El Chingon Bistro — Restaurant in Denver

Oh boy, I hate to post the first bad review but I think it’s important … I don’t get what’s going on here. I can only conclude that everyone is too inebriated to notice. The decor and ambiance, as another reviewer noted, is “vibey” and hits the mark but certainly conveys a very party vibe even at the innocent hour of 7 pm. The service, while sweet, was equally random. All of our food came out at once. When asked a couple of simple questions, the server admitted to not ever having tried much of it. Our steak was cold. The salad was a strange mix of old soggy lettuce, pickled onions and raw zucchini’s — so we returned it and they were quick to oblige. The carnitas were sorely overcooked with a side of rice and beans that seemed to have been reheated from an all you can eat buffet. It was all like a sad cruise where you wished it was just a lot later at night and you were at least two drinks deeper. I’m sorry but perhaps the nice staff and devoted owner can try again — the concept and menu seem great. It just needs an...

This was our first time dining at this place will probably be our last. For $32, I ordered scallops as my entree (the order only comes with three), and they were so nasty. Each scallop had sand/rocks inside them. I also ordered the elote since the waitress said three scallops wouldn’t be enough to fill me up, and the elote was not impressive- there was no cheese?! No one with our party finished their plate. The place itself was very hot, and the music was waaay too loud. The bathrooms were nasty. One was out of toilet paper and the other was out of hand towels. Somehow the music in the bathroom was louder than the restaurant. Our waitress was kind of nice and the cocktails were good are the only reasons I give this...

Food portions are smaller that would had hoped. Apps and dinner came out at the same time, so make sure you specify to your wait staff if you want apps first as ours didn’t know that. The drinks were very heavy on ice. Overall food was 6.5/10, ambiance was 8/10 and price was 5/10. The chile relleno felt like an Italian sauce dish, the ceviche was just chucks of shrimp, the cauliflower steak should be an app not a main dish and the papas app was far from exciting. Not to mention they charge you extra if paying with credit card. We were not a fan of this. As other people have commented, wish you were a few drinks deeper for the food as it feels very much so like...