El Noa Noa Mexican Restaurant, Denver

Past walls speckled with Mexican artwork, chefs in the kitchen at El Noa Noa Mexican Restaurant whip up authentic south-of-the-border dishes that have been lauded by Denver Westword. These skilled cooks fold fresh seafood and meats into a variety of tacos, burritos, and enchiladas, topping them with scoops of guacamole, pico de gallo, and Mexican-style cream. To whip up their specialty sopapilla, they stuff a puffy pastry with pork, refried beans, and cheese before showering it with fiery green chili.

Outside, the patio at El Noa Noa is a lush, enchanting garden, where roving mariachis strum guitars on warm weekends and water gushes from a stone fountain. Tall glasses seem to magically refill with fruity margaritas, and there is never any shortage of warm chips and tangy salsa. Diners bask beneath colorful umbrellas, oblivious to the chatter and canvas-munching sounds of passing pedestrians eating their way though the Art District on Santa Fe just beyond the patio's brick walls.