This Former Colorado Department Store Is Now A Foodie Paradise Worth The Trip

A former big-box store should not feel this alive, yet every corner now hums with food, music, and the kind of energy no retail chain could manufacture. What used to be rows of predictable merchandise has become a place where lunch can turn into an afternoon without warning.

One vendor catches you with smoke and spice, another wins you over with something sweet, and live music keeps the whole room moving. This is Colorado community life with the volume turned up, colorful, crowded, and impossible to rush through.

The best part is the surprise factor. You walk in expecting a meal, then find yourself comparing plates, following the music, and mentally planning a return visit before you leave.

Locals have been quietly passing this one around for good reason. Across this corner of Colorado, reinvention does not look polished or precious.

It looks busy, welcoming, flavorful, and hard to leave.

From Kmart to Cultural Landmark: The Transformation Story

Some buildings get a second act that completely overshadows their first. This is one of those rare cases where a former big-box retail shell has been reimagined into something far more interesting than anything it housed before.

The space is enormous, which makes sense given its department store origins, and that scale works in its favor now.

Walking through the front entrance, you get that immediate sense of organized chaos that marks every great market worth its salt. Vendor stalls line the interior, food counters beckon from multiple directions, and the ceiling height gives the whole place a surprisingly airy feel.

It does not feel like a converted anything. It feels deliberate.

Why It Matters: Understanding what this building used to be helps you appreciate how much community effort went into reshaping it. This is not a polished food hall developed by a real estate firm.

It is a grassroots marketplace that grew organically, vendor by vendor, stall by stall, into something Aurora residents genuinely claim as their own. That origin story flavors every visit.

Best For: First-time visitors who want context before exploring, and anyone who appreciates a good underdog story with excellent tacos attached.

Food Trucks Out Back Add a Whole Second Chapter

Most people walk through the front entrance, find a food stall they like, and consider themselves done. Those people are leaving the second half of the story unread.

La Plaza Colorado has a collection of food trucks operating out back that functions almost as a separate event running alongside the indoor experience.

The outdoor truck lineup covers seafood, tacos, burritos, fruit, and fresh drinks. Visitors who have made multiple trips tend to treat the indoor and outdoor sections as two different itineraries, which is honestly not a bad strategy.

The parking lot itself fills up fast on weekends, and the truck zone has its own energy that feels more street-fair than marketplace.

Insider Tip: If you arrive and the front parking area looks full, do not give up. Visitors report that turnover is steady enough that a spot opens within about ten minutes of patient circling.

The walk from a farther spot is worth it, especially if the outdoor trucks are running a full lineup. Go around back before you leave.

Skipping that section is like reading half a menu and calling it dinner.

Best For: Return visitors ready to explore beyond the main floor, and anyone who considers outdoor street food its own category of essential eating.

The Food Scene That Makes the Drive Non-Negotiable

If you came for the food, you made the right call. La Plaza Colorado operates as a proper food destination, with vendors offering authentic Mexican cuisine that visitors consistently describe as the real reason they keep returning.

Taquero Mucho, La Mesita, Tacos y Mariscos El Aguachiles, and Guelaguetza are among the names that show up repeatedly in glowing visitor accounts.

The agua fresca served from the center aisle has earned its own fan base. The asada fries, the hibiscus tea, the quesa birria with broth on the side, the blue raspberry lemonade from House of Vibes Kitchen, the hot Cheeto vibes balls loaded with steak, cheese, beans, and rice.

The menu landscape here is genuinely varied and deeply satisfying.

Pro Tip: Come hungry and plan to share. Portions at several vendors run generous enough that splitting dishes lets you sample more of the lineup without committing to a food coma by the second stall.

Weekdays tend to be quieter, which means shorter waits and more time to actually talk to the vendors about what they recommend.

Best For: Food-focused visitors, adventurous eaters, and anyone who considers trying every stall a legitimate weekend goal.

Shopping, Services, and Surprises Around Every Corner

Food is the headliner, but La Plaza Colorado runs a full supporting cast. The vendor mix inside covers clothing, shoes, jewelry, beauty products, pet treats, and a slime bar that will immediately become your kids’ favorite stop.

