La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal — Restaurant in Denver

I shared this feedback with the owner but after I didn’t hear back I felt that folks should know this awesome spot has gone downhill. It was disappointing to not hear that the feedback was taken seriously. I hope it helps you make your dining decisions.

“I came in yesterday with a group of five to celebrate a birthday and just wanted to share my experience in hopes of it being an opportunity to improve future service.

Instead of writing a public review that could potentially hurt your business I just want to share the honest feedback because Ive been in many times before and really enjoy your restaurant.

The problem: -Our server was really rushing us to order when we sat down, we hadn't even received our drinks yet and when we ordered an appetizer, she continued to press us to order our mains which made us feel so hurried. -We ordered ceviche and because we didn't have forks (or napkins) we ended up using the knives on the table instead of forks because we weren't able to flag down our server and had waited quite a while which was frustrating after feeling so hurried. -When the food came out there was a mistake which our server thought was maybe just that the tacos were all correct but just mixed up on the wrong plates (ie not grouped together correctly for the individual). That ended up not being the case so a few of us did not get what we had ordered. I was really surprised that when our server asked if we had sorted the tacos out and we explained that we actually didn't get the order we received, that she did not do anything to correct the mistake. We were never given the tacos we ordered. ——Also, I always get the cricket and want to share the feedback that they were severely undercooked last night compared to their usual crunchiness. That one didn't get eaten.

All this to say, I love diabla and this time around it was disappointing to spend $300 on a meal that fell so short and definitely did not win any return customers for my friends who were first time visitors. Ya'll have always been awesome and frankly yesterday was the busiest it's ever been when I've been in so perhaps that's why. I hope you see this as shared the feedback in the hopes of making an improvement vs complaining. I wouldn't be willing to write a bad review, but I do want my favorite restaurants to be consisgtently kicking...

Thank you, Chef!

This is a meal that reminds you of home, and I can’t say enough about this local eatery. I was so impressed that I had to write about it. Definitely: Will Eat Again. This Pozole is earthy and balanced, with the right amount of spice in every bite. Before the meal they bring out a plate of warm house-made tostadas, limes, and hot sauce so it’s “Dealer’s Choice” on how hard you want to go. (For anybody that reads the reviews saying there’s little flavor)

For all you flavor and spice junkies, I very much appreciated the endorphin pumping complexity of this humble dish. The freshness of the nixtamalized maize added to that, and I had ZERO complaints about the mezcal that I chased everything down with.

This dish is layered. You can expect bright notes of citrus, flavorful onion and seasoning, with big chunks of meat cooked to perfection! It’s that kind of ADDICTING heat that leaves you salivating between bites, where you’re on the precipice of a crescendo, but you’re never quite getting enough – you’re always left wanting more.

Honestly – it was hard to choose between breathing and eating! I would have been gulping this soup down if it wasn’t so hot, so instead, I resorted to shoveling spoonfuls into my mouth as quickly as possible while still trying to savor the moment. I believe the adjective is: “Insatiable”?

In every spoonful you feel connected to the history, the soul and the heritage of this dish. You feel the passion of its chefs (Jose Avila + Team). Like some of the better aspects of life, you’ll be thinking about it for hours after you’ve finished. Down to the very last drop you’ll be searching the bottom of your bowl for more – I promise you. I’ve never had such a transportive meal in Denver, and meal that feels so much like home in a restaurant.

We also had their chocolate flan. Which, I am not the biggest fan of chocolate anything – I know, there goes all my ethos, but this was one of the tastiest desserts I’ve had in a while. As mentioned previously, we will be back, and I did wake up early today to finish my leftovers and write...

Came on a Friday at 12pm for lunch, saw a tik tok and heard about the awards and michelin recognition. I don't know if it was just an off day, or what but as a foodie and chef.. I was rather disappointed.

First and most importantly, we obviously came for the Pazole. I chose the Pazole Rojo $18 for a medium size bowl. The broth was lacking flavor, you tasted mainly the hot sauce used, couldn't tell if it was a chicken, pork or vegetable base. Assuming traditional, it may need some boullion added with seasonings. Maybe the broth hadn't been simmering long enough? I asked for salt, used limes and the hot sauce given on the side. Was it good? Yes. Was it unforgettable and michelin worthy? No. Also ordered an Al Pastor ($4) taco based off previous reviews... it was BLACK. Like I had to ask if it was really al pastor. I'm guessing it was the exterior parts that got charred. Flavor was good with the pickled radish. It was small, street taco size. $4 wasn't a bad price.. almost a food truck price. I also ordered the Pibil Taco ($7) mission corn tortilla sized taco, the meat was good and flavorful. My favorite of the meal.. but $7 was a bit much for this 4 bite taco that didn't have anything else with it. I wish I would've taken pics of every thing but I was hungry and excited for it.

Second,The atmosphere is pretty cool, small interior, wood floors, dark lighting (so if you like to truly see everything on your plate this may not be for you), decor that matches the name. I was not a fan of the plastic plates and cups, felt like I was in school but I understand the cost decision of regular tables, chairs and dishware, but it does have the traditional Mexican flare that you'd find street side in Mexico.

Lastly, the Service was okay, very nice host and the guy who waited on us wasn't very attentive but...