El Pelicano Restaurant & Lounge

Not coming back even when the camarones cucaracha are my favorite. Service sucks. Annette our server, didn’t bring tortillas for our fajitas and She never came back to check on us or offer refill to our drinks. She didn’t drop the check and we had to go and find help. Not even busy restaurant with 3 tables total.

Came in for takeout, I waited 30 minutes for the food. I complained to a waitress, who then went back to check on the food, only to pull it out from the heat lamp and then put it into boxes. I spoke to the manager, who then lied to me and said «it was cooking,» when I responded that it was sitting there waiting, she shrugged her shoulders. Needless to say, won’t be back.

The music, atmosphere, and friendly personnel added one star. For the price and the quality, the food was 2-​star: Shrimp with mango habanero sauce, 9 medium-​small shrimp (tail-​on) in a sea of «sauce,» French fries (huh?), rice, tortillas, iceberg lettuce salad. With small tip and tax it was $ 20 for this to-​go order.

Thank you Pelican. What an amazing food experience. The mojarra was awesome. The ceviche mixto was amazing!!! And don’t get me started on the crab salad they offer with the chips and salsa. The service was great as well.
While on my visit to Denver finding this hidden gem was perfect.

Great food and cool atmosphere. We had the truffled lobster roll and the mini Mac and cheese cup. Both were amazing. They have a wide variety of unique cocktails. Loved it!

Thank you El Pelicano for a marvelous first experience and date night!!! I usually dont like to go anywhere that has a noisy mariachi band trying to serenade me unless it’s in Mexico, but this place was like being in the real Mexico once we walked through the door. The waitress asked what our seating preference was and we chose the back room where the mariachi’s don’t play. By the end of the night, it turned out being such a great and authentic experience that I didn’t mind the mariachi band and I thought it was a great touch. The service was phenomenal! Our waitress was so nice and attentive. She brought us out chips n salsa and a crab dip which was pretty tasty. I should have saved room in my stomach for other food but I scarfed it down because it was so delicious. We order the parrilla de mariscos platter for two and three assorted tacos. The platter of seafood was huge!!! $ 45 and well worth the money– it came with crab leg clusters, fish, mussels baked with cheese, 2 different kinda of shrimp, sautéed onions, jalapeños and bell peppers. This was a never ending platter that went well beyond my expectations!

Not terrible, but not great. I know it says seafood and Mexican, but there was about 90% seafood, and I’m not a huge seafood person… the food we did that wasn’t seafood wasn’t bad, just didn’t make me tingle. Waitresses were great, has a Caribbean atmosphere which was cool. Not sure we’ll be back though.

This is a solid 4 star place. Great seafood.
This is my second time here and it was just as good as the first. Good service. Solid seafood. Only draw back is the fake crab on the combo platter. Everything else was good.

Good food. But extremely poor service long wait time and couple of mistakes in my order. Probably won’t go back

I was excited to try a new Mexican restaurant that we haven’t tried before. The décor and atmosphere are inviting and festive. The service was nice and friendly. Unfortunately the food was just okay, the chips they serve with salsa were more like a pita chip kind of thickness, although they do provide a seafood salsa that is a little different. I went ahead and ordered the fajita combo. The portion size is large but the flavor just wasn’t there for me. I feel the value of the meal did not match what I got on the plate. I think the food at tacos junior or tacomex down the street pack a little more flavor at a fraction of the price. I wouldn’t be opposed to trying it again and overall it wasn’t a bad experience. Ultimately this place has a festive atmosphere when you walk through the doors but unfortunately the flavor of my meal just didn’t do it for me.

The Ultimate Seafood Feasts are really amazing! Lots of great seafood for several people, make sure you are hungry.

Horrible customer service and the food was bad. We all had seafood and everybody ended up with an upset stomach. Won’t be going there again.

Love the food! This is definitely one of our family’s go to restaurants. The Vampiro tacos are the best — must try!

