Papa Jose's Union Cafe

This is one of my most favorite ❤️ places ever. I absolutely love the authentic traditional Mexican food. I highly recommend the pozole and chicken tacos on white. But really, anything you order will be delicious l! The food is always good with top notch service and the atmosphere is fun and quirky. This is the place to go for feel good food.

My favorite Mexican restaurant in town! I eat here at least twice a week! Service and atmosphere is great and the food is always the best! Staff have become like family!

My boyfriend and I placed a takeout order and also requested a complimentary to-go water. After receiving our items, we left the restaurant and began walking home, as we live only a few blocks away. While taking a sip of the water, I noticed a black hair inside the cup near the straw. Due to this, we returned to the restaurant to request a refund. I calmly and politely explained the situation, being mindful not to cause a disturbance for other customers. The staff took our food and disposed of it. I then asked whether they needed our card to process the refund. At that point, the staff began laughing and stated they could not do anything about it. They claimed the issue was not serious because the hair was in the water rather than the food and stated that since the water was complimentary, it was not a concern. I then asked to speak with a manager. The owner responded by laughing as well and said there was nothing she could do. Just disputing our charges and reporting this to the health department!!! Don’t recommend what so ever

The food at this spot was absolutely delicious—so flavorful and yummy. The place itself is adorable, with a cozy, welcoming vibe. The only downside was that our waitress seemed a bit annoyed and kind of intimidating, which made things a little uncomfortable at times. That said, we still had a good time overall and would go back for the food and atmosphere alone!

Papa Jose's is my favorite Mexican food place for lunch in Pueblo. Every single time I have eaten here, the food is on point. The staff are very friendly and the food comes out quickly and piping hot. In the summer they have a very nice patio with a great view of Union Ave. Plenty of little shops surround it to walk off a happy full tummy. 😋

Papa Jose’s is delicious! I ordered the Tamale dish with green chili smothered and my husband ordered Chili Relenos. There’s also a kid menu (and high chairs), but instead of buying a food item $5+ on the kids menu we ordered a soft taco for $3.50ish. We have a 13 month old so the taco was enough with extra to spare. We got complementary chips and salsa after 5pm ($1 for refills). The chips were warm and crunchy. The tamales were moist, not dry, which is great. The plate super filling. My husband enjoyed his rellenos with red sauce. He said it was really good, however he does like his rellenos more crispy. We also ordered fried ice cream. Super delicious however the center was still very much hard frozen making it hard to push my spoon through it. Yummy though! The dining room, super clean and taken care of. The decor is cute, little gecko and lizards on one wall. Our waitress was extremely friendly and helpful. I’m most surprised and appreciative of the cost to eat here. Very affordable compared to a lot of Pueblo restaurants that we’ve visited. I was able to get my dinner for just under $10 my husbands plate was $13. The prices are a huge factor that will drive success and business to this restaurant in this current economy. I strongly recommend Papa Jose’s Union Cafe.

Okay, I'm back to really liking this restaurant. I hadn't been back in a while after a bad experience with some of the staff(some rude women). I don't know if they knew we could hear them talking smack about us in the kitchen or didn't care, but I was so embarrassed I just wanted to leave right then. I finally came back and it's good to see they're gone. There is much friendlier staff now. The food has always been pretty good! Edit: I went recently after it reopened and added a 🌟 . Stayed true to taste!

Your typical Mexican food restaurant. Good food, and salsa. Not a big restaurant, and has a nice cozy feel and attentive wait staff.

We stopped into Papa Jose's for lunch on a girl's day yesterday. I had frequented Papa Jose's for years but due to my move several years back, I had not been in for a long time. We were seated and this was the start of the experience that led to the 3. The server was incredibly short and rude. My friend, who had not been in before asked about margaritas, the server said, "We have beer or house margaritas, no flavors, we are not a full service bar. We mix it in a jar and that's it. Lemon lime." My friend ordered the margarita but was trying to give the server her card to make sure I didn't try to pay for my lunch, the server said, "I don't even have a check for you yet." She didn't just wasn't friendly at all-didn't ask if we wanted appetizers or dessert. Our food came out and the cheese enchilada was delicious, just as I remembered, the cheese was gooey and the chili had just the right amount of spice. The rice was good but the beans didn't taste homemade or fresh which was somewhat disappointing. We left after paying, underwhelmed with what we experienced.

