Carnitas Aren’t Tacos: La Estrellita, Brighton, Colorado

It didn’t take long, just 13 posts, for me to drift a bit from the title of this blog. Carnitas is braised or slow roast pork simmered in spices. It’s basically a dish sent to us from Pork Heaven. I’d like to think that’s a real place.

Carnitas at La Estrellita Mexican Restaurant

This meat serves as stuffing for burritos, sopapillas, and tacos, or it is simply served on a platter with tortillas. In this way, the person ordering the meal makes their own carnitas tacos. Since I basically make everything a sandwich or taco, this dinner suits me.

When I go to a Mexican restaurant (the type where you sit and get service and folks rave about their margaritas) I order carnitas. It’s been my go-to dish for the last couple of years. Some of the best carnitas I’ve stumbled across in Northern Colorado are at Palomino’s Mexican Restaurant in Loveland and Rancheros Restaurant in Longmont.

N. 1st Ave entrance to La Estrellita Mexican Restaurant

The carnitas at La Estrellita is good and the size of the meal is generous. It made two meals for me (I added the meat to a breakfast burrito I made later that week). It is also affordable at just $12.25. In Colorado, a carnitas plate is usually around $16 or more. That’s one excellent truth about Brighton, it is a Colorado town with prices that won’t put a big dent in your bank account.

RELATED: Taco Chihuas in Brighton, Colorado, A Good Mexican Food Town

La Estrellita is a typical Mexican restaurant in appearance with hanging ristras and several patios. The standout here was our waitress who seemed genuinely nice. So often we have waiters with a little too much fake flair, and it’s refreshing to experience a little authenticity.

N. Main Street entry, La Estrellita Mexican Restaurant

Also, I give this Brighton restaurant a standing ovation. Earlier this month La Estrellita celebrated 35 years in business. As the co-owner of a small business, that is not an easy feat. La Estrellitas must be doing something right to have been around since I was 10!

There are many reasons La Estrellita is rated as the best Mexican restaurant in Brighton on TripAdvisor and other online sites. And, that rating is meaningful in a town with a tremendous amount of Mexican restaurants.

La Estrellita Mexican Restaurant, 45 N. Main Street, Brighton, Colorado, 80601

Now, go get some carnitas!

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