Tocabe An American Indian Eatery

So....I am in CO for the first time just for a few days. I always look for spots to eat that aren't chain restaurants. I heard about this place that was Native American owned and focused and had to check it out! SO GLAD I DID! I walked in and the place is cozy and had a warmth to the decor that made me feel welcome. The young man at the register greeted me and asked if I had been there before. I said no and I am from the East Coast, but love BBQ and I was interested in trying some prepared by our indigenous people. He told me how they have a 24hr process (curing & then braising) for the bison ribs. He said he had had pork & beef ribs, but thought that bison and their traditional method of preparation was the best. I bought two (3-4) bison rib plates to go. They have a berry BBQ that I really enjoyed. I wasn't sure, but it really accentuated the taste of the bison. Had a bit of heat on the end, which I really liked. They don't put the sauce on the ribs, so you really get to taste the meat. It is on the side to dip if you want, but the meat is the show...and that is how it should be IMO. Anyway, tender, flavorful, and delicious bison ribs IN MY BELLY! I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and their attention to buying local and sticking to traditional methods was wonderful. I wish I could try more of the menu and I can see why they are successful. Oh and I enjoyed the "fry bread" that comes with the meal. Not a sweet desert type thing, but savory. If I am ever in CO again...I am bringing and family...we love great food and supporting all local communities.

Everything about this place was wonderful (other than the parking) and I wish I lived in this area because I think I would be here every single day eating something new. The location is very clean and there is a very large amount of seating, both tables and high tops, so everyone can sit inside, especially when it's cold out like it was when I visited. They have many different options here that include build your own bowls and some signature bowls. I decided to get a signature plate. I had the base being the Indian taco, which is more of a fluffy bread that was so flavorful that I have thought about it at least once a week. For my protein, I decided to get the ground beef that is made with house spices. I have never had such flavorful ground beef then this one right here. every bite had a wonderful flavor to it and I wanted to get a second plate, even though I had leftovers! It was more than enough food that I had a second full helping the next day from them! I got the sweet corn and the mild tomato as toppings and everything was so fresh! It was about $13 for the plate and well worth it!I also got a side of the wojapi in a cup and it was so sweet and refreshing, mixing it with some bread was the greatest thing I tried that was new!The staff and service was also over the top friendly and very quick with getting everything cooked, prepared, served and rung up for me! They also made sure the tables were always clean and the trash was never overflowing! super friendly and even gave me their favorite recommendations before I settled on what I ended up getting!

Food: They have lots of options like bowls, nachos, stuffed fry bread, or tacos. I got the bowl with wild rice + corn + shredded bison + black beans + lettuce + cheese. The bison was super spicy in my opinion which maybe just checks out for Indian style food but I wish I knew. I thought the lettuce and cheese was a bit out of place and I could barely even taste the rice. Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed but it very well could have been just my personal taste. I thought the quality was high and there was a ton of protein in the bowl but it should be for $20. One bowl was about three meals for me. I don't think I need to return but again I think it was just my personal taste profile so I do recommend it to others!Ambience/Service: It's fast casual like a noodles and co or chipotle

One thing that I knew I wanted to try during my trip to Denver was bison and Tocabe certainly delivered! My husband and I ordered the bison ribs and the shredded bison bowl to share. Let me start off by saying that the bison ribs are EXCEPTIONAL! If you're going to order one thing from here, let it be the ribs. The meat is so tender and flavorful!! The shredded bison bowl was also reallyyyy good--it reminded me of a better version of a chipotle bowl. All the ingredients in the bowl tasted really fresh, which I loved.This is a pretty casual spot where you pick your own tables and everything is self serve, so service is pretty limited. The people taking our order and building our bowl were friendly though! There's also a parking lot which earns positive points in my book.Overall, I loved this spot and would definitely return if I'm in the area again!

I had this place on my list of places to eat while visiting Denver. I was intrigued by the Bison Ribs, but settled on the Indian Taco on Fry Bread.This restaurant is located in the northwest part of Denver. Parking is free. They have a small lot with a few spaces. I parked in the lot and walked to the entrance around the corner.You walk up to the counter, place your order, customize your food, pay and take your food to a table. They assemble your food according to what you specify you want and it's ready when you reach the cashier.You can choose Plate options which include Indian Taco, Salad, Stuffed Fry Bread, & Medicine Wheel Nachos; or Posu Bowls. You can customize your food, or you can choose from their four Signature options.I actually wanted the Bison Ribs with Fry Bread Biscuits, but they either weren't ready or were out of them. All I remember is that I couldn't get them at the time I was ready to order. Instead, I chose to get the Indian Taco with Shredded Bison, Squash & Corn. I pretty much enjoyed the entire thing except the fry bread was quickly soggy from the Shredded Bison juice. It should have been strained off better so that didn't happen. I could barely lift it without it falling apart. I ended up eating all the filling with a fork and trying to grab the outermost parts of the fry bread that were still breadlike.The food is colorful and seemingly healthy. It was definitely hearty and filling! I really liked the fry bread! Maybe next time I will try it on the side or as a side itself! This is a place I would return to!