We were in the area for the chili festival. Got a table for our party of 3. Restaurant was not full. Two family members wanted to join us and they were not allowed because they were not "on the list". We asked if we could move to one of the two empty 6-top tables that were empty. The hostess became very aggressive and intimidating. It was not crowded. There were no people waiting. There were 5 empty tables in the restaurant and 2 empty tables on the patio. Another employee apologized for the lack of flexibility. Our waiter was excellent, but this one individual prevented a party of 5 from ordering dinner with drinks.

Last time we will dine here after decades. They are now charging 3.99% additional tax for using a CREDIT CARD or DEBIT CARD! Cactus Flower has a much better menu, parking, service and actually has ambiance. PLUS...THEY DON'T CHARGE YOU TO USE A CARD!

I've been to Papa Jose's twice both times I had bad customer service. Ambiance is great, Food is good but customer service can definitely improve. For this reason I don't see myself returning. My second time I gave it a try because I couldn't judge a restaurant off a first time bad experience so I returned only to officially judge it and write a review. Spoke to other guests and they felt similar about the place. Over all good food but not the friendliest staff.

Popped in on a Saturday afternoon. My buddy Manning loved this place, so first time here. Nothing fancy about the interior, as is normal. Diners were outside in a covered curbside patio. Wait staff was attentive to the outside guests. Inside, we were greeted and seated. My companion was excited about the availability of tacos with fried flour tortillas. We each had those, and she had ground beef tacos, but the flavor was meh. My single al-a-carte taco was filled with adobada meat. Wow! The meat was smoky and flavorful. Best taco in 5 years! We didn't have the smothered, but were offered green chile in mild, med and hot. They also offer a red northern NMX chile sauce. Maybe next time. I had a small bowl of menudo. It was served with onion and oregano on the side, if requested, as well as a steamed flour tortilla. I am a menudo expert, and it the flavor was good, but it was made a couple of days ago, due to the condition of the tripe. Service was good, with a couple of servers checking back on us. We'll be back.

I'm surprised we have not been here before. It's fairly cute with seating inside and outside. We sat outside since it was a beautiful day. The restaurant was fairly busy for a weekday afternoon. We ordered the nachos richos and chicken taquitos appetizer. We also got the classic and house special margarita. The nachos were pretty decent and came with jalapenos which were nice and hot. That was a good addition. The taquitos were fried, very warm and delicious but bland. They came with guacamole which was very good, sour cream and the salsa which I had to add to every bite. I also got a side of their hot green chili and it was decently hot and very good and tasty. As far as the drinks go, the house special margarita comes with amaretto. I did not like it. I preferred the regular one. Beware, it feels light and smooth but hits you by the time you've finished it! We could do with a lot more salt on the rim than what the glasses had. All in all, a positive experience and we will be back.

Great little spot on Historic Union Avenue in Pueblo! Like the outdoor seating option on nice days. Always a tasty special of the day at a great price. Good food and great value! Attentive servers will take good care of you! Try the Italian Margarita!!!! And they serve Pepsi!!

Have you ever wanted Mexican food? You know, so bad that you could just taste those bottomless chips and salsa? Perhaps it's a good thing you've never heard of Papa Jose, where the limited menu and tiny portions will leave you feeling like Oliver Twist, only somehow the food options in 19th century London are superior to those in contemporary Colorado. And true to form out here in the Centennial State (Motto: Sweet Mustache, Bro. Let's Look at Sprinter Vans), you actually have to pay for those nachos. Serves Pepsi products.

