Xiquita

At Xiquita, Chef Rene Gonzalez Mendez takes tradition to new heights with incredible Mexico City inspired dishes!This spot is honoring the roots of Mexican cuisine, paying tribute to Native languages as seen throughout their menu.What I tried: Ceviche (with hibiscus chili water ), hoja santa (sacred leaf stuffed with Oaxaca cheese, my absolute favorite), carne asada, Castacan (pork belly), Molote (stewed beef and potato empanada), taco de pato (duck confit), and Tezcalate (chocolate ice cream shaped like corn! )Best bite: The taco de pato was UNREAL! Tender, full of flavor, with mole and xni pec (habanero salsa) that brought the perfect balance to the dish. I was also blown away by their Carne Asada and Pork Belly.The passion and creativity here are next-level, and I can't wait to go back for more!

Absolutely love love love this new restaurant opening in Uptown! It's a fantastic addition to the movement of upscale, refined Mexican cuisine focusing on traditional ingredients that seems to be spreading in Denver.The space is fun, modern and trendy, the service is friendly and memorable (same as at Lucina -- the staff's first location), and the drinks and food are fantastic. You really can't go wrong with anything you order here. My recommendation is to start with the selection of salsas and some cocktails, try the ceviche (which has a perfect spicy kick), get a couple of small dishes (definitely the lengua and something with a mole), and finish with the pork or lamb main(s). It's all amazing!

It's great to see the old Manzo Oyster Bar space humming again and Xiquita is a terrific replacement. My friend and I are fans of Lucina, the owner's Park Hill sister restaurant, but Xiquita is even better (and somewhat quieter).The menu is full of interesting dishes and set up so that most items can be shared, which is a style I always enjoy. We started with the Sope, crispy masa, fermented beer salsa, beef tongue barbacoa, and sour cream. The tongue was exceptionally delicious; very tender and flavorful.Next we tried the Tetela, griddled triangle-shaped masa stuffed with refried black beans, mole amarillo, and squash salad. This was also unusual and very enjoyable with a rich sauce.We still had a bit of room, so we finished the main dishes with Ostras, charbroiled oysters with charred jalapeño butter and maiz powder. Tasty!Finally, we tried the Tarta de Limon, a lime tart with coconut sponge cake and toasted meringue. The meringue was particularly good.We had house margaritas which were very fresh and delicious. The service was friendly, helpful, and accommodating. There's a large, elegant central bar with tables scattered around the rest of the space into a number of cozy, separate areas. The patio is not currently in use.This was a great experience. Every plate was gorgeous and tasted as good as it looked. Note that the kitchen is very fast and dishes came out within a few minutes of ordering. I strongly recommend Xiquita--great concept, great execution.

We were very excited to check this place out this week, and went with friends who were able to get a reservation for four. We were greeted right when we arrived, and were seated fairly quickly after that. Our server was great, and walked us through the menu and made suggestions on how much to order for the group. The 'bread and butter' type course was a mix of white and blue tortillas, four total, with jalapeno butter; what a delicious way to start! Next we had chips and salsa - the salsas were delicious - a green spicy tomatillo salsa, a spicy orange salsa, and a darker salsa that was pineapple flavored, with two tortillas that were crispy. We asked for additional tortillas, which they did bring out. That's the one negative/piece of feedback - I understand the tortillas are made in house, and likely the want to not be like a chain restaurant/serve with a large basket of chips...but can you find an in between solution that lets us eat all of your delicious butter and salsa? My first drink was the chamoyrita, which was delicious, and came with a modalità in it. Next we had the ceviche, which was very fresh and flavorful, and the beef tartare, which was also very flavorful, and the presentation was fun with an egg yolk on top, and a tortilla on top of that. Next we had the Tamal Oaxaqueno, the mole sauce it was in was delicious. The duck confit tacos were one of my favorite dishes - super dynamic and fun. The Cornish hen was also a standout dish - perfectly cooked, with an amazing mole sauce, highly suggest if you're looking for a bigger/more filling dish.

Went here with a group of friends yesterday and it was a good environment and good service BUT we weren't as impressed with the food. If you are paying high prices you want the food to wow you but it didn't quite get past a 3.5. I would bump this up by .5 if I could. My favorite dish was the tongue sope.

