Los Tarascos Restaurant

We love the salsa bar and the different mole options are great. Amazing food. We sat outside and it was so enjoyable. We love going there when we are in town for a date night. Drink specials are great to! Highly recommend its worth the parking ...

The salsa bar!!! Such a wide variety of flavors and heat levels to suit any need. My favorite is the cilantro, followed closely by the avocado and molcajete (but the habanero is great too). What made our dining experience was the expert guidance provided by our server, Alyssa. We were having a difficult time choosing from all the amazing menu options and she was wonderfully patient while providing recommendations based on her favorites and cluing us in on some options that weren't on the menu. The result was an absolutely unforgettable meal that has me eager to return. Definitely try the mole! And the cheesy poblano sauce is not to be slept on. Thanks again to Alyssa for curating, can't wait to come back and try some of your other recommendations!

Delicious food! Love their salsa bar! And had the best NA michelada in whole Foco!!!

Nothing particularly stands out here, The homemade chips were ok, the oil needed to be replaced a couple hours ago. Enchiladas were smaller than expected and the sauces on them fell a little flat Al Pastor tacos had great texture, but the meat needed more seasoning. You can add salsa bar salsa to them but then it’s all you taste since the salsas are strong for the chips. For $22 a plate, I would expect more. Was not worth a $60 date night No complaints on the service, they stopped by enough. The restaurant physically is fun, but the pop music is a bit loud and cheesy.

Laney greeted us with warmth and smiles! Great attentive service! We will be back for a pitcher of margs during happy hour-can’t wait and see you soon!

Good Mexican food. They had a "salsa bar" with all kinds of toppings and salsa that a added to my burrito that added to the uniqueness of the dining experiance. Had my 3 years grandson along. Sorry about the soda spill... We all had a nice dinner

The food was super tasty and we had a great time while we there. It’s in a great location and we loved walking there. We are totally missing the amazing salsa bar that was there! Bring it back! We thought it was strange to pay an extra $1.50 for salsa that we used to get for free. The portions were also pretty small and everything was very pricy for what you got on your plate. The bathrooms also smelled like horrible sewer. We know it’s an old building but something needs to happen.

This is not your local Mexican dive. Prices are about $20 a plate but worth every penny. The quality of the ingredients was evident in every bite. The flavors well balanced and the menu has a good variety of choices. The cucumber cocktail was refreshingly delicious and the Cadillac margarita was quite good as well. The ambiance was fun as well. This is a gem of a place.

I've been going to Los Tarascos since they opened in 1996. It's by far my favorite Mexican food in Fort Collins. They have the best Carne Asada I've had anywhere, and it's great by itself or in their tacos. One of the highlights is the salsa bar--the Molcajete salsa is legend for it's great flavor, though I sometimes add some of the habanero salsa (which is not very hot, imo) to it as well. I'm also a huge fan of their avocado salsa. The corn tortillas are a made in house with white corn and are oh so soft and delicious! They used to serve the tortillas in lieu of chips, but started serving chips years ago. You can still get the tortillas as a side, or they come with tacos and enchiladas. Another of my favorite entrees is the seafood combo, with a seafood enchilada and chile relleno. They have quite a few gluten free offerings, which is a great bonus. The service is always very good, prompt, and the staff are all terrific! I love the atmosphere there. It's clean, warm and speaks of Mexico with all of their furnishings having come directly from Mexico. I like Los Tarascos better than the other Caballero family restaurant in south Fort Collins, La Buena Vida, because it's a touch more intimate. And, they have the salsa bar, which LBV does not. All of the margaritas are mighty tasty, with plenty of premium offerings. Los Tarascos was started by Licho and Hugo Caballero, and is now run by their daughter Priscilla. It was fun to watch the Caballero kids grow up over the years and become involved in the family business, and the kids are doing a great job with it now. Thanks to them all for creating Fort Collins iconic Mexican restaurant!

Great food and genuinely friendly staff that cares you're there. Beats the other overrated Mexican restaurant on Mtn. Avenue without hardly trying. Nuff said.

