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Ever since moving to Denver in the Fall of 2024, I have been hunting for delicious green chile.
What is Green Chile?
Simply put, green chile (never chilli or chili) is a variation of chile verde. But for some reason, Denver stubbornly refuses to call it that.
Green chile is typically pork chunks stewed in a green pepper chile sauce that is often served with rice or tortillas. The chiles most often used include hatch chiles, bell peppers, jalapeños, and poblano peppers.
It’s a New Mexico staple (mostly hatch chiles), but is also found throughout Colorado thanks to it’s origins in Pueblo, Colorado.
The consistency, though, varies. Most Denver establishments offer at least some form of green chile on their menu, and it can range from thick and stew-like to soupy with visible chunks of meat and veggies.
Some establishments offer it as a sauce on the side or smothered on top of a burrito or fries.
And Denver is OBSESSED with smothering everything in a green chile sauce.
Below, we’ll share our favorite spots to get green chile and a bit about each style offered.
Where to get the Best Green Chile in Denver
#1 La Loma
La Loma is a popular Mexican restaurant located downtown.
They have one of the best green chiles in town. Their secret weapon is their freshly pressed tortillas.
They have various plates drowned in green chile, but our favorite is the fajitas with a side of their hot green chile.
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#2 Cherry Cricket
Cherry Cricket is an American diner known for its award-winning burgers. But what steals the show (in our honest yet biased opinion) is their green chile.
They offer two types of green chile. Our favorite is their RC Green Chile, which has the consistency of a gumbo and pairs perfectly with their Spanish rice with an added fried egg on top, OR with their tater tots.
A bowl of their RC green chile is huge and can be shared. The green chile comes with a side of tortillas.
Their other green chile is more of a light stew. It’s not hearty or nearly as flavorful. We rarely ever order it.
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#3 Onefold
Onefold is a Pan Asian restaurant serving breakfast and lunch plates. Our favorite items to order here are their duck confit fried rice and congee.
But…get ready for this…they have green chile as a sauce on the side, and it completely enhances their lunch bowls!
Their green chile has a thick consistency with smaller cubes of pork.
We highly recommend ordering a lunch bowl (with your choice of protein) and then smothering the bowl in green chile. It is *chef’s kiss.*
You can also order their burritos smothered or eat the green chile alone.
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#4 The Original Chubby’s
We are obsessed with their smothered fries! Pro Tip: Order their smothered fries and add sour cream and carne asada. It’s SO GOOD!
They are mostly known for smothering their burritos and burgers in green chile sauce.
And you HAVE to visit the OG Chubby’s for the best green chile. The other locations have their own recipe and do not taste as good as Stella Cordova’s OG green chile recipe.
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#5 Tacos Jaliscos
Tacos Jaliscos is a family-run joint with some tasty green chile. It’s thick and can be eaten as a soup or sauce. They sell their green chile pints for $14 and $5 for a side.
I ordered a bowl in the restaurant and it came with two tortillas. It cost me $19. I feel ripped off and hope they see my blog post because I have never paid over $12 anywhere else for green chile. That is absolutely ridiculous for a bowl of soup!
@alexgoesglobal @Tacosjaliscodenver ♬ original sound – Alex Goes Global
#6 Adelita’s – RED Chile
And we can’t possibly let you leave without mentioning the RED CHILE at Adelita’s. Their red chile pork plate (puerco con chile Colorado) is phenomenal!
The meat is so tender and melts in your mouth.
They also serve green chile, but it is more of a side condiment. And on Taco Tuesday’s all their tacos are only $2 and so so soooo good!
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To Be Tasted (TBT)
Here is our green chile wishlist! If there are other spots you recommend, please let us know! We’re always up for some more green chile.
- Billy’s Inn – Their green chile has masa flavor in it.
- Brewery Bar
- D’Corazon
- Las Dalias
Spots We DO NOT Recommend
- Sam’s No. 3 – Their green chile was flavorless and had a grainy texture. Mine came with cold tortillas. #sadpanda
- Santiago’s – Came to try out their affordable breakfast burritos and ordered a side of their green chile. Their green chile was watery and very spicy. It lacked flavor and tasted of pure chile heat. Santiago’s also has their green chile packaged and sold in grocery stores. It’s more of a smothering sauce than a soup.
If you found our Best Green Chile in Denver list helpful, please share it! Thanks for your support!
Sources
- https://denvergazette.com/outtherecolorado/blog/what-s-really-up-with-colorado-green-chile/article_58a2975c-e2c7-5a1f-ab81-7dae6cc90e44.html
- https://www.seriouseats.com/chile-verde-with-pork-recipe
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