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Let me start off by saying if you are a Tequila lover than you have to go check this place out!
I actually decided to go here based on a mention in the Westword when Mr. Sheehan was reviewing the place next door (Ondo) and after reading the other reviews on Yelp, I had pretty low expectations of the service this being a Saturday night at 7:30. Pretty cool that they accept reservations (didn't need them on this night) though...I made mine through Opentable. Also a fan on them having a parking lot for their guests so I didn't have to bother looking for metered parking on a cold night!
When I arrived, I decided to wait at the bar for my friend to arrive. I was quickly greeted by a friendly bartender who was more than happy to give me a verbal rundown on the tequilas and wines...I opted for wine on this night.When my friend arrive we were instantly given a table.
We were immediately greeted and were brought chips and 3 typesof salsa...Chipotle, Verde, and Honey Habenero. The Chipotle was amazing, but as I like my Salsa hot I was a little disappointed by the Habenero, it had a watery consistency and not much heat/flavor at all. The chips were hot, fresh and crispy...always a good start!
Our order was quickly taken and the food arrived in a timely fashion. I ordered the Chicken Enchiladas and my friend had the Cheese Enchiladas. Nothing new here...pretty much average and the same as you would get at any other Mexican joint...just gonna cost you $2 more than anyplace else so they can pay that Cherry Creek rent!
All in all a pretty decent place. I live downtown so i don't see myself making a special trip over, but I would stop in again if I am in the area.
I went to Tambien for the holiday lights, all I can say was wow. Such a fun simple thing...it made my night.
Happy hour is great, great deals on booze and margs! Yum. We had chips and salsa and it comes with a trio of salsas, all very tasty and they had killer flautas with creme fresh and Queso fresco...tasty!
Tambien Trumps all others in Cherry Creek North
I despise going to Cherry Creek North for lunch, or for any other reason actually. But a recent trip to Tambien with a few coworkers left me hopeful that CCN has more to offer than overpriced furniture galleries and women with pets in their purses.
We were greeted with a trio of salsas and a basket of warm and crispy chips. I ordered a side salad, which was large enough to be a meal. Although it lacked a bit of green, the fresh vinaigrette nicely off-set the spice of the salsa. Following my salad I received the quesadillas I ordered from the appetizer menu. To my surprise, they were really squash and oxaca-filled empanadas. The outer layer was made fresh with corn masa and I'm sure the work that went in to creating these tasty little pastries was worth it because they were delicious pockets of gooey cheese!
I'll definitely head back to Tambien, hopefully next time for a margarita.
I had a hard time deciding how many stars to give this place. Here's why:
1. Service (1 star?): it took about 4-5 minutes for our server to ask us what we wanted to drink, then another 5 minutes to actually get the beers we ordered. We ordered appetizers (chips/salsa and guac) and we waited about 20 minutes for this. I personally think this is a really long time to wait for chips and salsa. Even if they would have brought this out before the guac was ready, something would have been better than nothing. Our food came out about 2 minutes after our appetizers, which tells me someone screwed up, yet there was no explanation...nothing, nada, zilch. So, we had a full table of food, yet we really couldn't enjoy each part individually.
2. Food (3-4 stars) I had the chicken enchiladas, which came out cool, not hot. So, I had them sent back- and when they came back I was pleasantly surprised to see a whole new plate with new food on it! The green chili enchiladas were awesome; however, they gave me new rice and this time when it came out it was not cooked thoroughly and it was crunchy. I was tired of complaining, so I simply didn't eat the rice. My husband had the fajitas. He said they were very good, but not sure if they were worth $16 though.
Overall, not the best experience, but we may have to give them another try.
1st stop on the Margarita Tour yesterday.
Happy hour didn't start till 4 and we were there at 2... I had their Especial and it was pretty good. I like margs made with a lot of fresh lime juice. If I found myself shopping in the area and craving a cocktail I'd stop by here, but not go out of my way when I know better & cheaper places for margs.
I did like their patio and was able to work on my fall tan.
A bunch of us went for brunch this weekend and while the price is great ($10 all you can eat), the experience was just ok. I'll start with saying our waiter was great! He was very nice and attentive, it just seems like the buffet was lacking.
When we went up the 1st time, it seemed like we got there late or something bc the food looked like it had been sitting out for a while. Then it was slowly getting replaced, one dish at a time. This poor kid was the only one running back and forth from the kitchen to replace each dish while it seemed some of the staff was just standing around. It seemed that each time we went up (to get food or coffee) the trays were empty or there were no plates, cups, etc.
