After nearly thirty years, Juanita's in Boulder goes dark

Melanie Asmar

For the past 28 years, Juanita's has been a Pearl Street mainstay, holding on to its sliver of storefront space that led to a well-worn front dining room and back lounge, even as other establishments turned over for newer, trendier concepts on either side of it.

But on March 1, this Boulder institution -- more famous for its happy-hour margaritas sucked down with free chips and salsa than for its massive platters of burritos and tacos -- finally went dark.

That means the end of Taco Tuesdays, as well as Wednesday-night karaoke. The end of those legendary chile rellenos, packed full of cheese and deep-fried until saturated with grease. And the end of the massive crowds that thronged the place at all hours.

In their farewell note, owners Roger Berardi and Michael Kretz say they've got another restaurant in the works. We'll serve up more details as we get them.