The one thing that I was not thrilled about was a charge for an extra drink and extra chips and salsa. I didn't notice until the bill was paid.
OK now the good:
Food was delicious. Between us we ordered a range from Hamburgeusa, burritos, tacos, soup, chile relleno, and more. It was all very good. And the portions were HUGE.
The price was extremely reasonable. The bill totaled $146 for 10 for us! Including a couple of cocktails! The fact that we had a Groupon worth $60 made the dinner extremely affordable for a large group.
I love the neighborhood and the decor. It is very bright and well lit. It has a fun atmosphere.
I will come back, but will be sure to make it early for happy hour!
Mezcal consistently delivers great food. Granted, I've only had the Tacos, chips and salsa, soup, and sopapillas, every time I order them they are the same level of "mmmm". Also, having become a regular, I will say that Kam is an excellent server and if awarded the opportunity, you should sit in his section! The only reason I give 4 stars is because sometimes the sauce bottles on the table DESPERATELY need to be wiped down. Crusty lids really turn me off on using the habanero sauce.
Review Source:This used to be one of my favorite restaurants. Â But sadly it has gone down hill. The prices have gone up and the food has gone downhill. Fortunately the tequila is still good and so are the drinks. Â Also the service is still great, I just wish the food wasn't going downhill.
I really believe this is the result of groupon. They tried one, and then started going broke, so they had to raise their prices. Then they couldn't pay the rent and had to issue another groupon so they could pay, and it's hurting them even worse. Eventually they won't be able to sustain and will have to shut down like most restaurants who use groupon.
When you buy a $30 groupon for $15, the restaurant only gets $7 of that and they get it in 3 installments, one immediately, one at one month, and the rest at 2 months. They then have to provide $30 worth of free food until the groupon expires. This is why it keeps putting restaurants under. Also when people use their $30 groupon on a $40 bill, they typically only tip on the $10 they owe which hurts the waitstaff.
It's sad to see such a good restaurant fall victim to the groping effect. The old food was worthy of 4 stars.
I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the food was at Mezcal. Â We ordered a taco salad (very fresh - delicious), queso fundido (just so so), fish tacos (tasty), Mojito (average), and DRUM ROLL, please: camerones mezcal...OMG it is like you died and went to heaven. Â Seriously, I couldn't even converse it was so good. Â First bite, and my pleasure center in my brain took over. Â Service was average to above average. Â Decor is average. Â Ambiance is average. Â Prices are average, but there are a lot of coupons for this restaurant. Â Street parking was free. Â We'd return.
Review Source:Great date-night venue or late-night drinks and snacks stop. Low lighting, central bar, dive-y decor.
Recommendations:
-Come for happy hour when everything is cheaper!
-Quesadillas and Nachos
-Ask for the salsas in squirt guns
-The margs are good, but so are the mojitos and sangria
-Do some tequila and mezcal tasting - it's reasonably priced and a good way to try some things you haven't had before
-Sit at the bar
Whoa, I had no idea Senor Frog's opened up a bar in Denver. It has always been my dream to hear a loud, drunk blond from Nebraska simper "spring break, woooooo!" and, "oh my gaaaaaaawd you guys, I think I swallowed the worm!" and, thanks to Mezcal, I did not have to wait long for my dream to be realized.
Review Source:Gluten free mexican with very nice house margarita, add this one to your list (but you better bring your own chips because their fryer has cross contamination). Â I had the enchiladas so I'd recommend starting with that, it was very busy so don't expect to be seated right away. Â If you can hold out for happy hour things obviously get much cheaper and you'll be able to get full at a reasonable price, the enchiladas alone weren't very filling lucky we lapped over into happy hour price for al carte tacos! :)
Review Source:I love the atmosphere of this place. They have all these neat day of the dead skeletons, and mexican oil cloth nailed to each table. Â its one of those eyecandy places that you could go to 20 times and still notice something new. Â The chips and salsa were good, and the sopapillas were awesome. Â I was SAD that they put red chile on my chile relleno. Â I think that is just wrong, with a capitol NO. However, even with that dreadful misjudge it was still good. Â I love that they have a full bar, and a nice patio. I would like to try the other stuff, its like Mexican food with a twist, weird enough for a hipster or foodie, but ebough staples for a boring old eater like my grandma.
Review Source:Came in for a nightcap and only stayed for a short while, but I certainly would come back and linger for a while. I had an excellently crafted margarita. Evidently, they are super knowledgeable about tequila, mezcal, etc., and have the stash in the bar to prove it.
