Celebrate Cinco De Mayo With These Three Mexican Restaurants

Photos courtesy of Caren Austin

Hola my fellow foodies, and welcome back. With Cinco De Mayo just around the corner, I thought it was time to go and explore some of Colorado’s best Mexican food and drinks. I headed out in the car for an eight-hour culinary road trip to explore three restaurants in northern Colorado and try some of their best dishes and cocktails.  I headed to Agave Underground in Ft. Collins, Rumbo 52 in Frederick, and The Dugout in Erie Colorado for an adventure of fun, and a history lesson in the food regions of Mexico. So, let’s eat!

First stop was Agave Underground in Ft Collins. I was met by chef and co-owner Fausto Felix, who ended up being my chef and tour guide at all three restaurants as he is co-owner of all of them. Agave Underground has been open since October of 2023 and is on a mission to bring authentic modern Mexican food to northern Colorado. Fausto is from Culiacan Sinaloa in Mexico. He came to the USA in 2004 after going from his own food stand at the age of sixteen to working in a high-end restaurant in Culiacan to gain experience. He earned his degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Las Vegas. Fausto learned a lot of his skills from his grandmother and other family members in Mexico.

As I sat down and chatted with him, you could truly feel how passionate he is about the cuisine and the heritage behind it. I started with the Bacalar Scallops, and I was already hooked.  The mango salsa on the seared scallops was perfect and the presentation was truly artistic. The Bandera Aguachile with pacific shrimp and jalapenos with lime was outstanding, and although a bit spicy, the flavors combined perfectly. The Molcajete fajitas were out next, and these were a showstopper. They are served like no other fajitas I have had, in a molcajete. They are enough for 2 – 3 people and my favorite part was the chorizo, which is not something you typically see in a fajita dish. That’s how they do things at Agave Underground. I finished off my meal with a slice of Tres Leches cake. Tres Leches cake is my absolute favorite dessert, and this did not disappoint, so save room for it. Margaritas are fabulous here, and they have many to choose from. The restaurant itself is a work of art, colorful, and artistic, just like the food at Agave Underground.

Our next stop was in Frederick, Colorado at Rumbo 52. Opened in July of 2023, Rumbo 52 is a nod to authentic Mexican cuisine with a slightly more traditional approach than Agave Underground. Chef Fausto Felix met me there and started cooking in the kitchen for another epic Mexican feast. We started with a margarita flight, and it was, of course, artistic. My favorite was the cucumber margarita, but all of them were spectacular.  Rumbo 52 is where I found my heavenly dish, the Mole Enchiladas. I have been to the Oaxaca region of Mexico, but never had them this good. I immediately ordered one for my husband to take home as they were the best enchiladas I have ever had, and that mole sauce alone was the star of the show.

I was full, but we had one more stop, at The Dugout in Erie Colorado. This is where it all started for Chef Fausto in Colorado. The Dugout opened in 2016 and is a Mexican American restaurant that is a staple in Erie. Think of it as an upscale sports bar serving traditional American food, but with some of Fausto Felix’s Mexican favorites on the menu. The Guacamole appetizer here is to die for. It is fresh and so flavorful. There are many taco options, of which I tried the asparagus taco and the Quesabirria Taco. Both were amazing and unique. We ended our food journey through Mexico with the Tamarind Glazed Salmon. This salmon was bursting with flavor and had Fausto’s Mexican twist on it. Erie, Colorado, you are lucky to have The Dugout! I’m a little jealous.

There are several co-owners of all three restaurants, and they are all from different parts of Mexico, which is why when you experience any or all of them, you will experience a tour through Mexico without the plane ticket. I don’t live close to any of these three restaurants, but I would gladly make the drive to go to them again. All three of these restaurants satisfied my Mexican food cravings, and that is worth the drive. As I have said before, when a lot of love and thought goes into the food, the love pours out tenfold onto your plate. I am looking forward to my next trip already, and  I am dreaming of those Mole enchiladas. Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone, and as always, eat well, drink well, and be well. Adios!