Xicamiti La Taquería Bistro — Restaurant in Golden

So this place, after it being on the radar for a few years, has turned out to be quite disappointing, deficient in several areas.

First, the food itself - decent but nowhere near exceptional generally ("indifferent" would be accurate), but with a couple notable exceptions:

1. The barbacoa, which the owner seemed to think is a signature dish, is basically more like canned cat food in texture than any kind of nice shredded meat. Tasted ok but Mystery Meat Mush. Very serious eye-roller.

2. The apparently-authentic snacky things (visible in some other review pics) vs chips are pointless. These and Tapatio (or similar, I think one of the other brands but don't quote me on this, but it was in the little sprinkle jar, not homemade bowl or anything) sauce? Come on!

Second, issues around the service:

1. No napkins or anything until the food is brought. I can't STAND having an appetizer and nothing to wipe hands or mouth on.

2. The owner himself. He clearly is very proud, but it's misplaced. As indicated above, indifferent food even if it's unique. But the main thing is he was really kind of invasive, very pushy. When he brought our food, he instructed us how to eat it! OK yes I'm white and all but I have in fact eaten Mexican food previously. I am well aware how dips, tortillas, and sauces (let alone queso fundido - of which I make a fantastic version myself) are to be consumed. I'm not sure I've actually been so insulted in this context EVER. He also made a big thing about being a Taqueria, yet the tacos overlap (again, see other review pics) and are a mess. Taquerias are not about fancy presentation.

Third, the prices are outrageous - we are talking Michelin 1-star vs what you get. Which is, see above.

So I rarely skip checking 1-star reviews, so here I did not because (a) the overall rating is outstanding (see below) and (b) a friend did recommend the place awhile back. Well, in this case, I hope this gets seen - I'm with other 1-star people that I really don't get the high rating, even given many aren't as particular as I am.

(And IMO, I'm not accusing anyone of anything, but I do kind of question the legitimacy of the glowing reviews. They are generally verbose and many have very high-quality pics included...unusually so vs other places typically. But this is just my opinion.)

Now then - seeing the responses to other similar reviews, I look forward to seeing the one for...

This place is an immediate favorite in the Golden area! Although unassuming from driving past on Washington Ave., the quality of this restaurant is top notch. First, we were immediately greeted and given attention as we entered the establishment, and this level of attention was kept the entire time we dined. The customer service levels here make you feel at home and taken care of. Next, the food is delicious and fresh and prepared perfectly with good portion sizes; and excellent margaritas, perhaps the best around, served in very cute Mexican-styled pottery. There aren't a lot of vegetarian options here if you are strictly following that, but I had the vegetarian quinoa tacos, and they were excellent and healthful. When I asked the owner about vegetarian options, he gave a tasteful, professional, and funny joke and had perfect knowledge of the menu and the dietary preference. This brings me to the most important part of this review: the owner, and the main interface of the restaurant, is absolutely fantastic. He is warm and informed and will make you feel comfortable. When I asked about the hours of operation, and why they were closed during certain hours of the weekend, he explained that hours may be limited because he only hires the most top quality employees who are as willing and dedicated as him to keeping the restaurant and customer service on such a high bar. This is something I really respect and can be hard to find, and it shows when visiting this establishment. When dropping our food off at the table, the owner gave a brief but thorough explanation of what is what and how to maneuver and enjoy the varying parts of the meal. Dining or drinking here will be an authentic Mexican experience with Mexican namesakes decorating the walls, a Tequila, Mezcal, and Sotol drinks menu, and fare straight from the quality you could get 1,500 miles away. Support this good man's business and enjoy...

Great experience here. Brought our 2 year old, from the outside you see the two sugar skulls on the doors and think you are going to walk into a heavily Hispanic decorated spot. Not really, looked my like a quick serve dinner and honestly, I loved that about it.

The food: so we ordered the queso to start. Most people have ideas of what queso is going to be. This was not that, and man at first that bummed me out. Then I tasted it, a mixture of onions, peppers, chicarones on top of a small amount of melt cheese in a skillet. It was absolutely delicious with the right amount of kick for someone who doesn't handle spice well.

As for our main dishes, they were kind enough to swap the protein in our daughter's quesadilla as in the menu it's only listed to come with carne asada so we were very appreciative. My wife got the 'house tacos'. My apologies I don't know how to spell it, but it was amazing. Great flavors, I really loved the smoky bit the chipotle peppers added and I can see why these are the most popular. As for me I got the al pastor tacos. The marinade they used was great but the real stand out and item that pushed these tacos over the edge was the jalapeno salsa they gave me. House made, with both raw and pickled jalapenos. The acidity against the sweetness of both the pork and pineapple and added heat was excellent.

My only critique on the tacos is how they eat. And this isn't a knock for me as I don't care but more of a heads up to others. They lay the tortillas in a way where they can be a bit messy. Again I don't care, let's ride the lightning but for people who do it can be a lot.

Definitely going back, both servers that circle the tables were very friendly...