Super friendly staff and a nice outdoor patio on the ever bustling Colfax.
The food is nothing to write home about, but it's not bad at all. The vegetarian options are very welcome!
The drinks are another story. Mezcal is my neighborhood haunt, with the perfect house marg/mojito and an eat-your-heart-out tequila selection. A great late-night hang out with a vibrant vibe. Live music and moderate crowds can be pretty loud, but the patio makes a great escape.
The great Muhammad Ali once said "A rooster crows only when it sees the light. Put him in the dark and he'll never crow. I have seen the light and I'm crowing."
I wish I was still in the dark when it comes to Mezcal, both the tequila and the restaurant. Â My acquaintance and enlightenment with the tequila came while in college; it was only this week that I was illuminated about Mezcal, the restaurant.
I have been to Mezcal several times in the past several years to enjoy the hedonistic pleasures of tasting the many types of tequila that are offered and what usually goes with a few tequilas, a quite lively bar scene. Â The buzz, which starts at happy hour and runs as long as your stamina and liver can hold up, or you leave with some dazzling enchantress who is only more enhanced by those 'tequila goggles' is a great reason to go to Mezcal. Â Good times for sure.
My most recent visit was different. Â The sun was up, it was lunchtime, there wasn't any tequila quaffing, or any margarita imbibing for that matter; I was here to meet a few fellow Yelpers for my first lunch club. Â Under the harsh light of day and completely sober, one tends to notice a lot more. Â A whole lot more it turns out.
The restaurant was almost empty at noon and we did not have any trouble getting a table for 6 set up. Â When I sat down, my first observation was that the table surface was sticky. Â That's not a pleasant tactile experience. Â When I went to grab the plastic squeeze bottle which was on the table, in order to add some smoky sauce to augment the chips and salsa I was eating, it too was sticky. Â I don't have an expectation that restaurants meet the hygienic standards of Florence Nightingale, but I do demand that the surfaces that I touch and those which touch my food be clean.
The service in my opinion was curious; it wasn't that it was bad it was just a little strange. Â It wasn't speedy and it wasn't slow. Â It wasn't the best of times or the worst of times...sorry got carried away. Â Our server took our order without writing down anything which always worries me, especially since we had asked for separate checks. Â When the food arrived, it was delivered by several other servers who had to auction off each of the dishes; I personally HATE that and it makes me ask what the point of table service is if you're going to do that? Â Surprisingly all the correct choices arrived and our separate checks were handled correctly.
My choice for lunch was Huevos Rancheros since I had my usual breakfast, which consisted of way too much coffee and nothing else, and it just seemed to suit what I craved. Â At Mezcal you get your eggs the way you want them so I chose over easy - they were perfectly cooked. Â Unfortunately they were covered with an overabundance of a rather mild Guajillo Chile sauce and were served atop two corn tortillas. The accompaniment was the predictable rice and refried beans that tasted very pedestrian and thus subsequently remained on the plate. Â The dish was bland and unimaginative. Â
I didn't hear any oohs and ahhs from the rest of my fellow diners as they ate their lunches, and thus I suspect that they too had the same reaction, or rather lack of a reaction to their food. Â No Yelper is shy when it comes to giving voice to something they really like or dislike so the silence in this case was deafening.
Here's what I would suggest: get your party pants on and go out to Mezcal for HH and some great tequilas and an evening of fun and you will like this place just fine.
2 stars for a dining experience and 4 stars for a night of debauchery.
Slop.
That's the word that comes to mind when I think about the food from here. I got the Living Social deal for Mezcal for $10 worth of take out or delivery and used it yesterday. I was coming back to Denver from some hiking and was in major need of some food and figured why not save some money by using my Living Social deal? I ordered online which is an absolutely fantastic perk that Mezcal has going on for them. It took me maybe two minutes to complete the order and bam, got a confirmation email saying it would be ready in 30 minutes. That seemed a little steep for a combination meal but no worries, I would go in early just in case.
I got there and there was a good amount of people there for lunch time on Saturday afternoon. I went to the bar, let them know I was there to pickup and the food was already there, so suck on that 30 minutes! I went home and was ready to dive into my food. I got the combination plate with one chile relleno, enchilada and tamale and when I opened up the box, felt like a dark cloud was set over me. All three items were in the box however they were swimming in what seemed to be dark, flavorless, enchilada sauce. Why they put sauce ON TOP of the items for a to go order absolutely baffles me and even though I was disappointed, I was more hungry that anything so I dug in, hoping to be wowed by the food.
