nido — Restaurant in Paonia

Can't recommend. We went to Nido with a positive attitude, after being recommended by a friend. It started well. The place was not busy, only 3 other tables being served. The menu promises good things, with lots of fancy exotic interesting ingredients on tacos, quesadillas, etc. But we waited nearly 40 minutes for our food. I got one taco instead of the 2 the menu described, I let it go not wanting to wait longer. We found cold, dry rice ( so-called "rojo rice") a pretty good pickled cabbage side, but tacos and quesadilla that bore little relationship to the exalted menu descriptions. Mediocre. When the check came, I was charged for 2 tacos, though I had received one, which resulted in an argument with waitress who admitted it was "only her fourth day" there. Some bad feelings all around. Sides like rice and cabbage had been added at $5 each (!) Another employee came over and (in a LOUD voice) tried to make it right by offering a 5 dollar discount. We paid using the difficult to operate tableside payment device ( which adds 3 percent for a card). But the damage was done: we left feeling upset, poorly treated, and a bit ripped off. I'll add that I don't usually leave negative reviews of restaurants.

Edit response: We never sat outside, and no one in our party ever would complain about a child. Employees...

Sometimes when you wake up, the sky is dreary, and you wonder why you continue the routine of work, home, sleep, and repeat...

Nido has changed these existential questions in my life. I used to wonder if it would be some terrible sandwich or cold leftover I would be placing in my mouth to merely press my jaw together and swallow the mush into nothingness.

Nido has me saying "NO MORE!". Their tacos have been life-altering!

Now, when the doldrums occur I dream of chimichurri beef or their jerk chicken tacos. I am quickly snapped out of my funk back into the joy of existing in Paonia.

Clearly, thinking about their menu puts me on a positive path, but eating it brings me near nirvana. I've been visiting weekly and I've never had a bad item on the menu; it is all amazing!

From the tamales to the tacos to the desserts, everything tastes flavorful and fresh. You cannot go wrong. The jerk chicken, bubblegum carnitas, it's all stellar! The beverage selection is phenomenal, and it feels great to support local growers and producers.

Thank you for making the greatest, comforting Mexican food in Western...

NOT GOOD for celiacs. To be fair, none of their menu items are marked gluten free, but I thought how hard can it be since this is a taco place. Boy, was I wrong. Even the corn tortillas are toasted on the grill where flour tortillas are also warmed. Their fryer is cross contaminated with gluten containing items being fried in it as well. They’re not super flexible on their menu offerings. They kept trying to offer different menu items that could be made gluten free, but then they’d find something wrong that would risk cross contamination when I’d ask questions about preparation. For example, they wouldn’t do nachos on the tortilla chips (that they buy elsewhere, not fry themselves, and are clearly marked gluten free) with taco toppings that are gluten free. One star for them understanding what cross contamination is. Unfortunately that’s all I can offer since I left without eating. If you’re celiac, try Good Love in Paonia or Three 20 Bar & Grill...