Palenque Cocina y Agaveria

I recently took my family to El Palenque, and as a returning customer, I was thrilled to experience it all over again! We visited on Taco Tuesday, and it truly was a feast for everyone. One of the best aspects of El Palenque is the wide variety of options available. My family was able to choose exactly what they wanted, ranging from traditional tacos to delicious vegan and vegetarian selections. As a vegetarian myself, I was delighted to find the vegan tacos—absolutely delicious and perfectly satisfying. The nistamal tortilla added a fantastic touch that made the meal even better! The ambience of the restaurant is inviting and vibrant, creating a wonderful atmosphere to enjoy a meal with family. On top of that, the service was excellent—attentive and friendly, making the experience even more enjoyable. I highly recommend El Palenque for anyone looking to enjoy great food in a family-friendly environment. Taco Tuesday is definitely the highlight of our week now, and we can't wait to return!

Awesome spot for Mexican food with unbeatable happy hour deals on both food and drinks. Everything came out super quick, fresh, and full of flavor. Great place if you’re trying to stay protein focused plenty of solid options. Our server was on point friendly and super attentive. The rooftop seating adds a chill vibe, and the portions are generous. Honestly, everything was so good we didn’t leave a single chip behind even dessert disappeared fast.

Food was delicious and ready super fast. Loved the service and atmosphere. I would definitely be back if I was local. That being said... The house salsa is wonderful, but we didn't like the other two in the salsa sampler and didn't eat them. Just not our style. The Carne Asada taco tasted delicious but the meat was dry. The Al Pastor and Carnitas Tacos were perfect. Refried beans were very good. The appetizer Quesadilla with shrimp and grilled onions added was perfect for an entree.

We worked with Todd, the restaurant manager, for our wedding catering, and everything was fantastic. Our menu included tacos (two meats and one vegetarian), rice, beans, chips, salsa, and guacamole for 95 guests. The food was absolutely delicious, and there was plenty for everyone—our guests couldn’t stop raving about it! Todd went above and beyond, even calling me a few times before the wedding to check in, answer questions, and make sure I felt comfortable. His team was professional, friendly, and made the whole experience seamless. We couldn’t be happier and highly recommend them for any event!

The BEST happy hour and taco Tuesday deals. I’ve never had a bad experience here and we go multiple times a month. Not too loud, servers are super kind and helpful with suggestions and questions, and lots of seating options. Great for a 2 person meal or a party! Amazing chips & salsa, guacamole, margaritas, tacos, burritos, and tamales. So many good homemade sauces too. They’ve catered an event of mine too and it went so smoothly, everything was perfect. I literally cannot say enough good things about Palenque, my favorite restaurant in Denver!

This Mexican restaurant never disappoints! The service is always pleasant and welcoming. They offer a spacious bar area along with a comfortable dining room. We ordered the steak quesadilla, which was perfectly juicy and tender, with poblano peppers and mushrooms adding incredible flavor. My personal favorite is the sautéed camarones in chipotle mushroom cream sauce--juicy, smoky shrimp paired with a sauce that's truly out of this world. We got some churros for a dessert and they were stuffed with chocolate and served alongside a rich caramel sauce. Every visit here is a great experience!

It was ok, they sat us on the roof which was fine until it rained. I had 3 small children with me so inside would have been nice. Service was not the best, I got the feeling as soon as I walked in they weren't too keen on the idea of kids on a Friday night. I think that is why we were seated on the roof away from everyone. They were busy but I all around felt neglected by my waitress, I waited for a long time for drinks, to order, the food came fast but was expensive for what I got. 3 kids meals and 1 adult meal 78 dollars. Nothing extra. I didn't complain, I paid, tipped 25 percent always do, just won't go back.