Xiquita "pronounced Chiquita" was one of seven most anticipated restaurants in the U.S. this year according to Bon Appettit magazine. I read an article in the Denver Post and their menu includes nixtamalized corn which is easier to digest and more authentic. I was seated at a table with a metal bench with pillows to sit on or use as a backrest. The menu was printed on thin paper, you could see the food items on the other side. The food and drinks menu are in Spanish but a English food menu was provided. No QR codes. The menu incorporates the cuisine of Yucatan. I started with the Ibarra Negroni made with Siete Misterios Mezcal. A very strong cocktail. I had to sip it. My first food was Taco de Pato. It was duck confit on a base of house mole with sweet potato crema. The tortilla was soft so I wrapped it up to eat. Next was the Sikil Pak, small nixtamalized tortillas with grilled beets over Yucatan tomatoes, pinche salsa and goat cheese. The tortillas were crunchy. A nice light appetizer. I then got the Tlayoco, a large blue corn tortilla stuffed with Fava beans, fried arbol salsa (making this dish very spicy) topped with herb salad and goat cheese. My main course was Tikin Xic. This was an almost bone-free white fish rubbed with abodo and partially wrapped in a banana leaf. So succulent fish and blackened fish at the same time. I added a glass of Sierra Cantabria Gran Reserva Tempranillo from Rioja in Spain. An excellent full bodied slightly sweet red wine. The only sour note was my dessert. I got the Tarta de Limon. It was a deconstructed tart with a base cookie with lime tart and meringue side-by-side with crumpled coconut cake. I ate the lime filling and the coconut cake.

Spicy, smokey, sweet, Xiquita has it all! We were excited to try it out after having Lucina's as one of our favorite restaurants in Denver. Wow, it did not disappoint. The restaurant is fashioned like a fine dining establishment one would find in Mexico City. Walking in we were greeted right away by a friendly host and taken to our table. The menus that were set were all in Spanish, it's a fun little detail but if you don't know Spanish, we were told that there were English menus and could also go online. We ordered the espresso martini, ended up tasting like a light blend of a carajillo and espresso martini. Nuanced flavor with a hint of vanilla/caramel. We also got the daiquiri. It was delicious as well, a nice subtle melon makes it the perfect summer drink. I then switched to beer. It would be nice to have the beer listed on the menu since the waiter seemed in a rush to have to list out the beer options. The food, the star of the restaurant, a true epicurean experience. We started off with the Hoja Santa, it was amazing! The cheese, leaf and sauce all sung together in gooey joy 5/5. We then had the Tlacoyo, wow, they threw some heat. It has a crispy shell with a spicy filling 5/5. Next up was the Sope, it was good, kind of exactly what you would expect from a Mexican restaurant, missing something to make it special 3/5. The Asada de Res was the first grande out. We were told it was the spiciest thing on the menu but maybe after having the Tlacoyo, the sauce wasn't that spicy, kind of a medium salsa level of spice. You can also choose how spicy the steak is with how much you dip. It was amazing and a decent sized portion 5/5. The next main was the Borrego Negro, it was a complete change up from all the other dishes. A large lamb shank in a black bean sauce, savory and delicious 5/5. We also got tortillas, they're not really needed for the meal. We took them home and made tacos with the left overs. There seems to be a lot of promise in Xiquita. The service seemed a bit green. It took a little while for us to have the server come over after we sat down and a few points when we were completely forgotten about. The food is amazing, could see a James Beard but would really be elevated with a vastly improved interior design. The CMU blocks are interesting but everything else seems to be underwhelming. A huge white shower curtain backdrop? The bathrooms from Lowes with partitions coming off the wall. I've designed fancy restaurants and know that budgets can be tight but it kind of lets down the experience for the $$$. This restaurant would be right at home with the other restaurants that we love in CDMX. Excited to see how things develop. We'll be back!

The food was excellent. Not your ordinary Mexican fare. We had to sit at the bar and the service was great. We tasted lots of different small plates and they were all unique and sumptuous. It was pricey but worthwhile. We'll be back.

I love Xiquita! Have already been back 3 times since they opened. Exceptional food and atmosphere.

Absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the quality of the food and the ingredients, the aromas or each dish the perfectly balanced textures and use of spices. This is real Mexican HAUTE Cuisine!!! I would put this as one of the top 3 or 5 Mexican cuisine restaurants, including those in Mexico City (which i know very well)