Elote’s Cafe

Wanted to eat here during normal business hours given on Unilocal but showed up and they were closed.

The service kills this place. I walked in right when they opened for dinner on a Sunday, smiled and made eye contact saying hello to one of the staff. She looked at me and turned around and walked away. I sat myself and waited for a different person to come out and provide me with a menu. Never got a drink refill. The empanadas were bland as could be and not worth the price. I also had the chicken polenta which was very good, but the experience here would prevent me from ever coming back.

Nice service, the fresh squeezed juices are fantastic. Prices are great for lunch. I loved the coconut tilapia with kale and plantains. Probably the best food I’ve had in golden

OMG Yummmmm. Don’t let the quaintness and location fool you. This little corner restaurant is a gem! Great service, very courteous. Absolutely delish entrees. It has a home style AND fusion, progressive taste. It was so good that we ordered food to bring home after our sit in meal.

Good, fresh, delicious, different food … a great change from the ordinary
selections of burgers, pizza, and pasta. We are anxious to go back and try
other offerings.
If you are meeting friends out for a couple of drinks and some delicious
«small plates» … this is the place… and so reasonably priced!
And, the service was so warm and friendly, and happy to answer any
questions.
A great evening out.

I went here with my mom and it was great! The waitress was very helpful in pointing us toward some different dishes to try. The food was fabulous. We tried the tostones (fried plantains w cheese), the yuca with the green sauce as a side to the veggie dumplings, and the cachepas with black beans and queso blanco — domino style. We also had a little green salad with a tasty vinaigrette and avocado. The cachepas and tostones were my favorite. I will definitely be back when in Golden to try the polenta and empanadas. The location is in a small strip mall on the side of the building that has a pizza place and donation drop-​off place (opposite side of this).

Plantains and fresh mango smoothies! Can’t go wrong, it was all delicious. We had tilapia in coconut milk, sweet plantains, kale salad and cachapas.
I love that there is a restaurant nearby that serves authentic latin american food.

Trust all the other reviews, this place is a true gem. The tilapia in coconut milk was really good. The coconut cake was a special treat. The owner was super nice from Venezuela and his food was traditional, clean and healthy. The place is on the side of the building, it is super clean…

This place is really good and the value is amazing. You could listen to the repeat customers telling the newbies what to try. Our group had a little of «everything» and we were all pleased. None of us tried any specials, but they looked interesting and exotic. We shared one coconut cake and it was moist and not too sweet. All in all a perfect experience, made even more so by the value. Owner was super nice and helpful, and very proud of his place. He should be.

I very much wanted to give Elote’s more stars, but the more I thought about our experience there, the more I couldn’t justify a higher rating. The summary:
Food Quality: Good
Portion Sizes: Small
Prices: High (for portion sizes)
Service: Condescending
The good first. The food is freshly and well prepared from whole ingredients. Gotta like that. Everything, with one exception, tasted decent. The tilapia in coconut milk was yummy. (The fish was minced though, so we never had the satisfaction of biting into a nice piece of it.) The tostones were perfectly cooked. The yuca was nicely boiled, then fried. The salsa was fresh and good. The carnitas were nicely cooked, though lacked some flavor. And the empanada shells were nicely fried (more on that later). The problem was the arepa (the masa shell). It was very dry and tasteless. I make arepas at home on a regular basis (for breakfast with a fried egg and cheese, yum!), and the arepa here doesn’t come close to the quality and flavor of my humble little homemade ones.
Portion size v. price. Not good at all. The tilapia plate had at most ½ cup of minced tilapia, two tostones, and three french-​fry sized pieces of yuca. For lunch, I didn’t need to eat more food, but for $ 9 there should have been more on offer. Plantains and yuca are cheap. Fill out the plate with more of them, even if you’re not serving much fish. The arepa stuffed with meat was $ 6, which wouldn’t have been too bad a price if the masa shell had been good. The empanadas were seriously overpriced. We received two little, emphasis on little, empanadas for $ 7. The price would have been somewhat okay if there had been much filling, but, with no exaggeration, each empanada was filled with no more than one level tablespoon of chicken. We had to search through the thick crust to find any shred of it. (Very odd, because at the table next to us, a guy was eating empanadas that were stuffed to bursting with beef.) All in all, for lunch for two, we paid, with tax and tip, almost $ 30, and walked out of the place not full in the least. We actually felt very silly for having spent that much money for what we got.
Better attention to detail would be nice. We ordered one empanada with chicken and one with beef, but received both with chicken. We ordered one salsa for the arepa and another for the empanada, but received the same salsa for both.
The service was condescending. There is a certain, small segment of foreigners who believe all Americans to be ignorant, clueless rubes. Our server was one such type. She expressed great surprise that we knew what arepas, tostones, cachapas, etc. are, and demanded (not pleasantly) to know how we came about such knowledge. (Um, because we like good food from all countries and seek it out.) I’m sure some patrons aren’t familiar with Venezuelan food, but first, that doesn’t make them stupid, and second, that doesn’t mean all patrons don’t know. The server also spent considerable time excoriating some high school students who had gotten pizza next door and were eating it in the parking lot out front, saying (to us) that pizza is no good, and why don’t they come into Elote’s to eat. (Um, perhaps because two tiny empanadas with almost no filling cost $ 7.) I think the server was trying to do a good job, but her attitude towards Americans became increasingly off-​putting.
If you would like to try Venezuelan food, this would be a good place to come. But do be prepared for high prices (v. portion size) and a little bit of ‘tude.

