Beloved Restaurant chain finally gets opening date after years of delays
Following a two-year postponement, Illegal Pete’s, the popular Denver-area fast-casual Mexican restaurant known for its Mission-style burritos, tacos, and other culinary offerings, is finally set to debut in Colorado Springs. The highly anticipated opening will occur on April 11th, 2024, at 32 S. Tejon Street, conveniently situated across from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee in the heart of downtown.
Pete Turner, founder of Illegal Pete’s in 1995, initially announced the expansion to Colorado Springs in January 2022, securing a lease for the prime downtown location and aiming for a summer opening. However, internal staffing changes within the company, coupled with ongoing efforts to develop and renovate other locations across the chain, resulted in an unavoidable delay.
These factors, including necessary planning, architectural adjustments, and navigating governmental regulatory approvals, effectively shifted the Springs opening timeline. Undeterred, Turner affirms Illegal Pete’s commitment to ambitious expansion throughout the first half of 2024. This growth will add to the current twelve locations spanning Denver, Boulder, Greenwood Village, Fort Collins, Tempe, and Tucson, solidifying the restaurant’s presence as a regional favorite for authentic Mexican cuisine.
Currently, there are four Illegal Pete’s locations in Colorado: three in Denver and one in Greenwood Village. Now, it seems as though Colorado Springs is finally getting one of its own.