One of my favorite molcajetes in town! Mezcalarita is also delicious and strong. Service was awful last time we went though. Had to keep asking another server if she could find our server…

Fun place to Visit. My favorite Margaritas. Food is good And reasonably priced Every time. I am in Littleton it's a must

The food here is amazing! So many choices and such great week day specials! Very fresh. The margaritas are the real deal! The place is very noisy and because it's so good tends to have large parties that are loud. Getting a table in the bar will be a plus sometimes! Servers vary in friendliness! We've had great ones and some seem to be annoyed because they are there. Men are usually better! More attentive! They do have call ahead seating but be aware it doesn't always work! I called and they said oh no there isn't a wait. I asked to be put on the list anyway. When we got there no name on the lists and there was a 30-45 min wait! So the front staff isn't too bright! Not the first time for this! Parking is a HUGE problem. Littleton thinks that all these new restaurants can be built but do not accommodate any parking lots.

My brother and I enjoyed another delicious lunch at Palenque on Sunday. My michelada was outstanding, really one of the best I've ever had. I had the chile rellanos again since I enjoyed them so my on my last visit. The music in the dining room was unbearably loud for lunch on a Sunday (but would have been perfect for 11 pm on a Saturday). We ended up moving to the bar (how often do people leave the dining room for the bar looking for quiet?!?) so we could have a conversation.

Just had another amazing meal on the rooftop patio at Palenque. It was Monday, so we took advantage of the specials- 2 for 1 margaritas and a great deal on the molcajete. If you've never had a molcajete, this is the place to get it. It's fantastic! Our server, Matt, was wonderful. Super friendly and attentive, and a really nice guy. We love this place!

My Roxborough neighbor hosts an annual fundraiser sale for the Denver Animal Shelter. My favorite items are the gift cards that are generously donated to her for the cause. I missed it this year because I was recovering from surgery, but she had a fair amount of leftovers for me to buy afterwards I was really looking forward to using the $75 one I purchased for this restaurant. 12/28/23 Luckily I checked their hours because they close at 8 PM on holiday weekdays. Upon arrival at around 7:20, we were advised that there was a 20 minute wait, but assured that the kitchen and servers were willing to accommodate us. (And many other late arrivals). Christian served us a round of drinks at the bar while we waited and was so engaging and professional! The space is warm and welcoming, and was appropriately decorated for the holidays. Our server Sierrah was superb. She didn't seem daunted at all by all the last minute business. We enjoyed another round of drinks. The house margaritas were very well balanced and not wimpy! Though they lacked a fresh lime wedge. We also had chips and salsa as well as chips and Queso with chorizo. The skimpy amount of chorizo this evening was a bit disappointing, but the quality made up for it. Perfect corn chips! Chimichangas, a carne asada burrito, and a carne asada plate including a cheese enchilada with mole sauce we're enjoyed by our family. Dessert was even cheerfully offered at the late hour, but we'll have to try that another time.

Although this building has been many restaurants over the years, Palenque is by far the best! The pozole is to die for. Come here if you want authentic, delicious Mexican food with real spice!

Highly recommend everything except the parking. The food is great, especially the molcajetes (which is less money on Mondays). Be warned that the molcajete is a lot of food. Two people can easily share one appetizer and a molcajete. The service is usually fast and efficient. The Mezcal/Tequila menu is fun. The only downside is finding parking on the weekends. Downtown Littleton can be a hassle to park there.

One of the best Mexican restaurants around. I grew up in Mexico and still spend a lot of time there. This made me feel fight at home. The tequilas and Mezcals were very impressive. I'll be back for sure. Have recommended to friends!

The waitress who came to our table was uninterested from the get go. No personality, no pleasantries, just strictly business. This really dampened our experience. The guacamole had more spice than flavor. I wish restaurants would label street tacos. The Carne Asada was yummy as were the Carne asada burritos. Mexican restaurants are a dime a dozen and you need to really excel in order to succeed. The food makes the grade, their tequila/mezcal offerings are extensive. But shape up your servers and until you do, don't let your checking out process default to 25%. That is embarrassing.

Had to try the pork tamales. The mole I had as the sauce was very burnt. My partner got cheese enchiladas, she said they were good. Our server, Liz was great. We're gonna come back, I want to give that dish another try.