Our large group has been visiting for years and love the food, the service and the atmosphere, but the online reservation system needs some work. It won't let you change a reservation without canceling one first. It then wants to charge you for the "no-shows"! Why not let us call in as before?

Really disappointed in the food and drinks. Food was not as good as previous visits. We t on Ladies Day with 2 for 1 margs all day. The bill came and there was no discount. I did not order one of the 3 margs from theorist that are on special, but was not told there were only those 3. I am gluten free and their regular margs are made with beer(?), so I couldn't have one. Was not told that the others were not included. It should be made very clear, especially after telling the server I was gluten intolerant. Also, the special Tarasco sauce was almost missing from my enchiladas. Had to request extra after I was done with one enchilada. Very disappointed since we drove from Denver specially for dinner there. Probably not going back even tho we lo ed the place previously.

While visiting Fort Collins, we had lunch at Los Tarascos. The waitstaff was wonderful. The food was delicious. Very flavorful and a good portion size. The chips and salsa was complimentary. I usually judge a Mexican restaurant by fajitas and salsa and this place did a good job with both. The corn tortillas were made in store. And, yum.

Just took a chance and stopped in for lunch. Surprised by how good it was. Ordered the spinach and mushroom rellano and it was delicious. Our server, Avery, couldn't have been better. Worth the stop.

Really great service! Our family loves the salsa bar! So many options to choose from. We typically come on Sunday for "Sunday Fun Day" or Tuesday for Ladies Night. We have had Judy as our server multiple times and she is so good! She is kind, knowledgeable and swift. One of our favorites! My father comes to visit from out of town and he requests this place. Love...

The food was very delicious! The salsa bar is terrific- so many great salsas to try. Very nice atmosphere inside with wonderful service. Will visit again

This is my go-to spot for Mexican food in Fort Collins. The tricolor enchiladas are so good - everything you want from some hearty chicken enchiladas with their three sauces: green, red, and white. The portion sizes are large so it always lasts me for two meals. Their salsa bar has about 8 different options - I personally love the habanero and avocado ones. Service can be somewhat slow sometimes, but it's worth it.

Nice clean and great food. Stopped by for a retirement party and stayed for supper. Glad we did! Had the camarones chipotle! Skewered spiced shrimp platter and it was amazing. The salsa bar was good too. Drinks were just ok not great but all in all a great restaurant in downtown foco! Will be back for more!

I wished I knew Spanish, and wish waitress knew English. Food was so so, I won't go back.

Judy was extremely attentive. The margaritas slapped and the fajitas were perfection. Cheers Los Tarascos!!

Whenever my mom would take me to good Mexican restaurants she would say you can always judge the place by the beans. In this review it is absolutely true Beans. 3.5 Salsa Bar 4 Carne Asada Burrito 2 Carnitas tacos 4 Chicken enchilada 2 All and all very disappointed. None of the food was a bit authentic. Now the Tarasco sauce that they put all their effort on. .5. Yes half a point! It was flavored sourcream! Was not a place I recommend. Service wasn't fast or very friendly. I could say our waitress was new but more timid than anything. We were outside on the patio on main street. Loud but a great patio they have.

i go to a lot of mexican restaurants...and this one is as good as it gets. The food, ambiance and service were all top notch. I live in Denver but would very much consider a trip up to Ft Collin's to go back here again.

Good food, good service. The salsa bar had a great selection. Parking was a bit tricky, but definitely worth the effort.

We had reservations for 7 of us at 6:45...our food showed up a little after 8:10 p.m. Waiter thought it was funny, manager offered no help. We were very disappointed. Dine there with caution.