I wasn't. All three items (and the sauce it was residing in) was flavorless and kind of tasted all the same even though the tamale was pork and enchilada, chicken. But still, the main factor was the sauce, why was it swimming in a bland sauce? Why didn't they put it on the side?
I'm still bummed about it too because I had high hopes for Mezcal given their warm, eclectic atmosphere and happy hour specials. All I know for sure is one thing, I will not be back to this place again. Another Living Social fail......
Have you noticed none of the reviews rave about the food? Yeah, there is a reason. Â It's just eh, not bad but not good either. Â It is probably a personal thing but I hate the salsa. Â The green salsa is fine, the chips are good but the red salsa tastes like liquid smoke which is just gross. Â
You go for the drinks and atmosphere right? Â Well yeah, as I said with my last review, the kitchen is open late and the last night happy hour is decent. Â Problem is that I don't actually like the drinks. Â I keep thinking the margs will get better but they don't. Â My friend ordered a marg light on the ice. Â To make the glass look full the bartender added more mix to the regular tequila portion; she was hoping for less ice, not a glass of lime juice. Â To the waitresses credit, she did get a new drink but frankly my drink didn't taste much better either. Â
With so many good places to go in town, the only reason I'll hit here again is if I'm standing out front and hungry (even then I might go to Goosetown).
I really like this place. Â True, the food isn't crazy outstanding, but I've never had bad service. Â I don't want or need super, overly friendly service. Â Just courteously friendly and timely. Â That's what you get here. Â I've never had to wait to be greeted nor has it taken a long time to get our food. Â
I think the food is good but nothing spectacular (I have yet to find "spectacular" Mexican food anywhere in this state). Â I typically get the vegetarian tacos and they are yummy. Â I think the place is pretty kid friendly not withstanding some of the artwork on the walls and apparently in the men's bathroom. Â
You know, now that I think about it, there have been times when the food is outstanding. Â That typically happens late at night, say 1:00 a.m. ish? after a few drinks. Â Yes, then their tacos are to die for. Â Seriously.
I live on Colfax near this place. Â Competing on the same block with Atomic Cowboy, Goosetown Tavern, Odelay Tacos and R-Bar this is definitely my favorite spot on the block. Â The bartenders treat everyone like regulars and you are not waiting long for a "refill". Â The food is "good", some dishes better than others and some dishes are WORSE than others but the guacamole is outstanding. I recommend this place for the atmosphere and cocktails over the food plus they know about tequila more than other Mexican joints. There are only about 4 places in Denver with a Tequila selection this large so I challenge you to find a better one on Colfax. Â Some nights they even have authentic Latin bands or they mix it up with a DJ. Â Enjoy the patio or a booth, this is a great spot.
Jackson Morris
Mine was bad...
I mean really really bad.
First, I don't mind paying for chips and salsa but I don't want stale chips fried in oil that is at least two days past it's prime. Â I also would like more than a shot of salsa in order drown said crappy stale chips. Â The service was friendly but unorganized and slow.
I ordered a combo that included a chicken enchilada which was passable, a carne asada burrito and a tamale.. Â The burrito was a rolled up tortilla with a small amount of unseasoned cheap beef, overcooked beans and rice. Â It was unbearably dry and bland. Â The tamale was all masa with nothing much more to it. Â It was like eating nothing.
I will extend one star for my wife's fajitas. Â The chicken was really good but not good enough to warrant a return.
I ate the scorpion!!
Mezcal has some amazing margaritas. It's been a while since my trip so I can't remember the names of the few I sampled, but I would definitely go back just for the drinks. I got the last shot with one and the scorpion in the bottle. Although the animal lover in me immediately named the Scorpion Raul, our server and my dinner mates encouraged me to shoot him down, so I did, with what tequila I had left.
The food was good, but it's all about the margs and convenience here. Right across the street from the Bluebird . . . you can't go wrong!
3.5 stars fo happy hour.
After having lived less than 10 blocks away for a year, we finally ventured over to Mezcal. The truth is there are too many choices close by and Mezcal never beat them out.
The food was good, not authentic Mexican but we weren't expecting that. I had the quesadillas with chorizo and it was very yummy. I would totally recommend these, they have a bit of a spicy kick which was perfect. Hubby had the nachos and he thought they were pretty good. The drinks were good as well, he had the margarita and I had the sangria. For the price that we paid, we both left satisfied. $5 per drink and $4 per plate.
The service was good but slow. We got everything we asked for but we had to wait for our server a couple of times when looking to order more items. Server was friendly but just went missing a couple of times.
