La Loteria Takes Over Former Cho77 and BorraCho Space

Every street has its street food, and for the stretch of Broadway between First and Alameda avenues, pizza has been the portable nosh of choice. The Pie Hole, Fat Sully's and the recently departed Famous Pizza contributed to the late-night pizza scene. At 42 South Broadway, Cho77's Southeast Asian street food held sway for a few years, but the tacos at BorraCho, which took over after Cho77 moved downtown in 2018, never really caught on.

But a new cantina with some serious street cred is nearly ready to bring tacos back to Broadway; La Loteria Taqueria is slated to open in late August in the old BorraCho space. La Loteria has been peddling tacos and breakfast burritos from Edgar Silvestre's boldly colored food truck for the past three years, often nearby at the Denver Health complex. Silvestre and his family are translating their food-truck menu to a sit-down eatery, but they're also keeping part of the vibrant nightlife aspect of the truck with a walk-up window that will stay open to service pedestrians enjoying the zone's many nightlife amenities.

The property is owned by City Streets Investors, which also owns the buildings where Billy's Inn, North County and Officers Club are located. Chef/restaurateur Sterling Robinson is a partner in those three endeavors, and he also has a connection with the Silvestre family, so he's helping them launch their new restaurant.

"Edgar and his family have been friends, partners and associates of mine for a long time," Robinson explains. "He and his family have done a great job with the food truck. I'm involved in the project to help open the doors, but I'm trying to stay out of their way when it comes to the food."

La Loteria's menu is built on recipes from Edgar Silvestre's mom, and he has had plenty of experience cooking in restaurants as well as in the food truck; he's also worked at North County, and his brother was a chef at Billy's Inn. Robinson notes that North County is a great concept (serving San Diego-style Mexican fare) for the Lowry neighborhood, but he thinks La Loteria offers something more suited for Broadway. Carne al pastor, barbacoa, lengua, carne asada and fried-fish tacos have all been regulars on the truck.

La Loteria will be open for lunch, dinner and late-night service, and Robinson thinks there's real potential for it to become a favorite for hungry customers pouring out of the bars, clubs and music venues in the neighborhood. The restaurant expects to open in mid- to late August, serving from "11 a.m. until late," as Robinson puts it. How late? The chef thinks 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays is doable.

Move over, pizza — there's a new street food on the block.