El Paraiso is a lively Mexican restaurant that serves up colossal amounts of upscale fare for shockingly affordable prices. This Harlan Street restaurant is casual and is considered family-friendly. Everything at El Paraiso is large from the eight-page menu to the sheer size of the restaurant. Despite its super-size, El Paraiso’s kitchen still sends out fare that feels intimate and well executed. The menu features charcoal fired meats and seafood including oyster ceveche and parilladas. Nearly everything is homemade including the salsa, corn tortillas and aquas frescas. On weekends, El Paraiso typically features a live mariachi band and guests are seen cutting a rug.

Located in the trendy Highland neighborhood, Lola is a high-spirited Mexican restaurant. The kitchen at Lola’s serves up coastal Mexican inspired foods that are heavy on seafood. The interior is warm and inviting with hardwood floors and lofty ceilings but also has your typical kitschy Mexican knickknacks. At Lola, authenticity reigns with bowls of steamy hot creamy corn soup, ceviches, grilled fish and meats being the standouts. According to several diners, the seafood stew with monkfish, scallops and shrimp in a lobster and mushroom broth is the perfect way to warm up on a cold Denver evening. On Sunday’s, Lola has family-style paella and on the weekends there is a brunch complete with Mexican-style Eggs Benedict and Bloody Mary’s.

Chef Richard Sandoval’s Tamayo Mexican restaurant serves up gourmet Mexican fare in an equally stunning location. Upon entering Tamayo, the first thing that greets diners is a massive mosaic that lines the walls. To really enjoying Tamayo and the Denver surroundings, ask for a table on the rooftop patio, which offers sweeping views of the surrounding mountains. The food at Tamayo is way beyond your standard Mexican fare. Chef Sandoval was trained at the Culinary Institute of America and the menu reflects this education. Dishes include roasted poblano peppers filled with scallops, calamari and shrimp served over a bed of pureed black beans or pork tenderloin topped with a pumpkin sauce. For vegetarian diners, Tamayo has a lengthy selection with the standout being the wild mushroom adobados on a bed of sweet potato puree.