Very solid food based on my first visit. Fried plantains were tasty but it felt like the shredded cheese was out of a bag instead of off a block. Would order again just a slight tweak there would step that dish up even more.
Ordered the empanadas as well and those were absolutely amazing. A+, I have never had corn empanadas before and these just knocked my socks off, highly recommend.
For our main dishes I ordered the carnitas and my girlfriend had the cachapas. Both were very solid, my only gripe (and it is slight) is the amount of meat that came with my carnitas. My girlfriend enjoyed the cachapas and I took and bite or two and thought they were good as well.
Overall, I will definitely revisit as its a nice affordable dinner and very laid back atmosphere.

Elotes is a simple, yet elegant, place with authentic Venezuelan food. It is run by a husband and wife team that greet you when you enter. We had the owner come and personally explain to menu to us. They believe in good food made with fresh ingredients from local sources. Could be unique for a first date or a dining adventure. The food is not «Americanized» so be open to the authentic food!
It’s is definitely a gem. The owners have run restaurants around the world. They are engineers by training, but have a love for food. The dishes are very pretty and simple. Makes you feel like you’re on the Food Network without breaking the bank

Fabulous place to get a quick meal in Golden! This place has been on my list to try and I finally found myself in the area with a girlfriend after hiking. We stopped in and were the only table. It’s a family run business and we had w younger guy waiting on us. I ordered a cappuccino and our food came out shortly after. Everything on the menu sounded tasty but the tilapia sounded the most interesting and once the server told me it was more of a pulled tilapia vs typical filet, I was intrigued. The tilapia is cooked in coconut milk and did not disappoint. It was light yet full of flavor. I got a kale salad and sweet plantains as my sides and they were equally delicious. The best was I felt satisfied but not disgustingly full, which is always a plus! I would recommended this place if you’re open to new cuisine and looking to step out of the box.

Just had another great meal at Elote’s café.
Today I had the Tilapia cooked in coconut milk, with fried yuca and sweet plaintains. Yum! My husband had a Cachapa with beef, black beans and plantains (this is our favorite dish so far, with more to try).
The staff is always friendly, and today we met Luis, the proprietor. He clearly has a passion for cooking and for ensuring that his customers enjoy their meal.
We’ll definitely be back.

I really can’t think of a reason not to give them 5 stars. I’ve been driving by on my way to work since they opened and always assumed from the sign it was just going to be another mediocre Tex-​mexy kind of place. It is not.
Today I visited for lunch for the first time. I was greeted by a very friendly young man, a student at Mines. The place is very small but quiet and clean.
I ordered the shredded tilapia cooked in coconut milk with black beans and rice. For dessert I had the coconut cake. Everything tasted excellent and was made in-​house (even the dessert!) The portions were probably a bit small for typical American tastes, but I much prefer smaller portions. I can head back to work now feeling completely satisfied and not be in a food coma. The prices were on par with lesser, tex-​mexy joints, which was a nice bonus. I will definitely be back.