My elderly mother ate there last week. Choked on the food. She was turning purple & couldn't talk or breathe, not one employee helped or checked on her. Thankfully a customer helped my mother! SHAME ON YOU Staff and OWNERS of this establishment. You need to get yourself & staff first aide training!!! People be aware if you continue to patronize this place, it could be you next. The owner/staff will not check on you or Help. Will not call 911!! Zero stars for this place000000

You don't come here for quality, portion or flavor. You come for the prices. We came here Saturday at 1:00 and it was busy! We ordered two margaritas and then had to order two shots of tequila to make them palatable. We ordered two tacos each - my husband wanted chorizo and beef on flour shells and I wanted chorizo and chicken on fried corn tortillas. All the tacos came in hard corn shells. I got beef & chicken and my husband got chorizo & beef. We asked for more salsa for our chips and got a plastic ketchup bottle of salsa. Thank goodness they left it on the table or we would not have made it thru our dry, flavorless tacos. Our server never came back to check on us.

SO GOOD!! If you're a fan of Mexican food, then you have to try Papa Jose's - it is hands down the BEST Mexican food we've ever had, and we've tried A LOT (we are from Denver)! From all the Denver restaurants to food trucks, nothing compares to the authentic, homemade goodness here. We have family in Pueblo who highly recommended it, and now we're hooked. The Mexican Hamburger? Absolute perfection. The green chile? Flavor-packed heaven. And let's not forget the tamales - they're to die for. The fried ice cream, the sopapillas - everything we tasted blew us away. The service is great too! We'll be coming back every time we're in town. SOOOO GOOD!

We just ate at Papa Jose's and it was great. The food was excellent and the wait staff was amazing. Be sure and try the fried ice cream.

If you want a taste of Pueblo... this is the spot. I grew up here and there's only a few places that I think the entire world would love... and this is one of them. I LOVE the chicken tacos on fried white, add a little salsa and boom! You've got magic. Tamales, green chili, everything is yummy. The chef is amazing! I really hope someday their delicious recipes get recognized by a TV show because it's seriously the best Pueblo Mexican food. You can sit inside or out, great views of the old buildings- would highly recommend

This has to be one my favorite Mexican food restaurants in Pueblo. The food is amazing and the service is really good! My favorite food here has to be the tacos. There are several flavors you can choose from and you really can't go wrong with any. I also got a chicken enchilada. While the green chile could have been spicier, I did enjoy it. Finally my favorite part of the meal was the sopapilla. Rather than the classic fried flour, I chose to add cinnamon to it which added a whole new taste to it! This has to be one of the best sopapillas I've ever had.

My absolute favorite Mexican food. The deep fried white flour tortilla tacos are the bomb. Guacamole tostada also delish! And yummy sopapillas. Wonderful service and fast too. I live an hour away and will come to Pueblo just to have lunch here! Cute little shopping district.

This was our first time visiting this establishment. We live in Colorado Springs but we often visit Pueblo and their fine food restaurants. Upon walking in we were greeted by a very friendly lady. Immediately we could see this establishment was a favorite for the locals! They were very busy, and the food was coming out of the kitchen very quickly. After placing our order, our food was brought to our table in a short time. The food presentation was most eye-appealing! Once we started eating our food it was "delicious, we were very impressed! In visiting with our friendly waitress she told "the story of this twenty-five year old business!" They had recently remodeled and the restaurant looked great! Fresh, friendly and very welcoming! Our only regret was we have to drive to Pueblo to enjoy this wonderful gem!! We plan to eat here frequently when we visit Pueblo! Thanks for a wonderful experience!!!

Stopped in on a Sat afternoon. First time eating here. We had the chili relleno and fried white chicken tacos. Yummy chips and salsa..The tacos are on the bigger side and so good! All the food was very tasty. The green chili was very flavorful. The service was friendly and fast. Can't wait to come back and try more of the food!

So as you can tell from the picture, the tamale platter is exactly that, a platter. It was hard to distinguish where the tamales are as they are swimming around in a sea of what was supposed to be a red sauce. Beans and rice were just that, no seasoning no flavor. The masa was just kind of piled on with not much structure to the tamale. We also ordered the bean chili queso which was basically watered down refried beans. No hint of chili whatsoever. Again, no seasoning and the chips that were served with it said they were homemade but they did not appear to be to me. They were extremely small, like the bottom of the chip bag. The only shinning star here was the server, she wears working her tail off and was excellent managing all the traffic!!