I think that if they set up better systems to keep the food fresh and replaced quicker, it would be a more successful brunch buffet.
Good things: The food was pretty good, I can't say awesome, but it was good. Also, the special Mexican spiced coffee was yummy! The live Spanish guitar was a nice touch (I looove spanish guitar!) and the ambiance was nice too.
They have bottomless bloodys and mimosas for $12 or if you get these with the buffet, it's $20 for both. Not a bad deal.
I practically have to be dragged out for "Mexican" food because when you travel the state, it's the last ditch fallback--every town has at least one place (but I won't go into those). So even getting me here required a group effort.
The atmosphere is great--a five---whoever did it up was a genius because I'd been in the space several times with prior businesses, and the decor never overcame the "walkup" gloom. But Tambien has done it--I love love love the sensual and exotic wall-wear, lights, and the sounds.
The food is great--it doesn't even make me think of the standard fare. Go ahead and order the standards, if you want. I can and did find something unique and interesting here on more than one visit.
The drinks are great. I don't go to a restaurant for drinks (except wine) but with this food, and in this place, drinks are a step up from a good beer. Plus, citrusy and limoney flavors go well with the food, or at least don't detract from it.
It's a great place to have a fun dinner. My only suggestion is to go there for dinner on a weeknight to avoid the crush. Sometimes the happy hour/social crowd overwhelms the bar and wait staff. If you come for the food, better to not compete with that. Too much drinking will spoil the dinner anyway. Come back on the weekend, late, if you like the bar.
I am surprised that no one has said it is overpriced because there are so many cheaper places to get authentic Mexican food, but honestly it's the package here you are paying for--good food, good drinks and totally over the top atmosphere.
I knew when I walked in that I was going to like this place.
--Eye-popping decor? check
--Margs that get you where you're going fast? check
--Habanero salsa? check
I popped in Saturday afternoon for brunch - the place was pretty empty and we had our pick of tables, so sat next to the giant stained glass window. I bet this place kicks it during happy hour - the bar is super festive with crazy lights and pinatas.
When you see the menu, you can tell the owners run both Tambien and Mezcal. Now, I've never had a problem with the food at Mezcal (except for some weird posole once, but that was a looong time ago) so feel pretty sure I wouldn't have a problem with it here, either.
The only brunch bummer was that I ordered huevos rancheros and it came with scrambled eggs, instead of sunny side up. Maybe I've been to Santa Fe one too many times, but I thought it was sort of a given to get a fried egg on top of your dish?
I will definitely come back, especially since our server gave us happy hour pricing on margs just for the fun of it.
I'll start off by giving their coin margaritas all 5 stars! They are delicious, stiff, tart, limey and salty. I could drink them all day, crawl under the table, pass out, and continue drinking them in the morning, they are that good.
I would give the service 2 stars. We were there on a busy Friday night, however the disorganization and lack of interest or attention by mutliple staff cannot be excused by a full restaurant. After our group made it obvious to our waiter that we understood he was totally slammed, he warmed up a bit but didn't apologize for waiting for almost 20 minutes to get menus, chips and salsa or drink orders. I ordered tacos - fish, chicken and steak. They were pretty good but not earth shattering or very flavorful. Everyone else liked their food, but again nothing worth noting. I'll be back though for another shot, the margs are THAT good. Interested in the brunch.
My girlfriend and I split two entrees:
1) Chipotle Shrimp ($17): Shrimp had a plump and juicy texture but had a somewhat bland taste. The sauce had a nice spicy kick to it, but the tomatoes tasted canned and over-sweetened.
2) Combo plate (chile relleno, tostada, enchilada - $11): Meh. It was okay, but didn't taste very fresh or flavorful. Again, over sugary-sauce.
With chips and salsa, and a desert (sopapillas) the check came to $35. We had a $25 gift certificate, so it was worth it. But for underwhelming food at gourmet prices I probably won't be going back.
I understand that the name of this place means "also" but does that mean that you have the EXACT same menu as in Mezcal? Apparently so, so why should I go to Tambien? I'd like that question answered. I live closer to Mezcal and we've been there a few times and we've liked it. We decided to go to Tambien because ~silly us~ we thought it would be different. It's exaclty the same menu as Mezcal and that was dissapointing.
