Hilario's on 38th is a good find

May 4, 12:22 AMDenver Dining ExaminerStan Dyer

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Look for the sign on the North side of the road.

A few people recommended this place, it was already on my list, and I drive by from time to time.  I have been meaning to stop in, and, finally, I did it.  Even though it was just my first visit, I liked the place for a variety of reasons, and I am very likely to come back again and again.  

Hilario’s is not a trendy, fancy restaurant, in an upscale neighborhood.  It is just a good, old-fashioned, neighborhood Mexican restaurant doing a lot of things well.  The first thing I noticed when I came in the door was that the interior was a bit dated.  So what?  It was still neat, clean and appeared well maintained.  We were greeted with a smile and seated almost immediately.  I like that.  

It is kind of a cute restaurant.

As with all visits to all Mexican restaurants, we vegetarians have to wonder what we will find to eat.  Mexican restaurants tend to use many animal products in their entrees as well as lard and chicken broth throughout.  Naturally, there weren’t many choices for us, but our waitress was very helpful, knowledgeable, and patient.  We found a couple of good choices on the menu and were pleased to discover that Hilario’s does not mind substituting whole beans for refried beans at no extra charge.  

We had the Enchilada plate with Cheese Enchiladas and whole beans instead of the rice and refried beans that come with it.  We also sampled the Deluxe Burrito made with whole beans and “extra hot” sauce on the side.  The prices were fair, ($9.25 for the enchiladas, and $6.75 for the burrito), the flavors were good, and the overall experience was very nice and relaxing, the way it should be.  

 

It sounded good and they were

Attractive features of this restaurant were the $2.50 Tecate draws all day long, the “two-fers” on Margaritas every afternoon, and the extra hot salsa.  They have a nice table salsa served with homemade chips that was flavorful and suited to most tastes, but they also offered an extra hot version for those, like me, who like a little bit more spice.  This extra hot was not quite as hot as Rio Grande’s “Salsa Atomica”, but had better color and a better mix of flavors.  I recommend it when you visit.  I also liked that customers could ask for their food to be prepared extra spicy and that did not mean they would just put green chili on top, because green chili tends to contain pork and I am vegetarian.  

Hilario’s is an unexpectedly nice variation on Denver Mexican.  They serve all your Mexican food favorites for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and will prepare anything for take-out for a .35 per item surcharge.  They serve seafood, eggs, sopaipillas, and just about anything your Mexican taste buds desire.  They were very impressive on a first visit, and I give a special shout out to our waitress, Isa, for being the consummate professional and making us feel like we were dining in her home.  Hilario’s earns high marks and I rate them 8.7 on this visit.  Give them a try!