A group of us went to this restaurant on a Sunday afternoon. It wasn't too busy. Parking was a bit of a challenge but we found some street parking. I'm giving them a mixed review. The food was very good - everyone enjoyed their food. But, they charge $2.50 per basket of chips and salsa and the mole sauce was extra though I didn't realize it. My breakfast burrito listed at $13.00 came out to $17 because of that. The prices have gone up since the pictures of the menu were taken. There was also no AC! They had some fans but they didn't help very much. Even though it wasn't very busy, it was slow and they didn't bring out our food together so we awkwardly waited for the rest of the food to come. It was quiet which was nice but I don't think they even had any music playing which seemed odd.

Ordered in for my Birthday. Food is still amazing! Love the burrito, the array of salsas was insanely delicious! My friend got vegetarian enchiladas they were awesome! would highly recommend to go in and or order out! So worth the price.

Delicious food and love the rooftop deck! Nice vibe on a warm summer night in Littleton. A little pricey or I would have given it five stars.

We drove by this restaurant the other day and I thought it looked cute from the outside, so I looked up yelp reviews and saw they had a lot of vegan choices. We decided to check it out today for dinner. I'm so glad we did! I love Mexican food, but it can be tricky to find vegan choices where you don't have to modify a bunch of things and ask a ton of questions. I really appreciate that they had everything noted whether it could be modified to be vegetarian or vegan. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that! My husband and I both ordered the vegan fajitas. They were very good. I only wish I would have requested some avocado on the side and a few more tortillas. You get 3 tortillas. I think 5 would have been more appropriate with the large amount of fillings. Perhaps my husband and I could order 1 order to share next time with a few extra tortillas. We also ordered 1 vegan tamale and 1 vegan taco. Both ere excellent. I couldn't decide on the red or green vegan sauce choice so I ordered both. I was glad I did. Our server was great and we received our order very quickly. I am not sure if that is normal or because we told them that we were in a little bit of a hurry. We loved the ambiance at the restaurant and especially the low lighting. Excuse my oddly colored pictures we were under some green Christmas lights. Ha! I think we found a new favorite local Mexican restaurant!

Visited Palenque on a Saturday night with 10 friends which was the end of our first (hopefully ANNUAL) Santa Summit pub crawl. Everyone was dressed up in Christmas garb, including Santa, elf on the shelf and several ugly sweaters. The staff was great. Getting us seated for our reservation almost immediately. Can't remember what everybody had but I had the chili Della a plate. I like crispy chiliI rellano's more than the Soft version but these were pretty tasty and I enjoyed every bite. It couldn't have been easy for the staff to take care of a bunch of semi intoxicated, costumed patrons, but they had fun with us, and we had fun with them. The food overall was better than I expected. The drinks came quick. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who likes good Mexican food.

What a great spot. A picture perfect spring day in Colorado and looked for a convenient spot with outdoor seating and great food. This fit the bill perfectly. With rooftop seating we had a lovely view over Downtown Littleton. Service was friendly and prompt. But the food!? Wow. Fish tacos were just so amazing. Soft corn tortillas with a generous portion of well seasoned fish. Marinated onions and a chipotle mayo (which I didn't try as I don't eat mayo) but the salsa took its place.

This place is always fast and absolutely delicious. If you need a suggestion on what to get. The meat Molcajete will feed two people and it's always incredible. I've had this dish at least 10 times here and it's the only thing I order. Guac, chips, salsa, queso and ceviche are also great appraisers.

I liked everything about this place except one thing, which made my meal more like 2 stars but I realize I should have said something and I didn't so I'm not going to give that low an overall rating. The chipotle cream sauce ( I think that was what it was called) tasted like someone accidentally put WAY too much salt in it. My friend had that sauce too and had the same issue. Could have been a bad batch because I can't imagine anyone liking that other than 90+ yos with no taste buds left. The rest of the food on the plate was great, as were the chips and salsa, service, and ambiance. Cool place with good vibes. I'd definitely try again and omit that cream sauce or put it on the side just in case it's somehow meant to be that way.

We love this place! One of the few Mexican restaurants that have Molcajete! The staff is always so friendly, helpful & accommodating! We really need to try different items, their menu is so great! And, if you like Tequila or Mezcal, this is the place for you! They have a huge menu & are well educated on it!