Per Will's review, my best friend and I went to Tambien on Sunday for a nice late lunch and found the place to be a cool relaxing atmosphere. They were having a Mexican BBQ and the food was "ok". It's quite hard to put my finger on the reason it wasn't great, but I just left with a "ehh" feeling in my head.
The highlight was the hanging with Will of course. Super fresh. And Will totally turned me on to the "shot and a beer" method of drinking, where you order a shot of something (in this case a nice tequila) and a beer and alternate sips until the shot is gone. Genius. Pure Genius.
Well done, Will. Hat's off to you my friend.
Always in search for the perfect restaurant classic margarita, yesterday my honey and I decided to see whether Tambien's claim that they'd been "voted as serving the best margarita" in Denver was justified. And the result is . . . hmmmmmm, they just may be right.
As Chekhov meant to say, "de gustibus non est disputandum." (http://en.wikipedia.or...). But still, people who proclaim things like "the Rio Grande's got the best margs in town," well, bless their little gustibuses, but they're all hallucinatin' alchy-headed-margy-wannabes. The Rio, which uses a commercial sweet and sour mix and adds apple juice to their 3-drink-limited marg, may be "interesting," but it's as much a margarita as Jon and Kate are a happily married couple.
A classic margarita has 3 ingredients, a sweetener and two garnishes: Tequila, Triple Sec or Cointreau, fresh-squeezed lime juice, a bit of simple syrup, and a quashed lime or lime wheel, served in a salted rimmed glass, all poured over ice. Anyone telling you anything else is a yahoo. Some say no to the salt, and that's about the only real choice the serious marg drinker's gotta make.
There are a limited number of Denver bars that follow the above recipe because its profit margin isn't as high as when a 32-oz-frozen-sweet-and-sour-mix-with-blue-no.-2-dy e drink gets served in its place.
So it turns out that Tambien is one of the few Denver places that serves a classic margarita, as described above. It's served in a small whiskey tumbler, goes by the name "coin margarita," and is dee-friggin'-licious. You can save a buck and order it served as their "original" margarita where you get a little more drink, but have some of the fresh squeezed lime juice replaced with orange juice. It's still extremely good; in fact, better than 95% of the others served around town, and 2 will about do you fine. But if you want the real deal, then sit there on a summer's evening downin' their coin margaritas. It's as close as you'll come to livin' large in the real Margaritaville.
First dined at Tambien Valentine's Day 09, and was blown away. It was a prix fixe night, and the food (all paired with tequila) was outstanding -- real Mexican cuisine, creative, fantástico! But the next 3x was really disappointing same old, same old...and really nothing special whatsoever. Great tequila selection tho'. Sorry Tambien...no buenos from me.
I love yummy margaritas! I'm with Kym on this one, I can't stand places that use too much sour mix. It makes my stomach hurt and it is hard to get down. I've been meaning to come here for quite some time because I had these drink coupons for 2 for 1 margs and am happy that I finally came. At first, I wasn't optimistic about things because the place was empty and we were greeted by an unhappy face. A bit later, we all realized that the man who greeted us was playing host, bartender, server, runner, busser, etc. Considering how much he was doing service was still nice and he became friendlier and friendlier.
I don't know if I think the food is anything spectacular but I was really impressed with the margs and the atmosphere.
I will warn you now ladies, the restroom in the back of the restaurant is not their real restroom. The main one is by the kitchen/bar. If you got back there and are slightly confused as to why there is only one usable bathroom with a urinal and there is a picture of a strange Mexican man with a mustache on the front, it's because it's a men's bathroom.
New items added to the menu make me happy!
Gorditas, Flautas, Tortas, Horchata and more.
A longer drink menu with many margaritas, mojitos and a fantastic DAILY HH from 4-6 and then $1 tacos and another HH from 10-12.
So ready for Rockabilly N'Ribs to start back up. Also, the chips seem to have changed again, and this time I love them. As always, salsas are fresh, original and delicious. Loved seeing a larger crowd at lunch.
Also, Hangover Brunches are in effect with bottomless mimosas and Bloody Mary bar..so I'm ready to go, asap!
And....micheladas, cheladas and more. Patio. Cool staff.
I love this place.
I go to Tambien at least once a month, as I've turned the parentals on to it and they now frequent… Read more »
Things I learned at Tambien last night:
-You can drop the f-bomb with some lady you've just met as long as she has bad ass tattoos of pistols on her chest.