There is a barber shop and a salon offering hair, nail, and lash services. One visitor noted you can buy tacos, a new pair of shoes, and a household appliance in a single trip, and that is not an exaggeration.

A gaming cafe called Zuliu’s Gaming operates inside, and there is an arcade area alongside a small indoor playground for younger children. The playground carries a nominal entry fee, so it is worth knowing in advance if you have little ones planning their afternoon around it.

There is also a stage area, which gets used for live music and community events that shift the energy of the whole space.

Common Mistakes to Avoid: Assuming this is just a food court. The shopping and service vendors reward slow exploration, and rushing through to the food stalls means missing a genuinely eclectic retail experience.

Budget extra time if you have kids, because the combination of arcade, playground, slime bar, and shopping creates a pace all its own.

Best For: Families, casual shoppers, and anyone who enjoys markets where the unexpected find is always one more stall away.

Why Aurora Locals Keep Claiming This Place as Their Own

There is a specific kind of local pride that attaches to a place when the community feels like it built something together. La Plaza Colorado carries that energy in a way that polished commercial venues rarely manage.

Vendors are friendly in the way that comes from genuinely enjoying where they work, and the crowd reflects the neighborhood rather than a curated visitor demographic.

Visitors from out of state have compared it to a hawker center or night market, which is a useful reference point if you have experienced those. The comparison captures the communal seating, the variety of independent vendors, and the sense that the space belongs to the people using it rather than to a brand.

One visitor flying in from Houston called it huge and immediately welcoming. That combination is harder to engineer than it looks.

Who This Is For: Anyone who prefers markets where the vendors have actual stakes in what they are selling, and where the person handing you your food is probably the same person who made it.

Who This Is Not For: Visitors expecting a quiet, curated boutique experience. This place has volume, energy, and crowds, especially on weekend evenings.

That is the point, and it is worth embracing rather than managing around.

Pokemon Cards, Live Music, and the Weekly Event Calendar

Here is where La Plaza Colorado separates itself from every other indoor market in the metro area. Beyond the food and shopping, the venue runs a weekly Pokemon trading card event that has become a genuine draw on its own.

Visitors who came specifically for the card event have reported staying three hours longer than planned because the food and atmosphere pulled them in. That is not a coincidence.

It is smart programming.

Live music gets staged regularly, and the stage area toward the back of the main floor shifts the whole vibe of the space when a set is running. The combination of food, shopping, gaming, and scheduled events means La Plaza functions more like a community hub than a simple marketplace.

There is almost always something happening beyond the baseline vendor activity.

Planning Advice: Check the event calendar at laplazacolorado.com before you visit, especially if you are bringing kids or planning around the Pokemon event. Weekend evenings run the most active programming, while weekday afternoons offer a quieter version of the same space with shorter lines and easier navigation.

The phone number on file is 720-767-4417 if you want to confirm specific events before making the drive.

Best For: Families with kids, card game enthusiasts, and anyone who wants a destination that offers more than one reason to stay.

Make It a Real Outing: Your Low-Effort La Plaza Game Plan

La Plaza Colorado is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 AM to 8 PM, and Saturday through Sunday from 10 AM to 9 PM, making it an easy post-errand stop or a proper weekend afternoon anchor. The extended weekend hours give you room to arrive around noon, work through a few food stalls, browse the shops, and still have time to circle back for dessert before the drive home.

Pair the visit with a walk through the surrounding stretch of East Colfax afterward if the weather cooperates. The neighborhood has its own character, and a short stroll before or after gives the outing a little more shape.

If you have younger kids, build in time for the playground and arcade section so the food browsing does not turn into a negotiation.

Quick Verdict: La Plaza Colorado delivers an unusually high return on a very low planning investment. You show up, you eat something exceptional, you find a vendor selling something you did not know you needed, and you leave already thinking about the next visit.

That is the whole formula, and it works reliably enough that the parking lot stays full for a reason. Go on a weekday if crowds are not your thing.

Go on a Saturday evening if you want the full experience with live music and maximum energy. Either way, go.