I was just looking for some pretty standard, sit-down Mexican food and, if that's what you're looking for as well, Los Tarascos delivers. It's situated on College but at least in an area a bit removed from Old Town where you should be able to easily find parking and have a short enough walk to the restaurant. I ordered cheese enchiladas off the menu which is all I really wanted. As a vegetarian, I did ask and their rice is made within some sort of meat stock while their beans are not so I ended up getting a double beans. Unfortunate as I prefer rice but an important aspect to ask about as a vegetarian at any Mexican restaurant. When asked about a sauce, I agreed to trying the Tarascos sauce (a creamy white specific to the region where the restaurant's cuisine calls home). It was a clever move on the part of the server as this sauce is actually a $4 upcharge. I'll take the hit out of respect for the server but I should have just selected the red sauce as your sauce would have to be out-of-this world delicious and as addictive as crack to be worth an extra $4. It is a perfectly sufficient white, creamy sauce for any person's meal. Ultimately, in these times, prices are rising. With tip for my kind server, my meal of 2 cheese enchiladas with beans and up-charged sauce cost $22. This is pretty significant for what amounts to standard, sit-down Mexican fare. Perhaps I opine for the days when I was in college 15 years ago, drunk, and eating 3 enchiladas meals at establishments like this for around $10 but times have changed. Just be aware, eating out at even a place like this hits your wallet more than you imagined post-pandemic. I would put Los Tarascos at 3.5 stars but I round up to 4 given 3.5 is not a Yelp option and food was good and quick with kind, attentive service.

Dylan: 7.5/10 Kacie: 6.5/10 We both got the wet enchiladas. The SERVICE was GOOD, and we had the chips to the table almost instantly. In terms of the feel of the restaurant, Kacie said, "It felt as though Olive Garden and a costume store had a baby." Overall, the experience is WORTH THE PRICE.

My nieces chose this place to meet for dinner. The ambiance is nothing special, but it is perfect for conversation, which was a must-have when we chose a spot. The food was good and the happy hour margaritas were nice. I wouldn't recommend paying full price for them. In all, we had a very nice dinner.

Last night (10/29/22), I decided to try this Mexican restaurant. It was only a short walking distance from the bar on Laurel Street. This is gourmet Mexican food. It has a nice interior decor. I ordered the seafood enchiladas dinner plate. There were two enchiladas filled with cod and shrimp, and they were smothered with a red sauce. The dinner also included rice and refried beans. The food was very high quality, and I was very impressed with the delivery speed. It's the fastest food delivery that I can remember in a long time. I'd recommend this place for residents in Larimer and Weld counties to dine.

I have been here a few times and it's overpriced and trendy. Great atmosphere and nice patio. They do bring chips and have a self serve salsa area which is nice. I was there for a large party and our waitress was great but she had no help with 30 people so service suffered. I think when a Mexican restaurant's house margarita is made with a local beer they are trying to hard on the wrong stuff. To get a normal margarita I had the caballero which is essentially a top shelf one at $17.50. Our coctel de camaron $16 (shrimp cocktail) took forever. It was served in a bowl, with hot from the washer sharing plates. The cocktail had had an avocado and 6-8 small shrimp. The sauce was watery, oddly sweet and room temperature. The shrimp were fresh cooked and still slightly warm when served. All wrong!! The beef fajitas $23 came out in a redish marinade that reminded me more of Swiss steak than fajitas. Chewy tough small chunks of meat with a pile of pico, a dollop of guacamole, and some tortillas we had to wait 5 minutes or more for. Burritos w meat $17-$19 tacos $17-$19. Chile rellenos are "naked" meaning no egg batter just a grilled chile with cheese inside. Not what I expect from a Mexican restaurant.

Had a great dinner here last night. Rikki was our waitress and she was awesome. Very attentive and had good suggestions. We came for an early dinner during happy hour and got margaritas. I had the house margarita and my husband had the Cadillac margarita. We both agreed mine was better! The chips were made fresh and delicious. The salsas were also great, tasted really fresh as well. Husband loves ceviche so he got that as an appetizer. He said it was "very good" I'm not used to living this far from an ocean so I would never think ceviche would be good in Colorado but he said it was ‍ I got the veggie fajitas, and they were very tasty! They DONT come on a sizzling dish which is kind of nice because they were easier to eat. They came with beans (vegetarian--no lard or pork in them), guac, salsa, and tortillas. I ordered a side of rice (also vegetarian) for $1. Sometimes I feel like the vegan options are less thoughtfully prepared but I loved the mix of veggies and they were cooked perfectly. Hubs got enchiladas (one chicken, one beef) and a carnitas taco. He said those were all delicious and one of the best enchiladas he's ever had. Edited to add: ambiance was lovely and covid protocols in place. All staff wearing masks and requiring masks walking around the restaurant until at your table. They do have outdoor seating with fire pits too!