&
-My lady friends can drink margaritas like you would not believe
Last night, Tambien hosted a free Tequila tasting/ Manicure party. Now let's just for a second suspend our disgust at microscopic nail filings floating into people's drinks and food.
Like it's Bluebird District brother, Mezcal, Tambien is a cute watering hole with plenty of Mexican flair, cheap Tecate, and margaritas that the ladies love.
I'm a little ambivalent about Tambien. It's fine. Nothing crazy. Just a decent place to hang with the ladies. Or dudes. Or whatever.
I will recommend that they don't offer any more free manis. It was well intentioned, but sorta gross. And the Tequila infused with Hibiscus that they were sampling? My Lady Crush said it best: "Bleh, it tastes like I just went down on a florist!"
For brunch on a Saturday this place was practically deserted. I had the $10 bottomless Bloody Mary, which was good, but it took a few to even taste the booze. Weak sauce.
The food was decent, but nothing to crow about. I will commend the portions. My gawd. This is why you're fat, America.
Service was decent. Decor was kitschy, but in a fun way, I suppose. Think: Mexican wrestling masks, marzipan skulls, and religious candles.
Oh how I miss you Rockabilly'N'Ribs. The lamb barbacoa could not get reach my lips any faster, but you are still two months away. Quinton's mojitos are still a little farther from reach and soon my ears will be filled with live Rockabilly music. How I can't wait to see you again, but in the mean time I will sip my mojito silently and eat my tomatilla salsa & chips with memories floating by.
Seriously, I need Rockabilly'N'Ribs back! My Sundays are very boring and Tambien is a little more hopping when its in town!
Today we had a lovely day at Tambien! We went in for the new Traditional Mexican Brunch Buffet on Sundays, and it was delicious! Only $10 & you can add bottomless mimosas or bloodies for only $10 more. Great deal, all for $20!! Their chips & homemade salsas are awesome, and if you haven't had one of their margaritas yet, then you are certainly missing one of the BEST in Denver! Order the "Especial Margarita" it's made with Agave nectar and is to die for.
Bartenders were so friendly, and seem to have a few new cheery faces in their staff all around.
Tambien has great prices, good food & events going on all the time. We love this place!
This was a disappointing experience for us. The food wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't great, the margaritas were good, especially the coin star; I could have had twelve of those... it was the service that was really horrible. Our server must have been having a bad day or she is just one of the most unfriendly waitstaff I've ever had the opportunity to tip. We were overcharged for two items that we ordered, we weren't brought the sauces that we asked for and an explanation regarding a menu item consisted of "its pretty much what it says on the menu". Yikes! I'm not so sure that we will return.
The place was empty. So with that being said you would think the 7+ people standing around would provide better service. We had to get our own silverware. The food was ok, nothing special. The margarita was ok also. While watching a sporting event the kitchen guy, which is in the back came to the tv in the front and changed the channel. So we asked the bartender to change it back and her response was 'well the kitchen guy wants to watch it'. Ha... are you serious with that answer? I've worked in the industry so I know how it goes. Terrible response and like I said there was really nobody there. I definitely wouldn't come back. Oh and they should have some sort of lighting for seats outside.
Any place that makes a margarita WITHOUT sour mix gets points in my book. Sour mix is for lazy-ass suckas who wouldn't know a real margarita if it bit them in the coulo. Tambien makes theirs from scratch-- NO sour mix-- and they sell them BY THE PINTGLASS for the lowlowprice of $5 during happy hour. Nice!
I was on my way to another restaurant when I caught the red basement glow of Tambien. I went to another restaurant but once dinner was over I recommended to my wife and her 4 girlfriends that we should check out Tambien.
I thought it was a bar on first glance but it has a dinning room also. I was a bit embarrassed having recommended another restaurant for after drinks. Fear not, Tambien has very nice bar to set up shop. The decor is super Mexican. What I mean is that they take what is traditional and then they add bad ass over the top pieces such as the luchedore tapestry and uber huge dos equis mural. I also really liked the fact that they had on display an elementary school art project dedicated to painted skulls for Dia de Los Muertos. Those kids have some skull painting skills.
The service was really good and competent. Very friendly and helpful. The only negative was my bartender brought a lime with my negro modelo, minor indeed. WE ordered queso appetizers which were spot on. I think as far as a place to hangout, drink and grub, we have a winner. I cant speak about going with the intention of dinning only. I would certainly go back just to drink and to dine.