Decor is cute. They have some interesting pics on the wall and the patio and inside overall decor has a Mexican flare and fun atmosphere. Wasn't very busy when we went but it was easy for us to have a conversation.
I will definitely be back for happy hour, they have it 4-6pm and after 9pm. Great place to get a snack and drinks to get your night started.
Looking for a happy hour spot? Not sure if I could recommend this place.
Do $7 margs qualify for happy hour expectant pricing? I don't think so. Normal price is only $8.
I did like our server and she wasn't pushy while we were just having drips with chips & guac. The guac was quite good.
**************************************************Â************************************************ÂAmending my review- they do have $5 margs 4-6.
I really enjoyed Mezcal. We went on a Saturday afternoon and I had a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> coupon. My two dining companions ordered tacos but I went with the Mole chicken. (that's not the name, but it's the only mole dish on the menu). It came with rice and beans and fried plantains. My dining companions were fine with their tacos but I thought the mole was delicious. It had somewhat of a kick to it, but a slow paced kick. As in, I was starting to feel it in my face towards the end of the meal. The plantains were mildly sweet and warm. I really enjoyed this meal. I also had a mimosa with their fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. Just ask for it instead of orange juice. After a few rounds of drinks, I sure was happy we had a coupon. I would go back for the mole but would have to keep my drink tab to a minimum.
I also really enjoyed the decor of this place. I loved all the hanging lanterns and the bar area was very alluring. I would go back for this mole dish. I just love when I order something and it only makes me want to return to eat it again.
I was here for the first time last night, having been to El Diablo on Broadway many times, and having heard that the original owners of this place opened up El Diablo with very similar vibe and menu.
Service was friendly and competant, well, better than competant; he did a very good job.
Margaritas were tasty, and I did get quite the buzz...
Appetizers were ruined by extremely stale tortilla chips...I mean VERY STALE. Â Think the fryers are to blame, as we later had sopapillas for dessert, and they, having just come out of the fryer, had a stale flavor to them as well. Â Dinners for all three of us were actually very good with excellent salsas over them, and the pozole was quite good. Â Our entrees didn't include anything deep-fried, so they were spared the staleness.
Nice vibe, very similar in layout and design to El Diablo.
They just need to change the fryer grease...and they'll be good to go.
Came for happy hour and ended up eating. Â Everything was just OK. Â The Happy Hour $5 margarita was ok----nothing great and slightly below average.
The chips were good and the guacamole did not have a lot of flavor. Â I did like the red and green salsa that came with the order.
I got the chicken enchiladas. Â It literally took about 3 to 4 minutes after we ordered to have our entrees delivered. Â So obviously Everything is sitting in the kitchen ready to go--assembly only needed. Â The enchiladas were again, just OK--I have had better and I have had worse.
So all-in-all it was OK not super and probably won't rush back but would not be opposed to a repeat if that is where someone wanted to meet.
You ever go to a restaurant where the service is so bad, it honestly doesn't matter what the food tastes like? Â This is one of those places.
We sat for literally 15 minutes before we even got brought water. Â We watched as tables who sat down 5-10 minutes after us had their drink orders taken. Â We watched them be brought appetizers. Â Finally our server came to us and said "Sorry for the wait" and stood there. Â Didn't ask how we were, didn't introduce himself, didn't ask if we wanted something to drink. Â Just stood there. Â So we ordered. Â
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Â Servers, I am not at a restaurant to be amazed by your memory. Â WRITE MY ORDER DOWN. Â If nothing else, it'll make me feel better. Â I say this because every time I go to a restaurant with one of these savants, they always forget something. Â In this case, it was our chips and salsa. Â So I'd love to tell you how their three salsas are, but since we never got it and had to just watch our neighbors eating theirs, I can't. Â Also, no free chips and salsa at Mexican restaurants makes Adam an angry boy.
The food was pretty good. Â But I can get pretty good Mexican food at pretty reasonable prices at a thousand different places in Denver. Â I'll never come back here to be ignored and disappointed, and you shouldn't either.
Please note first and foremost: Go to <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> before you go to Mezcal for dinner! They have awesome gift certificate deals, and often have up to 90% off gift certificate specials going on with you subscribe to their emails (yes, I did mean to write NINETY percent).
That being said, Mezcal is fine... Not super authentic food, but their margaritas are delicious (albiet expensive) and are made with real lime juice - none of that high calorie sour mix. The prices seem a bit high to me given the quality of the food, but it is at a great location if you're going to a show at the Bluebird. Â In summary, a decent place on Colfax, but I'd recommend checking out some of Denver's better Mexican restaurants before spending your money here...
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