Mexico City Lounge

Everyone has a favorite taco joint or a place they like to visit on a sunny Friday afternoon for lunch and Mexico City is one of those places for me. Located in a hard to miss red facade on Larimer street, Mexico City Lounge has been in Denver for over forty years and is still family owned.

Now don't get me wrong, this place isn't the kind of spot where everything is just awesome. In fact, everything on the menu isn't. If I were to direct you to visit them I would specifically tell you to order the Steak Tacos and nothing else. The other menu items I've tried are a far cry from what the Steak Tacos brings to the plate. The green chili, meh. The burritos, ick. Stay away from all the others and go with the golden fried tacos.

The Steak Tacos come with steak strips, lettuce, tomato, cheese and a slice of avocado. The avocado is the finishing touch and are missing on the other tacos. They are then deep fired, and judging by the taste, in fat that has been cooking many tacos that day. All this adds up to a golden, juicy tasty taco. Yes, juicy was a euphemism for a lot of grease. So much grease that some utilize a method called the "waterfall method" when eating and will open up one taco and eat another over it to catch all the greasy goodness.

Yes I know it sounds kind of gross but if you are walking in the door for the greasy relief of a hangover these tacos will give you the juice to get you through the day. If they are too much for your liking you can employ the "diaper method" when eating them and lay it in a napkin to soak up the extra juice.

Have some chips and salsa while waiting as they are a good warm up to the tacos. Be sure to also ask for extra napkins as you will need them.

Any place that has been here for so long must have something working for it and the steak tacos should keep Mexico City Lounge around for another forty years.

My Brother’s Bar

If you live here long enough you eventually find yourself at one of the oldest bars in Denver, My Brother’s Bar , for lunch. Having a long history on 15th and Platte of burgers and beer it has become an institution of Denver's LoDo area despite its consistently poor service.

The first thing you will encounter when arriving here is the smell of fried food and the sounds of classical music. Inside, the ambience of the dark heavily wooded decor will either warm or depress you which I find the main reason people keep coming back. The burgers are decent but My Brother’s Bar has a nostalgic feel that will take you back in time when Denver was a cow town and LoDo was a bad area to be in. The bar is small but beautiful and filled with many good choices in beer. The patio out back is a great place for happy hour drinks or lunch on a summer day.

Sticking with the basics when ordering food will keep you smiling while enjoying the old posters and paraphernalia. The basics are burgers and they are why most come here to eat. They will satisfy your craving for a diner style greasy burger and can be ordered single or double but I find the single does the job just fine when ordered with a side. All burgers come with a tray of condiments where you can add to your hearts desire pickles, onions and peppers if you like.

The Johnny Burger is a good start topped with swiss, jalepeño, cheddar cheese and grilled onions. This cheesy mouthful is a surprisingly good burger to eat for lunch but may slow you down later at the office. A unique burger for a unique place.

The fries are basic but too thick and mushy for my taste. Other unique alternatives are The Ralphie Burger made from buffalo and the Ticky Turkey, a pleasant change from the burgers if you like turkey sandwiches.

Overall this is more greasy spoon than bar food and its old charm will keep you coming back for burgers or a beer at the bar.

Larimer Hot House

New to 2810 Larimer Street is the Larimer Hot House . Filling a need in the NLair neighborhood they bring in sandwiches for the lunch crowd and a promise to soon have soups and BBQ. For now, the sandwiches will not bring anything to the name, Hot House. The sandwiches are a standard fare of meat sandwiches with one vegetarian selection.

Each sandwich has a cute catchy name that makes you want to place your order loudly for others to hear. Most people seem to start with the Bitchen Camaro, because who didn't want one of those back in the 60s, which is their version of an Italian Grinder. Served with house made potato chips available in different flavors and a side of giardiniera you get a healthy sized portion for lunch. Unfortunately this sandwich has a more impressive name than flavor. Nothing real noteworthy for taste there but the giardiniera helps you get through it. Bread choice seems odd for this classic being a soft type hoagie that gives in to the harder ingredients inside when eaten.

The house made potato chips are a hit and miss both in flavor and cooking. Have eaten both soft pieces and a few rare ones in my excursions, this part of the meal needs attention.

Putting on your best Tony Montona voice and ordering the Scarface (Cuban) sandwich will get you a better selection than the Bitchen Camaro. This is made with a house made pork shoulder and tastes like it was given some love in the kitchen. Different than a traditional cuban sandwich they generously apply a hot dijon mustard which I find over powers the sandwich. Its about the pork not the mustard.

Currently they run a $10 deal which includes a drink and sweet treat with your sandwich. A nice offering for those looking for value in a lunch. The usual selection of sodas are available too but try the Agua Fesca made daily with real fruit and agave juice which is a great substitute to sugar. Kudos for this great choice. They do bring in the sugar however with the sweet treat, usually a rice krsipy treat square but often changes to other cereal flavors.

They are also open for breakfast with a good breakfast burrito served and brunch on Sundays.

Overall the lunch experience is good with friendly service and a patio for the warm days. The sandwiches are hit and miss with most not having a memorable experience.