This Golden gem doesn’t merely assemble tacos, it composes them with epicurean flair (and dollops of the myriad house salsas of which they’re rightly proud): Try the grilled shrimp with chorizo, onions, poblanos, and queso fresco or a weekly special such as cauliflower al pastor, washed down with a margarita like the kiwi-infused Catrina.

Where there’s consomé, there’s quesabirria — and this truck parked on the corner of West Colfax and Xavier does a fine version of both. The broth is light and citrusy, the tacos slightly puffy and plenty cheesy, and the red and green salsas that come with not only these but all the tacos on offer are primo.

Combining Filipino and New Mexican influences with panache, this West Highland newcomer does an equally bang-up job of mixing sweet, spicy, and salty ingredients, be it the succulent chicken spicy pinoy taco topped with green chile, pineapple, and scallion or the smoked carnitas version with lime-fig jam, chicharrón, and cilantro.

Behind a bright orange façade on Alameda awaits this favorite among aficionados, notable in part for the sheer variety of options it offers, including higado (beef liver) and lamb barbacoa. Here’s the perfect opportunity to try cueritos — pig skin that, unlike the fried version, is mildly sweet and almost creamy in texture — or rich, tangy chivo (goat). Or not: Rest assured it nails all the staples too.

There may be no better purveyor of birria in town than the brand-new brick-and-mortar outlet of this former West Highland truck, which earned itself such an avid following that diners had best prepare to wade through a crowd to get to those drippingly delicious tacos — with or without cheese — accompanied by gently smoky and sweetly spicy consomé as well as cucumber and radish slices and a blistered jalapeño. (But once they do, they’ll find even more to love on the expanded menu.)

Though it also offers all the standards — cochinita pibil, adobada, and so on — the name says it all when it comes to ordering tacos at this strip-mall joint on Santa Fe Drive. Stick with straight-up carnitas or go for the carnitas mix, which includes skin and other delectable bits; it’s top-notch either way.

Living up to its billing as the “home of the fried taco” (pictured at the top left of the plate), this Ballpark institution fills its surefire hangover cures with steak, ground beef, or chicken, plus cheese, lettuce, and tomato — and, for a little extra, bacon or avocado.

Run by the über-talented Jose Avila, this Ballpark banger is turning out the most inspired and artful surprises imaginable in taco form. Perhaps the most startling example is the res con tuetano, an embarrassment of beefy riches that features an entire marrow bone alongside velvety birria; another would be the chuleta enchilada, a fork-tender pork chop topped with nopales and creamy salsa verde. But the list goes on from the tres chorizo — red, green, and black — to the stuffed chile de agua smothered in frijoles, best capped off with a snazzy agave cocktail or two. (Heads up to chowhounds: Avila also operates a Sunday-only pop-up, El Borrego Negro, featuring barbacoa from his own herd of sheep that’s served with all the fixings for proper taco assembly at home.)

Purists beware, iconoclasts cheer: This colorful Cap Hill taqueria dares to top its tortillas with everything from bulgogi and kimchi to ahi tuna and cucumber-wasabi aioli to cornmeal-fried shrimp and Cajun remoulade. But if the inspiration’s freewheeling, the execution’s quite thoughtful: Don’t miss the crispy-tender bison with griddled queso asadero, tamari-and-lime-marinated onion, and avocado or mouthwatering monthly specials like the loaded potato with bacon, sour cream, pico de gallo, and scallions.

With a splashy mural, handsome tilework, and pops of bright pink and orange, this Thornton charmer boasts a festive vibe that’s only enhanced by its fairly elaborate tacos. Grilled mahi mahi sits atop a dollop of rice, sprinkled with diced mango and crema; lamb birria drips with a tangy roasted tomato–chile sauce; and thick-sliced, batter-fried avocado comes drizzled in chipotle aioli over refreshing jicama slaw. Some 20 different margaritas infused with everything from cucumber and mint to habanero and tamarind keep the party going.

Don’t knock gourmet tacos before trying Bellota’s. Encased in a crispy flour tortilla, the costra de ribeye is sumptuous yet soulful with housemade chorizo, queso Chihuahua, and salsa verde; so is the shrimp variant, enhanced by shrimp-infused butter and tomato cream. Meanwhile, the king-trumpet mushroom al pastor is a vegetarian revelation with charred pineapple.

Not unlike campechanos, tacos de discada are topped with a mix of chopped meats, which are traditionally cooked together with veggies on a discada, or plow blade. They alone are worth the trip to this East Colfax fixture, where they come crispy and juicy with steak, ground beef, marinated pork, chorizo, bacon, and ham plus onions, peppers, and a sprinkling of queso fresco and cilantro. But running a close second are the tacos al carbon, which here involve grilled beef cooked with chunks of potato and pico de gallo. The excellent salsa on the side is the cherry on top, so to speak.

Melt-in-your-mouth chicharrones, ultra-tender lengua, and crispy shavings of al pastor off the trompo are three of many good reasons to make the trek to this Commerce City outlier, where the tacos come with trimmings like grilled onions and a caddy of salsas for happy drizzling. Here’s a fourth: prices that recall the pre-pandemic era (good luck spending more than $12).

In an otherwise worse-for-the-wear strip mall, this cheerful little nook turns out not only luscious carnitas and campechanos but also must-try tacos topped with chorizo and scrambled eggs for something a little off script — plus potent (and plenty cheap) margaritas to wash them down.

With not one but two trompos turning behind the counter, this Aurora newcomer makes not only al pastor but also tacos árabes, which come folded so they may almost resemble burritos; loaded with that spit-roasted pork (whose recipe derived from that of shawarma), onions, cheese, and salsa, they’re deliciously filling. Still, try to leave room for the lamb quesabirria, accompanied by an intriguingly spiced consomé that contains rice, and a machete stuffed with huitlacoche and squash blossom. (Credit to Denver Food & Scene for the find.)

Tacos al vapor over here and tacos de canasta over there. Cheesy tacos de alambre on handmade tortillas in this corner, Guatemalan-style tacos graced by grilled onions in that one. Tacos loaded with longaniza and camarones at one vendor, charcoal-grilled chicken or al pastor straight off the spit at the next. And quesabirria as far as the eye can see. At La Esquina del Sabor — a magical marketplace in the parking lot of Aurora’s La Plaza Colorado — around 20 trucks and trailers gather to form a rainbow of styles and specialties; the result is a feast like no other in town, complete with fresh salsas on offer in molcajetes.

While it offers everything from deeply savory buche to juicy barbacoa, this Aurora gem (with a second location in the University neighborhood) excels above all at batter-fried fish and shrimp tacos, at once shatteringly crunchy and catch-of-the-day fresh. Throw in an order of carne asada fries just for kicks.

Outfitted with a tent in the parking lot of an Auto Zone, this superb stand delivers serious bang for the buck in the form of tacos piled high and wide with such hearty stuff as chicken fajitas, peppers, and onions or smoked pork chop, queso, jalapeño, and tomato. They come three to a plate, but each one is practically a meal unto itself. (In that light, adding a massive quesadilla-like machete to the mix may be overkill, but there are worse mistakes to make in life.)