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1st Place - Peoples Choice Best Taco Carne Asada Taco

2nd Place - Peoples Choice Best Cocktail El Jefe

BEST MEXICAN EAST COUNTY :Teocalli Cocina

BEST MARGARITA Lafayette Winner: Teocalli Cocina

BUSINESS LUNCH Lafayette Winner: Teocalli Cocina

Lafayette is justly famous for its many Mexican restaurants. However, we didn't comprehend the diverse treasures that the cuisine can provide until Grant Hopfenspirger opened Teocalli Cocina in 2019. From the soft, just-griddled corn tortillas to the amazing mezcal and tequila list, the attention to detail is apparent. Consider sampling a gorgeous bowl of pozole verde with pork, white hominy, epazote and radish slivers or a plate of pork shank with smoked sweet onions and charred pasilla chilies. The taco roster features silky rich birria—short rib meat with caramelized leeks and tomatillo salsa. These culinary revelations are the reason voters chose Teocalli Cocina as their top Mexican eatery in East Boulder County.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT : TEOCALLI COCINA

Lafayette has always been known as a great place to find Mexican food, but Teocalli Cocina is something completely different. Owner Grant Hopfenspirger focuses the menu on the incredible regional Mexican fare beyond burritos. So, starters include chicken enchiladas suizas with Oaxaca and Chihuahua cheeses and pickled Fresno peppers. Tacos take a modern turn with fillings like bigeye tuna with mango salsa and sticky rice. Once you taste the soft, freshly-griddled corn tortillas crafted daily at Teocalli, you'll understand why it was voted the top new eatery in East Boulder County. Plus, the vibrant bar is stocked with an extensive mezcal and tequila selection.

Tempura

Teocalli CocinaThe Front Range's crown jewel of modern veggie tacos features a pile of fresh kale salad; a tempura-fried slice of ripe avocado; burnt tortilla aïoli; pico de gallo; and cilantro on a house-made heirloom corn tortilla. Hit it with a few dashes of Teocalli's sweet-and-spicy hot sauce.103 N. Public Road, Unit C, Lafayette, teocallicocina.com

Pescado a las Brazas from Teocalli Cocina

Teocalli shakes up the local Mexican dining scene with a number of unique courses, ranging from an addictive peanut-based salsa to a beef stew combining short rib and marrow bone. The top choice, though, is the Pescado a las Brazas, an entree highlighting a whole fish, often red snapper, grilled in the style of Nayarit, known for its longstanding tradition of whole seafood cookery. The fish is flavorful, moist and tender, and additions of fresh slices of avocado, lively garlic fried rice with beans and thick fresh tortillas make for an unquestionably satisfying, but not overly heavy main course.

 By CLAY FONG | PUBLISHED: August 22, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. | UPDATED: September 4, 2019 at 10:28 a.m.

Lafayette's Teocalli Cocina is a bright and noisy North Public Road spot with a decidedly festive feel, accented by fun and friendly servers. What stands out here is the kitchen's ability to take familiar Mexican fare a step further with modern and regional preparations that make old standbys fresh and sophisticated.

The tightly focused menu boasts classic items such as tacos, with traditional fillings like a meatless black bean number, as well as carnitas and carne asada. More unique choices included pork belly and tempura-fried avocado. Main courses, which come with first-rate house-made corn tortillas, include slow-roasted pork shank, chicken enchiladas and a 10-ounce carne asada hanger steak ........

(full article in link)

Try this week: Pork shank pibil at Teocalli Cocina

The pork shank is a terrific cut of meat — tender when slow-roasted and porkier-tasting than other parts of the animal. The excellent, new Teocalli Cocina treats this cut superbly by serving it on the bone (the meat falls off with hardly any effort) alongside pickled and smoked onions, x-ni-peck (a Mayan salsa with mango and habanero), savory rice, bright black beans and yellow corn tortillas, lightly fried and worthy of their own spotlight.

TEOCALLI COCINA | ARO DE FUEGO

Teocalli Cocina is home to (arguably) the best margaritas in Lafayette, if not all of Boulder County. La Casa Margarita is their go-to, especially for happy hour, but our favorite is the Aro de Fuego. While some spicy margaritas are all spice and no flavor, the Aro de Fuego is the perfect combination of sweet, citrus, and heat. And don't get us started on that chile lime rim!

The kitchen is also 100% gluten free if that's something you need to look out for. Teocalli has reservations available on OpenTable at the bottom of the article! Their happy hour lasts between 3 to 5 pm daily.

Teocalli Cocina: Prospector

Margaritas are an obvious choice in the summer. For one of the best in the state, head to Old Town Lafayette. Teocalli Cocina has a modern Mexican menu with tacos galore, pork shank pibil and chicken enchilada suizas served with a jalapeno cream sauce. While you're dunking chips in housemade salsas and guac, order the Prospector. It's a spin on a margarita that's made with muddled cucumber and a housemade cilantro syrup. For the next round, opt for the Diamante. It's a tequila cocktail made with chocolate mole bitters.

Grant Hopfenspirger, son of the restaurateurs who created Gunther Toody's and brother to the owners of Meatball Eatery and Zig Zag Smokin' Burger (which took over the Greenwood Village outpost of Gunther Toody's last year), is no stranger to the restaurant business. But now he's struck out on his own to create Teocalli Cocina, a modern Mexican eatery scheduled to open in the heart of Old Town Lafayette in mid-June......