Great Mexican food in Fort Collins is found here. The carne asada was delicious and the margaritas are strong and generous. The chips and salsa are good too! The service was fast and super friendly. I highly recommend Los Tarascos for your authentic Mexican food needs!

Service was quick and friendly. Daisy was great. The chips are so dang good. I love the thickness. I'm usually a bigger fan of thin chips but these are my new favorite. The salsa bar!!!!! Are you kidding me?!? So good. This salsa bar might be a reason we choose Fort Collins when we finally settle in Colorado. I ordered the enchilada trio and really enjoyed it. Beans and rice aren't my thing but the table enjoyed theirs. My daughter got the burrito and wanted to finish it because it was so good but just couldn't because it was so big. Margaritas are standard. Very fresh. We will visit every time we are in town.

Ordered from here last night. Was the nastiest food I've ever had and was incorrect at that! Almost 53 bucks for some @#$% I'm not even sure what to call it! Very disappointing and wishing they could make a full refund but better luck next time!

We've come here for years. Food is consistently great and staff always friendly. Order tacos al pastor!

Let's break it down: The initial chips and salsa: Chips were great, but probably my only nitpick might be the Salsa, coulda used a smidge more zip IMO. The Drinks: Had a Cadillac Margarita, awesome taste, just bear in mind they make them a little stronger here, people who don't weigh 300lbs may wanna think about a designated driver after the second or third one :-) or sweat some of it out in nearby old town Fort Collins before you get back behind the wheel. The appetizers: Had the Taquitos, all sorts of flavor with that Guacamole. Yum! Great stuffs for feeding a family of 4 :-) Main Courses: No complaints from anyone. I did the Carne Asada Enchiladas which had all sorts of flavor. Wifey had the Beef Fajitas and raved up and down to the point I nearly regretting not getting them instead :-) kiddos did enchiladas and Beef Tacos as well, heard no complaints there either! I'd definitely suggest the Tacos if you got one of those pickier kiddos. Prices: Reasonable for Old Town Fort Collins, not the cheapest, but you definitely get your money's worth. Service: Waitress was always on the ball with Drink Refills, appetizers and Deserts, very friendly too! In short, will come back again!

We stopped in here while visiting Fort Collins and were given a friendly greeting and seated immediately. The waitress Breanna was very friendly and attentive and provided just superb service, but that's where it ends. We ordered house margaritas and they were not very good. They had a lot of tequila and a lot of lime but not much else. No need to order a second round so we switched to beer which was cold. The food portions here are very lacking for the price. Seafood enchiladas are small and contained maybe one shrimp each and the servings of rice in beans mY have been a couple of tablespoons. My wife ordered mushroom enchiladas and there was not a mushroom to be found and the sauce they rave about is very very sour. Great service, mediocre food and drink, over priced.

We went here the first time we were just driving through Fort Collins on our way home to Arizona (two years ago). Our hotel recommended them. We had to wait to be seated (which usually means people like a place). Once seated we had a great dinner with great margaritas on their outdoor patio. The ambiance is great and the service was friendly and casual (not too casual though). So the next time we were driving through (from visiting family) we made a detour just so we could go again. Same thing, an amazing meal. We ended up enjoying Fort Collins so much we decided to move here this past October. We've now eaten at Los Tarascos an additional 6 or 7 times and they never have disappointed. They have great prices, great food, great drinks and a happy hour. I highly recommend this place.