Needing a quick and small Lunch, we stopped in for a small bowl of posole and two machaca corn tacos. The tacos were the better of the two. The posole was a thin red chili broth (heavy on the cayenne) with one small piece of pork, two pork fat pieces and about 1/8 cup of beans. $7.49 total for the two tacos and small bowl of posole.

I was wandering around and came upon this place I had a chicken enchilada, rice and beans. and a shredded beef taco. I thought it was very good. Good prices and high-quality. I recommend this place.

Just had the special which was a smothered burrito. It was good, though I wish the green chili had a bit more heat to it. I asked for jalapeños to add to it and they brought me a dish to add to the burrito for the heat. Then we shared an order of sopapillas, which should be their signature dish! They do the best job of any restaurant south of Tocabe in Denver. Love the service here as they are attentive! What I am going to be five if them thumbs down for is their passing on the fee the credit card company charges the business to use the convenience of the card reader. This is the cost of doing business for a business and is not to be passed on to the customer!! Shame on you PJs. When asked about the practice they said other restaurants are doing this. That does not make the practice right! I won't be coming back

Meh, it was ok. The salsa sucks! The food was decent, but not good enough to return. Thr stuffed sopapilla was 3 of 5 stars, the pozole was 2 of five, the salsa was 0-5. Most likely won't be back.

Excellent homemade authentic red and green chile are the draw for this charming hole in the wall in downtown Pueblo's depot district. I had the carne adobada stuffed sopailla a with red and green chile. The nest was tender and deeply flavored with warm spices (cinnamon and clove). The sopapilla was hot and crisp, not greasy at all. It was smothers in green chile studded with a generous amount of Pork and topped with shredded cheese. Rice and refried beans complete the plate. My husband had the machaca enchiladas with red chile, and loved them! Big beef flavor from slow steering and tender beef in the Special Red was a winning combination for him! I would get this myself next time! 100% My two girls who are chile averse (I don't know where they got that) loved their chicken flautas. The flautas are thick, made with a generous portion of tender roasted chicken, wrapped in flour tortillas, and fried perfectly. The guacamole in the ice was stuffed with bits of tomato and was impeccably fresh and well seasoned. A very busy, obviously neighborhood place, with efficient service and delightful food. 5 authentic and delicious stars!

Papa's is the best. Love their green chili, chicken flautas, and chips and salsa. They added a patio a few summers back which is such a cool place to people watch on Union. Service is always prompt, and friendly. New ownership had big shoes to fill, and they have done so. Such nice people!

After my Steel Mill visit, I had an itch for some good Mexican food, and Yelp led me here. Its down the road from the Riverwalk, and has outdoor street-side dining... My Taco salad was good- though pretty plain..The Green chile was ok, as well. Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of my lunch was the two ladies of the evening (dressed in their finest summer Spandex attire)and presumably their Business Manager sitting at the table next to me scarfing down the tortilla chips!! Sorry guys, the hunt continues...

My husband and I ate at this establishment. He ordered a hamburger. The meat was thin, over cooked and dry. My chicken tacos were good. The server noticed he was unhappy. He complained about the burger, and she offered to see if it could be remade. Well, they stuck a new patty (just as bad) on the old bun, which was half eaten. Then, they charged us for a whole new meal! The staff got quite nasty about it. We paid for 3 meals, 2 which were bad. Never going back. We are native to Pueblo. Don't complain at Papa Jose's. They'll charge you double and say it's your fault for complaining. Worst service I ever had.

We were in Pueblo, CO visiting our son who happens to reside there now. He recommended this place. Food was good. We got a quart of green chili to go. We traveled back to Colorado Springs. By the time we got home the extremely, temperature hot green chili melted thru the styrofoam container and into the bag and all over my back seat. I called the restaurant to see about getting my green chili replaced on my next visit. I was told, "The owners are unable to replace your green chili. You should have let the server know you were traveling". Huh?Customer service is everything. "I will never be in your restaurant ever again". And we are extremely nice tippers.

