Best Green Chile in Denver: How to Order It and Where

The best green chile in Denver is a thick, pork-based stew of roasted chiles, ladled over a burrito, a plate of eggs or served in a bowl. Denver green chile is not New Mexico green chile, which is usually thinner and puts the chile flavor first. Ask for it smothered.

Colorado cooks build the stew with chunks of pork, tomatoes, onion and garlic, so it eats like a hearty gravy. Order it at breakfast over eggs, or at lunch over a burrito, and ask for a taste if you are unsure of the heat.

What is Denver green chile?

Colorado green chile is a pork stew, usually made with chunks of pork, roasted green chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic and a thickener such as flour, and cooked until the meat is tender. It is thicker and meatier than many people expect. Heat varies from mild to hot, and nearly every kitchen has its own version.

The dish grew up alongside the city's Mexican American restaurants and breakfast counters, and it sits in the same family as red chile but is greener, brighter and more tart. You can eat it by the bowl with tortillas, or ladled over just about anything.

What is a Colorado green chile smothered burrito?

A smothered burrito is a burrito, usually filled with beans, rice, eggs, potatoes or meat, covered in green chile and often melted cheese. It is a knife-and-fork dish. In Denver the breakfast version, with egg, potato and sausage or bacon, is the form most people know, and it is often large enough to share.

Ask for the chile on the side if you want to control the heat, and for cheese if you like it melted over the top. If a menu offers both red and green chile, "Christmas" means half of each. A first-time order of a smothered breakfast burrito will tell you most of what you need to know about a kitchen's chile.

Where to find the best green chile in Denver

Look for green chile in three kinds of places: taquerias that smother burritos with their own sauce, tamale makers that finish their tamales with green chile, and long-established Mexican restaurants that anchor local green chile debates.

The best way to find your own favorite is to order the same dish at several. Ask how hot the chile is today, since heat varies from batch to batch. A few places are counter service with early closing times, so go for breakfast or lunch.

How hot is Denver green chile?

It ranges from mild to very hot, and menus do not always say. If you are unsure, ask for a taste or for the chile on the side. Heat is not the only measure: the best versions taste of roasted chile and pork before they taste of fire, and they have enough body to cling to a fork.

If you find a bowl too hot, a flour tortilla, sour cream or rice will help. Water does not.

What is the difference between Colorado and New Mexico green chile?

New Mexico green chile is typically a thinner sauce built around chopped Hatch or other New Mexico chiles, with the chile as the main flavor. Colorado green chile is more of a stew, with pork, tomato and a thickener giving it body. Both are good, and arguing about which is better is a local sport.

For the New Mexico side of the story, read the green chile cheeseburger in New Mexico. For a Colorado overview, see the Colorado food guide.

What else should you order with green chile?

Green chile is a sauce as much as a dish, and Denver kitchens pour it over a lot. Eggs and potatoes at breakfast, a chile relleno, a cheeseburger, a plate of nachos or a bowl of beans all take it well. Some places serve it as a soup with a stack of warm tortillas, and many sell it frozen by the pint.

If you want something lighter, ask for it on the side with a tamale, a taco or a plain quesadilla. A bowl on its own is a meal, so share it before you order a second plate.

How can you order well in Denver?

Order the dish that matches the time of day. Breakfast is the time for a smothered burrito, eggs with green chile or a breakfast plate. Lunch suits a bowl, with tortillas, or a chile relleno. Dinner is the time for tamales, enchiladas and burritos with plenty of sauce. Share a big plate and ask for extra tortillas to scoop.

Look at the menu for a house chile, and for the words "homemade" or "made daily", which usually mean the kitchen is cooking its own stew. If a stand sells quarts to take home, that is a good sign. See also Denver's food halls for places that serve many styles under one roof, and the US guides page for every city.

Which bowl really is the best green chile in Denver? Settle it for yourself with the Mosey app: rate each smothered burrito or bowl as you eat it, and keep a list of the kitchens you would send a visitor to.