5 stars for the salsa bar and shredded chicken. The salsa bar is very cool. They had about 10 options to choose from with varying degrees of heat and texture. Options include pico, mocajete, cilantro, adobo, habanero and Guacamole. All unique and delicious. The chips were a crispy vehicle for the choices. I had a combo plate with cheese and shredded chicken enchiladas, shredded beef taco, beans and rice. The shredded chicken was my favorite element. The beef was nicely seasoned and sauce seemed more home - made than most. The beans were delicious, and I don't even care for beans. The fajita chicken is marinated in a pepper sauce. They were served on a plate, instead of a sizzling platter, but were hot and tasty. The guacamole was fresh and full of veggies. The general flare of the cuisine was a bit different than other Mexican places in Colorado, but I don't think it was a bad thing. I expect this is actually more authentic. Our waitress, Mary, was the sweetest lady ever.

I just recently moved to Colorado and thought I would give Fort Collins a quick walk through finally. I was craving Mexican food so I used trusty Yelp to find the closest one! This place did not disappoint. To begin, they make their own salsa every morning and have a large variety to choose from. The avocado one was especially good. For my meal, I got three enchiladas and compared to other Mexican food I've had my time in the state, this was the best. The scenery is pretty neat in the restaurant and the staff was efficient and nice as well.

Our last day in Fort Collins... searching for Mexican food. This place had good reviews.... Website says closes at 9:30. Arrives at 8:50 and we were told they were closed. Nothing is more infuriating then when the hours change on a whim. The online order system from their website is working, so we order. They charge my credit card. I receive a confirmation email. We go to pick up, and they say no food!

I loved our experience at Los Tarascos! Nice decor and ambiance, friendly/attentive staff, and tasty food. They have multiple different salsas that you can try with your tortilla chips, we got four, one of which cost $1 but the rest were complimentary. I was impressed with the variety of options on the menu, and felt the dishes were well made. They are doing a wireless menu currently and following all standard pandemic precautions, and I felt safe. The dishes are moderately priced. My only issue was that personally I didn't feel their chairs were very comfortable, but nobody else in my party had the same complaint. Regardless, I will definitely be coming back!

Amazing food and staff. I am sooooo happy we decided to come here. Food is very authentic. Everything was just perfect. Highly recommend

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants! They have a fresh salsa bar where you can try a variety of heats and add extra onion and cilantro. Each time the salsa is a bit different since it is all hand made. Service is excellent. They are quick and attentive. They also keep the chips coming anytime the bowl starts to get empty. Some of the best happy hour deals can also be found here everyday from 4-6pm. Some days the happy hour it is a little different, but the beer is super cheap and the margaritas stay just as strong (limit of 2 margaritas, but that is all you need). There are also rotating food specials so beyond the already extensive menu, you can try something new. I highly recommend anything with the mole sauce on it. They also have great enchiladas and rellenos. The puntas de filete is also one of my favorites. Just writing this review is making me hungry and my mouth water!!

Los Tarascos has become my favorite Mexican restaurant in FoCo. It has a pleasant interior decor, and I enjoy their Cadillac Margarita. The salsa bar is great, allowing you to mix and match and even add fresh lime or chopped onion to salsas or entrees. Los Tarascos has a wonderful house sauce, a mild yet flavorful white sauce made with Mexican crema and peppers. They are also known for homemade mole, red guajillo, and green tomatillo sauces. Their menu is pretty diverse, and the offerings have notably distinct flavor profiles. Los Tarascos offers half a dozen entrees featuring shrimp--I mention these specifically, because the portions of shrimp are quite ample, and the shrimp always taste fresh. It is hard for me to not order tacos when I come to this restaurant. Although they are small--"street-taco" sized, they are served authentically on doubled-up corn tortillas and are loaded with a good amount of meat, and the carne asada and carnitas can't be beat in both flavor and texture! Try Los Tarascos--go more than once to explore the menu!

Ordered delivery on Uber eats. This is all we got! One is 16 dollars, the others 14 dollars. This is ridiculous!! You guys cannot rip people off when they take out!! Wish I could give zero star!!

This is our go to Mexican restaurant. Amazing food. Friendly staff. Awesome salsa bar. I've never liked margaritas until I had one here. It was so good. Sundays are 1/2 priced drinks for men. That's a rare find. Great atmosphere. Great patio dining during the warm evenings.