Pueblo style Mexican food with the Green Chili. Nothing too fancy. Food came out pretty quick. Chips and salsa were not included with the lunch meals.

We visited Papa Jose's for an early dinner; we were rather dissatisfied with the experience. The food is good - portions a bit small, compared to other Mexican restaurants in Pueblo. It was served (stove) hot & fairly quickly. The chili itself could have been a bit hotter to our taste. When the sopapillas were served they were hot and fluffy; the honey, however was in a "bear" squeeze container & we could barely get any honey - it was VERY stiff. We had to remove the lid & pour the honey onto our plates to get any honey at all! Why would you serve good sopas and not provide accessible honey?? We came to the conclusion that having very stiff honey serving containers is a money-saving strategy. We had to ask for extra napkins twice. As the small restaurant started filling up, the noise level was deafening. There is nothing on the floors/walls, etc. to deaden it. We were not really able to have a conversation at our two-top table. When we mentioned it to the server, she merely shrugged. Given the plethora of great Mexican restaurants in Pueblo, this one is toward the bottom of the list for us . . . overall experience not pleasant.

Don't go to a Mexican spot run by white people, they looked at me crazy when I asked if their posole comes with cabbage and radishes, which traditionally it does. Posole was ok at best. Small portion for a large price. Nachos were horrible. Soggy, and lacking in the flavor area. Unseasoned.

I found this little place by walking by :-) it's smelled good and I was hungry! Turned out to be a great find. Really loved their green chili. Chips were fresh :-) beer was cold! My service was very attentive and friendly. The food was tasty. I will come here again upon my return.

Papa Jose's has the best tostadas and Margaritas in Pueblo!

True, kind of a hole in the wall but the food is great! I wish we lived in Pueblo if only to come back here!!! Highly recommend

Fast and friendly service, and the food is delicious. They have weekday specials: we ordered the beef/bean burrito plate and it hit the spot. For dessert, the sopaipillas were fried just right, and the warm honey was an excellent touch.

We have been to Papa's several times and the food doesn't dissapoint. It's a small place, but the service is friendly and the Angry Margaritas are the bomb.

We have eaten at Papa Jose's a number of times over the years. Ordered take out due to COVID. Generally, the food was just OK. Ordered chips & salsa as a side. Chips were over fried and too hard. Ordered a side of their Mild Green Chili. Too much flour was used as it tasted paste and starchy. Again, food was just OK! Salsa was good. Ordered mild and the heat was just right. Also, ordered a side of guacamole. Really, I mean really small portion. Got about 4 tortillas worth. Everyone' comment was, "Could you spare it". Would not order it again for the price. Finally, just about trying to find really good Mexican food in, of all places, Pueblo, CO. It just seems it is getting harder and harder every year. Glad my in-laws are moving out of Pueblo.

Delicious New Mexican cuisine! I enjoyed a machaca and potato chimichanga smothered in green chili sauce. It was soooo good. The rice and beans served with it were also delicious. My husband loved his stuffed sopapillas with adobada and special New Mexico red sauce. We treated ourselves to sopapillas for dessert and we are so glad we did--truly the best we have ever eaten. I highly recommend this cafe and look forward to a future visit.

This is a great place. We went in the evening, and received full table service. Apparently, its full service for dinner, but counter service for lunch. So keep that in mind. We came for the sopapillas, the green chili and because of the positive Yelp reviews. We were not disappointed. The food was awesome, and it was served at lightning speed. I got a combo plate, and was satisfied with all of it. Margs were good, on the rocks with salt as they should be, and on the table within a minute of us ordering them. I ordered my green chili "hot", and it was spicy enough to make me pause between bites. Delicious. The sopapillas, coated with sugar and cinnamon, were the perfect end to a nice meal. Don't leave without ordering some. The service was great. We walked in close to closing time, and our waiter was friendly and prompt. All in all, a great experience, we will be back for sure.

Great little spot. Friendly and welcoming staff. Green chili was great and beer was cold! We had enchiladas, taco salad, smothered burritos and all were very good. Chips and salsa was a bit small for four but easy to work around. Will be back!

