On Monday, September 14, The Michelin Guide announced its first-ever statewide selection for Colorado — and four Mexican restaurants made the cut, proof that our industry keeps setting the standard.
el Restaurante congratulates these newly acclaimed restaurants:
Milpero, Denver. Led by Chef Johnny Curiel, Milpero earned a coveted Michelin Star, putting it among an elite group of restaurants recognized worldwide for exceptional culinary quality. The intimate, high-end restaurant seats just eight guests for an 18-course tasting menu that begins in a private antechamber with a welcome libation, then unfolds in three acts: raw specialties at the cold counter, a glass-enclosed fermentation room stocked with house-made pulque, tejuino, cremas, vinegars, and atole agrio, and finally the hot counter, where masa takes center stage.
Milpero is the latest step in Curiel's mission to deepen America's understanding of Mexican food.
Three more Mexican-inspired concepts landed among the 13 new Bib Gourmand honorees — restaurants recognized for great food at a great value:
Cozobi Fonda Fina, Boulder. Also from Chef Johnny Curiel, Cozobi Fonda Fina takes its name from the Zapotec god of corn and builds its menu on centuries-old nixtamalization and wood-fire traditions.
La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, Denver. Denver's first restaurant devoted entirely to pozole, La Diabla is Chef José Avila's tribute to the pozolerías of his childhood in Mexico City — built on mezcal and nixtamalized corn.
Mister Oso, Denver. Since opening its first location in RiNo in fall 2019 (there are now locations in Washington Park and Boulder), Mister Oso has built a following on rotating tacos, Peruvian cebiche, and standout vegetarian dishes. The Bib Gourmand adds to a growing list of accolades, including two straight years on Thrillist's best Mexican in Denver and a spot on The Infatuation's 16 Best Restaurants in Denver.