This was a great spot to check out on my vacation in Colorado. Heard some good things about this place and went to check it out.Inside has plenty of seating and tables. They offer options like building your own bowl. I decided to opt for one of their signature bowls, "The Original" that came with pinto beans, ground beef, lettuce, cheese and sour cream. I paired it with the wild rice.Absolutely amazing and incredibly filling. The ground beef was seasoned perfectly. I enjoyed the mix of complimentary ingredients. The staff was kind and helpful and the atmosphere was busy but relaxing. I would love to have another visit back here again!

This place reminded me of an American Indian Chipotle edition lol. You can select the ingredients you want in your bowl. The food was probably the best American Indian I've had so far but I'm always open to suggestions. I ordered the ground bison and the meat was very well seasoned, tender and for sure I'll order it again. Portion sizes are big I think you can easily share a bowl with someone. While I'm not knocking the customer service down. I do have a few suggestions if the manager is reading this. 1st time customers shouldn't be asking what all the ingredients on display are. I didn't see any labels but also the person assisting me wasn't very helpful...I had to keep asking what some of the toppings were. It was a little annoying... like bro help me out here! You're just standing there looking at me while I'm trying to figure out what toppings y'all got!Anyhow, if you want to try some good American Indian dishes and you're in the area. I do recommend this place.

We came here on a Sunday afternoon with another family. The place was busy but we were able to find a table for our party of 8. Expect a line. Walk up to the counter, order your dishes, build them to your liking and pick your sides.What we swallowed:*SHREDDED BISON FANCY*GROUND BEEF TACO*TRIPLE D CHICKEN*FRY BREAD NUGGEST and WOJABI CUPMy husband and children are native so you know we had to come here to represent and Tocabe did NOT disappoint. We ordered 3 different fry bread tacos (my 9 and 11 year old split one) and topped them to our liking (one of my fav is the sweet corn topping) and we all sampled each others. It was hard to pick which one was the best, they were all so good! Topped it off with an order of fry bread nuggets and a wojabi cup. This was a truly delicious experience! We will definitely be back!

5 out of 5 NOMSNOM NOM NOM NOM NOMThe wife wanted to surprise me when we arrived in Denver, so we drove about 30 minutes outside of the airport to Tocabe. First Nations food with good ingredients done right. This was her first time eating this food but I grew up going to Pow Wows in Northern CA for the Ohlone and Paiute Tribes. I was excited for her. I liked that they had "tacos" that were on dry bread instead of tortillas. A delicious play on a favorite of ours (we can eat tacos everyday). I went for the Big Guy Special (my name for it) THE BISON RIBS. The staff was very friendly and helpful as we worked our way through the menu and options, with them helping us along our culinary journey. The place was decorated pretty cool and fun to look around. Then the food came. My wife's taco was done right there and she picked all her choices from the items in the steam table. Interesting combos of flavors which some I never even had before. I told her the squash, corn and beans was The Three Sisters and she ordered it without even knowing. It was delicious. Then, mine came out. Holy smokes. 3 ribs cooked in a barbecue sauce and just the right amount of char to make the flavors amazing. Dry bread biscuit with seasonal jelly as a side was so good, the wife ate half before I knew what was happening. She's pretty sneaky with things like that. I washed it down with a local beer that was pretty good too. All in all, a great experience with great food and we will definitely Italy come back when we visit again.

One place kept being recommended when I mentioned visiting Denver for a short stint: walk, don't run, to Tocabe. Famous for their fry bread combos, Tocabe is an indigenous fast-casual chain with locations throughout Colorado with specialties including bison meat. Bottom line -- it was worth the 10 minute uber ride from the downtown convention center to try these good eats.We came at around noon and the place was already packed (with conference attendees), but the line moved quickly. I was advised to get the fry bread with shredded bison meat, and because work was paying, I also added on a large bison chili.The verdict -- one of the most unique foods I've tasted with an interesting combination of textures. The fry bread had a light sweetness about it, and it reminded me of Trinidadian doubles. The bison meat was good and felt heartier than just plain beef, and the toppings added flavour complexity. It was definitely more food than I expected and felt like really good comfort food, but if I were to do it again, I would go for the more savory sauce over the sweet one. The chili really didn't taste all that different from standard beef chili, so I wouldn't go just for that, but I do know that friends have missed Tocabe so much, they try to find similar food in their own hometowns when returning.