My boyfriend and I ordered takeout one night and it was the first time we tried it. Super flavorful and the menudo was closest I have ever had to my grammas recipe! Definitely will go again!

This is my favorite Mexican food in Pueblo. I usually get the tamale plate with their fantastic green chili. But pretty much everything on the menu is great. We moved away from Pueblo and every time we come back Papa Jose's is the first stop of the trip. I'm not sure if they are letting people dine in right now. I haven't eaten inside a restaurant in 5 months so didn't even ask. But they have curbside pickup, which is exactly what I'm looking for. Staff are always friendly. Just a good all around local restaurant. Authentic Pueblo!

Best Mexican place in town, the machaca is great! Really clean, authentic place with great service; and in a great location.

This is one of my favorite places to eat in Pueblo. The food is amazing and they have a great daily special. I could just sit there and eat the delicious salsa and homemade chips allllllll day. Our waiter was Jared and he was so polite and gave incredible service. The place was packed and he was constantly on the go but he made sure he kept an eye on us and checked in on us. He was so sweet to my son and that totally won me over before we left. My son is 4 and super talkative and he made sure to get down and talk to him when my son handed him his tip. It was adorable!

Good and Spicy Good food, great prices, can't say much about their mixed drinks. I am a sissy when it comes to spicy, but have learned to order my chili on the side. Our last visit was somewhat crowed when they moved some tables and we were wedged into a corner, seemed our waitress couldn't find us. Previous visits were fine.

Reasonable prices. Good portion sizes and the food is always consistent. Family owned and the pride in ownership shows. Always clean and pleasant environment. Stop in if you want delicious Pueblo Mexican food and green chile. Don't forget the sopapillas!

You know when you have a craving for traditional Colorado Mexican cooking? The kind where the enchiladas are smothered in red gravy and the refried beans are a creamy, salty base for lots of cheese and sauce? I was walking down Union Ave. in Pueblo recently and all of a sudden I got the heady aroma of fresh-made corn tortillas. That's when my mind went to all those traditional meals. Sure enough, Papa Jose's makes their own chips (and probably their own corn tortillas, too), so just walking in or near the place makes you crave some chips and salsa, then a traditional enchilada. And that's just what I had, but it was even better than I imagined it would be. Sometimes those kinds of enchiladas are flat and chewy. Not here - the corn tortilla was light and there was just enough cheese and it was cooked just right. The flavor of both the corn tortilla and the red-brown chili gravy were sensational - very well made. I gorged on the homemade chips and the very tasty salsa - more tomatoes than chiles, but still addictive. Papa Jose's does this kind of Mexican food proud.

The wife and I had lunch at Papa Jose's while visiting Pueblo this past week for the first time. We really liked Pueblo. We liked PJUC too, although not quite as much. The pozole was OK, my spinach and cheese enchiladas were better (although the green chile sauce was surprisingly bland) and my chicken tamale was the best. My wife had an uninspiring taco salad. Considering the prices, this is not a bad place to have lunch. However, given that the town is named Pueblo, I expected something a little better.

Five stars for a friendly server and location on historic Union Avenue hence the gist of the crowd are friends/family and don't know anywhere else to go'ers! Food was disappointing as far as the norm local faves. Get your GPS on and head over to Jorge's in Bessemer or Mi Ranchito on the S.Side for some decent Pueblo Mexican food.

My husband grew up in Pueblo and loves this place, and so do I! We are in Colorado a LOT, and every time we are in Pueblo, we just have to stop in to Papa Jose's and get some good spicy green chili and some delish Colorado-Mex eats! Papa Jose's has awesome crave-able greasy-spoon Mexican food with lots of cheese and beans and salsa...yum! They also have totally potent margaritas (one does it for me!) and yummy sopapillas for desert. This is really the stuff of dreams. If i lived in Pueblo this would be my hangover hotspot, my latenight hangout, and my " don't feel like cooking" mecca. Here's one little tip - if you are wanting spicy green chili, go with the hot. The medium is pretty darn mild (but still yummy!). Fun fact: this place is also mentioned in my bible...the book "Road Trip USA"! Anyone who knows that book knows that the author is dead on, and so am I!