A Mexican restaurant is taking over a high-profile location in the town of Rifle, Colorado, where U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Shooters Grill previously resided.
The restaurant, called Tapatios, recently applied for a hotel and liquor license at 120 E. 3rd St., Unit C, according to the Rifle City Council agenda. The Glenwood Springs Post Independent reports the council unanimously approved the application at a meeting on Feb. 15.
Tapatios runs another restaurant in nearby New Castle, where the menu features tacos, tortas, enchiladas, burritos and other fare.
Rep. Boebert was forced to close Shooters, a gun-themed eatery where the wait staff was encouraged to open carry, last summer after the building changed ownership. Milken Enterprises, a corporation headed by Mike Miller and Dan Meskin, took over legal ownership of the building in May 2022, property records show, and declined to renew the business’ lease.
Tapatios reached a commercial lease agreement with Milken Enterprises in June and took over the space in September, according to documents submitted with the liquor license application. Floor plans call for a 65-by-23-foot dining room with additional patio seating out front.
It’s unclear when the new restaurant might open. The Denver Post made several attempts to reach Tapatios’ owners in December, but was unsuccessful. Reached by phone, Meskin declined to comment on the new tenant to The Denver Post.