This place has the most consistent and delicious salsa, margaritas and mocajete. The ambiance is great both downstairs and up and the service is always top notch. I can't get enough and call it my happy place!

Good ambience and the service is great. Lots of vegetarian options on the menu. Ordered tacos and burrito and they were both ok. The good part was they use good amount of veggies so it's not all rice and beans but it lacked the flavor. It was too simple to the pallet.

Everything here is 5 stars!! Food, drinks, service, ambience. The salsa flight and chips was a great start. We ordered two different molcajete dishes. AMAZING! The flavors were so rich! I definitely left stuffed and happy. Oh, I almost forgot the prickly pear margarita...yum!! And a big thank you to our server Nicole! She is super sweet and was very attentive! I can't wait to go back!!

I wish I could give them 10 stars!!! Todd Daigle and Boden Broyles were the two gentlemen that worked on our large company meeting order today, and I have to say these two are the BEST! The food is awesome, so much so that the top bigwig specifically asks for Palenque Cocina y Agaveria for his lunch meetings when he's in town. The service is phenomenal, as both Todd and Boden proved once again today. Do yourself a huge favor and get yourself to this restaurant! And if you are responsible for your company's meeting lunches, order from here because they make you look like a rock star to your bosses!

Been here twice so far, once for my birthday during when COVID was at its prime. And more recently this weekend for a date night with my boyfriend. I still vote for this place to be the best mexican food I've had in Colorado. I lived in Texas for 5yrs so I know good mexican. This place delivers for sure. Best to make a reservation , or you will be waiting. With a reservation we got sat right away. It's also in the heart of downtown Littleton , so a great location. Service was quick after we got sat. Ordered the queso with no chorizo and chips for an appetizer. The queso is sooo delicious, I mean you keep want to eat more each bite. However, it was a bit thick and stringy. If they made it a little more liquid it would be perfect. The chips taste fresh and crispy. Like they were made there. I've also tried the quac and salsa last time and both tasted delicious. Can't go wrong really. For dinner I got the beef fajitas...they came out sizzling hot, the flour tortillas taste like they are homemade there as well. Super soft and crispy. The beef is super juicy, and cut perfect. Veggies have a good flavor, slightly spicy but not overwhelming. They also give you a LOT. I had about 4-5 total with some for leftovers the next day. Ambience is nice there as well, I still vote for this to be my fav mexican food for Colorado so far. Want to come back before we move for sure.

Service, atmosphere, and selection of food was great. Came during Sunday Happy Hour. $8 House Margaritas, $1.50 Chips and Salsa! What a great deal. Would definitely come back!

I've always said the best Mexican food in Denver .... Is 400 miles south in Santa Fe. But no more. Like traveling to Oaxaca with a little southwest added for spice. Get down here and get some birriia! Great salsa and stellar margaritas. ¡Que Rico!

Solid place to eat whenever we are in Littleton. Very high quality food with tons of seating. Outdoor seating gives you a nice view of the town and our last visit came with a fun view of seeing a carriage ride! I have tried and enjoyed their quesadillas and enchiladas. Lots and lots of flavor and a huge portion to boot! Always leftovers to take home that always leaves me just as satisfied when I finish the rest at home. Yum!

Walking around Old Historic Littleton looking at the shops and having lunch. Our Server, Chad was really great! He told us about the menu and what the special of the day was. He was very timely with the food. He is from Austin, Texas so he knows what we look for in Mexican dishes. Everything was very tasty and filling. It was a lot of food. We had to bring it home. :-) Ten stars.

Loved my time here! We went for their happy hour (3-6pm) and their deal for Thursdays is $2 Tamales! I got their chicken and vegan tamales and both were SO good! It was my first time trying a tamale and I was very satisfied with my dish! Their chips and salsa are so fresh! I couldn't stoping eating it. Finally I got their House Margarita and I wish I still had it with me because it was that good. Super pumped to try more options from their menu. Definitely a spot to go to for either date night or group!