We will be back! I just moved here from California and the search for our top Mexican restaurant begins… I was a little hesitant to try it because of some of the reviews but after looking at the small list of seafood places in Colorado I figured we should give it a try.
Anyways, we got half a dozen prepared oysters, green sauce ceviche, and a capechana… everything was delicious and fresh. The only complained the bf had was that the oyster needed to be cut better, for easy slurping :) … we both eat a lot of Mexican seafood and this place was definitely up to par. My green sauce ceviche was spicy but delicious! And I’m grateful that they aren’t stingy with their lime!
Price: reasonable prices.
Service was a little slow but nothing to keep me away.
Ambience: clean and good music (if you’re into mexican music)
It’s a far drive from broomfield… but we will be making the drive!

It goes without saying that Aurora is blessed with a multitude of Mexican restaurants, but did you know that one of the best is a scintillating seafood specialist at Colfax & Chambers? No? Well, here’s a bit more about El Pelicano.
No matter which type of sea-​loving species you fancy, you’re sure to be pleased by the many, many items on the bounteous menu. Tastebud-​tinglers of note in the appetizer section include the nuggets of breaded and fried lobster (Chicharrónes de Langosta), the crackly shrimp eggrolls, or the sumptuous baked oysters with Manchego cheese and fresh cream. «But those are too heavy! I want something light!», I hear you reply. Well, slow your roll, sister — you’ll be in good hands with the Canoas de Ceviche — more specifically, boats of hollowed cucumber stuffed with citrus-«cooked» shrimp or fish (the specific type of the latter will depend on when you visit). But don’t forget — you have at least one more dish ahead of you, so begin wisely, won’t you?
And on that very subject — let’s continue with a set of three Gobernador tacos, shall we? Named after a prominent official from the northwestern state of Sinaloa, these shrimp/​mozzarella/​pasilla pepper delights will make you want to pass a resolution or two yourself. Feeling a little droopy? Perhaps the Viagra cocktail, with its chunks of (among other things) crab, snail, and scallop, will be just what the doctor ordered. Speaking of moist mouthfuls, a banana leaf-​steamed tilapia fillet in red wine sauce is also worth trying. If you simply can’t decide, why not bring a few friends and enjoy a mixed grill (Parrillada) or two, and treat yourselves to crab legs, octopus, clams Rockefeller… wow, there are even some beef, pork and chicken choices on the list! Yes, you’ll find that El Pelicano will scratch your every itch, and then some.

Food was below average, salsa and chips not impressed, service was awful. Every table had a jar of water except our table. Water was always empty. I do not recommend, plenty other choices for good Mexican in the Highlands.

After a bland 5 days eating in Denver, I decided to give this place a shot. I’m glad I did! In the words of Jim Carey in Dumb & Dumber: when I thought you couldn’t possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this… and totally redeem yourself! Lol!
The pros: Great atmosphere, had live mariachi music, great micheladas, our aguachiles (appetizer) was really tasty & decent size, carne asada plate was very good & came with hand made corn tortillas, my wife ordered the ribeye w grilled veggies, that was surprisingly good.
The cons: Hot sauce wasn’t hot, waitress was not proactive, drinks were not refilled unless we waiver her down & directed her to do so, and even then only refilled the one told, l although all of our drinks were dry.
Will definitely be coming back here when I’m back in town.

Wow! The crab salsa is amazing! This is one of those great family-​run local restaurants that is pretty much the reason I Unilocal in the first place. I probably never would have found it otherwise, but the reviews were good and they are accurate — highly recommend trying this place!
I had the carne asada and, not only was it fantastic, but it was enough food for at least 2 meals! Be prepared to take some leftovers home!

This remains our top Mexican and Seafood restaurant. Top notch every time! Seafood is ALWAYS perfect. The menu prices have gone up slightly but are lower than other restaurants of this quality. The menus are in English nowadays ;) We will definitely keep coming back here.

I was not impressed. The first thing I tried to order, the waitress plainly said, «no». I settled on the cheese quesadilla and it was ok. The chips and salsa were not pleasant tasting to me at all. And this is the first Mexican restaurant where I’ve been served fries instead of beans and rice. All around interesting but I would not recommend this place to someone who is looking for good quality Mexican food.