Alamos Verdes - Arvada

Yes, this place is still good, and I’ll tell you why. There was a time when Alamos Verdes was “it” in the Arvada area, especially if you wanted Mexican food. There was Ophelia’s up on Olde Wadsworth just a short drive away, but, for the most part, when Alamos Verdes opened up, they had very little in the way of competition. They also had a good product, especially for the tastes of the times. Slowly, however, the area grew and expanded. More competition moved into the area, and Alamos Verdes had to “fight” for its turf. It’s not that they changed, it’s just that people had a lot more options within close vicinity, and just about everyone likes to try new things. Where there once stood only three “sit down” restaurants in a square mile range, there were now closer to 50. Something had to give, and it did. Alamos Verdes lost a lot of business. Now, you walk into the restaurant, and you can still see the shadow of its former status. The restaurant has changed little since its opening. But, that can be both good, and bad. It’s bad because it looks a bit dated, and it looks like it needs a once over, but it’s good because they’ve stuck to the recipes that made their name, but have remained flexible enough to “go with the flow” and find ways to attract customers. Ways like lunch and dinner buffets at good prices, lunch specials for under $7.00, and even DJ’s on Saturday night. All that while maintaining their standard of quality. Yes, I still like this place. They still serve up platters on big plates that are placed in the oven at a high temperature the way Mexican restaurants used to do. None of that “microwave” heating. And, when you taste their food, it tastes exactly as it did 25 years ago. That is especially appealing to me because of my sense of nostalgia and fondness for reminiscing. When I eat at Alamos Verdes, I am reminded of younger days, and I like that. It makes me happy that, despite all the competition, Alamos Verdes keeps finding ways to hang in there.