We were back again recently. Great food, service was pleasant and the coconut cake. Oh, the coconut cake. So. Good. I need to find a recipe.
(The only downside is the menu lacks in vegetables, but alas, these things happen)

This lovely, little Venezuelan café is discretely located on South Golden. While it is a bit pricey on a student budget, it is good every now an then to treat oneself.
My boyfriend and I visited this place and between the two of us, we had 2 arepas (one pabellon and one carnitas) and 1 order of the Venezuelan polenta. We weren’t stuffed after, but we were satisfied. We were also given a complimentary of mini cachapas (I think!), thank you!
The food is an great example of delicious simplicity. You really feel like you’re being served in someone’s home when eating here, I highly recommend!

Such an exquisite establishment with top notch food and service. We stopped in on our way to check out Red Rocks and were delighted to step inside of this cozy restaurant and be greeted by the staff with detailed explanations of the food and specials that day.
I started with the fresh mango juice, which should be called mango purée. Straight, thick mango that’ll fill you up if you’re not careful. It’s hard to, but you should probably share.
For our meal we selected two empanadas, one chicken and one carnitas, which came with a green cilantro sauce for dipping. The yellow corn shell crunched with each bite but gave way to a soft center filled with juicy shredded meat.
We also chose the Cordon Bleu Pork special with pineapple sauce. It comes with two sides (all for $ 7.99) and we opted for the rice and fried plantains. The pork was hot, crispy, oozing with cheese and practically melted on the tongue. It was divine and I felt very spoiled.
Lastly we shared an arepa with black beans and plantains. I love the sweetness of the plantains with the savory beans and white corn pocket, but the juices from the insides soaked through the «bun» and left it quite soggy.
Our food did take a while to arrive. Our server and the owner (?) explained the kitchen was overwhelmed with a full restaurant at 2pm and a large catering order. We didn’t mind the wait as our food was cooked with care and came out hot and much to our liking.

I’ve been living in the Golden area for quite a while. And this is definitely a gem in this little town. This café features Venezuelan style cuisine as a part of its menu. In all honesty, I can’t speak for whether or not this is authentic cuisine of the region. But, I can definitely say that the food here resembles some of the South American foods I’ve had before.
Elote’s Café is definitely delicious. As a student, I think that the $ 12,99 deal is great. I’m usually filled by the time I have my appetizer and my entrée. It’s very nice taking home a dessert that I can eat later! But, the food is exactly how I would picture as homemade. I always like the soup they have for that day. But, I am also a fan of their kale salad because I love kale and I love avocado. Their entrees never seem to disappoint me! Also, I’m a big fan of their juices. The mango is my personal favorite.
I think the owner is a very wonderful guy with a very nice family. Coming from an engineering background, I think his wife is awesome! She’s a Mechanical Engineering Prof! So awesome! But, the servers and staff are very friendly!
Try this café! It’s definitely worth your money. You’ll most likely be back! I promise you!

While driving back from Breck yesterday to Boulder we decided to stop in Golden for lunch. I checked Unilocal for reviews of local spots that were new to me and first on the list was Elote’s. The reviews were raving and so we decided to give it a shot. I’m so glad we did.
I don’t know what I enjoyed more, the food or Luis’ personality and smile. He was so enthusiastic about the fare. It was so refreshing to try new latin food, I’ve never sampled Venezuelan food before. The tostanos were a great start, although kind of filling. I can’t wait to stop by again on my way through Golden to try some of the other dishes.

Para los que extrañan la comida venezolana autentica, este es el sitio. Los dueños que atienden son venezolanos. Tienen los platos tipicos y ademas platos especiales diarios.
If you miss or have never had Venezuelan food this is the place to go. The owners and operators are Venezuelans. They have the typical plates and also specials of the day.
You must try it!