Plated & Celebrated: Colorado’s Jack-N-Grill

In 1994, Jack Martinez and his family began selling homemade green chili to a handful of Colorado customers. From there, the family expanded to catering to local car dealerships. This led to selling authentic New Mexican cuisine on weekends from a 4-foot propane griddle. 22 years later, Jack-N-Grill is a local institution with three restaurants, thousands of faithful customers, and national recognition.

The LGBT community has flocked to the Highlands’ flagship restaurant on 26th and Federal since it opened in 2000. You can find everything here from their 7-pound breakfast burrito challenge to their more manageable green chili cheeseburgers made with fresh, all-natural ingredients. Anna, the family matriarch, still oversees much of the preparation and cooking using family recipes that go back generations.

In 2009, The Travel Channel ranked Jack-N-Grill 13th on America’s Top 101 Tastiest Places to Chow Down. This is the same year Adam Richman of Man V. Food fame failed to finish the burrito challenge that has won others a picture on the restaurant’s Wall of Fame, a free meal, and if — you’re a woman — free meals for life. I mean, it’s only five pounds of hash browns, a dozen eggs, a half-pound of ham, a half-pound of cheese, and a few vegetables!

What I love about Jack-N-Grill is there is something for everyone. The menu offers fresh meats, fish, vegetarian, and gluten- and carb-free options. Their portions are huge, their prices are reasonable, and their chili is to die for! I get everything smothered in “Christmas Chili” — half red and half green. We begin every meal there with chips and guacamole salad. The guacamole is piled high with surrounding garnishes like onions, tomatoes, and cilantro that can be mixed in or eaten separately. The corn and flour tortillas are all made fresh in-house.

The menu offers a variety of burgers named after family members — and there’s a lot of family! The number of burgers seems endless. They have burgers in sopapillas, burgers with bacon and chili, burgers in egg-battered chili rellenos, and one of my favorites, “The Juarez” — a hamburger patty with ham, a split hot dog on top, then covered in fresh green chili, cheese, mayo, and (of course) guacamole. The burgers are so good, Jack-N-Grill made its way into the Food Network Magazine’s 50 States, 50 Burgers “Best Burger in Colorado” issue.

Budget-friendly items include $2 breakfast burritos and  ten varieties to choose from. And these are not just beans and cheese. You can choose from breakfast burritos with tender pork carne adovada, crispy chicharrones, chorizo — just about any combination you want. Full meals include their signature “stacked” enchiladas, New Mexico Frito Pie, gorditas, chimichangas, chile rellenos, posole, burritos, fajitas, and tacos, all made in the authentic New Mexican style. The restaurant also offers catering for parties or other gatherings.

My personal favorite is the “naked burrito” — mouth-watering, carb-free beef, chicken, or pork concoctions with as many additions as you want (beans, cheese, sour cream, and/or guacamole). The best part is there’s so much left over, I get two (or even three) meals for the price of one. I’ve been eating here since before The Food Network and the Travel Channel discovered them. I suspect I’ll be going back for many years to come. It’s a family business that makes everyone feel like family.