Jarrito Loco — Restaurant in Colorado

A New Benchmark for Mexican Cuisine and Catered Food in Colorado Springs.

This establishment merits special recognition. As a diner who often reserves five-star ratings for truly exceptional experiences, I must place this restaurant in a category of its own. It is, by a measurable margin, the most impressive local dining and catering operation I have encountered.

The appeal is dual: a delightful dine-in experience paired with an equally capable, high-end catering service. The ambiance is warm and considered, complemented by a service staff led by owner, Angel, the most friendly, informative, helpful, people-loving, humble, confident, pleasant owner that I have ever met, and simply a wonderful human being. His detailed knowledge of ingredients, culinary history, and flavor profiles elevates the service from merely attentive to genuinely informative.

My recent visit, a wedding catering tasting with my fiancée and future mother-in-law, confirmed the reputation that preceded them.

The kitchen’s profound commitment to quality is evident from the first offering: house-made tortilla chips, fried exclusively in beef tallow—a dedicated approach to traditional flavor and the avoidance of seed oils.

Sampling the various sauces was the core of the visit. While the mole was well-executed, three of the sauces were masterful. The entomatada sauce, sampled initially with the chips and later on a classic chile relleno, possessed a delightful, unexpected complexity. The subtle cinnamon note in its profile offered a savory counterpoint to the bright tomato base, resulting in one of the most memorable flavor experiences of the evening. The pork chile pasilla provided a depth of earthiness and richness. Ultimately, the popular Poblano Pepper sauce stood out as the crown jewel, demonstrating exceptional balance, and both the pasilla and poblano sauces were selected for our upcoming catered event.

A noteworthy dish was the white vegetarian chile relleno. Its composition was surprisingly superior to its traditional, non-vegetarian counterpart (which was already amazing!) showcasing the kitchen’s ability to execute refined, meatless options. The meal concluded with an impossible flan that was texturally perfect and beautifully plated.

This is a venue that demands to be part of any serious local diner's rotation. If you are needing catered food, the synergy of outstanding culinary execution, Angel's attention to detail, and comprehensive client care positions this operation as unrivaled within the Colorado Springs...

May 2025 Another great meal with visitors. Topped off some great dishes with some sopapillas for dessert. Added a few photos. April 2025 Another great family meal. Carne asada, fish tacos, chicken burrito, and couple of the tortas. The Cubano was exceptionally large and quite good. Be sure to ask for the pineapple slice in this one. Everything was perfect, as usual! Cadillac margarita was a perfect strength and delicious. This restaurant is still our favorite. Angel and Angie are the owners and are great hosts. I cannot say enough nice things about them and their fantastic restaurant. Spring 2024 Another great visit with guests. We love taking guests so we can indulge on the salsa sampler and sopapillas as they are a bit much for just the 2 of us. If you want common Mexican, move on. This place has truly great family and regional dishes. Another update for this great find. Added the picture of the off-the-menu (OTM) special and the Carnitas Locas dish which is one of our favorites. OTM specials are new every week. You need to sign up for text/email if you want the preview. When you want the OTM specials, you should make a reservation and reserve a plate. Some are rare treats that are very much worth reserving as you’ll not find these delicacies anywhere else unless you travel to Mexico.

Here are my older posts if you care to read more:

We realized this is the only restaurant we visited more than once since moving to Monument. Drinks are generous and well balanced. The mole sauce is my wife’s go-to favorite. I have not had the same dish twice and loved every single one. Angel is the owner and a wonderful man. Pick one of his favorites on the menus, and you cannot go wrong.

Just dug into a huge helping of sopapillas for dessert. OMG homemade caramel and yummy all the way through.

Wonderful place!

9/3/2022 update. I have been working my way through the specialties. All have been excellent. Tonight I had the carnitas locas which was a huge portion. My wife had the special combo #2. Another winner - always ready to enjoy when it is an Angel or Angie’s favorite. Have the sopapilla as it is all from scratch. Delicious!

12/6/2022 update. Delicious special today and supplemented it with a couple of authentic tacos. Try the tacos as they are not any more costly than any of the other places, but these are loaded way more than I ever see elsewhere. And they served in wonderfully decorated dining room. Still have not had anything I...

I just ate dinner at Jarrito Loco. The food was good enough, but not spectacular. I felt for the price it was not the best deal. The amount of food was fine. The price was just a little on the high side. They charge for everything that you get. Some Mexican sit down restaurants provide you with chips and salsa. These folks charge for them. At the end when I was paying the tax included a 3% additional charge for using my credit card. I asked the staff about it and they said that I should talk to the credit card companies because it is there fault that they charge that. The facts are that that is the transaction fee and restaurant is passing it on to the consumer. I wouldn't be too miffed about it except they did not disclose it ahead of time. I used my card for convenience. I had cash and could have paid with that if it saved me 3%. I also don't believe that they should tell people that it is a fee that they do not have control over. That is disingenuous. I might go back. I want to pay with cash and see if they still try to charge me the fee. Perhaps it's just another silly hidden charge that a proprietor trying to pass on to their customer? I hope not. Imagine if every business that you hired to do anything around your home did the same thing. We would all be pretty frustrated with that. Especially if the prices were on the high side to begin with. Then when you pay you see additional fees that you did not expect. I own a couple businesses, and I think it's wrong to do that to my customers. Everyone knows costs have gone up. The price should be a function of increased costs and devalued dollar all wrapped in one. No one needs to be shaken down for additional money. If you can't compete, then don't. If your product is remarkable, and your service is good, the volume will support the...