Tambien is a good combination of fun + serious cooking, all in a great location. I've been there many times -- sometimes with friends, and we also have entertained several business groups there. The atmosphere is lively, the food is reliable, and the service usually spiffy.
I love their salsas (the chips are OK). I also love the fish tacos, and when I recommend them to folks, they seem to like them also. I'm not much of a Margarita drinker, but their Rosarita is darned tasty.
My best buddy Nick and I went here for lunch. Being a Sunday there was a 'mexican barbeque' menu. Nick had the lamb barbacoa and I, lacking the ability to resist any sort of turkey leg had the grilled leg of turkey. The food was okay but the company was excellent.
Ribs and Rockabilly Sunday with cheap mojitos and cans of Modelo - what better way to spend a Sunday? They block off the street in front so the hot rods and choppers have a place to park, and the street and sidewalk becomes lined with a variety of cool rides.
The Mexican ribs are spicy and the meat literally falls off the bone. I wasn't as impressed with the corn on the cob, which was undercooked, and with cheese on it. The drinks and festivities made up for that though.
The first week of Ribs and Rockabilly was packed and they had Eddiie Clendening and the Blue Ribbon Boys playing, as well as some great DJ's. The second week they didn't have a band due to not having the right license. HOWEVER, rumor has it they have everything in order, and Ethyl and the Regulars are booked for Sunday. I can't wait!
Even if you aren't into this scene, or if you don't know much about it, this is a great venue to get a feel, while eating some really yummy food!
I had lunch at this Cherry Creek eatery earlier this week, and was sadly disappointed. Although the server was friendly, and the chips were great, the entrees were a mess. At the server's suggestion I ordered fish tacos; the arrived with COLD (and slightly congealled) rice & beans, completely devoid of any flavor. The fish was clearly not fresh...perhaps it was prepped a few days before, or pulled out of the freezer a few minutes after I ordered. The texture was off. I ate one of three mini tacos, and stopped. Not sure what happened at a place that has been great for dinner in the past, but I expect better from the minds of Mezcal. It also would have been nice if the server had noticed that 3/4 of my plate was untouched (she didn't, and based on the entrees my friends were served, there was no point in sending anything back).
There were a total of 3 tables during the whole lunch seating in a place that could seat dozens, so perhaps I'm not the only one noticing the lack of attention to the lunch service? I'll still pop in for a margarita sometime, but will skip the food in the future.
Mmmmmm.....tequila, tecate and tacos!!
I went to Tambien Saturday night and found it to be better than I had expected. The dishes were really good, we all liked what we ordered, including a vegeterian who is very picky. The waiter basically designed a dish for her to meet all her needs.
The chips and salsa is good, but the guacamole left a lot to be desired.
The service was great. It wasn't too busy for a Saturday evening at 8 which I found sad for them because I know how difficult it is to make it in that spot they have chosen. Overall it's a decent place with decent food and great service.
I was in town for one night! I initially called my one friend in Denver to recommend somewhere to have a late night drink and some light food. well to my surprise when I arrived in Denver the company I was meeting with had already made dinner plans for us (which pushed back my hang out time with my friend Darin) So we end up a few blocks from this place at a restaurant called Piatti's (no comment, yet) So after looking at my watch for about 2 and half hours! I ran out of this place to meet up with my boy! First item on the the agenda was Tambien! at first I was a little standoffish because the place was pretty empty, but then again it is a Monday night, looks just as empty as anywhere around here on a Monday night, so I was introduced to this dude named Drake, who was tending bar, he knows the person I'm with so automatically stars making fresh squeezed Margarita's without even asking, awesome. He lets us try a couple different mezcals and tequilas. We're talking and he then pulls out the popular late night happy hour menu, $1.00 tacos! But I've just eaten a mediocre Italian meal at Piatti's, so I sit this one out, my friend Darin orders, once his food arrives I get the munchies, I give in and order some nachos. Which where fantastic! This place was great and I will definitely be back, Drake was a great host, so when in the Cherry Creek area, stop by tel Drake Raul sent ya!
so try this place on a sunday night like we did. great service solid food, great value.
Neighborhood: Southeast
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Southeast
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Southeast
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: Southeast
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Southeast
Category: American (Traditional)
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