We asked Anita Edge, who’s been searching metro Denver for the best green chiles and green chile recipes for 14 years and sharing her findings at DenverGreenChili.com, for the south suburban restaurants offering some of the best fixes. Follow the questions to reach your ideal, warming bowl.
BREWERY BAR III
“Brewery Bar’s award-winning green chile is a favorite in Denver,” says Edge. “It’s tomato-based, not thickened and comes in two versions—hot and mild (and a red). The hot is killer hot and the mild is so mild it barely qualifies as green chile. The most popular order is half-and-half. There are few restaurants in Denver that serve blistering hot green chile: If this describes your heat tolerance, Brewery Bar is tailor-made for you. The downside? It’s too liquid for smothering.” Lone Tree, 303.708.9333, brewerybars.com
RIO GRANDE MEXICAN RESTAURANT
“Right across the street from Brewery Bar is a completely different style of green chile at Rio Grande. This version has a thickened chicken-stock base with medium heat, though it can be made hot. It’s just the right texture for pouring over a burrito: The restaurant staff says 80 percent of burrito orders are smothered. (Rellenos are frequently smothered too.) For a classic bowl, your choices are chicken (the default) or pork. There’s also a vegetarian version made with vegetable stock. Rio Grande’s green chile is gluten free.” Lone Tree, 303.799.4999, riograndemexican.com
GARIBALDI MEXICAN BISTRO
“A small Mexican eatery hidden inside a Conoco station, Garibaldi was founded in 2015 by Jesus Cruz, who’s bringing the Mexico City-style of cooking he grew up with to Denver. The food is unlike any other Mexican food here. Rather than just making a visit about the green chile, a meal here is more about what you pair with your green chile. Garibaldi’s one Hatch green chile is a medium to hot, classic, thick chicken-stock-based recipe with pork chunks. The memorable dish to pair with it is Huarache, a 14-inch-long freshly made corn tortilla topped with refried beans, pico de gallo, lettuce, nopales, queso fresco, sour cream and choice of meat.” Englewood, 303.781.0812, facebook.com/Garibaldimexicanbistro