Dos Santos has earned its place in Denver’s dining conversation by making room for scratch-made tacos, festive drinks, and a weekend brunch worth planning around. 🌮🍹
From a compact corn-tortilla taco topped with unexpected ingredients to a big, messy plate of chilaquiles, the menu gives locals plenty of reasons to return.
Its Uptown address also makes it an easy choice for a lively lunch, dinner, or unhurried Saturday-and-Sunday catch-up.
How Dos Santos won locals’ hearts
Dos Santos began its Denver story in July 2015, when brothers Kris and Jason Wallenta opened the restaurant after years of talking about building a place of their own.
That origin story gives the restaurant a personal foundation, and the name has become familiar to locals looking for tacos, brunch, and margaritas in one energetic stop. 🌮
The kitchen keeps things interesting by taking recognizable taco formats and building them with combinations like kimchi and sesame on barbacoa beef, or poke aioli and raw tuna in the O.M.F.G. taco.
That willingness to move beyond predictable fillings helps make a meal here feel like an occasion rather than a quick, forgettable taco run.
The official menu makes clear that Dos Santos focuses on four-inch corn tortillas with cilantro, giving guests a concise format for trying several different tacos at one table.
A mix of chicken, pork, steak, beef, seafood, vegetables, and tuna means groups can order broadly without everyone landing on the same plate.
The O.M.F.G. taco has drawn particular attention in customer feedback, and its lettuce wrap, raw tuna, avocado, cabbage, pickled onion, fried leeks, and poke aioli create a very different bite from a standard taco.
Seafood fans have choices too, including beer-battered fish, beer-battered shrimp, and Governor’s Shrimp with chipotle crema, poblano, asadero, and avocado.
The restaurant also gives vegetarians meaningful options, including the cauliflower taco with guac, molcajete salsa, and cotija, plus the Mushroom Boomer with grilled cotija, guac, and salsa verde.
Weekend brunch adds another layer to the appeal, serving from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays with dishes such as chilaquiles, breakfast tacos, and the Donkey Tonk burrito. 🍳
Chilaquiles bring together house chips, salsa roja, chicken tinga, two fried eggs, red pepper sauce, onion, cilantro, leeks, and cotija—exactly the kind of plate designed for a leisurely morning.
For guests who make brunch a social event, bottomless mimosas and a mimosa flight create a simple reason to settle in and stretch the conversation. 🥂
All-day Monday specials, weekday happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Taco Tuesday, and the restaurant’s regular food-and-drink rhythm give locals repeatable reasons to put Dos Santos into their weekly plans.
Food Highlights
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O.M.F.G. Taco: This lettuce-wrapped taco layers raw tuna with poke aioli, avocado, cabbage, pickled onion, and fried leeks. Its unexpected tuna-forward format makes it a memorable order for diners ready to try something far from the ordinary. 🐟🔥
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Governor’s Shrimp Taco: Chipotle crema, poblano, asadero, and avocado accompany the shrimp in this rich, layered option. The combination brings creamy, smoky, and peppery notes into one compact taco. 🍤
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Crispy Pork Belly Taco: Cabbage, carrot-habanero, pickled onion, and sesame pair with crispy pork belly. The contrast of rich pork, bright pickled onion, and spicy carrot-habanero gives it serious texture and punch. 🐖
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Barbacoa Beef Taco: Kimchi, sriracha aioli, scallion, and sesame take the barbacoa in a bold direction. It is a smart pick for anyone who likes savory beef with fermented tang and a little heat. 🌶️
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Chilaquiles: House chips, salsa roja, chicken tinga, two fried eggs, red pepper sauce, onion, cilantro, leeks, and cotija turn brunch into a full-scale plate. The mix of eggs, saucy chips, chicken, and cheese makes it a strong choice for a substantial weekend start. 🍳
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The Donkey Tonk: This griddled burrito combines scrambled eggs, tater tots, avocado, molcajete, crema, fried leeks, and salsa roja. Add a listed protein option such as tinga, Porky, Korean beef, or steak arrachera for an even heartier brunch move. 🌯
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Beer-Battered Fish Taco: Habanero aioli, cabbage, poblano sauce, pickled onion, and fried leeks support the beer-battered fish. It delivers crunch, creaminess, and tang in a format that feels made for a margarita alongside it. 🐟🍹
Atmosphere
Dos Santos is a casual Uptown gathering place where tacos and cocktails set the tone for an upbeat meal. 🍹
The schedule encourages different kinds of visits: lunch or dinner during the week, happy hour in the afternoon, and brunch on the weekend.
A table can easily turn into a taco tasting, especially when friends order across the menu.
Bottom Line
Visit Dos Santos for creative tacos, seafood and vegetarian choices, substantial weekend brunch, margaritas, and a central Denver location. 🌮🍹
The menu rewards sharing, while recurring specials and brunch service give locals more than one reason to make it a regular stop.
Address: 1475 E 17th Ave, Denver, CO 80218
📞 (303) 386-3509
🕔 Open Mon–Fri, 11 AM–10 PM | Sat, 10 AM–10 PM | Sun, 10 AM–9 PM