We normally love Palenque, we recommend it to all of our friends, and we eat there ourselves at least once a month or so, but the last couple times we've brought other people have been soooo disappointing, I don't think we'll be going back. The service was horrible both today and the last time we were there with friends. We are super easy and really easy going, so it takes a lot for me to say the service was bad, but man, we waited forever to have someone come to the table, waited forever for our drinks, finally got the food before our chips and salsa came out, and had to ask for salsa twice before we got it. I had to go hunt down our own silverware, and we had to hunt her down to pay the check. Part of our party was brought the wrong food, and overall the food wasn't great. I'm really bummed because Palenque has been our go-to Mexican spot, but after paying over $125 for this horribly disappointing experience, I think we're done.

Delicious food! Great service and fun atmosphere! Went with a big group and had a fun time!!

The service is consistently good with attentive bartenders and servers. The Skinny jalapeño Margarita with the Tajin rim is excellent. Their queso fundito is glutinous but so very good. This is our go to for excellent Mexican in Littleton.

Stopped at Palenque in Downtown Littleton today and asked to sit by the open window. The waitress, who has been repeatedly rude in past years, stomped off sarcastically muttering something about "sure, I'm just the only one working that area..." as if I should have known?? I said, "forget it, we'll sit at the bar" but my friend commented on her behavior saying "That was rude!" The bartender then replied "Yeah I'm on her side, I'm not gonna serve you guys." The place was empty, her area wasn't full, so I don't know what set her off but her attitude would explain the lack of customers.

Palenque serves up tasty Mexican food & there's something for everyone. They serve both a pozole verde (vegan) and a pozole rojo with meat. The pozole verde has a thick green chile base that's perfect for colder weather. The carne asada tacos are delicious. The meat is tender and well seasoned. I like that the carne asada was not greasy. We liked the carne asada so much that we ordered a carne asada burrito and it was HUGE. it's served with rice and beans and wrapped in a jumbo tortilla. They also offer options of different chiles that the burritos can be smothered in. We asked for the red sauce which was just okay but the flavor of the carne asada made up for the sauce.

My buddy and I happened upon this place after trying a couple other places in the area for happy hour. This is a really great place for some great margs, great guac and salsa with chips, and just a really chill vibe. The server was great and gave great recommendations on drinks. We'll definitely be back!

Surprisingly flavorful and large portions, service was the reason for 4 stars, inexperienced wait staff in general. May consider upping the dress code for staff. Staff outfits makes ambience feel more like a college pizzeria than an upscale Mexican restaurant. The kitchen did not disappoint though, we had fajitas with steak and shrimp, flavorful and balanced. Also the pork tamales were juicy and well spiced with tender masa and plenty of filling. Food came out promptly and hot, would definitely recommend.

Beautiful atmosphere, a roof deck, excited Team Members (like Christofer), tree lined streets, delicious food, homemade taco shells, a professional chef, and more make Palenque Cocina Y Agaveria, in beautiful downtown Littleton Colorado, easily in the top ten best restaurants in the Denver metro. Daniel Read IV

Not a fan. Food was like fast food. Shredded lettuce had brown ends. The meat and chicken were poor quality. Chips were mostly broken and small pieces like what you'd find at the bottom of a bag. I'll pass on this one. Location and top deck outside is nice.

We had an excellent lunch here today! Terrific salsas (chips and salsa flight) and Paloma's. My tacos were great! My favorite was the Carne asada, then the Carnitas. The veggie taco was just alright. Good service, and a terrific guitarist was playing today too!

We came here to celebrate a special occasion. It was near the heart of downtown Littleton so it was great to be able to walk around the different shops as well. Unfortunately, we didn't know we had to call beforehand, so we had about an hour and a half wait on a Tuesday night. The tacos were actually really good. For only $1, there was a handful of flavors. The Lengua is and will always be my favorite. The chips and queso was good also. It was a bit cheesy and salty for my taste. Not the worst place I have been for tacos, but not the best either. I still enjoyed my time there.. I would come back again if I'm in the area.

