This Centennial Taco Shop Draws Accodlades and Crowds — for Good Reason

Denver has a wide-reaching taco scene, but one newer addition has been getting a lot of local buzz.

On its website, Venalonzo’s Tacos refers to itself several times as just a “little taco shop.” And to be fair, that’s exactly what it is, tucked away in an unassuming strip mall in Centennial just south of Arapahoe and I-25.

But since opening in the summer of 2022, this “little” shop has generated a big fan base. On Yelp, it’s ranked 22nd among the top 100 taco stops in the country and also placed on the site’s top 100 best places to eat overall in the Southwest based on diner reviews.

Local taco aficionados crowned it the best among 32 competitors in the Denver Gazette's 2024 Taco Tournament, and Eater Denver lists it among the city's 25 essential tacos. It also boasts an impressive near-five-star rating on Google with over 800 reviews.

Its owners, brother and sister duo Nati and Pako Venalonzo, came to Centennial from Mochitlán, Mexico — a city of 10,000 located about 175 miles south of Mexico City — bringing along the family recipes that form the foundation of the restaurant’s offerings.

The menu isn't flashy. The street tacos include staples such as al pastor, asada, barbacoa, carnitas, chicken, chorizo and veggie, which are served simply on warm corn tortillas with onion, lime and a choice of salsa: ranchera (spicy red sauce) or verde (tangy green sauce). The burritos follow pretty much the same path.

Additional options include tortas, chiles rellenos, enchiladas and alambres (a combination of melted cheese with peppers, onions, bacon, beans with a choice of meat and a side of corn tortillas). There are also non-traditional chicken wings and fries, for some reason. And for breakfast, egg and potato burritos, tacos, chilaquiles and huevos rancheros are on offer.

But the real star at Venalonzo’s is the birria, which seemed to be on the plate of nearly every one of the dozen or so small tables bunched together in the “little” taco shop on a recent visit.

Birria (roll those r’s!) originated as a meat stew in Mexico but has evolved into a sort of hybrid quesadilla/taco as it migrated into North America. This quesabirria, as it is called on the menu, consists of stewed meat and cheese stuffed into a tortilla shell and folded over taco style, served with a side of consomé for dipping.

At Venalonzo’s Tacos, you can sample the house birria in multiple forms, from a single quesabirria to a family-sized plate, to pizza-birrias (really just two round tortillas containing birria meat and cheese) and a burger-birria. There’s even birria ramen, which might seem gimmicky until you learn that birria with instant ramen has been a thing in Mexico City for some time.
The entire menu is displayed on a chalkboard next to the counter-service register. But be warned: At peak lunch and dinner hours, there’s almost always a line — sometimes even out the door — and limited seating. As a result, there’s a brisk takeout business fueled by a convenient online ordering system.

But if you can dine in, it’s worth striving for. The Venalonzo siblings have worked to make this taco shop a welcoming place and a reflection of their home, complete with multi-colored flags of different characters from the traditional Mexican card game Lotería along with other figurines hanging from ceiling lamps and guarding the bus bin. Overlooking it all is a large black-and-white photo of the owners’ extended family in Mexico.

“Food has the ability to bring people together,” the website reads. “For us, it isn't just about cooking and handing out orders. But creating authentic dishes and an enjoyable atmosphere that satisfies the soul. We hope you find our little taco shop as welcoming as a real home because food tastes better when you eat with family, and we hope you become a part of ours.”

Venalonzo's Tacos is located at 6830 South Yosemite Street in Centennial and is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit venalonzostacos.com.