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Celebrating Tradition and Legacy: Toro and Tamayo Host Month-Long Día de los Muertos Celebration

Chef Richard Sandoval is introducing a prix-fixe menu featuring modern twists on traditional Día de los Muertos dishes and cocktails that represent the harmony of life and death. This specialty menu will blend elements from both the bar and the kitchen, creating a cohesive and symbolic dining experience.

DENVER (September 23) – Chef Richard Sandoval’s Denver restaurants Toro and Tamayo are once again honoring Día de los Muertos with a month-long culinary celebration from October 1 to November 3, featuring special dishes and cocktails inspired by the flavors and traditions of the Mexican holiday.

Día de los Muertos is a time to honor and celebrate the lives of those who have passed. This year, Toro and Tamayo’s special food and beverage menu will highlight ingredients typically served in traditional dishes around the holiday, but with a modern twist. The cuisine itself plays a significant role in the festivities, as it symbolizes offerings to those who have passed. These offerings, “ofrendas” in Spanish, are placed at alters as gifts to the spirits throughout the celebration.

“Celebrating the rich tradition of Día de los Muertos across our Richard Sandoval Hospitality family is something I’m deeply proud of,” Chef Richard Sandoval said. “This holiday has been close to my heart since childhood, and it’s a privilege to curate a menu that not only remembers and honors our loved ones but also brings people together in a meaningful way. Through vibrant colors and bold flavors, this menu is a tribute to the stories and memories of our ancestors.”

From October 1 to November 3, both Toro and Tamayo will offer Día de los Muertos-inspired food and drink specials. Guests can enjoy the Empanadas De Longosta, featuring lobster, sweet corn, squid ink masa, black bean purée and chile de árbol sauce. Empanadas in Mexico are dated back centuries, and they are often left on Día de los Muertos ofrendas as a gift to family members who have passed and once loved the dish. The squid ink masa used in Chef Richard Sandoval’s recipe gives the dish its deep, dark color, perfectly fitting the Muertos theme of the holiday. Other specials include the Black Enmoladas ($26) consisting of duck carnitas confit, mole negro, horseradish crema fresca, cotija and purple watercress salad. This dish is given its rich color from the use of mole negro, an intricate sauce created with burnt and blackened chiles. Mole negro originates from Oaxaca, Mexico and has been served during Día de los Muertos for centuries. A unique Toro offering is the Filete En Salsa Negra, a beef tenderloin with tres chilis gastrique, heirloom carrot, butternut squash and agave purple mashed potato. On Día de los Muertos, the offerings (ofrendas) often include dishes made with chilies to celebrate the deceased loved ones’ favorite foods, representing the spice and vibrancy they brought into the lives of those who honor them. Pan De Muerto is a beautiful dish crafted with cocoa glaze, espresso cream and blackberry chutney dark chocolate champurrado that can be shared or enjoyed alone for dessert at both Toro and Tamayo. Pan De Muerto is a traditional sweet, soft bread that symbolizes the cycle of life and death. The top of the dessert is decorated with dough shaped like bones.

This year’s cocktail menu quenches guests’ thirst with beverages that relate back to traditional Día de los Muertos emblems. For example, Monarch butterflies, or “mariposas” in Spanish, are believed to be the souls of beloved ancestors returning to earth for visits to their loved ones. The Monarch cocktail crafted with Abasolo Mexican whiskey, Ancho Reyes chili liqueur, carrot and orange bitters will be available at Toro and Tamayo all month long. A cocktail exclusively at Tamayo is the La Catrina made with Nocheluna sotol, amaro Montenegro, lychee purée Campari, lime, activated charcoal and totomoxtle. This drink represents the adored La Catrina female skeleton which is a symbolic image of Mexico’s perspective on life, death and the afterlife. The Marigold flower is represented in the Marigold Margarita ($13) which is also available at Tamayo and made with reposado tequila, tonic, cempaxúchil, lime and tajin. Marigolds are the most popular flower associated with the holiday and are also known as the flor de cempasúchil. These flowers decorate altars and ofrendas with their radiant hues and fragrant aromas, said to attract and guide souls and light their journey back home. For a booze-free alternative, Toro will be pouring a creamy Horchata ($15) that includes vanilla, rice, cardamom and cinnamon. Traditionally, this drink is made with a variety of plants. Today, a sweetened rice milk is used and spiced up with cinnamon to add a warm flavor perfect for the cooler weather associated with the season.

Toro and Tamayo will celebrate Día de los Muertos from October 1 to November 3. Reservations, which are highly encouraged, can be made online at www.torodenver.com and www.eattamayo.com.

ABOUT RICHARD SANDOVAL HOSPITALITY:

Richard Sandoval Hospitality is a leading restaurant group founded by Mexican-born chef, restaurateur, television personality and philanthropist Richard Sandoval. Known for offering guests an unparalleled culinary experience, this internationally recognized contemporary Latin restaurant group successfully owns and operates over 60 restaurant concepts around the globe. US restaurant locations span 10 states and the District of Columbia – as well as internationally in 11 countries including Canada, Costa Rica, Greece, Malta, Morocco, Qatar, Serbia, St Kitts, Turkey and the UAE. For a complete list of restaurants and more information, please visit http://www.richardsandoval.com/.  

ABOUT TAMAYO:

Acclaimed chef & restaurateur Richard Sandoval opened Tamayo in 2001 on the corner of 14th and Larimer Street. Chef Sandoval blends the earthy yet complex flavors of his native Mexico with worldly ingredients and creative cooking techniques to create the modern Mexican cuisine at Tamayo. Alongside vibrant dishes, guests can enjoy hand-crafted margaritas & choose from a collection of over 100 agave-based spirits. The two-story restaurant has an outdoor patio, spacious dining room and a large rooftop deck with sweeping views of the Rocky Mountains. Tamayo serves Lunch Monday-Friday 11am-3pm, Dinner Sunday-Thursday 5pm-9pm and Friday & Saturday 5pm-10pm and Bottomless Brunch Saturday & Sunday 11am-3pm. For more information, please visit www.eattamayo.com or call 720-946-1433. Tamayo is located at 1400 Larimer Street in Denver. For the latest special events & updates, follow Tamayo on Instagram at @tamayodenver.

ABOUT TORO:

Opened in July 2020, Toro is an inventive concept by the acclaimed Chef Richard Sandoval, who is known for his highly regarded restaurants around the world. Toro specializes in authentic Pan-Latin cuisine with locations in Belgrade (Serbia), Cabo San Lucas (Mexico), Denver (Colorado), Fort Lauderdale (Florida), Istanbul (Turkey), Snowmass (Colorado), and Scottsdale (Arizona). Toro brings Latin flair to a casual, yet sophisticated, Cherry Creek Denver setting. Located in the lobby of the Hotel Clio, there are elegant and spacious dining areas, bar seating, and a lounge, along with private and semi-private dining areas available upon request. The restaurant offers its full menu to-go via curbside takeout by calling the restaurant or by third-party delivery via Grub Hub. Toro, located at 150 Clayton Lane, Suite B, 80206, serves breakfast, happy hour, and dinner daily, and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. The bar and lounge are also open daily. For more information, connect on Facebook, Instagram, or via www.torodenver.com. To make a reservation, please call 303-253-3000 or visit Open Table.