Tacos, Salsa, and Badasses: This Is The Early Word on Los Chingones

With Los Chingones in the RiNo neighborhood, chef owner Troy Guard made a foray into Mexican cuisine, expanding on his collection of restaurants that started with the Asian-influenced TAG. Though Denver has seen its fair share of trendy street-taco spots, Los Chingones looks to live up to its name, roughly meaning "the badasses" in Spanish. But how badass do Denverites think the taqueria is? Here's the early word on Los Chingones.

The Salsa News: Blogger Grace Boyle worked her way through the list of salsas that are made daily in house. "A unique winner was the incredibly creamy, balsamic tomato salsa that I couldn't stop dipping the hot chips in. I love how every table gets a free plate of chips and the house Rooster salsa. It's a nice touch – back to the old days I say." [Grace(full)Plate]

The Interior News: The swagger of Los Chingones' name matches the design aesthetics, according to Ruth Tobias for Zagat. "The sprawling Ballpark two-story is the architectural equivalent of a zoot suit: flamboyant down to the last detail. Bartops and tables propped on turquoise cinderblocks aren't made of mere reclaimed wood: they're made of reclaimed wood sourced entirely from the neighborhood. The Day of the Dead-inspired mural that lines the stairwell was painted by a Brooklyn-based artist, Yatika Starr Fields, over the course of five Red Bull-fueled nights." [Zagat Denver]

The Lose-the-'Tude News: A Yelp reviewer didn't mince words when criticizing the service he received. "Just overall piss poor service. Once again I would like to say to these restaurant staff people that act like they're in LA or NYC. Get over yourself. This is Denver. There are plenty other fancy Mexican restaurants playing shitty hip hop music." [Yelp]

The Tasting News: Over on Forkly, a user weighed in on several menu items, including the lamb neck taco, which was "tasty, but scant" and included "a bit too much filler;" the kampachi crudo that had "nice balance with the truffle oil;" and the mushroom fundido: "Holy crap, I loved this." [Forkly]

The Pick-a-New-Concept News: A commenter on 5280 Magazine's website had issues with Los Chingones' existence in general. "Another glorified taco joint to put on the list with Pinche, Margs, Moontower, etc. Hey Troy: 2010 called and they want their outdated trend back." [5280]

The Tortilla News: A well-rounded meal of salsa, guac, Brussels sprouts, a tamale and a selection of tacos left blogger Edan Goode for In Good Taste Denver with few gripes. "One nit picky complaint is that the tacos come with one corn tortilla, so they quickly disintegrate in your hands. Adding a second tortilla is customary among Denver taco joints and most practical." [In Good Taste]

The Happy Hour News: There's plenty for one Facebook user to be happy about, who left this review: "This place is killing it with their tacos. Had octopus, shrimp, and lamb tacos - $2 each for happy hour - awesome deal with an awesome marg." [Facebook]

The Booze News: Drink Denver had positive things to report regarding the cocktail menu. The Los Marg is a "simple drink [that] will easily become the house favorite" and the T&T "is another trip down memory lane because of its special ingredient: Tang! This sweet and simple drink is made with tequila, lime, Tang, and orange soda. All the orangey goodness you remember as a kid with a pop of tequila." [Drink Denver]

— By Ashley Hughes

· The Early Word on Voodoo Doughnut [EDen]
· February Love: Chef Mark Dym on TAG [EDen]
· 10 of Denver's Best Gluten-Free-Friendly Restaurants [EDen]