This vibrant Ballpark cantina serves up heartwarming pozole and creative tacos, all washed down with inventive agave cocktails in a colorful, cozy setting.
"At this celebrated cantina, killer cocktails and a small selection of some of the city’s best tacos go for about a third to a half off regular price for hours on end: from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Sweetening the pot are a slew of weekly specials. On Mondays from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., six wings and a beer ring in at $10; Street Taco Tuesdays yield $4 versions of such original creations as the red snapper with pineapple butter and the cochinita pibil with black bean salsa, also from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Wednesdays, a measly $5 nets two tacos al pastor straight from the spit plus a margarita all day long — from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. And on Thursdays from open to close, two bowls of pozole go for the price of one. If you’re overspending here, you’re doing something wrong." - Ruth Tobias
"Coming in hot with its signature pozole, made from house-nixtamalized heirloom hominy in a variety of broths, Jose Avila’s Ballpark banger doesn’t stop there — not for a moment. In a dimly lit, cantina-esque setting, the kitchen also specializes in guisados featuring ingredients like bone marrow, cochinita pibil, chayote squash, and even grasshopper served on tacos, pambazos, and more; puts its own spin on brunch Thursday through Sunday via items such as carne asada–topped huaraches and concha French toast; and rocks the trompo on Wednesdays, when al pastor or fish tacos come with a margarita for $5–$7. And speaking of cocktails, the bar does wonders with not only tequila and mezcal but the likes of pox, pulque, and charanda." - Eater Staff
"From terrific tacos to bang-up happy hour bargains, Jose Avila’s hopping Ballpark cantina has more than earned itself a spot on Eater Denver’s 38 Essential Restaurants — so it certainly belongs here too. First-timers had best order a bowl of the steaming, soothing signature pozole with any of five types of broth to find out what the fuss is all about; regulars may branch out from there to appetizers like the esquites with bone marrow or chorizo-stuffed plantains in mole rojo, hefty pambazos, and brunchtime specials such as the huarache al pastor with scrambled eggs and salsa verde." - Ruth Tobias, Eater Staff
"Run by the über-talented Jose Avila, this Ballpark banger is turning out the most inspired and artful surprises imaginable in taco form. Perhaps the most startling example is the res con tuetano, an embarrassment of beefy riches that features an entire marrow bone alongside velvety birria; another would be the chuleta enchilada, a fork-tender pork chop topped with nopales and salsa negra. But the list goes on from the tres chorizo — red, green, and black — to the stuffed chile de agua smothered in frijoles, best capped off with an agave cocktail or two." - Eater Staff, Ruth Tobias
"Jose Avila is single-handedly changing the Mexican-food game in Denver: Not only does he run El Borrego Negro — a Sunday-only pop-up for real-deal barbacoa — but in 2021 he also opened the city’s first pozolería to instant buzz, making the stew as he does with house-nixtamalized hominy in a variety of broths based on pork from his own herd. In a dimly lit, cantina-like setting, diners can also find guisados featuring ingredients like bone marrow, chayote squash, and even pork chop served on tacos, pambazos, and more alongside equally tempting tequila and mezcal cocktails." - Eater Staff
