It’s been two years since La Plaza Colorado debuted its Latin marketplace inside a former Super K-Mart at 15200 E. Colfax Ave. in Aurora. After several setbacks, construction delays, and financial uncertainty, earlier this year developer Doug McMurrian officially unveiled La Plaza’s food hall concept, completing a vision that began when he purchased the 100,000-square-foot property in 2019.
Today, the sprawling Latin marketplace is home to a grocery store, dozens of small-business vendors, and 24 food-hall kitchens, earning recognition as the largest Hispanic food hall in the United States.
Dreaming Big
For McMurrian, the project represents far more than another retail development. Over the course of his career, he has developed some of the country’s largest big-box retail projects, including multiple Walmart, Target, and Super Kmart locations.
Yet, he describes La Plaza Colorado as one of the most challenging undertakings of his professional life. Shortly after acquiring the property, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted construction and financing, creating a series of obstacles that nearly derailed the project altogether.
“It’s been a very long journey,” McMurrian said, reflecting on the road that ultimately led to La Plaza Colorado’s opening. “It’s really nothing new. Mercados aren’t new. Grocery stores aren’t new. Family entertainment centers aren’t new. Food halls aren’t new. It’s just when you bring them all together, it creates a little village.”
The Food Truck Era
Originally, when the marketplace opened two years ago, the food hall still hadn’t been fully formed. So, nearly 50 food trucks operated in the parking lot. Deciding to make a more permanent food concept, McMurrian selected 18 of what he thought were the best food vendors around, and moved them inside.
The line up included Tacos y Pollos ZaZaZa, La Casita, La Masita, Tacos Guerrero, Tacos La Bicicleta, and Mariscos Aguachilies. This move transformed La Plaza Colorado into a Hispanic food behemoth, larger than any other in the country. This, added McMurrian, was never part of the original plan.
La Plaza Colorado Today
Stepping through the doors at La Plaza feels less like entering a shopping mall and more like arriving at a bustling mercado somewhere in Mexico. The atmosphere is lively and communal, anchored by a large fountain at the center of the marketplace that functions much like a traditional town square. Latino music plays as children weave between storefronts and families gather with friends. The massive marketplace contains 172 vendor stalls, each measuring eight-by-ten feet, providing space for 62 small businesses.
Like traditional mercados found throughout Latin America, La Plaza Colorado blends retail, professional services, and food under one roof. In one corner, customers settle into salon chairs for haircuts, manicures, and beauty treatments. Elsewhere, shoppers browse clothing racks, shop for party supplies and elaborate Quinceañera dresses, or schedule appointments for banking and legal services.
Toward the back of the building, the marketplace shifts gears. Here, 24 food vendors operate from compact kitchens built inside repurposed shipping containers, each measuring about 160-square-feet. Many of these family-owned restaurants can only be found at La Plaza Colorado, making the food hall a culinary destination in its own right.
The layout creates a distinct contrast: business and shopping up front, celebration in the back. Food aromas mix with music and entertainment from the arcade and dance floor, creating an atmosphere that feels equal parts marketplace and neighborhood gathering. And on Saturdays, you’ll find Pokemon fans trading cards right across from Maiz y Fuego.
Diving Into the Menus
The culinary offerings reflect the rich diversity of Mexico’s regional cuisines, while also embracing flavors from around the world. For a regional favorite try Tacos Guerrero’s Green Chicken Pozole or the multi-stacked Torta Cubana. Head to Maíz y Fuego for a unique blend of Italian cuisine with traditional Mexican street food. Plus, traditional favorites such as street tacos, quesabirria, and regional specialties are plentiful.
A local favorite is the famous one-pound burrito from 5280 Hibachi Grill, a restaurant known for serving professional athletes like former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. Elsewhere, visitors can sample Mexican-inspired sushi from Sushito, hot wings from Mr. Wings, and a Clamato Preperada from Pata Salada Ceviches. Together, the vendors create a dining experience that feels both deeply rooted in tradition and uniquely reflective of Denver’s multicultural food scene.
At the heart of the food hall sits El Matador Bar, where guests can sip Micheladas, Margaritas, Cantaritos, and other agave-forward cocktails. The bar boasts one of Colorado’s largest tequila selections, with more than 500 agave spirits available, alongside refreshing aguas frescas that can be customized with a splash of tequila. And thanks to the marketplace’s common-consumption liquor license, customers are free to carry their drinks throughout the mercado.
Carving Out a Niche For the Future
Far from a flea market, La Plaza Colorado is a carefully curated marketplace built around entrepreneurship and small business ownership.
“We’re not a flea market. There’s nothing used sold here,” McMurrian emphasized. Instead, the mercado is home exclusively to family-owned businesses, many of which are operated by local Hispanic entrepreneurs, with more than half owned by Hispanic women.
Big picture, McMurrian describes operating La Plaza Colorado under a sort of unwritten mission to lift up the next generation of Latino families. The marketplace also serves as a launching pad for the next generation of entrepreneurs by creating opportunities to build wealth, preserve cultural traditions, and invest in their communities.
Among them is Jayden, a 13-year-old aspiring business owner whose aunt operates Frozen Island inside the mercado. Inspired by the success of the vendors around him, he is preparing to open his own kiosk, CupaJoy, where he will soon be serving boba tea to customers, a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit that defines La Plaza Colorado.
“The Hispanic culture is the most entrepreneurial culture I’ve ever met in my life,” said McMurrian. “People come to us. They want to work with us.” With flexible licensing agreements and shorter month terms, the lower barrier to entry for businesses makes La Plaza Colorado one of the best business incubator models in the country.
Even McMurrian is inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of his vendors. In addition to operating the marketplace, he also owns La Plaza Pizza, a wood-fired pizza concept tucked inside the food hall. The stand serves hand-crafted pizzas made with a sourdough starter nurtured at McMurrian’s home.
No matter if you’re heading to La Plaza Colorado for a drink, a dance, some fun, new shoes, or a feast, it’s certainly worth a visit. Once you visit, you’ll find yourself wanting to go back again soon.
Visit La Plaza Colorado Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 15200 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, laplazacolorado.com