We went here for Taco Tuesday and it was a long wait. It took about 2 hours for us to get seated but the reviews seemed good so we waited it out in the cold :( they had heaters outside but no gas so we had no warmth. After we were seated, it took a bit for us to get water but once we got the water, our order was taken quickly, and arriced quickly as well. The tacos were okay overall but for the taco Tuesday prices, I can't complain much though they were much tinier than expected. My favorite one out of all of them was the pescado taco. I wish they gave slices of lime with the tacos cause that definitely would've made the tacos taste better. Not sure if I would really recommend this place as the cold wait didn't seem super worth it to me. If you want to check it out, I recommend going on taco Tuesday but call first to ask about the wait time.

Total disclosure: I'm pretty particular about Mexican restaurants and ours is a short list of places that we honestly enjoy. We've been to thirty or so in the last 7 or so years here and only frequent maybe 3 on a regular basis. We're always game to try a new place out, but more often than not, we never return. We will definitely be returning to Palenque Cocina. Everything brought to our table was cooked and seasoned well. This isn't Tex Mex or modern Mex, this is authentic Mexican food with creativity, highlighting flavors versus entrees smothered in cheese. We ordered queso with chorizo (Queso Fundido) to start. Their mezcal margarita is AMAZING. He enjoyed his house margarita as well. His entree - Camarones a la Diablo - was scrumptious. He left nothing on that plate and until we asked about their flour tortillas, we would've sworn those were made in house. The chef's pallet here rocks. My entree? Amazing too. I had chicken tinga enchiladas with the the most amazing sauce: spicy tomatillo sauce. I subbed black beans and was (literally) in heaven. So good. We will absolutely be back and are already looking forward to it. Oh, and enjoy your dinner and drink on the rooftop deck. The view is super cool and no, your service will be just as attentive as inside :) One more oh - check out the pic I snapped in the bathroom. Don't know about the Angel Shot? It's worth scrolling through to learn about. Heart happy.

Came here to meet friends because they have a handful of vegan options on the menu. I had the aguachile and pozole verde as my meal & we ordered chips/salsa/guac as an appetizer. Maybe I'm just not familiar with aguachile but it wasn't my favorite - the vegan version is made with jicama. I just didn't anticipate it being such a cold dish. The pozole verde though was amazing, so comforting. I wish I'd just gotten that. Service was great and the didn't make us feel rushed to leave when we stayed until they closed. We sat on the enclosed patio downstairs and it was really nice with the little candles on the tables.

Get there on Monday for Margarita Mondays. Best margs in town. Food is authentic and atmosphere casual.

I'm going to start with dessert because that was most memorable to me. This place has the best churros ever! There are five in an order and are chocolate filled, with a side of dulce de leche sauce (which I personally didn't even need). I actually got the churros to-go and had to air fry them when I got home but still amazing. As for my meal, I ordered two Al pastor tacos and those were really good with fresh pineapple. The guacamole from the chips, salsa and guac appetizer was super chunky and had the perfect amount of spice. Service, which is judged by my water always being refilled, was awesome. The restaurant had live music, maybe because it was a Friday night. Overall, a wonderful experience and I definitely want to return when it's warmer for the rooftop patio or for Taco Tuesdays.

Super fast service, waitress was very nice. Rooftop/outdoor seating was nice. Food was subpar, the best thing we got was the chips, salsa, and guacamole

Such a cute and fun place to eat! We ordered guacamole and chips and salsa with a mezcal drink. I could have sat there any just been happy eating this for the rest of the day. I ordered this amazing thing with shrimp, steak, and chicken served with tortillas. We finished off with a mouth watering flan that made me wish I had gotten a second and third to go to have on hand. Will definitely be back

AMAZING!!! This is the best Mexican cuisine I have in years. But what tops the food was the service and ambiance. Nicole and Maddie T were absolutely the best. 20/10!!!!!

This place is fantastic! The beverages were very tasty and they offer a plethora of mezcal and tequila options, including local spirits. And the bartender was very helpful with choosing a tequila to take our celebratory shots with. The food was very tasty and I live that they have vegan options too! I have a dairy allergy so when I see that a majority of the menu has the option to make something vegan I immediately feel more at ease about eating out! I love the space they are in. It gives a very relaxed vibe. We are very excited to return!