This Is Colorado's Best Taco Spot, According to Yelp

The small, family-owned strip-mall eatery is located in Lafayette.

September 26, 2024

Tacos Aya Yay has been serving in Lafayette since 2016. Tacos Aya Yay/Facebook

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We love celebrating tacos, whether at our annual Tacolandia festival in the summer or during our current Taco Week — which runs through Sunday, September 29, with $2.50 special tacos (minimum order of three) available at over a dozen participating restaurants.

Every year, we explore the metro area's taco joints to bring you a list of our ten favorites — a list that's gotten harder to narrow down as more and more worthy spots spring up all over. And according to Yelp, the best taco joint in the state is in Lafayette.

In its Best Taco Spot in Every State 2024 lineup, Yelp's pick for Colorado is Tacos Aya Yay, a small, family-owned strip-mall eatery located at 1206 Centaur Village Drive in Lafayette.

"Chef José Pantoja and his wife, Emily Martinez, hail from Jalisco and Zacatecas, and they’ve brought a particular taco style to their 'hidden gem' of a restaurant that was on Yelp’s 2022 list of Top 100 Taco Spots in the US," the description reads. "Popularized in central Mexico, it’s a working person’s taco — small, portable and made with simple ingredients. They’re no frills and all flavor, topped with your choice of more than ten hand-cut and freshly seasoned proteins, from 'perfectly roasted' carnitas to 'phenomenal' barbacoa (slow-cooked beef). Yelpers know not to miss the self-serve condiment bar, loaded with authentic scratch-made salsas for every palate."

The menu also includes tortas, quesadillas and burritos, as well as specialties such as menudo, shrimp cocktail and chiles rellenos.

If you make the trek to Tacos Aya Yay for a taco fix, consider pairing your eats with some local beer — Lafayette was our 2024 Best of Denver pick for Best Suburban Beer Scene.

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Molly Martin has been the Food & Drink editor at Westword since 2021. Prior to joining the staff, Molly reported on the Denver dining scene for more than a decade and contributed to Thrillist. At Westword, Molly monitors restaurant openings and closings, offers dining recommendations and reports on Denver-area food news and trends. She also publishes such annual lists as Top 100 Bars and Top 100 Restaurants, and contributes to the yearly Best of Denver edition. In 2023, she was recognized with the Colorado Restaurant Association's Outstanding Media Professional award.

Contact: Molly Martin

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