The is our first time here and we have to say, it's going to be a regular place! We've lived in Fort Collins for a long time and I wish we would she's tried Los Tarascos immediately. WOW. Food. Service. Drinks. Vibes. ALL SO GOOD. anyway, very please. Bre was amazing.

Yelp defines 2 star reviews as "meh I've had better" and that is exactly what I thought when coming here. I have eaten here twice now, and I come from the west coast so my expectation for mexican food is high. There food is expensive for the portion size you get and for being a sit down experience. The one benefit of coming here is a chips and salsa bar which is complimentary with the meal, although the salsa are bland in my opinion it is still a nice gesture given by the restaurant. The wait staff was friendly. If you are from Colorado then this joint will probably fix your craving for Mexican food, but if you are from California you'll probably find the flavors and portions lack luster.

First time I order from here. It was great. Had the chicken tacos. I went in to pick up my order and the place looks nice. Since it was take out, I have very little to say about the service except that they forgot to include eating utensils. But the food was very good also the salsas. I tried them all.

So me, my girlfriend, and my brother and his fiancé came to Los Tarascos because we had just gotten done rafting and the local guides recommended it for their Sunday 2-1 special for margaritas and while the experience was going so-so and the food / drinks was good, I leaned over to get a bite of my friends enchilada and the chair completely snapped on its leg leaving me to fall in front of the entire restaurant. While the staff did not ask if I was okay (although I was bleeding), they were very quick to remove the chair and immediately take it to the back to remove the evidence. As a "courtesy", they comped a few items, but left a $65 tab. When Gema (the manager) came back she said "I'm sorry we have these janky ass chairs, that's on me, I need to replace them". When she came back my girlfriend said it wasn't very respectful that she didn't cover the whole tab, she said "well it's a free country so stay and have your margaritas and do whatever you want." Pictures attached of chair and my knee. Good atmosphere and food but unfortunately a poor display of professionalism and hospitality.

Best authentic Mexican food downtown! Had the shrimp cocktail, chicken fajitas, and carnitas burrito.

Got to try this place out for their happy hour and wow was it good! Although I did not get the full experience I will be sure to go back. I got a margarita, chips with salsa, and lastly an appetizer, all the options were very good. One thing that really stood out was there were multiple different salsas you could taste and all of them were pretty different but all high quality and FREE!!!! Last off the staff was great, very friendly, helpful, and fun during our experience the owner even came over and interacted with us multiple times and you could tell this was a leader that the staff liked.

Service was horrible and slow - food not that great...will never eat here again! After finally receiving the food and drinks we ordered our sopapillas to go and that took forever as well - maybe your experience will be better!!!

Great burritos. Lots of good flavors in their food. A Little bit pricey but my dad bought so I didn't care!!

I can't have a spec of gluten and I have eaten safely here at least 10 times. Menu has gf items marked and they use a separate fryer for the chips. Their salsa bar is also gf. Cilantro is my favorite. Like white queso dip? Order the los torascos sauce with your chips. I always order the carne asada, It's amazing!! And the Paloma margarita is also a must have.(limit 2)

I had lunch with friends a Los Tarascos- my first time to eat here! They have several tables out front on the sidewalk which would be fun and provides a view of Old Town Fort Collins street life. Inside is an old-style Mexican Restaurant decor and vibe. Our server was great and took good care of us. My friends introduced me to the salsa bar which is a highlight of the offerings. The cilantro salsa was my favorite. Little paper cups are provided for our use. The chips were tasty and hot. After eating my weight in chips and salsas, I ordered chiliquilas for my main dish. They were good and a little dry - could have used some green chili sauce. They tasted good and I enjoyed my experience here very much. I tend to judge Mexican restaurants based on how tasty their retried beans are. Los Tarascos passed that test with flying colors!

THIS PLACE HAS A SALSA BAR! Over 10 different types of salsa all varying in heat. The food is always consistently good, I love the enchiladas! That is always my go to on this menu. The Margaritas are incredible but holy smokes are they strong. Be careful! Happy hour is incredible, pitchers of margaritas are a must! Just a little outside of Old Town so perfect location for a day out in Fort Collins.